Thursday, December 9, 2004
AMHERST, Mass. -- Steve Lappas made an interesting decision not too long ago. Whether it was a wise one is yet to be determined.
Offered a contract extension recently, the UMass coach turned it down. So now the former Villanova coach is in the final year of his four-year deal, needing desperately to at least show signs of turning the Minutemen (2-2) around or face another job search.
Beating No. 7 UConn (4-0) tonight at the Mullins Center won't keep Lappas around for another year by itself. But it would go a long way toward restoring some confidence in the coach who was confident enough to stake his job on one season.
"There are expectations all around," Lappas said. "That's the nature of the business. We have everybody back from last year. There was potential going in. That's why the expectations are high.
"It's big year, no question. That's been well-documented up here. You don't need me to talk about it."
Since reaching the Final Four in 1996, UMass has fallen on extremely hard times. It has had just three winning seasons, the last coming in 1999-2000. Lappas, who averaged 19 wins during a nine-year stay at Villanova, hasn't won more than 13 games in a season with UMass.
Interest has waned in western Massachusetts. UMass averages roughly 3,000 fans at the Mullins Center, which has a capacity of 9,493. At a time when the school has severe financial issues, it needs the basketball team to start winning again.
Beat UConn and somebody might take notice, even if it's only brief notice. Of course, beating the Huskies is something the Minutemen have a hard time doing. UConn has won 13 straight and 21 of the
last 22 meetings.
"Even though we've dominated this rivalry, a Connecticut win for UMass would be something they'd really love to have," said UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who counts Lappas among his good friends. "Now you add the national championship, you add the Big East, you add the proximity of the two schools, all those things go into the fact it would certainly be a good win for them.
"There is not a certainty given Steve's situation. I'm crazy for Steve. Except for (tonight), I hope he's very successful."
Some believe there is hope for UMass this year. The Minutemen were picked to finish atop the East Division of the Atlantic-10 Conference. But the early part of the season has once again been a struggle.
UMass opened the year with victories against Birmingham Southern and Yale, but lost a brutal 16-point decision at home against Northeastern. UConn beat Northeastern by 37 points Monday night. The Minutemen put in a decent effort Saturday in a loss against Gonzaga in Seattle.
Even a decent effort might not be enough for UMass tonight, not against a UConn team that is averaging an outrageous 60 rebounds per game. The Minutemen don't have much in the way of size, certainly not enough to compete with the Huskies.
"Rebound, rebound and rebound some more," Lappas said. "If you rebound, you have a chance to slow them up a little bit. That would be a by-product of rebounding well. That's the main thrust of what we're trying to do. We need to keep the possessions and pace down. I'm sure they'll do everything they can to speed the game up."
Lappas' teams at Villanova had some success keeping the Huskies in check. An array of gimmick defenses usually seemed to confuse UConn. Calhoun expects the same kinds of things tonight. He also expects inexperienced guards Marcus Williams and Antonio Kellogg to recognize the different defenses.
That would be a tough task anywhere, but it's even more difficult with a young team hitting the road for the first time. UMass doesn't draw big crowds, but they're always hostile no matter the size.
The biggest challenge belongs to the Minutemen, but UConn isn't without one.
"This is our first test in someone else's building," Calhoun said. "We have to build on what we have. ... It's still a growing group of kids that has to learn what it takes to be good. Last year, those guys could go anyplace and be inspired by the other team. You don't know if, at times on the road, we're going to be as inspired as we should be."
He'll find out, just as UMass will find out whether it was inspired by Lappas' career decision.
AMHERST, Mass. -- Steve Lappas made an interesting decision not too long ago. Whether it was a wise one is yet to be determined.
Offered a contract extension recently, the UMass coach turned it down. So now the former Villanova coach is in the final year of his four-year deal, needing desperately to at least show signs of turning the Minutemen (2-2) around or face another job search.
Beating No. 7 UConn (4-0) tonight at the Mullins Center won't keep Lappas around for another year by itself. But it would go a long way toward restoring some confidence in the coach who was confident enough to stake his job on one season.
"There are expectations all around," Lappas said. "That's the nature of the business. We have everybody back from last year. There was potential going in. That's why the expectations are high.
"It's big year, no question. That's been well-documented up here. You don't need me to talk about it."
Since reaching the Final Four in 1996, UMass has fallen on extremely hard times. It has had just three winning seasons, the last coming in 1999-2000. Lappas, who averaged 19 wins during a nine-year stay at Villanova, hasn't won more than 13 games in a season with UMass.
Interest has waned in western Massachusetts. UMass averages roughly 3,000 fans at the Mullins Center, which has a capacity of 9,493. At a time when the school has severe financial issues, it needs the basketball team to start winning again.
Beat UConn and somebody might take notice, even if it's only brief notice. Of course, beating the Huskies is something the Minutemen have a hard time doing. UConn has won 13 straight and 21 of the
last 22 meetings.
"Even though we've dominated this rivalry, a Connecticut win for UMass would be something they'd really love to have," said UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who counts Lappas among his good friends. "Now you add the national championship, you add the Big East, you add the proximity of the two schools, all those things go into the fact it would certainly be a good win for them.
"There is not a certainty given Steve's situation. I'm crazy for Steve. Except for (tonight), I hope he's very successful."
Some believe there is hope for UMass this year. The Minutemen were picked to finish atop the East Division of the Atlantic-10 Conference. But the early part of the season has once again been a struggle.
UMass opened the year with victories against Birmingham Southern and Yale, but lost a brutal 16-point decision at home against Northeastern. UConn beat Northeastern by 37 points Monday night. The Minutemen put in a decent effort Saturday in a loss against Gonzaga in Seattle.
Even a decent effort might not be enough for UMass tonight, not against a UConn team that is averaging an outrageous 60 rebounds per game. The Minutemen don't have much in the way of size, certainly not enough to compete with the Huskies.
"Rebound, rebound and rebound some more," Lappas said. "If you rebound, you have a chance to slow them up a little bit. That would be a by-product of rebounding well. That's the main thrust of what we're trying to do. We need to keep the possessions and pace down. I'm sure they'll do everything they can to speed the game up."
Lappas' teams at Villanova had some success keeping the Huskies in check. An array of gimmick defenses usually seemed to confuse UConn. Calhoun expects the same kinds of things tonight. He also expects inexperienced guards Marcus Williams and Antonio Kellogg to recognize the different defenses.
That would be a tough task anywhere, but it's even more difficult with a young team hitting the road for the first time. UMass doesn't draw big crowds, but they're always hostile no matter the size.
The biggest challenge belongs to the Minutemen, but UConn isn't without one.
"This is our first test in someone else's building," Calhoun said. "We have to build on what we have. ... It's still a growing group of kids that has to learn what it takes to be good. Last year, those guys could go anyplace and be inspired by the other team. You don't know if, at times on the road, we're going to be as inspired as we should be."
He'll find out, just as UMass will find out whether it was inspired by Lappas' career decision.
