Everything that’s happened this week should provide hope for University of Hawai‘i men’s basketball fans.
Every second of live college basketball, along with the introduction of Gib Arnold as the new head coach, should make the ‘Bows shine just a bit brighter than they have all season.
(OK, I know that’s not saying much. Just stay with me.)
The obvious parity currently on display throughout Division I men’s basketball illustrates that no program is ever that far from a complete turnaround.
Just look at Baylor University. Less than seven years ago, the school went through as bad a scandal as college sports has ever seen.
First, the incomprehensible murder of player Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson, followed by head coach Dave Bliss instructing players to lie to investigators, left the university and the athletic department in ruins as far as sanctions to its basketball program.
Its probationary period will finally come to an end this June. After winning just 36 games total from 2003 to 2007, the Bears regained much of their recruiting capabilities and made it to the NCAA tournament in 2008.
They were runner-up at the 2009 NIT and are currently into the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, earning a 3-seed after a 24-7 season.
Other teams still alive in the Big Dance include Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s and Cornell — not exactly the pantheon of basketball powerhouses.
Who isn’t among the 24 still vying for a title? Kansas, Georgetown, UCLA, North Carolina, Arizona and UConn. The latter four weren’t even invited.
This year’s first day of tournament games was the best, most competitive, most exciting full day of basketball I’ve ever witnessed.
Seven games were decided by three points or less (not including BYU-Florida, which BYU won by seven in double overtime), No. 14 Ohio and No. 13 Murray State each advanced and No. 15 Robert Morris took Villanova to overtime, losing on some dubious officiating.
The point is that it no longer takes much for a 10-win team to become a 20-win team to become a tournament team to become a Cinderella.
One coach with the ability to recruit and inspire can change the face of a program.
We’ve seen it done quickly by the truly great coaches. Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, John Calipari, they go someplace and immediately change the culture to a winning attitude.
(Followed, in Calipari’s case, by a culture of probation.)
Kansas State was 15-13 four seasons ago. Now it is a 2-seed in the Sweet 16.
Three years ago, New Mexico went 15-17. This year it came into the tournament 29-4 and got a No. 3 seed.
Is there any real reason UH can’t compete on the same playing field as Kansas State or New Mexico?
I don’t know what Gib Arnold has in store for the ‘Bows, but athletic director Jim Donovan obviously sees a number of reasons that Arnold can be the solution to the question he has been asking for the past two seasons.
Quick update: Back in August, I wrote a column about high school junior Jeremy Tyler, who gave up his senior year of high school and moved to Israel to play hoops professionally.
Unfortunately, Tyler left the team this week prior to the season’s completion, and came back to California after getting minimal playing time and griping with coaches all year.
Though not exactly an unexpected outcome, I was still hopeful he would prove all the doubters wrong. Oh well.
Welcome home, Jeremy.
