RETRO: respect for the alma mater

Speaking of sexual predators (honestly, I didn't plan on there being so many transitions tonight, I swear, but it works so nice!) I have to give a shout out or whatever for my old school and first love of education, La Salle. Their men's basketball team is finally coming together. If you didn't know (which means you are from Cali; otherwise forget this paragraph) they lost two of their top players and their coach a few years ago over rape allegations. This couldn't have come at a worse time, because it was after an initial glimpse of hope. The coach was a new hire, the recruits were coming in, and it seemed just as they were building a great foundation for the future, the rug was yanked out from under them. Of course, that stuff should never be taken lightly and I don't fault the school for taking action. There was a big mess, the school got a huge black eye and tons of negative publicity, and everyone trashed them. They had to start the search for a coach right away, two years after they thought they solved it, and recruits surely stayed away. Last year, they struggled.

But this year, they've made a lot of progress. One of the big recruits the old coach had that stayed, Steve Smith, has been the key player on the team from his first game. He got some recognition last year for playing through all the adversity and was even named Co-Player of the year in the Atlantic Ten. He thought about leaving school for the draft, and was considered a borderline first round pick (nowadays, getting into the first round is extremely important because it guarantees you a contract). Few thought he would stay in a messy situation, but he did, and now his stock has to be rising. I think his numbers are about the same but he's impressing more people with winning. As of tonight, La Salle is 16-7 overall, with a 8-4 conference record. They'd be third (or tied for third or even second, once everyone catches up) in the entire conference (which is ironically 14 teams, not 10).

Now, that's not going to be nearly enough to get them into the big dance, the NCAA tournament. I'll admit very clearly that their schedule has been pretty weak and that the conference is not having a good year at all (outside of George Washington). But… this is an absolutely incredible change from the teams that I watched the past ten years. They hadn't made any tournament, not even the NIT, since the early 1990's. Year after year they lost, even though they could get good recruits here and there from Philly. Even in Rasual Butler's last year, when they made a big run at the end of the season and in the conference tournament, they couldn't crack the .500 mark. But now, when Smith is their only major player and they have a short team without a lot of firepower, they are winning. They beat Temple and Xavier, usually beasts of the conference. They got killed by Villanova, but they might be the best team in the country right now. Even though the conference is down, they did add two teams who usually have a good shot of postseason play, Charlotte and St. Louis.

Let me put it this way: my senior year, they couldn't finish any better than maybe ninth in the conference. The only teams they could beat were perennial bottom-feeders like Duquesne and St. Bonaventure (after their own troubles). Now they're above St. Joseph's and Richmond and Temple and Dayton and Xavier, teams that used to toy with them. They used to win maybe 4 conference games a year, maybe 11 in the whole season. Now look at them. They'll be over .500 at the end of the season and poised to go to the NIT, which invites almost all the teams with winning records from major conferences (they're mid-major, but if they can finish in the top five in conference standings they'll most likely be in). This will be the first playoff game of any kind in nearly 15 years, and I wish I could be there for it. My guess is that they'll be matched up in the first round with another of the Big Five Philly schools (or Drexel) and the campus will be rocking. I hope it's rocking. We got a packed house to see them beat St. Joe's my freshman year… and that was the only good thing they did. You kids better do something, even if you hate sports (Drewskitis, I'm looking at you).

I used to wonder if they made a mistake by joining the A-10. They were able to take advantage of the Metro league before that. You see, 15-20 years ago, La Salle was exactly like what Gonzaga is now: a small Catholic school in a forgotten conference that still managed to get national attention and recruits, and play with the big boys. Just as Dan Dickau and Adam Morrison can make player of the year candidacies for Gonzaga, La Salle had consensus player fo the year Lionel Simmons in 1989. When I went there, I couldn't believe that they had such a good program ten years earlier. It seemed like an entirely different school. But now, they're winning a conference that, yes, is having a down year, but has stronger schools in it than it has had in a long time. Charlotte and Richmond, recent additions, have been to the NCAA tourney a lot. Temple and St. Joe's were always tough, and Xavier had probably been the top threat for a couple years. La Salle never finished higher than second to last in their division. Now that they know they can compete in this conference, it's a whole new world. Recruits won't be scared to go there.

I'm disappointed that ESPN and other networks aren't picking up on this more as a feel good story, mostly because it was the fault of the coach and suspicion of players. But, hey, they're giving love to Baylor after what they went through (which was much, much, much worse, but still). Maybe they will get some pub now that they've got a streak going. I know Smith, who was on the list of underrated and mid-major players to watch by many publications, is going to get some accolades. But I'm really proud and really happy for the old school. Wish I could've seen that when I was there. And I wish my spring break didn't come so damn late so I could be at that NIT game. Maybe by some miracle they'll match them up in the first round at one of the numerous Cal State schools, although they usually keep things regional in the first.

Respeck, La Salle. You've earned it.

And the NBA all-star game is coming up soon, so I'll have to devote a whole blog on that too. But later.