|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
>>> Division II and Divsion III News & Notes |
RIVALRY
WEEK IS NOT JUST FOR DIVISION I
There is a big game being played on Saturday night
between two powerhouse programs in the state of
Ohio. Some of their credentials include: more
appearances (22) and victories (42) in the
Division III NCAA Tournament than any other
program, a 48-year record of 1024-270 with no
losing seasons, a 127-21 record over the past five
seasons, best in Division III and third best
overall in the entire NCAA, and one school earning
12 NCAA Tournament bids in the last 14 years.
The College of Wooster and Wittenberg University
have been the only two teams to win the North
Coast Athletic Conference regular season
championship since 1990 and have won 12 of the 14
tournament championships in that time. So, it
should come as no surprise that the conference
championship and home court advantage for the
conference tournament is on the line February 12
in Springfield, Ohio when Wooster comes to town.
The head coaches of these two powers not only have
a great deal of personal history together, but
they have a history with both schools. Wooster
head coach Steve Moore is a Wittenberg graduate of
1974, and as an assistant coach to Larry Hunter,
he helped Wittenberg to a National Championship in
1977. Wittenberg head coach Bill Brown is a 1973
Wittenberg graduate, and spent a year as the
interim head coach at Wooster during the 1981-82
season. He also spent some time as an assistant
coach to Larry Hunter at the University of Ohio
before becoming Wittenberg’s head coach in 1993.
Moore is in his 17th season as the head coach at
Wooster, and it is Brown’s 12th season. Although
they have played so many meaningful games in the
last decade against each other, they have nothing
but respect for each other’s program. Moore
believes while the rivalry is special to the
school and his players, he doesn’t see it as
anything but positive, “I know there are rivalries
across the country where it is bitter, but I don’t
think that is true of the Wittenberg-Wooster
rivalry. The schools are very similar
academically, so I don’t think there is a
bitterness at all.”
Brown also keeps the rivalry in perspective, “The
more positive recognition from a competitive
standpoint that our conference gets, I am all for
that.” The two schools recruit most of the same
players, fueling the competition even further, but
Coach Brown and his staff supported Wooster’s run
to the Final Four two years ago, sending e-mails
to Wooster players, wishing them luck and urging
them to bring home the National Championship.
Two Different Styles Collide
Both teams come into this game 12-1 in the
conference with Wooster’s only loss coming at home
to Wittenberg on January 15. Wittenberg has two
losses, but their only conference loss came at
Denison University in double overtime on December
11. Wittenberg is an upper-class dominated team
with eight of their top ten players being juniors
and seniors. They have great depth with ten
players averaging double-digits in minutes and no
one averaging more than 25 minutes per game. They
are a great defensive team having only given up 60
points once in the last fourteen games, including
a stifling defensive performance against Kenyon
College in a 76-28 whipping.
Wooster is an explosive offensive team having
scored 70 or more points in all but two games.
They average over 80 points per game and shoot an
astounding 51.9% from the field. Similar to
Wittenberg, they are a deep team with eight
players getting more than 15 minutes per game.
Their three leading scorers are juniors and
seniors, but Moore is getting significant
contributions from three sophomores and a
freshman.
You have one of the nation’s best defensive teams
and one of the nation’s best offensive teams, so
something has to give. In their first meeting,
Wittenberg’s defense controlled the tempo holding
Wooster to 28.9% shooting in a 69-51 win, shocking
Wooster on their home floor. The loss was
Wooster’s first and knocked them from being
nationally ranked #1 by D3hoops.com. Coach Moore
felt that although his team won its first fourteen
games and were ranked first in the nation, they
were not playing great basketball before the
Wittenberg game, “We had a lot of games early in
the season that we won that I don’t think we
played exceptionally. I didn’t think we had put it
all together yet.” He does feel the team is on the
upswing and have improved since the Wittenberg
game, “I thought that game (Wittenberg) brought
out a lot of weaknesses. Since that game we’ve
improved. We’ve tried to work on parts of the game
we had not been consistent with throughout the
year, and I think we have improved.”
It Is Just Another Game
It is evident that the two coaches have entirely
different styles, but they do take a similar
approach in their preparation for this big game.
Moore will prepare his team the same as any other
game, but he admits that it is natural to take the
game a bit more seriously, “We say we want to be
on an even keel and prepare hard for every game,
but I think it’s natural when you play tougher
opponents, and when you play games that are
meaningful, that you focus even more and you are
more intense… maybe you do prepare even harder for
the game that is so important.”
Brown is extremely philosophical saying, “The
preparation that I and my coaching staff does is
pretty much the same game in and game out. I am a
pretty conservative person. I respect everybody we
play. I respect that unusual karma, that bad karma
that can just show up on any night.” But both
coaches know that you can’t fool the players that
it is just any game, “The players have a
heightened sense of something,” says Brown, and
Moore knows the players are always ready for this
game, “I think it is something they look forward
to on both sides because of the atmosphere and the
excitement. That is what players like. They like
to play in games like that.”
So, Brown feels his leadership is crucial to
keeping the players focused when playing Wooster,
“I need to continually find ways from a personal
standpoint to relax, because I think if I can not
be uptight about things, it will serve me very
well in staying focused on the game instead of
getting sidetracked. I am always talking to our
players about being mentally tough and that is
warding off any kind of distractions that come
your way.”
The distractions may continue after the game and
Moore feels that leadership from the coach is of
great importance after an emotional
Wooster-Wittenberg game. He feels that keeping the
team focused after a win or loss is extremely
challenging, “Sometimes when you win a big game
you have to eliminate that satisfied feeling, or
if you lose a tough game you have to get over the
disappointment as quickly as you can. I think that
is a real important thing in a basketball season.”
Moore admits he is probably a little more intense
in practice after a win to keep the team working
hard and staying ready for each and every game.
Two Great Programs – Two Great Coaches
Wittenberg is undoubtedly one of Division III’s
traditional powers having not had a losing season
in 48 years. In that time they have had three
coaches move on to be head coaches at the Division
1 level, Eldon Miller, Dan Hipsher, and Larry
Hunter. Brown has continued the winning tradition
at Wittenberg with a 270-64 record. He has also
led Wittenberg to the NCAA Tournament three of the
past four years, and does not regret leaving the
Division 1 level. Although Brown loved working for
Larry Hunter, spending “88” nights a year in a
hotel room was going to be too difficult on his
family, and he feels grateful to be given the
chance to direct his alma mater, knowing that he
receives tremendous support from the
administration.
Wooster also has an impressive history as Coach Al
Van Wie led Wooster to 14 winning seasons in 19
years in the 60’s and 70’s, but the program took a
downturn in the mid-80’s with only one winning
season from 1982-1987. However, after naming Steve
Moore head coach in 1987, Wooster has not had a
losing season in 17 years compiling a 406-97
record and reaching the NCAA Tournament 12 times
in the last 14 seasons. Some might find it strange
that a Wittenberg grad was given the opportunity
to resurrect Wooster’s program. However, Wooster
and Wittenberg were in different conferences from
1984-1989, so when Moore originally took the
Wooster job, he did not expect to compete
regularly with his alma mater. After six years as
the head coach at Muhlenberg College in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, Moore looked at the Wooster job as
an opportunity to move his family closer to their
original home.
The Second Season
Adding pressure to this game is the reward that
comes with winning the conference championship.
The automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament is given
to the conference tournament champion, and the
regular season champ gets to host the tourney.
Unlike Division 1 basketball, Division III will
only have 6 at-large bids into the NCAA
Tournament, and there is no guarantee for either
team, regardless of Wooster’s 21-1 record,
Wittenberg’s 20-2 record and being nationally
ranked. Brown acknowledges this pressure has made
the rivalry more competitive for the players and
the coaches, “Before the NCAA cut the number of
teams to go to the NCAA Tournament, most of the
time if you didn’t win the league, a second team
goes. This has put tremendous pressure on these
games.”
However, hosting the conference tournament is no
guarantee for victory, as last year Wooster played
a magical game in the championship against
Wittenberg in Springfield winning 100-71,
continuing a Wooster postseason trend. Coach Brown
and Wittenberg has had an advantage over Wooster
in regular season match-ups winning 16 out of 23,
but Moore has had the success in the postseason
tournament winning nine of the last fourteen
tournament championships with a 5-2 record against
Wittenberg in the postseason.
Where Are You ESPN?
ESPN televised its only Division III game on
February 3 between Grinnell and Beloit, teams with
a combined 13-28 record. It is a shame that the
nation won’t get to witness this game. Both
coaches compared the rivalry to North Carolina and
Duke, and believe both their teams play at a level
that all fans could appreciate, “It is just a
different level (Division 1) of athlete in terms
of size and explosiveness and playing above the
rim, but the skill, the competitiveness, the
mental toughness, all of those things are just as
good as Division 1 top level games.”
Brown’s respect for the greatness of this rivalry
is evident in how he motivates his team, “I have
often times said that this is Duke and North
Carolina going at it tomorrow night or tonight or
whatever, and I am sure down through the years I
have said that if this game showed up on national
television and one team was wearing the Carolina
blue and the other one the Duke white, they (fans)
wouldn’t know any different, because of how hard
people were playing, and because of the quality of
play.”
Although this game will not have a national
audience, about 2,500 fans in Wittenberg’s HPER
Center will witness one of the year’s best games,
and basketball fans throughout Ohio will
undoubtedly be paying attention to another huge
Wittenberg-Wooster game. The winning team Saturday
night will feel great satisfaction, but not for
long, as they will likely see each other again in
two weeks, with the NCAA automatic bid on the line
for the 7th time in 15 years.
David Adelman spent 7 years as a Division I
assistant and two years as a Division III
assistant at the University of Wisconsin Stevens
Point. After two years coaching minor league
professional basketball, he is currently working
as a consultant for the New Jersey Nets.
EMAIL DAVID |
|
|
|