"Rants and Raves" is an open forum for coaches to discuss topics, ranging from issues to observations on the state of college basketball and beyond.
 
 
15 Wins = 25 Wins
By Don Harnum, Rider Broncs

There is no luxury -- at the mid-major level -- of playing poorly, and still be able to secure a win.

Now that statement can also be applied to high profile schools, once their conference seasons begin, but it's a different story through November and December.

There are numerous differences between high profile and small profile programs -- often too many to count -- but one thing that jumps to the top of the list is preparation.

At the mid-major level the idea of bringing along or working in your freshmen simply doesn't exist. Easing players into new roles is a luxury that teams in power conferences have, but not at our level.

And it comes down to schedules.

Whether people believe it or not, Rider vs. Marist is the equivalent to St. John's vs. Seton Hall. And there is no difference between the top team in the Big East facing the last place team and the MAAC's first place club facing the MAAC's last place squad.

Everything is relative, once league play begins.

But that is not so in non-league play.

All of us at the mid-major level understand this reality and none of us is complaining about, but it does seem that these factors are often overlooked by the masses.

For the most part, programs at our level have to play a number of guarantee games. You are guaranteed a pay day and you are guaranteed little or no chance in coming away victorious.

That is the drill and we all accept that, but there are many that follow the game that don't really understand it.

Let's use San Diego's Brad Holland as an example. For over nine seasons Coach Holland has been coaching in the shadow of Gonzaga and Pepperdine. Last season he received a lot of notoriety for beating Gonzaga and winning the WCC tournament.

It was well deserved, but did anyone take notice of the fact that Holland came into this season with a 144-111 record?

He is 33 games over .500 for his career and he has averaged 16 wins per season over that nine-year span.

That is nothing short of remarkable for a coach at the mid-major level.

There is a lengthy list of great coaches -- at this level -- with losing records and it's because of the parameters in which we work. Having to play four or five 'buy games' every season usually adds up to four or five losses before you get your first win.

Given how difficult it is to succeed in 'any' conference, consistently entering league play with a 2-6 record doesn't affect your conference standings, but it does put you in the category of the 'over-looked' should you go onto a successful conference campaign.

When you are playing so many of these types of non-league contests, you simply cannot afford to hold your younger players back, in the hopes of easing them in. As a coach, you are forced to give them immediate on-the-job training, essentially throwing them into the water and seeing if they can swim.

There are many high profile programs -- probably too many to count -- that rarely play more than 'one' road game -- if any -- before they begin conference play in January. These programs have the luxury of using various rotations and testing out new sets.

If they produce a C+ or B- performance, that is very often good enough -- when playing at home -- to earn a victory.

Again, all of us understand and accept this is reality of where we are coaching. Nobody is making excuses, but it would be nice to see some appreciation for those coaches like Brad Holland.

It's very simple, 15 wins for a mid-major program is the equivalent of 25 wins for a high-profile school. You can try to argue that point with me or any other mid-major coach, but it's an argument you will lose.

There expression 'guarantee game' has only one meaning in the mid-major dictionary. Look it up and you will that definition reads something like this?

"For the majority of smaller-profile schools, it is almost assured that they will begin conference play with a losing record?"

So for someone like Brad Holland that translates into consistently winning ten to twelve games a year within his conference. If someone accomplishes that feat -- year in and year out -- in the Big East or ACC, they are hailed as one of the top coaches in America.

Take nothing away from those coaches, but those same coaches will attest to the fact that what a Brad Holland and 'countless' others are doing at the mid-major level is just as impressive, minus the accolades.

Last season Mercer's Mark Slonaker won 23 games, after winning just six the previous year. That is an unbelievable turn of events, but yet few if any took notice.

If Slonaker did that in the SEC he would be a household name.

Remember, everything is relative. Duke winning at North Carolina is exactly the same as Marist winning at Siena. The rivalries are just as intense, as are the talent levels.

Nobody is naive enough to think that the general public has as much interest in Marist-Siena as it does in Duke-North Carolina, but the two games are in fact equal.

The in-game rules are the same for every coach in America, but the circumstances in which they work their trade are different.

It may not sound like a workable equation, but 15 really does equal 25 and I would be happy to work that out on the blackboard for anyone interested in paying attention.

And that is my rant.