Wednesday, April 1, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Tourney memories will persist
1998's greatness pondered by fans
The Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Let the argument begin: Was this the best tournament ever?
Plenty of NCAA tournaments have had great first and second rounds or tremendous regional weekends. There have been Final Fours that have become part of the sport's lore.
The 1998 version started strong, stayed exciting and finished with the greatest comeback in the history of championship games.
Sixteen games were decided by a three-pointer or less, and four games, including one of the national semifinals, went to overtime.
There will be memories of Bryce Drew's first-round buzzer-bearer against Mississippi that made Valparaiso a household name and coaches and fathers smart for a day
or two; of Richard Hamilton falling down in the lane after he let go Connecticut's third shot in the final eight seconds to beat Washington in the regional semifinals; of Jarred West calmly walking the ball up the court before beating the buzzer and Cincinnati in the second round.
Uuah upset Arizona and North Carolina, two No. 1 seeds, on the way to the title game, raising the profile of its unheralded players and giving coach Rick Majerus a national stage.
There also was Rhode Island, which sent Kansas to another crushing pre-Final Four loss before the Rams were stung by Stanford's wild final-minute comeback. Rhode Island's run brought Jim Harrick back to the regional final three years after winning the national championship and two years after being fired by UCLA.
Kentucky c o a ch T u b b y Smith still remembers the all-white Kentucky teams of the Adolph
But most of all there was Kentucky, which overcame double-digit deficits in the second half of its last three games and captured its seventh national championship.
Rupp era and the memories are not fond ones. When he took the Kentucky job last May, there were concerns that as the first African-American Wildcat coach, he would be treated especially hard if the team didn't measure up to Rick Pitino's national championship team of 1996 and runner-up team of last year. The championship finally put those concerns to rest.
Smith was asked if he felt this was one of the best and most exciting tournaments ever.
"It is hard to appreciate it when you are in the midst of it because you are so involved in preparing your team and watching tapes," he
said. "You don't have a chance to enjoy it until it's over."
College basketball briefly moved from the basketball court to the court room last week when two Northwestern basketball players were indicted for shaving points in three Wildcat games from 1994-95. But even that couldn't overshadow the tournament.
“It's the greatest NCAA tournament ever. I don't even think there is one that can come even close,” said New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari, who coached Massachusetts in a Final Four game just two years ago.
"The problem is that every NCAA now is going to be judged against this one, and that is just not fair. Next year's NCAA will be judged the same way, like if there is not 100 games decided by a point or overtime, we'll all be upset and say this is boring."
Hurry up and start the discussion:
Was this the best NCAA tournament ever? Practice starts Oct.
17, so the talk can go on for a while.
Texas coach plays at public relations
The Associated Press
AUSTIN — Tom Penders has been hitting the sports radio talk-show circuit the way a politician hits the campaign trail.
He will say how much he loves the University of Texas, his players and coaching.
Occasionally, he will remind listeners that he has been lucky in his 27 years as a college coach to have been to the postseason 15 times, including eight NCAA tournaments in 10 seasons at Texas.
Penders is using everything he has as the school nears the end of an investigation into the release of basketball player Luke Axtell's academic progress report to a radio station.
The findings could come today, but this story has dragged on for two weeks.
The implosion of the Texas basketball team during the past month has become all about spin control, and not the kind The Longhorns use when they are attempting to drive through defenders for a dunk.
and school administrators may have irreconcilable differences.
University sources say Penders
It started with Penders' very public courtship of the head coaching job at Rutgers last year as his Texas contract was being renegotiated.
Penders: Lately has said on radio how much helikes Texas
With the bargaining power of a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament and a heralded freshman class coming in, Penders received a five-year contract extension, roughly $550,000 per season. Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds felt betrayed.
Few could have projected what would happen this year.
First, the 52-year-old Penders had a defibrillator and pacemaker implanted in his chest to monitor an enlarged heart, causing him to miss
the opening two games of the season. Then his team, loaded with young talent, struggled.
The day after a semifinal loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament, freshmen Axell, Chris Mihm, Bernard Smith and sophomore Gabe Muonekue met with Dodds at his home, arranged by Bill Wendlandt, who played basketball at Texas from 1980-84.
With Axtell and Muoneke doing most of the talking, the clear message was the players did not believe in Penders, his system or their development under the coach. They were looking to transfer.
Since then, things have whirled out of control: Penders suspended Axtell indefinitely for academic reasons; Axtell accused Penders of verbal abuse, lying and retaliation; Axtell's midsemester grades were released to a local radio station by Texas assistant coach Eddie Oran; university officials began a probe into the grade release that has dragged on for nearly two weeks and Penders reported a possible NCAA rules violation involving a
Texas booster and Mihm's parents.
Texas booster and ninth parent.
There is no chance that Penders,
the winningest coach in Texas history (208-110) will be leading the Longhors next year, according to a high-ranking university source who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity last week.
Penders is professing his love for the university in an effort to get the $2.2 million that remains on his contract with a reassignment.
If Penders were reassigned, Texas would pay about $4 million just to remove coaches it no longer wanted.
Penders has been adamant that he had nothing to do with Oran's release of Axtell's grade report and has vowed to fight the school legally if he is fired instead of reassigned.
"I've got 27 years of established reputation in this business," Penders said. "I've done nothing wrong."
Comeback style pays off for'Cats in NCAA victory
SAN ANTONIO — a new coach.
No superstar. Another title.
The Associated Press
"Some people overlooked us this season," Kentucky guard Wayne Turner said. "I think when you look at this team, it was an attitude of us against the world."
These are the Comeback 'Cats,
the NCAA champions. They
came back against Duke, Stanford
and finally Utah, winning
78-69 Monday night for their second national title in three years.
"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit," said coach Tubby Smith.
The Wildcats rallied from 10 points down at the half, the largest comeback in the history of title games. But the comeback, in essence, started after last year's team lost to Arizona in the championship game.
All-American forward Ron Mercer turned pro and coach Rick Pitino no longer could withstand the lure of an NBA return. Athletics director C.M. Newton wasted no time in hiring Georgia's Tubby Smith, the first African American to coach the program.
"We believed from day one that we could win it," Smith said. "That never changed. Every team that throws the ball up on the first day of practice back in October believes they can do it. If you don't believe it will happen, then it never occurs."
Inheriting a team without superstars, Smith built a team on the principles of hard work and unselfishness.
"We had some really good times and some really bad times on and off the court," said senior guard Jeff Sheppard. "Some things happened to this team that we couldn't do anything
Kentucky (35-4) hit rough spots early in the season, with losses to Louisville. Florida and Mississippi.
about. And there is something about going through those times that make you pull together."
Twelve games into the season.
S m i t n inserted N a z r Mohammed into the startling lineup in place of center Jamaal Magloire to add offensive punch Mohammed made All-Southeastern Conference, and Makrima.
Smith:Coach kept Comeback 'Cats focused on game.
Magloire was a reliable backup.
Some was a reliable backup.
When forward Allen Edwards slumped mildway through the season, Smith stuck with him and used Hesimu Evans off the bench.
Edwards regained his touch during the postseason when Evans continued as a strong reserve player.
"Coach Smith always told us that individuals can win games, but it
takes teams to win championships," said Shepard, who was voted the Final Four's most valuable player.
Turner: Guard says team was over-looked this season.
"We did a good job of staying in sh a p e throughout the year," said forward Scott Padgett
Smith kept his team focused when Edwards' mother died of breast cancer Feb. 26. The team supported its grieving teammate.
"He is such a great man," Shepard said of his coach. "He taught us first to be men and play basketball second."
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