Courtesy: FGCU Basketball
“Almost every March, a team with a double-digit NCAA tournament seed—last year it was Florida Gulf Coast—captivates the college basketball world with its play and personality.” Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY (March 5, 2014).
For years Fort Myers was perfectly happy to be The City of Palms. Then, without warning, things changed. Fort Myers is “Dunk City” now.
It happened as a result of what began on March 22, 2013, in Philadelphia, at around 6:50 p.m. The stage: March Madness ’13. The protagonist: the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men’s basketball team.
What happened? Let’s set it up.
Few expected big things from Florida Gulf Coast basketball last year—probably not even “Azul,” the school’s mascot. None of its players was a national recruit and some weren’t recruited at all. The team plays in a lower-tier league, The Atlantic Sun, a league that had just lost its marque team, Belmont University, to The Ohio Valley Conference.
Courtesy: Knoxville News
FGCU had an up-and-down regular season, going 21-10 overall. A big win came early against a very good U. of Miami team, but the Eagles also lost at home to Maine and barely beat Alcorn State. Two late-season road loses cost FGCU the A-Sun regular season championship. The Eagles finished 2nd.
The conference tourney came next, played at Mercer, the league champ. FGCU won the opener in front of 683 fans; took the semi-final game; and played the hosts in the final. The Eagles won, securing the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid (a first in only its second year of NCAA eligibility). FGCU received a #15 seed, positioning it around 60th of 68 competing teams.
It was on to Philadelphia where it happened. The Eagles downed nationally ranked Georgetown (a #2 seed) by 10 points. Two days later they beat 7-seed San Diego State—again by 10. For the first time in tournament history a #15 seed had advanced to the tournament’s third round.
Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN
Sherwood Brown, a former walk-on, dazzled fans with dunks. Brett Comer, a street-tough guard, was an assist magician.
Azul and the Eagles were off to The Sweet Sixteen to play (unbelievably) the University of Florida.
Florida Gulf Coast, which didn’t even exist before 1990, would go up against the state’s flagship university. Millions watched on national TV with over 40,000 attending. (Seems like a Hollywood script, doesn’t it?) FGCU took an early lead, but the Gators clawed back and, then (with size and strength), took control. Florida won, 62-50. The story came to an end … well … not completely….
FGCU’s amazing tournament run made its young coach, Andy Enfield, a hot commodity and ripe for picking. USC swooped in and Enfield left for LA, charged with reviving Trojan fortunes.
Will FGCU do it again? History says not likely. Why?
George Mason, St. Joseph’s, Northern Iowa, and Virginia Commonwealth—the list goes on—each had runs in The Big Dance. Each team seemingly came out of nowhere to capture national attention, just as FGCU did last year.
It happens almost every year. USA TODAY predicts “that team” this round will be SFASU. (The Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks of the Southland Conference, that’s who.)
Courtesy: SFA Lumber Jacks
Stark reality looms around the next corner for these teams: big wins happen now and then, but they won’t come consistently on a national stage—unless something changes in a big way. Consider Jacksonville and Alabama-Birmingham. Each had runs, too, but that was long ago and neither is a force today.
The obvious challenge is building and sustaining a program, something that’s difficult for mid-majors to do, with Gonzaga probably doing it best. Butler and Creighton, among many others, face that challenge today. Each team took an important step recently—upgrading league affiliation.
The pathway to sustained big-time athletic success isn’t mysterious. It’s a matter of making it a priority and, then, having the capacity, conviction, and commitment (the Three “Cs”) to see things through.
Interestingly, some schools that could succeed … don’t want to. Chicago is an example: it dropped out of The Big Ten in the late ‘40s. For others, the desire may be there but not the Three Cs. Consider Catholic college football. A number of Catholic schools had prominent programs years ago: St. Mary’s (CA) is an example and Marquette is, too. But most Catholic schools—save ND and BC—dropped major college football in the ‘50s and ‘60s, citing expenses as the primary reason. There are basketball examples, as well. Seattle and San Francisco once captured national headlines. Not so today.
There are other circumstances: when schools recalibrate competition downward, sometimes with regret. Army and Navy are prime examples. Feared football foes years ago, each played on a big stage with big-name players, players like Staubach of Navy and Blake of Army. The service academies aren’t alone in that downward trajectory. Loyola of Chicago and Texas Western (now U. of Texas, El Paso) each won national basketball championships, but neither could compete for a national crown today.
Courtesy: Time Magazine
What’s the lesson? Being in the limelight once doesn’t mean it will last forever. For me, St. Bonaventure represents a personal, painful example.
I followed Bona basketball as a kid. It was a nearby school with family ties. Bona was a force in the ‘60s, ranking as high as #2 one year and having an audacious 99-game home winning streak. Bona fans will always remember the 1969-70 season. The Brown Indians (as they were called in those days) had soon-to-be-pro Bob Lanier at center. The team went 24-1 in the regular season—losing only to Villanova on the road—rising to #3 in the national rankings. After winning its first two games in the NCAA Tournament, there (again) stood Villanova—this time in the Regional Finals. The Bonnies beat the Wildcats soundly, earning a spot in The Final Four. But Lanier was hurt late in that game, done for the year. St. Bonaventure lost the national semi-final game. Bona’s status as a top-tier program ended that day, too.
But, for other schools, athletic success is baked into collegiate identity. Trustees, the administration, students, alums, and boosters work hard to achieve and sustain winning traditions. It’s impossible to imagine autumns in the Southeast, for instance, without SEC football. Teams like Alabama, Auburn, and LSU compete year after year. It’s socio-cultural.
None of this is by chance: it’s by choice. That’s what faces FGCU, a choice. Florida Gulf Coast could make that choice, if it so decides. Why?
INSTITUTIONAL AGE: FGCU is new. It was founded in ‘91 with classes first held in ‘97. Institutions are in a formative stage when they’re young. It’s easier to make things happen because the environment is more fluid than fixed. Consider this: while most private universities in the U.S. don’t have prominent athletic programs, one of its newest—Stanford—does. Stanford seeks excellence in everything it does, including sports—and not in just one or two sports, but in all sports it undertakes. FGCU could follow suit.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE: FGCU has effective and public-savvy administrators. Its president, Wilson Bradshaw, carries a positive public image and embraces FGCU athletics. Bradshaw’s persona and skills are complemented by Ken Kavanaugh, the Eagles’ athletic director, a solid leader and capable manager. If FGCU seeks to move up, it has the president and athletic administrator to make it happen.
LOCAL ENVIRONMENT: Fort Myers-Cape Coral-Naples is the primary metropolitan area in SW FL. Vibrant, desirable, and growing, the area attracts residents (full year and seasonal) from all over the country and beyond. Locals want to support a college team, not just a FL team (UF or FSU) or Tampa’s team (USF), Orlando’s team (UCF), or Miami’s team (the “U”). They want to support their team—a Fort Myers team—FGCU. There’s also plenty of cash in these parts to invest in an FGCU athletic upgrade.
Courtesy: Trip Advisor.com
It’s a matter of what the university wants to be. That may mean moving up in class and competing consistently on a bigger stage.
Until that happens—if it ever does—“the dream” will continue. Teams like the Eagles and their presumptive heir, the Lumberjacks, will fantasize about the same thing: WINNING THE BIG ONE.
They’re ready, too.
“I feel like when we play the right way, no matter what, nobody’s going to be able to beat us.” Brett Comer, FGCU (The News-Press, 3/5/14).
“I don’t think anybody can beat us when we play our basketball.” Desmond Haymon, Stephen F. Austin (USA TODAY, 3/5/14).
