The white letters jumped off the purple T-shirt worn by a boy too young for high school, much less college. They proclaimed Niagara University's goal for the 2003-04 men's basketball season and explained why more than 2,000 people packed the Gallagher Center for the team's Saturday-night debut.
The front of the boy's shirt simply listed two years -- 1970, the year of the Purple Eagles' last, and only, journey to the NCAA Tournament, and 2004, when the faithful anticipate their return.
On the back, two words -- "NO EXCUSES."
The Purple Eagles missed out on a shot at making that most sacred of hoops pilgrimages last season, when they took top-seeded Manhattan to double overtime in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals before falling by a single point. Had senior Rhossi Carron's shot fallen through at the buzzer, Niagara would have moved on to the finals, where another win would have landed them a spot in the NCAA field.
The disappointment of coming up short faded long before Saturday night's opener, replaced by the optimism that emanates from a lineup filled with returning starters.
James Reaves and Juan Mendez provide the muscle up front, with both possessing strong all-around games. The three-guard system preferred by sixth-year coach Joe Mihalich is capably manned by wing men Tremmell Darden and David Brooks, both of whom can handle the ball and go inside, as well as point guard Alvin Cruz. The Gallagher Center -- which we at the Niagara Falls Reporter like to erroneously call the Bill Gallagher Center -- is minuscule by modern standards. But it's more cozy than tiny, offering a comprehensive view of everyone in the place from just about any vantage point.
Niagara students fill the bleachers behind both baskets, with longtime boosters and young families sharing the sideline seats. For a brief moment, Reporter analyst Miguel Rodriguez thought he had spotted former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jim Schoenfeld strolling behind press row.
There must really be a serious buzz about Niagara to attract a local hockey legend and would-be crooner, we figured. The Schoeny Watch was officially on. But after much searching, we realized he must have been mistaken.
"All white people look the same," Rodriguez said with a shrug.
Then it was time for the anthems. One of the joys of an NU game is hearing both the American and Canadian national anthems, which also gives the proceedings a hockey-like feel. The dual anthems are a natural, since you could just about throw a basketball to Ontario from Monteagle Ridge, and there are always a couple Canadians on the Niagara roster.
Adding a particularly festive twist, the anthems were not rendered by an off-key singer, harmonizing quartet or any other traditional means, but by a band consisting of trumpet, saxophone, tuba and banjo. No musical education is truly complete until you've heard a banjo-fied rendition of "O, Canada."
(It must be noted here, at the risk of provoking hundreds of slathering letter-writers to accuse me of treason, that judging it purely as a song, "O, Canada" is, and always shall be, the premier national anthem.)
And finally, the game. Youngstown State provided an ideal opening-night foe -- a full-fledged Division I team, if not a particularly good one.
The visitors did bring a unique nickname. According to Youngstown State's media guide, its basketball team is the only one in the NCAA known as the Penguins. And they proved rather flightless, with Niagara quickly proving superior at getting off the floor, as well as just about every other aspect of the game.
Save one. A very important one.
Shooting the basketball.
For most of the first half, the Purple Eagles were able to pierce the rim often enough on layups, dunks and short put-backs to keep the score even, or maintain a slight lead. Once they got more than 5 feet from the backboard, though, the story changed drastically.
During the first half, Niagara hit 11 of 34 shots from the floor, a dismal percentage elevated by a bout of accuracy shortly before intermission.
Things were even worse from long range. At one point, it seemed as if the Purple Eagles were taking turns missing from just outside the 3-point arc at the top of the key.
With six minutes left in the half and the Penguins up by three, point guard Alvin Cruz took aim.
Clank.
Niagara's Tremmell Darden grabbed the offensive rebound and fired the ball back to the top of the key, giving forward J.R. Duffey his chance seven seconds later.
Clunk.
After Youngstown State turned it over, Darden got his opportunity from the same spot with 5:39 left.
Swish.
Darden's 3-pointer, Niagara's first and only of the opening 20 minutes, tied it at 23. The Purple Eagles never trailed by more than a point again, and went into the locker room up 38-34.
During the break, a stroll outside the Gallagher Center (in reality, of course, named for the legendary John J. "Taps" Gallagher, who coached NU for 31 seasons) revealed a feature you'll never, ever see at a professional sporting event -- free food. Members of the Resident Student Association cheerily grilled and distributed hamburgers and hot dogs on an unseasonably warm evening, a practice they plan to continue before home game in men's and women's basketball and hockey.
After halftime, Niagara never trailed again, period. Though Niagara's biggest lead was 13 points, the Purple Eagles thoroughly controlled the second half on the way to an 89-80 win. Most importantly, they started making their shots, hitting 15 of 25 (60 percent) in the second half.
"We were frustrated, especially in the first half," Mihalich said after the game. "I think this win speaks to our senior leaders and our maturity."
In addition to their aiming issues in the first half, the Purple Eagles overcame foul trouble experienced by Reaves, the target of three whistles in the first 6:32, the last coming with Duffey kneeling by the scorer's table, ready to replace him.
"There was a time Mook might have gotten frustrated with three fouls," said Mihalich, invoking the 6-foot-8, 255-pound Rochester native's nickname. "But he didn't and he came out and played well in the second half."
Reaves, whose first three seasons on Monteagle Ridge were marked by fluctuations in weight and hairstyle, spent the summer working with a personal trainer to sculpt his powerful frame into the best shape of his career, and ditched last season's dreadlocks for a no-nonsense cut.
The rest of the lineup displayed similar seriousness on Saturday, playing tough defense, out-rebounding the Penguins and maintaining a fearsome pace even when the shots weren't dropping.
In addition to size, depth and skill, these Purple Eagles also displayed tremendous balance. In the decade since the 1992-93 squad reached the postseason, Niagara has usually depended on one star to carry too much of the load. First came power forward Chris Watson. Then shooting guard Alvin Young. Then Young's successor, Demond Stewart.
As effective as those three were, teams that could clamp down on them generally stopped the Purple Eagles, a truism that generally proved fatal come the first week of March. On Saturday, all five starters finished in double figures, led by Darden's 20. Niagara also got quality minutes off the bench from Duffey, Lorenzo Miles and James Mathis.
That hallowed 1970 team rode the tiny frame of future NBA star Calvin Murphy into the sport's brightest spotlight. If the 2004 edition of the Purple Eagles lives up to the T-shirt, they won't need any excuses. And 34 years from now, their fans will have a lot more names to remember.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | November 25 2003 |