Sometimes choosing Harvard isn't the smartest move a man can make. Particularly if that man is seeking a basketball head coaching position, after establishing himself as a bonafide major college coach on a national level over the previous decade. To Tommy Amaker, however, taking over the Crimson men's basketball program was a challenge too good to pass up. The prestigious Ivy League university had not so much as sniffed the NCAA postseason tournament in 65 years. To them "March Madness" is that unbearable sense of anticipation they feel before the release of corporate first-quarter earnings reports.
But the man who took down the "Help Wanted" sign five years ago is fixing to change the mindset of some of the nation's brightest intellects. After an 8-22 campaign in '07-08, Amaker's boys are now the talk of virtually every reputable dining establishment in the greater Cambridge area. The Crimson are currently ranked 21st in the nation, with a perfect 6-0 record in the Ivy League and a non-conference resume that includes an impressive win over #20 Florida State. Their two losses were to #9 UConn (understandable) and Fordham (not so much).
While last week's 57-52 win over Columbia assured Harvard of an unprecedented third straight 20-win season, the rise of the Crimson under Amaker also spawned the school's first NBA player in over a half century, Jeremy Lin (left), who has taken the league by storm. Cracking the starting lineup after the injury to Carmello Anthony, Lin has been nothing short of phenominal, most recently besting Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers earlier tonight with a 38-point explosion. No other school can claim more NCAA tournament losses than NCAA tournament appearances (see explanation below). But then, not many schools bring up FDR when referencing their most recent postseason history. So what Amaker has done is nothing short of historic. At the very least, it should earn him a New Deal (sorry couldn't resist).
In fact, if the Crimson hold on and win the Ivy League championship, it could be the first time in NCAA history that three teams with former Wolverine head coaches have made the tournament. The 13th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs, led by the almighty coach Steve Fisher (left), are currently 20-3 and a lock to make it to the dance. The only other former Wolverine coach who’s still actively coaching is Brian Ellerbe, as in “poor Brian Ellerbe. Remember him? His 1997 Wolverines beat top-ranked Duke and went on to win the first-ever Big 10 conference basketball tournament. He went on to coach Michigan until 2001, when he was released of his coaching duties amid the infamous basketball scandal that ultimately let to the forefiture of every game in his first two seasons. (Ellerbe was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing, as the violations occurred prior to his tenure as coach.) Ellerbe is currently an assistant coach at Depaul, and unless they make a run of historic proportions to win the Big East Tournament, the 11-12 Blue Demons need not cancel their plans and clear their schedules for NCAA basketball postseason travel.
As for the current Wolverine coach (right), he's got his Michigan men rolling along with an 18-7 record this season. And while that doesn't yet ensure them of a postseason berth, no one's gonna tell the guy that he can't dance. MORE LOSSES THAN APPEARANCES? HOW SO? As I mentioned, Harvard holds the distinction of being the only college basketball team with more tournament losses than tournament appearances. How can that be, you ask? Back in 1946, the NCAA regionals had consolation games. So after Harvard lost to Ohio State in the regional semis (which was a first-round game back then), they still had another game to play. And lose as it turned out, as the Crimson fell to New York University in the third-place game.
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