By Dave Morrison
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What a run! Everybody who knew that Mountain State would make it to the national title game this season, hold up your hand. If your hand is up, you’re a liar. Or a member of the team.
Because, in all honesty, there are very few in the know in the NAIA who saw Mountain State playing in the national title game Tuesday night.
Oh, sure, Mountain State was plenty good, including a school-record 21-game win streak to start the season. And both its losses were by just one point in each game.
But the Cougars were barely squeaking by in Kansas City, winning their first-round game here over Olivet Nazarene in double overtime and beating unseeded Wayland Baptist at the half by two. They were tied with Azusa Pacific at the break.
Only the ego of the players would allow one to think this team would advance to the title game, where MSU fell to defending national champion Oklahoma City 75-72 Tuesday night at historic Municipal Auditorium.
What the Cougars accomplished is, to say the least, extraordinary.
A 34-3 record, which is the second-best record in school history, trailing only the 38-1 2004 national championship team.
The Cougars were No. 1 in the nation for most of the season.
And they knocked old rival Georgetown (Ky.) from the ranks of the unbeaten and from the tournament with yet another double-figure win over the Tigers in the Fab Four Monday night.
Honestly, after being ousted in the first round last year and losing some key players, like first-team All-America Paul Wright, nobody expected this.
To finish it off in the national title game completes a most unlikely, yet well-deserved, ride.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins will likely win the Furfari Award as the state’s college coach of the year. But I’m not sure he deserves it more than MSU coach Bob Bolen, who once again got his team to the NAIA title game.
The first question after a season is typically, “What about next year?”
Bolen faces a major rebuilding year. Make that a major, major rebuilding year.
The Cougars lose all five starters and seven seniors. There is also a good bet a couple other players will leave early.
Losing scorer extraordinaire James Spencer, do-it-all and do-it-well wing Adron Marshall, big man James McGriff and the leadership of Tyrice Watkins is huge. But I think the biggest loss is point guard Jarvis Jackson, who really came on strong for the Cougars during their postseason run.
Jackson cried after his final practice with MSU Sunday, which tells you how much being a part of the program meant to the kid.
Also gone will be key guard reserve Ralph Legg and defensive specialist Papa Gassama.
Only Ermin Tarcin, a key man off the bench for the Cougars, and tough Rod Green are sure to return.
It’s even worse than 2004, when MSU had Adrian Jackson and Mersad Terzic coming back, as well as Reynardo Curry returning from a one-year suspension, and the coaching staff brought in Nate Daniels (a Louisville transfer) and Dajuan Tate, among others.
Bolen will have to do a better job than that to get the Cougars back to the top of the NAIA next season.
Don’t bet against it.
For those who lambasted the schedule as too soft, including me, Bolen has added home-and-home contests in 2009 with Union (Tenn.), Crichton, Lee, Lindsey Wilson and one-time NAIA power Life, which is bringing back basketball next season.
With a year to recruit JUCO players and no games to be concerned about, expect Life to be a force in the Independent ranks. Also, Crichton is becoming an Independent, making it twice as tough for MSU to make the annual trip to Kansas City without a fight.
Time to join a conference?
Likely not, as the Independent Region is certainly amping up to be a viable contender to conferences like the Mid-South (home of Final Four participants Georgetown and Campbellsville).
