Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Former star celebrates Niagara's return to the Big Dance after 35 years.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Calvin Murphy got teary-eyed watching Niagara clinch a spot in this year's NCAA tournament.
It's been 35 years since the Hall of Famer led the Purple Eagles to their first and only tournament bid -- and Murphy figures it's about time he and his former mates had some company in the school record books.
"Please, let's get more. Are you kidding me? Nobody wants to be lonely," Murphy said from his home in Houston on Tuesday. "Goodness gracious. Let me tell you something. I am so proud of that university right now, I could scream."
There's plenty of that going around after Purple Eagles' fans stormed the HSBC Arena court to celebrate Niagara's 81-59 victory over Rider in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Championship game Monday.
End of a streak
The victory ended a frustrating string of close calls for the Purple Eagles, who had gone 0-5 in championship games since joining conference play in 1980, including two MAAC title game losses in the previous three years.
Murphy was so excited that he replayed just about every shot of Monday's game during an early morning phone conversation with former Niagara teammate Bobby Miller.
"He called me at 5:30 this morning and he wanted to go over the game point by point," Murphy said. "And like a fool I did."
The Purple Eagles have suddenly regained a share of the national prominence they once held in the 1950s, '60s and early '70s. That's when Niagara enjoyed its heyday, earning seven NIT berths from 1950-72, including an NIT championship game appearance in 1972.
In addition to producing Murphy, whose 2,548 career points still rank third on the NCAA list, Niagara has featured a high-profile staff of coaches, including Larry Costello, Frank Layden and Hubie Brooks, who was a former Niagara player and assistant coach.
It took seven-year coach Joe Mihalich and a talented core of three seniors -- center Juan Mendez and guards Alvin Cruz and David Brooks -- to finally bridge that gap.
"I'm just numb," said Mihalich, overwhelmed by the flood of congratulatory phone calls he's received since the victory. "It's impossible to put this in perspective. It's the ultimate for us. I mean, a school our size, our level, just getting to the NCAA tournament.
"That's like those big schools getting to the Final Four."
Mom inspires coach
This was extra special for Mihalich, who worried his ailing 80-year-old mother, Dolores, might not live to see the day. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003.
"My mom, she's an inspiration to me, and I think she's an inspiration to anybody that's got cancer," Mihalich said after the game.
The Purple Eagles (20-9) have reached 20 wins for the second straight season, their best stretch since five consecutive 20-win campaigns in the mid-1950s.
Mihalich is confident his team has the potential to make some noise in the tournament.
"I wouldn't want to play us," Mihalich said. "We have three seniors who are confident and because we can score some points."
Niagara is fourth in the nation in scoring at 85 points a game.
They're led by Mendez, who joined Murphy this season as the only Niagara players to score 2,000 points. A Montreal native, Mendez is also the NCAA's all-time leading scorer among Canadian-born players with 2,188 points.
The MAAC player of the year and the tournament's MVP, Mendez was a dominant force in the win over Rider, scoring 27 points and adding 13 rebounds.
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