Dec. 23, 2002
By Scott D. Morse
As the Lafayette men's basketball team headed into final exams this past semester with an 0-5 record, many Leopard fans were ready to throw in the towel on the 2002-03 season and look to future years for the success they have come to enjoy and expect from their team.
It's a different tune being sung by Leopard fans now, following road victories at St. Peter's and Massachusetts.
Down by 15 at St. Peter's in the first half, Lafayette battled back to outscore the Peacocks 36-18 in the second half for a come-from-behind 64-53 win over a strong Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference program that knocked off Manhattan just two days later. The Leopards held the nation's second-leading scorer to 12 points, including just two in the second half - 17 below his average.
But it was the early Christmas gift in the form of a 54-52 upset victory at UMass on Saturday, Dec. 21 - the 111th anniversary of the date on which basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith - that sent shockwaves throughout the Patriot League.
Detractors and even some knowledgeable fans might pooh-pooh the road victory by thinking "Well, UMass is having a down year" or "Lafayette probably just caught UMass at a weak moment."
Who cares?
Let's not forget this is UMass. This is a program that was in the Final Four just six years ago. It is an Atlantic 10 team that likely has more resources than all Patriot League teams combined.
These victories don't happen all that often for the Lafayettes of the college basketball world. That's what makes them so special.
Sure, even the most casual of Lafayette fans will quickly point to the Leopards' slaying of Notre Dame in 1988. That was an incredible 83-68 victory over a Fighting Irish squad that featured All-American point guard David Rivers and went on to earn an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
The win over Notre Dame certainly rests atop the list of Lafayette's most notable victories at the
Kirby Sports Center arena. What makes the victory over UMass that much more impressive is that it took place on the road.
"We were so excited that we could have flown home without the bus," said an elated Fran O'Hanlon. "I think that last 18-20 seconds will be etched into my memory forever."
Currently in his eighth season as the Leopards' mentor, O'Hanlon has coached his share of Lafayette victories. In fact, his career total of 113 wins ranks fifth all-time at Lafayette, trailing just George Davidson (170), Bill Anderson (139), Butch van Breda Kolff (132) and Tom Davis (116). He is the only Lafayette coach to lead the men's basketball program to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
So, how does O'Hanlon rank the Leopards' slaying of UMass?
"This win over UMass ranks at the top of the victories since I've been at Lafayette," O'Hanlon explained. "Obviously getting to the NCAA Tournament by winning Patriot League championship games over Bucknell and Navy was tremendous. With the stature of UMass' program, being a Final Four participant in the 1990s, this is probably as big a win in the modern day era of college basketball that Lafayette has had. I know Notre Dame was big, but this was on the road against a team with unbelievable resources. It certainly is the biggest win I've been a part of since coming to Lafayette."
O'Hanlon, the two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, now sees his young 3-5 squad with a "3" in the win column rather than a "0" and has to feel better about his team's chances as it prepares for league action following three more non-conference games.
What a difference a week can make!
Scott Morse is the director of athletic communications and promotions at Lafayette and a frequent columnist for GoLeopards.com
