In the world of college basketball, numbers say it all, especially wins and records.
And, if you are Tennessee State and Southern, two schools with basketball programs that haven't seen the sunny side of .500 in far too long, the numbers are looking pretty good right now.
On Thursday, TSU's men's basketball did what no previous Tigers squad had done in school history -- knock off a nationally-ranked opponent. The Tigers, behind Robert Covington, beat no. 9 Murray State, 72-68, and did it on the road.
In past years, TSU would mostly be known for its tenacity in keeping games close before ultimately falling short. This time around, that tenacity paid off as the Tigers forced the Racers (now 23-1, 11-1 Ohio Valley Conference) into three turnovers in the final 11 seconds. Kenny Moore and Jordan Cyphers picked off two of the bad passes and converted three of four free throws to seal the upset.
"I'm very proud of our young men to be able to come here and win on the road," said TSU head coach John Cooper of the game at Murray State's CFSB Center. "It is certainly not an easy place to play, a packed house and a team that just stuck to it."
Not only was the victory TSU's first over a nationally-ranked team, it also guaranteed the Tigers (16-10, 9-4) their first winning season since 1995. TSU also beat the Racers in Murray, Kentucky for the first time since 1996.
Contrast this to March 27, 2009 when Tennessee State hired Cooper. The school had 13 straight losing seasons. Cooper was brought in to add fresh blood and responded with an even worse season (9-22, 6-12) than 2008-09.
Fortunately, the Tigers stuck with Cooper and it has paid off. In 2009-10, Cooper came within a game of .500 at 14-15 and finished with a winning mark in OVC play at 10-8.
Now, with four games left, including a home game against what is sure to be a revenge-seeking Murray State, the Tigers will finish with winning marks overall and in conference.
Good Times in Bayou Country
Mention the name Rob Spivery in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and you might just have to call the police to come rescue you. Not the local police, mind you, but the state police.
See, Spivery, as head coach of Southern's men's basketball team, guided the Jaguars to one of the worst marks any coach can achieve -- the bottom of the national statistical rankings. With 344 Division I programs in the NCAA, being in the bottom five in any stat can be downright humiliating. And, in 2010-11, Spivery's Jaguars were in the bottom five in wins (four) and average attendance (580).
That's not to say it was all Spivery's fault. His teams were often a ragtag collection of walk-ons, freshmen and transfers. Yet, from 2008 to 2011, he compiled a mark of 17-72. He also had a 14-39 mark in the SWAC, a conference not exactly known for power in men's hoops (the conference currently has two teams -- Alabama A&M and Grambling State -- in the bottom of the power rankings).
So, it was out with Spivery and in with Roman Banks, a man who has waited patiently to become a surprising rookie head coach.
Banks was an assistant for Southern for six years and even briefly head the "interim" tag. Yet, Southern passed him over for the full-time job. Banks, who couldn't find a head coaching gig anywhere after that, patiently bided his time and finally got his chance, albeit in one of the worst possible situations.
Despite leading the Jaguars to a 13-11 record (9-2 in SWAC), Banks could be like USC in football this past season -- on the outside looking in as unofficial regular-season champion.
Shortly after Spivery was fired, the NCAA came calling with the now-notorious Academic Progress Report (APR), which measured the academic success of student-athletes over a four-year period (the length of a typical athletic scholarship). Southern and Jackson State were among the schools in NCAA Division I that failed to meet minimum standards and were banned from post-season play this year.
Oddly enough, this was nothing new for Banks. He played his college ball at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, under Gary Beasley. In 1998, Beasley was fired amid allegations of NCAA rules violations. While most players bailed on the program, Banks stayed and even gained some fame by hitting the winning shot that upset Kentucky that season. Northwestern State was hit with sanctions, but staying at the school was the start of a streak of perseverance in the young coach that would propel him to Baton Rouge.
That perseverance now has Southern in prime position to potentially win the SWAC. Of course, they have to beat Mississippi Valley State Monday (MVSU is another Cinderella story).
So far, though, Banks has his players all on the same page and working together. One of those players is forward Quinton Doggett, who was named SWAC Player of the Week last week for the second time this season. With such inspirations, it would not be a surprise to see Southern at or near the top of the SWAC standings for the foreseeable future.
"Tough people don't last always," Banks said when he was hired last fall. "Tough people last past tough times. That's been my motto of life."
And for the students and fans of Southern, that's not a bad motto to follow as well.
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