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Quote:Late night helps to wake up Flashes

By Terry Pluto


CLEVELAND - It's the nightmare of every college basketball coach, assuming he can go to sleep in the first place. Maybe that why Kent State's Jim Christian held that midnight practice last Sunday.

His team ended the season with four losses. The Mid-American Conference Tournament was four days away.

Over and over, he told his players that March was their month, Gund Arena was like a second home court, all would be well.

But Christian knew better.

Kent State's 20-3 season wilted to 20-7. In those last four losses, his team shot 28 percent from the field, 54 percent from the foul line.

Christian spent late nights staring at the ceiling, wondering what happened to his kids who are solid shooters, who have a knack of winning close games.

The last three losses?

By a grand total of six points.

A free throw here, a loose ball there, a long rebound that was lost, a short shot missed.

As a coach, should he push harder? Back off? Build up their confidence, or maybe tear down what could be a trace of arrogance?

Christian took a chance.

After losing Saturday afternoon at Ohio and a three-hour bus ride home that felt like it took three days, Christian told his guys to be on the court one minute after midnight.

If the players had lost confidence in the coach, they would have complained. Instead, seniors such as Eric Haut, Matt Jakeway, Bryan Bedford and John Edwards told their teammates, ``Maybe this is what we need, doing something different.''

They practiced, mostly free throws.

They ran when they missed, cheered when the ball dropped through the rim.

They worked hard, but seemed to like it.

At that point, Christian realized he had his old team back.

The team that ran past Bowling Green 79-66 at Gund Arena on Thursday, to reach the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.

It's the team that shot 75 percent from the foul line, which was the goal at the midnight practice. The team that had more steals (nine) than turnovers (eight). The team that made 52 percent from the field took over the game early in the second half, and stayed in front.

It was a team that played like the video.

During the week, assistant coach Ryan Pedon and team manager Justin Phelps put together a video of KSU highlights from previous MAC and NCAA tournaments. Winning shots. Crowd rushing the court. Players cutting down nets and holding up trophies.

``It's only four minutes, but it's like documentary,'' said Christian. ``It shows what Kent basketball is about.''

Point guard DeAndre Haynes scored a career-high 26 points against Bowling Green, and he said the video had him ready to play, determined to be a part of another chapter of KSU history.

Kent State has won at least 20 games for the last six seasons. In the previous five, there have been three NCAA bids, two trips to the National Invitation Tournament. There's a lot of truth to the sign on the dressing room door that says: TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES.

But this team will have to do it the hard way.

It has no real star, no player who averages more than 13 points or 6.4 rebounds. It's a team that does lead the MAC in team assists, just as Haynes is No. 1 in that individual category. Seven-footer John Edwards is first in blocked shots and the MAC's top defensive player.

No one player can do it.

That's why Christian played another coaching card.

On Wednesday, his team went to see the movie Miracle, the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's stunning victory over the Soviet Union.

And something else...

``I went to church, too,'' said Christian.

Not so much to pray for a win as wisdom. He loves this group, which has adopted his share-the-ball, defend-the-court personality. He knew the criticism they'd face by losing the last four regular-season games, followed by yet another defeat in their first MAC Tournament game.

Christian realizes all this can change in a 24 hours.

The story of the Midnight Practice, the four-minute video and the Miracle movie can easily be forgotten if they lose to Miami in tonight's semifinal game.

``But for now, we live to play another day,'' he said. ``At this time of year, that's all you can ask.''