Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992 TAG: 9202090041
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
GREEN WAVE'S SUCCESS SWELLS UNDER PERRY CLARK
As Dick Vitale would put it, college basketball's coach of the year is an M&Mer, a mismatch. A no-brainer.Give it to Perry Clark and save the postage on the ballots.
That Tulane University could be ranked No. 14, with a 16-1 record before losing to Wake Forest here last Monday, is absurd.
Understand that Tulane not only lacks basketball tradition, but also a suitable facility. The 3,696 who were shoehorned in against Southern Mississippi recently represented more than normal capacity in 58-year-old Fogelman Arena.
Plus, after a cheating and academic scandal, Tulane President Eamon Kelly shut down the program. Poof. For four years, from 1985 until 1989, the only basketball was played in intramurals.
So the idea that in three seasons, a first-time coach like Clark could get the Green Wave into the national polls; well, that's preposterous.
Forget that Tulane hasn't beaten much of anybody. A win at a decent Louisville team is easily the biggest.
Forget that Clark never said he had the 14th-best team in the nation.
Forget that Clark was the Metro Conference coach of the year last season, merely for going 15-13.
Simply appreciate that Clark, who apprenticed at Georgia Tech under the recruiting master, Bobby Cremins, has built a program in a mere three years that has gained significant national attention.
It helps that Clark came up with a gimmick - "The Posse." The nickname of the wide receivers for his beloved Washington Redskins also belongs to Tulane's second unit.
They are all underclassman and, at crunch time, two or three are on the floor, but mostly what they continue to do is disrupt.
That's the way Tulane plays. Jump. Trap. Slap. Steal.
In truth, Tulane plays no interior defense. Value the ball, protect it and you'll find a haven for dunks, as Wake Forest did.
But the Greenies win by capitalizing on others' mistakes - most of the time. They forced 22 turnovers against the Deacons, four fewer than their average.
Yet, a Wake Forest team that often performs as if it had a collective frontal lobotomy, led all the way despite not making a 3-pointer, despite missing 16 of 31 free throws, including four bonus opportunities.
It was 63-53 with 1:08 left, but Tulane got close on two 3-pointers and an incredibly dumb foul by Anthony Tucker, who hacked G.J. Hunter as he was shooting a 3-pointer. Hunter made all the free throws, but the Deacs survived 69-66.
Survive is what you try to do against the Greenies, who play at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
The game starts normally enough each half, until "The Posse" arrives. They entered with 15:44 left in the first half and 15:12 left in the second against Wake.
The tempo immediately accelerates. Every dribble is challenged, every pass made over a minimum of four arms.
It is not a pretty way to play, and, indeed, Tulane is not a pretty team. The half-court offense is absent. Inside play is non-existent. There are eight players who get more than 18 minutes of action per game - the two centers average 13 apiece and combine for only 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Having seen both teams, I think UNC Charlotte is better than the Greenies. Guards Henry Williams and James Terrell should be able to handle the pressure.
But even if Tulane wins neither the Metro regular-season title nor the conference tournament at Louisville, it should have sufficient victories for an NCAA bid.
In three years, Clark has produced a miracle out of nothing.
He talked about the mystique of the ACC, and it would be no shock to see him coaching in it one day.
The basketball world can see what Tulane has done, against the longest odds. Whenever Perry Clark leaves, and he will, he should leave them smiling.