The Mount's No. 1 'Phan'
Brad Gerick
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: NEC Champions
Former Mount head coach Jim Phelan plans to watch tonight's NCAA First Round game, better known as the dreaded "Play-In Game" even though he was too nervous to watch Wednesday's Northeast Conference Championship game.
What he will not do though, is offer complicated advice on preparing for a number one seed, even though he has done it twice himself.
"Play hard … it's going to happen some time. A 16's going to beat a one [seed]," Phelan said. "We have to play better than we've ever played."
In 1995 the Mount played a Kentucky team that had eight future NBA players including Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker and Tony Delk Phelan said. In 1999 Mateen Cleaves led a Michigan State team that was only up nine with eights seconds to play in the first half before the Mount missed a lay-up allowing MSU to hit a 3 to go up 12, according to Phelan.
"North Carolina has a very strong team but they run up and down and they get lucky," Phelan said. "They're all great players or they wouldn't be there. But they're not as deep as the Kentucky team was."
The Mount will face the nation's No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night if it defeats the Mideastern Athletic Conference champion Coppin State on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN from the University of Dayton.
Phelan said that it is important that the Mount not overlook the Eagles out of Baltimore.
"You're on national TV, you don't want to lay an egg," Phelan said. "There's no way they won't be on [your game] … It's a great night. It's the only [college] game in the United States so the whole basketball world can be watching."
If the Mountaineers make it to Friday night's game, it will be one of 16 games broadcast on CBS that day, but there will be plenty of eyes on the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
In December 1995 the Mount beat Georgia Tech, a team that Phelan said was the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference that year. Chris McGuthrie scored 38 points in that game and Phelan said that the Yellow Jackets were just going through the motions. This time of year though, Phelan said no one is going through the motions.
"You can't be intimidated because you're expected to lose … play the way you practice" Phelan said. "They're going to try to run you into the ground."
Phelan said he will watch Tuesday's game at home, as well as Friday's if the Mount advances. This despite the fact that Phelan often leaves Knott Arena during home games and does not watch most of the road games that are televised because he gets so nervous.
"It's a culmination and you know we're going to play hard under any circumstances. The other ones are harder because they're the ones you have to win to get there," Phelan stated. "So now you're there and you want to play well. But their season has really been made already."
What he will not do though, is offer complicated advice on preparing for a number one seed, even though he has done it twice himself.
"Play hard … it's going to happen some time. A 16's going to beat a one [seed]," Phelan said. "We have to play better than we've ever played."
In 1995 the Mount played a Kentucky team that had eight future NBA players including Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker and Tony Delk Phelan said. In 1999 Mateen Cleaves led a Michigan State team that was only up nine with eights seconds to play in the first half before the Mount missed a lay-up allowing MSU to hit a 3 to go up 12, according to Phelan.
"North Carolina has a very strong team but they run up and down and they get lucky," Phelan said. "They're all great players or they wouldn't be there. But they're not as deep as the Kentucky team was."
The Mount will face the nation's No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night if it defeats the Mideastern Athletic Conference champion Coppin State on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN from the University of Dayton.
Phelan said that it is important that the Mount not overlook the Eagles out of Baltimore.
"You're on national TV, you don't want to lay an egg," Phelan said. "There's no way they won't be on [your game] … It's a great night. It's the only [college] game in the United States so the whole basketball world can be watching."
If the Mountaineers make it to Friday night's game, it will be one of 16 games broadcast on CBS that day, but there will be plenty of eyes on the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
In December 1995 the Mount beat Georgia Tech, a team that Phelan said was the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference that year. Chris McGuthrie scored 38 points in that game and Phelan said that the Yellow Jackets were just going through the motions. This time of year though, Phelan said no one is going through the motions.
"You can't be intimidated because you're expected to lose … play the way you practice" Phelan said. "They're going to try to run you into the ground."
Phelan said he will watch Tuesday's game at home, as well as Friday's if the Mount advances. This despite the fact that Phelan often leaves Knott Arena during home games and does not watch most of the road games that are televised because he gets so nervous.
"It's a culmination and you know we're going to play hard under any circumstances. The other ones are harder because they're the ones you have to win to get there," Phelan stated. "So now you're there and you want to play well. But their season has really been made already."
Be the first to comment on this story