By Anthony Voelpel
In case you haven't heard (or were born right...now) Cinderella does exist in the magical world of college hoops. I'm not sure if anyone understands this rediscovered truth more than Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora. Entering his seventh season as the sideline general at mid-major Hofstra University, Pecora isn't hoping for successful seasons anymore; he's expecting them.
The not-so-dog days of men's college basketball are leaving recruits (and fans) trading in their Blue Devils for Blue Hens. Look out, because mid-majors are rising faster than Tickle-Me-Elmo prices in the late 90's.
Why? Because of young, determined coaches with a vision (cue Tom Pecora).
Even with Hofstra uncharacteristically playing the underdog role this season (picked to finish fourth in their conference) Pecora always has his eyes on the prize. "The goal at the beginning of every season is to win the conference, period," Pecora said. "Regardless of where we're picked to finish, we're still going to have mountains to climb."
Even after all the success Pecora has had, a conference title is still lacking from the rafters of the Mack Complex. "The Colonial is hands down one of the toughest mid-major conferences," Pecora said. He's right after all, the Colonial has received multiple NCAA tourney bids in the past two years, and has experienced postseason success from those bids. Last season, the CAA showed its strength, as VCU knocked off Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
It wasn't too long ago that schools like Hofstra were laughed at. Aside from the NCAA tournament, Hofstra was just another team on the schedule, and the coaches had easy jobs (similar to the punter on the New England Patriots this year), and they would always remain on the bottom of the Dick Vitale totem pole. This certainly isn't the case anymore and it won't be the case ever again.
Enter George Mason two years ago. After the Pride disposed of the eventual final four contenders (not once but twice in 11 days), bells began tolling around small campuses across the country. It seems as if the Patriots blew the ceiling off the small- time- program shack and gave a Mike Tyson like make-over to the face of college hoops forever, as GMU defeated college powerhouse UConn to advance to the Final Four.
So where does Coach Pecora fit in to all this madness? Well, he's the guy responsible for Hofstra's success the past 14 seasons. He's seen the Pride grow from the cub it once was, to potential king of the CAA jungle. Pecora is responsible for Hofstra's first few postseason wins, as he coached Hofstra to 2006 NIT wins over Nebraska and St. Joe's, respectively.
In other words, he's a key man responsible for the rise of the mid-major. A modern day ring leader, complete with a sweatsuit and whistle.
To be honest, how could you expect anything less from the New York native? He has assisted two of the bigger names in the business, Coach Rollie Massimino (you know, the guy who led eighth seeded Villanova to the title in 1985) and Coach Jay Wright (the current guru at 'Nova). You see Pecora and Wright were both assistants under Massimino at UNLV in the early 90's. After being shown the ropes of big time hoops, Hofstra came calling on Pecora.
"Jay and I go way back, we knew each other when we were in college," Pecora said in response to their relationship. "I still continue to speak to him once or twice a week."
Pecora served as the recruiting coordinator for much of his time as an assistant to Jay Wright. For the most part, the players we all know and love were all partly due to Pecora's charm. Nowadays, it's not only Pecora but most of the coaches on the Pride sidelines getting the kids. "Recruiting isn't a one man thing, we all take part in the process," Pecora said.
Fortunately for Pecora and company, their target market is New York City. It's like fishing in your backyard pond when it's flooded with Chilean Seabass and two pound lobsters.
There is one problem however; more than 50 percent of the country goes after the same fish. It's shocking yes, but people outside of New York also realize it's the birthplace of the round ball and that nothing but greatness is inherited into many players in the high school ranks. "Recruiting is tough in any market, but New York especially," Pecora said. There is one attribute Pecora has on his side that tops other programs, and that's academics. "Everyone knows Hofstra University has a great academic reputation," he said. "It makes my job a lot easier."
This could help explain the likes of, Antoine Agudio, Carlos Rivera, Loren Stokes, and past greats like "Stormin'" Norman Richardson, Rick Apodaca and Speedy Claxton. Jay Wright was a tremendous influence, but credit has to be given where credit is due.
And with success comes promotion. Just two years ago, Seton Hall was banging down Pecora's door with a coaching offer. They needed someone to replace then head coach Louis Orr and Pecora had the personality with the impressive resume to match. Big East school, just outside of New York, big recruits and big bucks, seemed too perfect, right? Wrong, Pecora couldn't seem to detach from his roots and signed a deal that will keep him in Hempstead through the 2010-2011 season.
Going to games has completely changed with Pecora around. All of a sudden the student section is filling up for every game, giving the Pride a full proof home- court advantage. They even nicknamed it "The Lion's Den." The impact of big crowds is uncanny. Not only does it affect recruiting greatly, but gives Hofstra a great chance to attain more national attention as a university.
Package that with the respect he gets from his players and colleagues and you'll see that Pecora isn't your average mid-major coach. Michael Lipito, who is the author of "Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball" said that out of the one- hundred or so coaches and college basketball enthusiasts he interviewed, Pecora was his favorite by a landslide. "We had Mike stay with us for a long part of the season a couple years ago and he was such a great guy to have around."
So what more can Hofstra fans ask for? Pecora shunned the big time, he's landing top recruits, and he's filling up the Mack Complex.
It's only a matter of time before this Mid-Major Cinderella makes it way back to the big dance.