NFL commentators often refer to cornerbacks as “wide receivers with no hands” — they’d rather play receiver, but their inability to catch the ball relegates them to a less desirable defensive position.
Along that same vein, I’d call sports reporters “athletes with no athletic talent.”
Sure, I often wish I were on the court passing the ball, instead of on the sidelines passing the popcorn. But athletically relegated to a career of two-hand-touch coed football and intramural soccer, I’ve come to embrace the role of reporter: sharing with you what you didn’t see on the field, mat or court by talking to athletes and coaches after the games.
Through the years I’ve written about highs and lows, signings and departures, wins and losses; talked to well over 100 athletes and dozens of coaches; and scribbled down probably over 50,000 quotes, heavily relying on those words of others to tell the stories for me.
When things go right, everyone loves to talk. But for every “winning” article, there’s a “losing” article, sometimes even running on the same page. Usually, through careful questioning, the coaches provide me with answers, even in the case of failure.
Then there’s this year’s men’s basketball team.
Sitting in last place in the conference at 2-6, the basketball team — far and away the most visible of BU’s 15 programs — has become the butt of jokes across campus and the Southern Tier, and seems to be drowning in its own potential.
Last place. Dead last.
After a nice 79-74 win at “The U” (Miami) in December, BU sat at 6-4 in non-conference play and looked poised to at least be competitive in league play. But we’d play underdog to Stony Brook in the Friday night 8-9 “play-in” game of the conference tournament.
The worst part of this latest losing streak, though, is trying to find those damned answers. After each loss, the local media have asked coach Al Walker how his visibly flawed program can be fixed. Some selected responses:
>> “Today’s about the soccer program.” — Nov. 10 after an exhibition loss to Division-II St. Rose.
>> “We have not even come close to figuring out how to win a game where you have to grind it out. That’s hard.” — Jan. 11 after a loss to Boston University (Bing: 1-3 AE).
>> “The entire group is not good enough, from the head coach all the way down.” “How do you figure it out?” “I don’t know.” — Jan. 18 after a loss to UNH (Bing: 2-5 AE).
>> “We have not been able to cross that bridge.” “Is there anything you can do to change that?” “I don’t know. If I could [have], I probably would’ve figured it out. There are no easy answers.” — Jan. 21 after a loss to Vermont (Bing: 2-6 AE).
Walker’s certainly not the first BU coach to suffer a losing streak, and he certainly won’t be the last. But the responsibility to develop solutions to a team’s problems lies squarely on the coach’s shoulders, and at this point it seems like there are nothing but unanswered questions.
Wide receivers with no hands become cornerbacks; athletes with no talent become reporters. But for the rest of the season, we’ll be watching to find out what becomes of a program coached by a man with “no easy answers.”
—
BOXXXX: In this issue, we give you a recap of everything you might’ve missed up to this point in the season. Next week, check Pipe Dream for an extensive feature on Al Walker’s up-and-down seven-year career at Binghamton, from a one-point loss at North Carolina in 2001 to a free-fall to sole possession of last place in the America East in 2007.