Deane's growth lifts MU

0 Comments | Milwaukee Journal, The, Mar 29, 1995 | by DARRYL O. LEDBETTER

New York, N.Y. Faisal Abraham had committed a string of mistakes in Marquette University's practice Tuesday afternoon at New York University.

"Do you want to play in this game?" Marquette coach Mike Deane barked.

A bit later, Abraham was caught out of position.

Deane, puzzled, let the whistle that he had clutched throughout practice dangle from his neck.

He eased over to Abraham and quietly asked what was wrong.

It was a perfect example of how far Deane and the team have come this season.

Deane, who knows that the soft-spoken Abraham doesn't take well to yelling and screaming, used the kinder, gentler approach to firmly get his message across.

The sophomore forward responded with a good play as the players yelled, "Way to go Fai, way to go."

Marquette (21-11) is staring at its last game of the season. But regardless of whether the Golden Eagles are able to knock off Virginia Tech (24-10) to capture the National Invitation Tournament crown on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.), they have turned the 1994-'95 season into a most memorable one.

"They are on a roll right now and really playing well," Virginia Tech coach Bill Foster said. "We'll have our hands full."

The four-game winning streak in the NIT has helped the development of Marquette's younger players and won over converts in the program.

Deane was frustrated earlier in the season as the Golden Eagles struggled to grasp his vast playbook. He has put in only 30 plays, a far cry from what he'd like to use.

Under Deane, however, the Golden Eagles are now making adjustments on the fly, rarely ever running the same play or the same offensive set on consecutive possessions.

"We have some plays that we run more than others," Deane said. "I like to have Tony {Miller} mix it up so that teams don't get used to or adjust to a particular play. He calls most of them. Sometimes I'll call a play."

The exchange with Abraham reinforces that this is now Deane's team, which has turned a negative experience missing the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament into a most positive story.

The Golden Eagles defeated Auburn, St. Bonaventure, South Florida and Penn State to reach the title game.

"It's been unbelievable for our program and I think for my own credibility," Deane said. "I'm following a very successful coach, who moved on to Tennessee, a good friend of mine, Kevin O'Neill."

Miller and Will Gates are the only two Marquette players not returning next season, so the team's success in the NIT bodes well for the future.

"This tournament was a reward for a strong finish and now we have taken advantage of the opportunity," Deane said. "It's going to have great repercussions for the development of our players. Aaron Hutchins has really come on in this basketball tournament. For a young team to get this opportunity and take advantage of it is a tremendous boost for our basketball program."

Marquette was in danger of not being invited to any tournament after dropping six of eight games in the middle of the season.

Now, Deane is proud of the progress the team has made.

"Our team has learned to rely on game preparation and solid defense to win basketball games," Deane said. "They were willing to make the adjustments. We are bit more mature team than when we started."

The Golden Eagles were downright awesome in the second half against Penn State in the NIT semifinals when they started making outside shots and creating turnovers from their full-court pressure.

Marquette made good on 9 of 11 three-pointers (81.8%) in the second half, and the Nittany Lions committed 12 second-half turnovers.

Deane was thrilled by the torrid three-point shooting.

"I was excited to see it," Deane said. "There have been so many times when we've had good looks and they jiggled in and out."

Anthony Pieper, who was feeding off the penetration of Miller and Hutchins, thrived from the perimeter.

"I tell him to keep shooting," Deane said. "He doesn't have enough sense to stop shooting when he misses."

Virginia Tech defeated Marquette, 57-54, on Jan. 17, with Miller and Hutchins each missing free throws in the final minute. Pieper was also off the mark on a three-point attempt at the buzzer.

The Hokies use only six or seven players.

"This team has balance," Deane said. "This team has a tremendous chemistry. They play so well together. This is going to be real challenge for us defensively."

Foster doesn't recognize the Marquette team that made it to New York.

"Their team has taken on a little different look because Hutchins has made such a difference off the bench," Foster said.