Live from Amherst … I mean, Trinity

Reporting from high above the floor at Oosting Gymnasium, where No. 1 Amherst is playing at Trinity (Conn.) and Amherst fans have made the relatively short trip down I-91 to Hartford and are making their presence felt.

Although Bantam fans outnumber Amherst fans about two and a half to one, the Amherst fans are loud. So loud, in fact, they couldn’t even manage to keep their mouths shut for the national anthem.

It’s senior day here at Trinity and the Bantams are off to a big lead early, up 14-6 with 15:19 to go in the first half.

And I’ve been in the Northeast so long I actually recognize one of the officials.

Tune in to WRTC-FM (link on our scoreboard page) to hear the Trinity students call the game. I’ll continue to update this blog entry but will also be downstairs on occasion taking pictures.

Regardless, not as packed as the games I saw last night, where NYU’s Coles Center was overflowing. Not to the tune of the 2,496 they announced, but probably in the 2,000 range. There was more crowd, and a lot more crowd control, at that game. Hopefully we don’t need it here.

Memorable crowd moments of last night:
•A student photographer for NYU, whom I had spoken briefly to earlier in the game and seemed very mild-mannered, yells “F— You!” at the top of his lungs after a call that he apparently didn’t agree with.
•NYU fans beneath one of the baskets waving pom-poms right behind the ears of a Rochester women’s player attempting to inbound the ball, with crowd control students literally pulling on two kids’ shirts to hold them back.
•One older Rochester fan talking to the NYU students sitting directly behind Rochester’s bench, apparently riling them up by holding a Rochester banner.
•An NYU fan in his mid-20s shouts at Rochester as they come down the floor, trailing 14-6 with 9:50 or so left: “You guys are on pace to score less than 24 points! You stink!” Three seconds later, easy layup for U of R. Five minutes later that had turned into an 11-0 run for Rochester and a 17-14 NYU deficit.

Still remembering Bob Flynn

It has been almost a month since McDaniel Coach Bob Flynn suddenly died at his home near Baltimore, MD. In that time, the coach has certainly not been forgotten. His famous red towel is draped over his chair on the McDaniel bench; the team and students still wear “Flynn’s Friends” t-shirts; and as the Green Terror men’s basketball team continues to deal with the loss of a man who was resurrecting the program they still find ways to win and continue the progress Coach Flynn began just two years ago.

Last Wednesday, the team upset Johns Hopkins University which made two things possible (which Gordon Mann also points out in his recent blog), the Blue Jays now have to play Ursinus for the regular season crown and the #1 seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament and McDaniel has a chance to still make the same tournament.

Coach Bob Flynn could not be more proud.

Just the other day, I ran across an article in The (Baltimore) Sun, written by a man who certainly knows Baltimore sports. Simply titled: A Sideline Salute, Paul McMullen’s article brought a tear to my eye, reading about a man who never quit improving himself, his team, or those around him.

Last month I went to Coach Flynn’s viewing and at first was confused. I thought that possibly the funeral home was hosting multiple viewings at the same time. It was nearly impossible to find a parking place and people were streaming in and out of the building like it was an open house. Only after I got out of my car and walked into the funeral home did I realize all these people (adults, teenagers, and kids) were here for one reason… Coach Flynn.

This was actually the second viewing and the funeral home was almost completely full of those wishing to say goodbye and console the Flynn family. I was told the night before, a line wrapped throughout the modest building and out the door on what was just the beginning of a very cold week for Baltimore.

As I looked around, I saw coaches from all over the region. Coach Harney of St. Mary’s who played for Coach Flynn when Harney was a student at SMC and Flynn was working his first magic in resurrecting a program. Coach Dickman of Hood who is Maryland’s all-time winningest high school coach and now in his fourth year of starting a new men’s program at Hood, who had now coached against Flynn both in high school and college. Coach Brett Adams of Villa Julie, who said Coach Flynn was one of those men who was always a phone call away in case help or a sounding board was needed.

There were numerous other coaches from the region and one who had traveled up from Florida that day. I never got his name, but he spoke with me for about 15 minutes about his first coaching job working along side Coach Flynn. He even talked about how Coach Flynn subtly tried to recruit his son, who wasn’t even thinking about Division III schools. I believe the story ended with Coach Flynn saying, “after you look around and you’re no longer interested in Division I or II, giving me a call.”

Referees and administrators mingled with friends and family. And even the current Cardinal Gibbons high school team was there – a team still influenced by what Coach Flynn did for his alma mater over six seasons.

While there were not that many tears, there was certainly sadness and mourning. The line was at least a half hour long, winding its way through several rooms and the hallways. At the end was Tina Flynn, Bob’s wife. She was standing, smiling, and taking every opportunity to say talk with and listen to stories from every single person who passed through the line. Some people she knew well, others – like myself – she only knew through either other people’s stories or reputation.

When I walked up and introduced myself, I hardly had a chance to say how sorry I was when she told me how many great stories and material about her husband she had heard had been on D3hoops.com and Hoopsville. She followed that by up asking me if she could get a copy of that material. I was stunned. I thought we were supposed to be there to consol her. But she was consoling us. And she was reliving Bob Flynn’s life and affect on people through us… and she seemed to thrive on it. Every person who had a story or memory was asked to email or send it to her – something I still need to finish for her.

I got a chance at the beginning of this season to talk with Coach Flynn at the Provident Pride of Maryland Men’s Basketball Tournament at Goucher College. I told him I was impressed with how far the team had come in such a short time and I was looking forward to watching the improvement this season.

And while he is no longer around, it has been nearly a month and the team he was resurrecting in Westminster, MD is still experiencing its best season in recent memory. And while I try and remain impartial in my coverage, I will certainly be rooting on the Green Terror.

And I am sure Coach Flynn is looking down and rooting them on as well.