AMHERST, Mass. – Tony Gaffney’s first words upon entering the media room said about all that needed to be said.
“We’re going to get one, sooner or later,” said the senior forward.
Those words came after UMass got another punch in the gut. Having already lost two games in the final seconds, the Minutemen rallied to force overtime before losing to Boston College on Saturday night. The 85-81 loss drops them to 1-6 on the season, with two tough losses at home included.
Competitive athletes and coaches invariably look at the bottom line. Even if the effort is great, losing the game takes a lot out of it; moral victories aren’t talked about. And while the Minutemen might have rightly deserved the first close loss, a 75-74 decision nearly two weeks earlier against Jacksonville State, because of a lack of consistent effort throughout the game, Saturday night was a different story. It showed in the remarks after the game.
“These losses are hard to swallow, but we’re clearly growing and guys are buying into what the coaching staff is putting in,” said Gaffney, clearly trying to look on the bright side.
“There was a ton of good things out there this evening,” said head coach Derek Kellogg, who went on to call it “by far our best effort of the season.”
While the close losses are tough to take, especially when the effort is better, Kellogg sees the progress as well, but also sees where the team is still falling short.
“I think they’re getting closer to realizing how hard you have to play to win, that you have do all the little things down the stretch to win basketball games,” he added.
Saturday’s game between two rivals that resumed playing each other the year after Kellogg graduated was one where UMass had to fight back often. Although the game had 10 ties and 16 lead changes, there were many points in the game, especially late in regulation, where it looked like Boston College would come away with another win and go to 5-0 all-time at the Mullins Center. While that is what ultimately happened, a furious rally late and some missed free throws made the Eagles work five more minutes to get it.
As the losses add up, especially in this fashion and after a game where they gave their best effort of the season, the biggest challenge becomes one of keeping up a team’s psyche. The team just played their best game of the season and still lost, in front of the home fans no less. That’s not easy to take at all.
But it’s clear the Minutemen have a good leader at the helm. Kellogg is learning on the job, but you get the sense he understands what he has in front of him. He and his staff have worked hard to keep perspective and be there for the players on and off the court through a stretch that can define a team’s season one way or the other.
“Right now they have a good wherewithal about them, they’re getting along and I’m spending a lot of time with these kids because they need it,” said Kellogg. “They need leadership, they need to know you’re there for them and they need to know that you care about them and love them and want to see them do the right things. That’s one of the main goals of my staff in the program right now, to make sure we’re upbeat and positive.”
Talk to the players, and as difficult as this is for them – it’s clear that losing, especially in some tough games, is tough for them to take – you sense that they’re managing to keep a positive feel. They haven’t lost the desire to win games and seem to understand that they can get there, despite not seeing the results thus far.
“We know what we’re capable of doing,” said Gaffney. “Obviously, everyone was doubting us before this game. As a team, we’ve stuck together. I wouldn’t say we’re more confident right now, I would say we’re more hungry.”
There are signs that UMass is moving forward. Anthony Gurley is coming around now that he’s a few games into his first season of play after sitting out last season. Ricky Harris seems to have hit his stride, and he had a career-high 35 points against Boston College on 12-19 shooting, including making six of his 11 three-point attempts. Gaffney remains the reliable one, nearly getting a triple-double on Saturday with 15 points, 18 rebounds and nine blocked shots. His play is something Kellogg hopes will inspire his teammates more.
“Have you ever seen the Tasmanian Devil? That’s what he looks like out there, it’s like there’s ten of them,” Kellogg said of Gaffney. “I’ve seen plays on tape – and I’ve shown our guys, because it’s kind of comical – that he’ll block a shot, dunk a ball, go back and steal it, while some other guys are going top of the key to top of the key.”
Above all, the effort is getting there for the team. Add that to remaining confident and optimistic, as well as the staff understanding what’s in front of them, and they have the feel of a team that might not be far away from turning some of those tough losses into wins.
