February 17, 2001

By Steve Richardson

Creighton once again an NCAA threat under Altman

Creighton coach Dana Altman took himself out of the running for the Miami, Fla. head coaching job last spring. And now he's glad he stayed with his home state Bluejays because he has molded Creighton into a mid Division I power. Creighton (19-6 overall, 11-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play) appears headed to its third straight NCAA Tournament next month even if it fails to win the league's post-season tournament for a third straight year. The Blue Jays, the league's automatic NCAA qualifier the past two seasons, should warrant an at-large berth because of their schedule which includes victories over Big East, Mountain West, Big 12 and Western Athletic Conference teams.

And Altman, 42, who has to be a candidate for the league's Coach of the Year honors, believes this could be his best team in his seven years at the school since he took the job after leaving the head post at Kansas State in 1994. He notched his 200th career victory on Feb. 10 at Southern Illinois-Carbondale.

"I think we are a little quicker, maybe, "Altman said. "We have senior guards, but we do have inexperience coming off the bench. Our two sophomore (starters), are playing better. Ryan Sears (point guard) is a tough sucker. He doesn't always shoot it really good. He has streaks. But he handles the ball and guards for 40 minutes."

Creighton has become the powerhouse of MVC and has joined other Jesuit schools such as Gonzaga and Xavier of Ohio as NCAA Tournament threats. And things should just get better for the Altman. By the 2003-2004 season will be moving into a brand new 17,000-seat downtown arena in Omaha, complete with sky boxes. So why leave? Other schools will probably come calling and he will have to make the decision to stay again this coming off season.

"I grew up 90 minutes from Omaha," said Altman "You never say never. But the Jesuits, and the athletic director have been so good to me. It would have had to have been an awfully good offer for me to leave. We have recruited so well. And we have good players. "When I first talked to them (Miami, Fla.), I was real excited, but the longer it went on...my athletic director took me fishing in Alaska. Then longer it went on, I got cold feet."

Tulane's Perry Clark took the Miami of Florida job. And Altman remains secure he's in the right spot. He has had the same three assistants each of his seven season at the school: Greg Grensing, Len Gordy and Kevin McKenna. And he believes he uses his time more wisely now. "I hope I am much smarter now," Altman said. "I didn't golf before. I just worked at Kansas State. I still think I am working hard. But I spend more time with my family. And my athletic director sets up vacations and golf with alumni. But I am much more time efficient."

Creighton has victories over Providence, Tulsa, Colorado State and Nebraska. The Bluejays' only non-conference losses are to Toledo and Wyoming, with a rematch against the Cowboys coming up on Saturday in Omaha.

"We lost our focus a little bit," Altman said of January swoon when the Bluejays lost four league games on the road. "We went on the road and we had targets on our back for being picked in the pre-season to win the title. Our freshmen were not ready. And people came after us."

DeGregorio departing

Rhode Island coach Jerry DeGregorio, 38, resigned this past week as head coach of the Rhode Island Rams. The Rams have a 10-45 record under DeGregorio, who will continue to coach the team the rest of the season.

"There has been increased speculation about Jerry's future," said Rhode Island athletic director Ron Petro "And he believes that such speculation is hurting our ability to recruit. We share that concern. At the same time the future of the basketball program is significant to the new Convocation Center."

Rhode Island wants to have a coach in time to impact recruiting this season. The signing period begins in early April.

Remembering Al McGuire

"When I first started coaching in the late 60s he was at Marquette ...and he was kind of a maverick," remembers George Washington coach Tom Penders said of the late McGuire. "But I just loved his sense of humor, mainly pointed at himself, and his ability to communicate."

Penders remembers attending a coaching clinic. McGuire told him to stay away from his team during the day of a night game.

"I was just a kid then," Penders said. "He gave me some hints. He said, 'What do you do on the day of the game?' I explained to him what I had done that day. And he said, 'Hey, kid, save yourself a lot of aggravation, unless you're going there for strategy and you want to put something in, let your assistants run that, if you're anything like me, which is uptight on the day of the game."

Opinionated coaches