March 7, 2001

By Chuck Mistovich

Odell and Wilmore Enjoy Sweet Seasons

We always expect Coach Bill Odell to win his 25-or-so games each year at Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and then win the Golden State Conference championship. Well, he's won the league for the ninth straight year, and finished the regular season with a 30-2 record.

But there was a new face challenging Odell's Cougars this year. Anyone ever hear of Heritage Christian? You know, the tiny school in San Diego, Calif.

Well, Coach Art Wilmore really had the turn-around story over the last two years. His Hawks were stumbling and bumbling around with a 2-7 record early in December 2000, with no where to go. Or so everyone thought. Then Christian went on a couple six-game winning streaks to finish at 21-15, including a trip deep into the National Christian Colleges National Tournament.

Then this year the Hawks really did it. They finished the regular season at 25-6 and ranked 13th in the NAIA I final poll.

Christian just couldn't catch Odell's Azusa Pacific team, which closed the regular season with a 17-game winning streak. It's pretty neat to see Wilmore's team very much resemble Odell's Cougars. For instance, both clubs allow about 68 points per game. Pacific has a bit more scoring punch, with 87 ppg, compared to 80 ppg for Christian. Both teams allow only 42 per cent field shooting by opponents, and they both crush foes on the boards by eight rebounds a game.

So Coach Odell, you better watch out. That "reflection" you see in the mirror could be Wilmore's Hawks taking on a new identity in the NAIA nationals.

Don Lane at the Top of His Game

Ya gotta love Coach Don Lane of Transylvania (Ky.). His home games are at high schools and colleges an hour away from campus - you know, they tore down his gym so he had no where to play this winter.

And all the coach does is create his greatest team ever, popping off a 26-1 record and winning the NAIA I national poll championship.

Well, it's always a thrill talking to the coach. He started chattering about his coaching style through the years, and that he actually adjusts to the talent on hand.

Then he really blew it. He said, "The biggest change for me came with the advent of the shot clock and the three-point shot." Then he cracked up. He just dated himself. He laughed, "There are a lot of coaches coaching today who don't remember those changes!"

He made fun of himself and went on, "We had a ball control team (in the old days) but once the shot clock came in, I pretty much used the three-point shot since we usually had good shooters. Today, it's a big difference from when I used to say let's take some time off the clock and get it inside for the good shot."

Though Lane is a coach of the 2000s, he still has his traditions, saying, "I tell the kids that the practices are mine and the games are theirs."