Thirty minutes after the Syracuse men’s basketball team beat Kansas last Monday, Bernie Fine ambled around the locker room munching on a chocolate chip cookie. He chatted with his wife, Laurie, and exchanged pleasantries with some old friends.

Celebrations? Not for the all-business 27-year SU assistant coach. But at least a little merrymaking would have been appropriate, considering Fine’s low-key consistency and straight-shooting approach helped the Orangemen capture their first national championship in school history.

“We’ve been together a long time,” said SU head coach Jim Boeheim, also in his 27th season at SU. “We’ve worked hard to get this program where it is. He deserves a tremendous amount of credit for this, to be here and to be so consistent for so long.”

Fine started at SU as a student manager in 1964, became an assistant coach in 1976 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2000. He’s been at the same school longer than any Division I coach.

Primarily working with SU’s centers, Fine has developed NBA draft picks Derrick Coleman, John Wallace and Rony Seikaly.

This season, Fine groomed centers Craig Forth and Jeremy McNeil. Forth, a season-long starter, played perhaps his best game last Monday, collecting six points, three rebounds and three blocks. McNeil backboned SU’s 2-3 zone, averaging three blocks this year.

“It was good to see the players enjoy themselves,” Fine said. “This is a special group. It’s been a special group all year.”

Apparently not special enough to entice Fine to join the on-court pile-on following the championship game’s final buzzer.

“I’m a little older,” Fine said, “so I walked out a little slower.”

Since the NCAA Tournament, e-mails and phone calls have poured into Fine’s Manley Field House office. Everyone from former players to U.S. Army soldiers have offered congratulations.

“It hasn’t stopped,” Fine said. “It’s been absurd. I haven’t done that many interviews, but I have everyone calling.”

“Players know where he stands on everything,” Boeheim said. “They know he’s going to be tough, but he’s going to be fair. Players call him from 20, 30 years ago. That’s a testimony to how much he’s done.”

As Fine polished off his post-championship chocolate chip cookie, reporters started dropping by his corner of the locker room. They wanted to know what Fine had planned for a celebration.

“I’m going to Disneyland,” he deadpanned, eliciting a roar of laughter.

Fine did go out that night, but rain kept him from Bourbon Street. As he mingled with old friends, few outside the Syracuse scene recognized him.

Three days later, Fine was asked if he’d be taking time off for the Disneyland trip.

“No,” Fine said. “We’ve got too much stuff to do.”

A typical Fine answer. Low key. Straightforward. All business.

“Bernie’s not going to change,” Boeheim said. “He does what he’s supposed to do, and it’s done right. You don’t have to think about it. It’s done. That’s key when you’re dealing with so many young kids. You need to be consistent.”

Published on April 14, 2003 at 12:00 pm