Most players on a first-place team in a major basketball conference are focused on two things: impressing NBA scouts and winning a championship. But basketball-playing cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. have a lot more on their minds.

Unlike some of their opponents, cadets who play at Air Force can’t afford to have NBA aspirations. After graduation, they are required to spend five years in military service to pay back the estimated $285,000 cost to put each cadet through school.

Still, the Falcons, are 17-3 and in first place in the Mountain West Conference. They’re exceeding all expectations this season on their way to their first winning season since 1978.

‘We always have five guys on the court who can score,’ Air Force head coach Joe Scott said. ‘We’ve got better players this year. It’s taken us three years, but we’ve continually improved.’

His players aren’t the most athletic in college basketball, but they are disciplined and focused. Most take between 18-21 credits per semester including one class period every day for some military training. While academic discipline can translate to success, it is only part of the story for the Falcons.

‘There’s a difference between book smarts and basketball smarts.’ Scott said. ‘There are a lot of 1500-SAT guys who are dumb, dumb, dumb basketball players. What kind of person you are and what kind of character you have is what matters.’

Cadets on Air Force possess both academic and athletic knowledge though. The average high school grade point average of Air Force students is 3.8 and the average SAT score is almost 1300. Of the 32 Rhodes Scholars who attended the Air Force Academy, nine were varsity letter winners. This combination of smarts and physical ability made them ideal candidates for admission.

‘The U.S. government won’t pay tuition to have guys dig ditches for five years,’ Scott said. ‘Anybody can come to school here if they are academically qualified and meet the physical requirements.’

The Mountain West Conference has helped Scott to attract basketball talent other military academies don’t usually get. Army and Navy, the two other Division I academies, are struggling this season at 5-15 and 3-18, respectively. They occupy the bottom two spots in Patriot League. Air Force crushed Navy, 86-46, on Nov. 28, this season.

‘It’s an incredible challenge (to recruit players),’ Navy head coach Don DeVoe said. ‘The pool of eligible athletes is very limited. You’re talking about a nine-year commitment and they have to score a lot higher on the SATs. (Scott) has done a fantastic job taking an under-recruited crop of talent.’

‘We go recruit like everyone else across the country,’ Scott said. ‘Then it comes down to whether or not they’re interested in being in the Air Force. You have to find families who value an academy.’

The Falcons are off to their best start ever and are undefeated at home (10-0). They run an effective Princeton-style offense originally designed by former Princeton head coach Pete Carril. Scott was a three-year starting point guard at Princeton under Carril and later was his assistant at Princeton.

The system has helped the Falcons rotate the ball easily. Three players average more than 10 points.

‘One of the joys (of coaching a military academy) is that the discipline problems are very limited,’ DeVoe said. ‘You don’t have to deal with hair-cuts and shaves. The academy makes them very respectable young men.’

Catching Up

Syracuse fans know of Rick Pitino, Tim Welsh and Louis Orr, but there are many other former Jim Boeheim assistant coaches that have gone on to good coaching jobs after leaving SU. Wayne Morgan, Tim O’Toole and Ralph Willard are three that have moved on to head coaching jobs in D-I.

Wayne Morgan served as an assistant coach under Boeheim for 12 years before becoming the head coach at Long Beach State in 1996. After six seasons that included a 24-6 campaign and a Coach of the Year Award in 1999-2000, Morgan left for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 13-7 under Morgan this season, including a 68-61 upset over No. 15 Kansas on Jan. 31.

Tim O’Toole coached under Boeheim for four seasons before leaving for Duke in 1995. He worked as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski for two seasons, helping the Blue Devils to a 42-22 record, an ACC regular season title and two NCAA tournament appearances. O’Toole returned to his alma mater, Fairfield, in 1998 as head coach. O’Toole is the only player in Fairfield history to serve as a two-time captain. The Stags are 15-8 this season and have won their last five games.

Ralph Willard spent the 1986-87 season under Boeheim before joining Rick Pitino as an assistant for the New York Knicks. After two seasons there, Pitino became the head coach at Kentucky. Willard followed as an assistant. Willard went on to be a head coach at Western Kentucky and then at Pittsburgh, before returning to his alma mater, Holy Cross, in 1999.

Holy Cross qualified for the last three NCAA tournaments. Willard was captain of the 1966-67 Crusaders basketball team. His son, Kevin, currently serves as an assistant under Pitino at Louisville.

Player of the Week

Notre Dame, Jr., Chris Thomas

After leading the Big East in assists last season with 6.9 per game and 18.7 points per game, Chris Thomas considered entering the NBA Draft. He worked out for several teams but then decided to return to South Bend, Ind. after it became clear he would not be a first-round draft pick.

Irish fans are very happy with his decision after Monday’s upset of No. 5 Connecticut, 80-74.

Thomas led the way with 31 points (22 in the second half), five assists and four rebounds in the game. He hit a mid-season slump before scoring 23 points Saturday in a loss to Pittsburgh, 66-58, a warm-up for arguably the most talented team in the nation.

‘He had a tremendous game,’ UConn head coach Jim Calhoun said. ‘He’s been erratic at times, but tonight he was really big.’

Thomas is tied for fifth in scoring and assists in the Big East, averaging 18.6 points and 5.1 assists.

This and that

Utah head coach Rick Majerus announced he has coached his last game at Utah. He took a leave of absence in January because of health problems. … A car accident on Monday night killed two Navarro College basketball players and injured seven other players and coaches. … Indiana forward Pat Ewing Jr. was suspended for Wednesday night’s game against Penn State for missing class. Ewing is the son of former NBA great Patrick Ewing. … The undefeated watch continues. Stanford and St. Joseph’s remain the only unbeaten teams in college basketball. St. Joseph’s is 21-0, and Stanford is 20-0.

Published on February 11, 2004 at 12:00 pm