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Samimnot
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Date Posted: 13:14:42 03/18/05 Fri
Posted on Fri, Mar. 18, 2005
Bucknell coach learns to enjoy the pressure
By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star
OKLAHOMA CITY The question was inevitable, and, actually, had been asked in different forms a few times already. But when a reporter from St. Louis asked Bucknell coach Pat Flannery whether his midseason hiatus to deal with stress had allowed him to enjoy his team's success, Flannery answered a question with a question.
"Why'd you guys trade Steve Kline?" Flannery joked.
This is, by all accounts, the new and improved Pat Flannery. Nervous tension drove him to leave the team at halftime of Bucknell's win over Lafayette on Jan. 21. He still attended all practices but missed the next three games while taking something of an inventory of his life's priorities.
His absence allowed time for counseling, and his return helped Bucknell to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1989 when leading scorer Kevin Bettencourt was 5.
Flannery's reward: a first-round matchup with tradition-rich Kansas at 8:50 tonight at the Ford Center. It could be the worst thing to happen to a coach vulnerable to stress. But Flannery said his attitude is different now.
A good different.
"I'm enjoying this," he said. "I'm so excited these kids have this opportunity.
I'm in such a different spot than I've been with other games like this."
Now, don't take Flannery the wrong way. If you see the game tonight, you'll probably see the same antics that have made Flannery the most animated coach in the Patriot League.
He'll yell at the referees. He'll scream at his players. He'll stomp his feet as hard as he can. But when it's all over, Flannery said he now has the perspective to realize basketball is not it.
"Make sure this game doesn't become bigger than our lives," Flannery said. "Basketball is not who I am, I found out. It's what I do."
By his own admission, he's not completely comfortable talking about what happened.The players are also hesitant to talk too much about the ordeal, but everyone said the team turned it into a positive.
Flannery has discovered a new way, and the players said they grew from the experience.
It was something he needed to do, and we supported him, Bettencourt said. When he got back, I think it made us closer. It made us realize you can't depend on your head coach too much to control your team. It made us step up and be leaders.
There are no guarantees about how long this will last or how effective it will be. Flannery is just trying to make the best of it.
"You're only one type of person when you're coaching," Flannery said. "We got to the point where, as well as we were playing, I'm not sure it was as fun as it was supposed to be. I wasn't communicating with my family or my kids. I never bailed on my players. I was always there for all practices. I just hit a wall."
To reach Sam Mellinger,
sports reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4389 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com.
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