thePULSEDid you hear about the 2003 Holy Cross men’s basketball team? Of course you did. Who didn’t?
The team went 26-5 overall and 13-1 in the Patriot League Conference this spring. Besides winning the league, this talented crew also won the championship tournament at the end of the season with a HUGE win over American University. Then off they went to their third NCAA Tournament appearance in as many years where they unfortunately met the end of the line against Marquette.
But once again, you already knew that. If you were like many college students in the area, you filled out your brackets, watched the game and hung on to the edge of your seat at the ever so close 72-68 loss in Indianapolis.
Maybe you picked Holy Cross as an upset, thinking that this would be the year that the team could be a giant killer. It wasn’t in the stars, though, and Marquette proved their worth in the tourney.
Just a couple of weeks after the final game, the HC men’s head coach, Ralph Willard, was already out on the road for some recruiting (and some semi-secretive interviews at other schools that we did not learn about until after the fact). Willard has built the hoops team to be a contender, able to compete with some notable “big school” teams, like Boston College, Kansas, and Princeton. We were able to briefly and barely catch the man at the helm during his hectic schedule.
PULSE: Firstly, what was your reaction to seeing the outcome of the Kansas-Marquette game? How did it feel knowing that HC gave both of these teams a scary run-for-their-money, and then when they met each other it wasn’t even a contest?
COACH WILLARD: Well, obviously Kansas was able to get out in transition and Marquette was never able to recover. Losing the Marquette game this year and the Kansas game last year was disappointing, but obviously these were two great teams.
PULSE: This season was the third in a row that the men’s team made it to the NCAA tournament. Were you satisfied with how far you made it this year? Did you feel that this team had a better chance against the previous squads to do some damage in the tourney?
COACH WILLARD: I believe every game is winnable. Obviously the past three years we played teams with much more talent, but the team was not consoled by tough losses.
PULSE: Do you think that more nationally recognized teams give Holy Cross basketball the amount of respect that it deserves? For instance, do you think that BC treated you guys as a serious opponent before they learned — the hard way — that the Crusaders really couldn’t be taken for granted?
COACH WILLARD: I think national teams respect us because of our reputation for not backing down to anyone.
PULSE: We noticed that the atmosphere up in the Hart Center was unbelievable this year. Even compared to previous years, when there was of course a huge amount of support, this season just seemed to spawn a larger amount of Holy Cross spirit. Did you notice this difference at all, and does it help the team?
COACH WILLARD: It was great to see the spirit back, especially on the students’ part. Yes, it made a huge difference and was a major part of us being 11-0 at home.
PULSE: Finally, what can we expect next year? Who are going to be the key players? Any word on whether or not we’ll see Worcester’s favorite, Neil Fingleton, get a little more playing time?
COACH WILLARD: All the returning players will be key. We lose four seniors so all the returning players will be key, including Neil.
Closing note: So it is off to next year for the Crusaders. Who can say what to expect besides more big opponents and “God’s on our side!” cheers. Ten of fourteen players will return to the court at the school on the hill, and hopefully to the elite tournament that leads up to college basketball’s big dance!
