Part five in a five-part series by Steve Kelley, former Seattle Times sports columnist
Everybody loves a comeback story. From Lazarus to Bo Jackson. From Johnny Cash To AC/DC. From Robert Downey, Jr. to Betty White (Yes, I just used Betty White in a sports story.).
Comebacks are a part of sports lore. More than 20 years later, it’s still thrilling to see Reggie Miller score eight points in nine seconds to spite Spike Lee and lead the Indiana Pacers to a playoff win over the New York Knicks. And baseball still revels in Boston’s curse-breaking recovery from 3-0 down to the New York Yankees to win the 2004 ALCS, then sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
Seattle loves a comeback story. The Mariners still celebrate the 1995 team that came from double-digit games down to win the AL West and make the playoffs for the first time in team history. And it still seems improbable, even magical, that two seasons ago, the Seahawks’ Houdini-escaped from a 19-7 late-fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Green Bay Packers and win the NFC Championship.
Across town the University of Washington’s football revival has excited Seattle sports fans like no Husky team since 1991. And die-hards still cling to the hope that someday we will celebrate the Sonics’ comeback.
Comebacks are celebrations of the human spirit. They remind us that we should never surrender, that we should keep on fighting.
For a large chunk of the last century, Seattle University was a player on the national basketball stage. It upset the Harlem Globetrotters in 1952, lost in the Final Four to Kentucky in 1958. It was the only school to beat Texas Western in the Miners’ 1966 run to an historic NCAA Championship. And between 1953 and 1969, Seattle University went to the NCAA tournament 11 times.
That’s a rich history. No matter the level of your basketball interest, that is something for a school to celebrate.
Walk into the basketball offices at the Connolly Complex and see the names on the walls: Johnny O’Brien, Eddie O’Brien, Elgin Baylor, Clint Richardson, Tom Workman, Plummer Lott, John Tresvant, Rod Derline, Jawann Oldham, Carl Ervin, Frank Oleynick.
That’s a rich history.
I remember the first Seattle U game I saw. I had recently moved to the Northwest and was hungry to watch college basketball. I drove from Centralia to Mercer Arena and watched Oleynick and San Francisco’s Phil Smith go after each other for 40 minutes. It reminded me of the dozens of great point guard battles I used to watch in the Palestra in Philadelphia.
That’s a rich history.
And then in 1980, for a myriad of reasons, many of them financial, the university de-emphasized sports. It dropped from NCAA Division I to NAIA status. And for 30 years, while teams remained competitive at their various levels, Seattle U sports, and particularly basketball, were played far from the madding crowd.
This is the comeback story.
“We had this thing hanging over our heads for years,” Seattle University’s Executive Vice President Tim Leary said recently. “Many of our alums had been telling us, ‘You need to return Seattle U to its glory.’ When we talked with people they would tell us that one of the biggest things in the city was when U-Dub and Seattle U came together in basketball.
“When we looked into the kind of things that could help the university do all of the things we wanted to do, moving to DI was what kept coming up.”
The return to Division I basketball began in 2009. The NCAA doesn’t make the transition easy. Postseason basketball can be an exclusive club. There are seasons without a conference affiliate. There are three years where teams are not eligible to compete in post-season tournaments. It’s a daunting climb into contention.
“The question we kept asking was, ‘Why would you not have an athletic program that isn’t of the same quality as you’re striving to have with the rest of your university,’" Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg, S.J. said. “If you have a first-rate school of law or college of arts and science or a community-involvement project, if you’re going for the best in everything else, why don’t you go for the best in sports.”
This is a comeback story like few others. At times it was felt Sisyphean. At times it has been harder than anticipated.
“I thought we were going to sail through this thing, but it’s tougher than that,” Father Sundborg said. “I think that fooled us a little bit. It’s a hard road given the cards we’ve been dealt. But we’re going to stay with this and we’re going to get there. Sure some fans want quick results, but you have to take step, after step, after step.”
In this comeback story, Chapter One has been completed. Head Coach Cameron Dollar has a competitive basketball team, the kind of blending of veteran leadership and youthful talent every program needs.
There is optimism in the basketball offices and energy on the practice floor. This is Chapter Two.
“You have to acknowledge that strides have been made,” Dollar said. “I’m sure as a fan you might want to go from zero to the second round of the NCAA tournament, but there are steps in between that you just have to take.
“Our seniors (Brendan Westendorf, William Powell, Emmanuel Chibuogwu, Manroop Clair) have gotten better and all of them are primed and set up to have a hell of a senior year. And the coolest thing is that what’s behind them now is a pretty good semblance of depth and those players will continue to move the program forward.”
Equally important, but not as dramatic is the improvement in the program’s support systems – consistency in fund-raising, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales. The school is bringing more people into the program. The team is listening to the requests of the students.
This season, six games will be played in the cozy confines of the Connolly Complex because people wanted to bring some games from KeyArena back to the campus. Midnight Madness has been handed to the students, who are scripting the entire event. Student development also is in charge of homecoming.
“There are certain absolutes that each school has and here at Seattle U one of the absolutes is to be able to progress and win, while maintaining the academic integrity of the institution,” Dollar said. “It’s not something that’s talked about all the time, but it’s vitally important.
“My charge is to figure out a way to get it done, with what we have, bottom line. To do that, we continue to improve our system internally. We continue to develop the players that we already have and continue to get better at recruiting even better players.”
This is Chapter Two.
“From the older guys I kind of felt like our culture wasn’t really established when I got here, as far as how to do things the right way all the time,” senior Chibuogwu said. “Now it’s like we’re an extension of Coach Dollar, both on and off the court.
“I definitely want to be part of the first team since we went back to Division I that goes to the NCAA tournament. I think about that every day. I have friends all over the place who have been there and have told me about it. I definitely feel like we have the talent, but more than that, I think we’ll be prepared to win when it comes down to it.”
This is Seattle University’s comeback story. Chapter Two has begun.
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The 2016-17 men's basketball schedule has been released! Included in the 16-game home slate are 10 contests at KeyArena and six in Seattle U's recently renovated Connolly Complex. Secure your tickets today by contacting the SU Athletics Ticket Office at 206-398-4678, or email Zach Habner, Coordinator of Tickets and Fan Experience, at habnerz@seattleu.edu.