SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Big-time sports have taken some heavy, largely self-inflicted blows lately that could leave scars. Sometimes one has to look to the little guys for a reminder of why we love sports, like the recent amazing accomplishments by a community college basketball team on Long Island.

Major League Baseball faces controversy over steroid use and the lack of an effective drug policy. The National Hockey League continues its spiral of senseless violence corrupting an otherwise great game. The latest incident had Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi blind-siding Colorado Avalanche Steve Moore with a punch to the side of the head and then driving Moore face-first into the ice. Moore received two broken vertebras, a concussion and deep cuts.

Let's also not forget that the National Football League employed MTV to put on a trashy half-time show at the Super Bowl, topped off, so to speak, when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast.

It's not just the pros, however. Accusations have been leveled that the University of Colorado football program used sex and alcohol to lure recruits. Six basketball players at St. John's University were suspended for visiting a strip club and getting caught up in a sex scandal.

It's been a rough stretch.

Fortunately, though, there are moments that reveal the grandeur of sport. Often, such revelations come when something big is achieved by something small.
The Suffolk County Community College Ammerman Campus in Selden has a National Junior College Athletic
Association Division III men's basketball team - the Clippers. Is it a big budget program? Arthur Del Duca, the athletic director, replied: "Not at all. We have roughly a little over a $20,000 budget. The coaches' stipends are included in that." And how much does head coach Rich Wrase earn? Del Duca said Wrase makes $8,000, noting, "It's a part-time salary, but really a year-round job." Compare that with the multimillion-dollar compensation packages for many coaches at major colleges.

The college's recruiting is not a national or international affair, as with top college hoop programs. It's basically limited to Suffolk County, according to Del Duca.

Nonetheless, on March 13 in upstate Delhi, the Clippers recovered from a questionable call at the close of regulation and beat Eastfield College from Texas in overtime to gain the national championship. In fact, this program now has produced back-to-back national championships. The team also has a 52-game winning streak. Now that's March madness.

How did they do it? Del Duca reflected: "The kids and the coaching staff have just worked really hard and have been very focused on goals." He added: "The main thing is when the kids come in they understand that you're not here just to play basketball. We're here to move you on. You're here for academics." That's a sober, realistic message for individuals attending a community college like Suffolk, where the possibility of an NBA career is a remote dream.

Asked his secret, Wrase's main thrust was on the players. He said, "I had great kids," adding they are the type that "could represent Suffolk County in a positive way." But how did he get them to play the varied roles needed to win? Wrase mentioned some game strategy, but emphasized: "I always preach the word 'family' to my assistant coaches and my players. I think we had a nice little family."

Wrase showed how "the team grew together" with an example. He said: "In fact, the whole team went bowling together the night before the national championship game. There was a bowling alley next to the hotel . . . We didn't tell them to do that." The coach proudly noted that two players now have scholarships, and three others are being recruited by higher level colleges.

Sound corny? Over the years, I've seen how some in sports spin almost as well as politicians. But, unlike politics, truth emerges on the playing field. When a team from a commuter college like Suffolk achieves so much, it's not spin. It really is about working together like a family. Suffolk's Clippers are the real thing, and their story helps to redeem sports.

Raymond J. Keating can be reached at [email protected].
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

 
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