In a town where a consistent sports team is at a premium these days, UB students have hope on the horizon, as the men's basketball team has shown flashes of brilliance this season.
Although the words "flashes of brilliance" are generally associated with teams above .500, most victory-starved UB fans say they will take just about anything these days.
UB Alumnus Greg Nowicki ('90) thinks that this is the best Bulls team he's seen since his years as a student:
"Over the last five years in the conference, I've seen the program develop pretty rapidly," said Nowicki on Saturday afternoon. "I think the commitment from the university is finally there."
So far this season, the Bulls have already doubled their win total from last year, as they finished their 2002-03 campaign with a dismal 5-23 record. They have scorched the nets this season, upping their scoring average from a paltry 64.8 points per game to a more robust 73.2.
Head coach Reggie Witherspoon, who has been at the helm ever since he took over as an interim coach in the 1999 season, guided the Bulls to their best record since its inception in the MAC in 1998, a 12-18 mark in 2001-02.
Sophomore student and fan Tarcio Barbosa, thinks Witherspoon - or coach 'Spoon as his players call him - is the right man to lead the Bulls to new heights:
"The team's much improved from last year," said Barbosa. "Coach Witherspoon's definitely the right man for the job, and he's also done a good job recruiting players."
Last Wednesday night, Buffalo held its own against the Kent State Golden Flashes (18-3, 12-1 MAC) before losing by the score of 79-75. Kent State is a NCAA tournament regular, having made appearances in two of the last three years, cracking the second round in 2001 and the Elite Eight in 2002.
Bulls fans say they are excited about this year, but after having seen the Bulls excellent play at times this season, expect more from their team.
In a poll taken by The Spectrum at Saturday's game against Central Michigan, 66 percent of fans surveyed said that the team has a performance rating of "average" on a scale of exceptional, average and underachieving.
Of these same fans, 46 percent of them are avid basketball followers. Ninety-eight people were surveyed on Saturday.
Hope is on the horizon, according to sophomore Jon Amitrano, who, by painting himself blue before every game, may be the most visible and staunch supporter of the university's athletic teams:
"There are no seniors on the team, and next season's going to be even better," said Amitrano. "I'm looking forward to it."
Junior point guard Turner Battle, after an injury sustained last year which ended his season, is back better than ever, leading the team with 14.1 points per game, which is good for 11th in the conference.
"Turner's our leader on the floor," said Witherspoon. "He has more experience, and he's scoring more. He's making it so that the defense has to stop him, in addition to stopping his ability to get his teammates involved."
Buffalo is playing like a much bigger team now than in recent years, and is tops in the MAC offensive rebounding category, pulling down 13.95 a game. The twin towers of junior forward Mark Bortz and freshman forward/center Yassin Idbihi each pull their weight for the team. Bortz leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.4 a game, while contributing 9.8 points.
"They don't look out of place on the floor with any team I've seen them play this season," said the voice of Alumni Arena, public address announcer Jerry Reo. "They play good team defense, they're scoring more, and they hit the offensive boards more."
"The biggest thing that's changed this year is trust," said Bortz. "This year, there really is a sense of team, and we've come together as a better team. With the way we've been playing, I really feel like we can go all the way to Cleveland, and our goal is to win a MAC Championship."
Idbihi, a native of Morocco, is in the midst of a stellar rookie season, scoring 10.1 points per game and pulling down 5.9 rebounds a game, all while leading the team with a .750 percentage from the charity stripe.
"He's continuing to learn the defensive end of the floor," said Witherspoon. "He has a tremendous touch, and he sees the floor very well. He has long arms, and he has a lot of energy getting to the glass. I think the sky's the limit for Yassin."
"As the season has progressed, Yassin has looked more and more in place and he's a real force out there," Reo said.
One of five freshmen for the Bulls, Idbihi is part of the youth movement this season, as there are no seniors on the UB roster, which gives a chance for the players to grow together, physically and mentally, without having to experience the loss of good players after this season.
"I think the team is doing very well and improving as each game goes on," said Kirk Berry, junior defensive end for the UB football team. "As a fan, I'm happy to watch them every weekend and will be looking forward to next season.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
