Lindy Ruff syndrome. It's a horrible thing.
Ruff, who has coached the Buffalo Sabres since 1997, has a problem winning "the big one." He has coached his team to three conference finals and one Stanley Cup final, but the Stanley Cup has never been attained.
Enter Reggie Witherspoon.
The Ruff bug bit Witherspoon, the head coach of the Bulls men's basketball team. After joining the program in 2000, Witherspoon has coached his squad to the Mid-American Conference Championship twice, in 2005 and this year.
In 2005, the Bulls were literally seconds from winning, but they had no shot last week at Quicken Loans Arena.
An Akron team fired shots left and right in Cleveland on Saturday, and Witherspoon had no answer in return. He made no changes in the locker room, an error reflected in Buffalo's performance.
Where was junior guard Rodney Pierce in the final four minutes of the game? Why was he on the bench? Why pull one of your biggest playmakers off the court when you are down by so many points?
Even worse, why did it seem as if the Bulls were just going through the motions?
The MAC Championship isn't the best time to have an off day, and Witherspoon is responsible for making his players recognize that.
He failed.
Now, Buffalo's magical season ends with a spot in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament, which is a failure as far as I'm concerned. If the Bulls had won one more game in the regular season, they would be in the NIT right now. Granted, it's not the NCAA tournament, but it isn't the NIT's NIT like the CBI is.
This could have been Buffalo's miracle season, with both the football team and men's basketball team winning their respective MAC Championships. Instead, fans were given a poor performance in Cleveland.
It's time for a staffing change.
I have the utmost respect for Witherspoon, but this team deserves something better than second best. After the bar that football head coach Turner Gill has set, it's time for someone to come in and match that.
Do people think that this team is going to be getting any better next year? The replacement of seniors Greg Gamble and Andy Robinson will be a huge factor in whether or not Buffalo can return to the MAC Championship.
Does anyone think that Witherspoon is the guy to make that team better than this year's?
This guy doesn't.
Athletic Director Warde Manuel needs to step up to the plate and bring in someone that can make this team the best that it can possibly be. They need to be everything that Witherspoon isn't.
Once this is done, the basketball team could go the distance. They could bring a MAC Championship to a school that is drooling for more.
Until then, expect second best - or worse.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
