Just three years ago, men's basketball forward Calvin Betts took Alumni Arena by storm as a freshman reserve from Rush-Henrietta High School. Appearing in 29 games off the bench, Betts displayed signs of dominance down the road.
In the meantime, Bulls guard Rodney Pierce was in a transition year. After appearing in 24 games as a freshman at Rider, the Queen City native opted to transfer to Buffalo, but was forced to sit out his sophomore season due to the NCAA transfer rule.
Now, with the start of the 2009-10 season approaching, Betts and Pierce enter their senior year as the unprecedented leaders on an experienced Buffalo squad.
As two of Buffalo's seven returning seniors, Betts and Pierce hope to polish off their careers by doing something that has not been accomplished in the history of the program – win a Mid-American Conference Championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
To get to that point, the senior duo will have to lead a Bulls squad that saw its dream shattered at the conclusion of last season.
After finishing the regular season 19-10, Buffalo earned a spot in the MAC Championship game against Akron. The Bulls' dreams of dancing in March were dashed in a 65-53 loss 40 minutes later.
'Obviously, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth,' Pierce said. 'We aren't really paying attention to Akron. We're just worried about Buffalo. But it's in the back of our minds. It's definitely a motivation for the whole team. I know the guys are thinking about it every day. We haven't put it aside. We definitely think about it to inspire us.'
Nine months later, Betts and Pierce are returning to the hardwood as motivated as ever. With the loss to Akron resonating in the backs of their minds, the senior duo has anticipated the thought of a fresh start after a long summer.
'It was a hurtful feeling for us last year,' Betts said. 'It made for a very long summer. But we've all been out working really hard to get back to where we were, so we really can't wait. We've had some scrimmages thus far, so we really want to get that nervousness, anticipation and jitters out before the first game.'
Having been staples in the five-man rotation for much of the past two seasons, the pressure is on Betts and Pierce to perform on and off the court. As leaders in the locker room and impact players on the floor, head coach Reggie Witherspoon's expectations are high for the pair.
'I think they now know what to be vocal about, more than they did a couple of years ago, and even more than they did last year,' Witherspoon said. 'And they've had some help. Last year, Greg Gamble filled that void for us as the senior … I think they learned from [him]. They know the road we're traveling. I think it's their role to affirm that and just understand the importance of the little things.'
Pierce returns after a breakout junior season. He set single game career-highs in nearly every offensive category and became just the second player in school history to be named All-MAC First Team.
Buffalo's leading scorer has become a multi-dimensional asset for Witherspoon. After playing point guard during his first two seasons, the 6-foot-2-inch Pierce was converted to shooting guard. Last year's transition led to a team-high 14.3 points per game and 473 total points, including eight games of 20-plus points.
For Betts, the start of the season is a chance to regain his form after a disappointing end to last year.
After being named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year by MAC Report Online in 2007-08, Betts was cemented into the starting lineup at the beginning of last season. The 6-foot-4-inch forward led the Bulls in rebounding and blocked shots. He ranked second on the team with 9.1 points per game and finished fourth in the MAC in three-point shooting percentage.
Betts scored double-digits in nine games of the Bulls first 14 games. But after suffering an injury against Ohio, Betts scored double-digits in just five games as the team lost five of the last seven contests.
'When that time hit I was going through a lot of stuff personally,' Betts said. 'I was just thinking too much mentally instead of just playing basketball. But after I put everything aside, my teammates told me ‘Calvin, don't worry about it. Everything's going to be alright and you've got to move forward.'
Despite the expectations to carry the program to its first MAC Championship, the pressure will not alter the pair's main concern.
'We're just going to go out and play basketball,' Betts said. '[We're going to] do what we know [how] to do, and that's play basketball.'
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