It Should've Been Us

Five years ago, American University left behind the Triple A lifestyle for the big leagues of the Patriot League, or so it thought. And in these big leagues, AU was supposed to become the New York Yankees, a team so dominant every aspect, that its academics, location, athletics, excitement would be the envy of the Holy Cross' and the Lafayette's of the league. But, as Phil Collins so quaintly pointed out as he spoke to our parents in the late 80's, "something happened on the way to heaven." And, as I watched Bucknell beat Kansas on Friday, I was overcome with an excitement and an emptiness. That was supposed to be us, tearing up Oklahoma City after one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history. When AU entered the PL, it came with stipulations. A league that was rich in academic tradition and athletic competition was adding a school who demanded a full slate of athletic scholarships, something never before-seen in the league. Because of AU's value to the league, it allowed the Eagles to hand out so many scholarships. Earlier in the 90's, Holy Cross had threatened to leave the league if it wasn't allowed some scholarships, but even then wasn't on a level playing field, as AU was running out full squads of free-riders while the Crusaders were producing six or seven. In addition to the scholarships, the urban (yes, Northwest DC is considered urban) location of AU was an eye opener in the "middle-of-nowhere" world of the Lafayette's and the Colgate's of the world. Sprawling old campuses rich with hundreds of years of history is not AU. AU is an up-and-comer in the academic world, a campus bustling with excitement, led by President with a progressive vision for the school, seemingly taking the league by storm. And because of these competitive advantages, I should have been watching the AU basketball teams in the NCAA's this weekend, not playing pickup ball with Andre Ingram (the man can shoot) and Brayden Billbe (16 and 10 next year). I don't blame the players. I don't blame the coaches. I don't blame the administration. It's a combination of unfulfilled potential and a pat on the back to the likes of Ralph Willard and Pat Flannery who constantly just produce better teams. Let's shift from basketball to other sports. We dominate field hockey, volleyball, men's soccer and both men's and women's tennis. Yet, to improve our basketball positioning, we're going to eliminate our two most successful programs (men's and women's tennis)? The administration is putting their necks on the line with this move, though. It's no secret Athletic Director Joni Comstock is taking a bullet that previous AD's have shot, but the elimination of the Yankees and Red Sox, leaving a world of Orioles and Devil Rays better work out, or Comstock may take the fall. AU so desperately needed a tournament appearance to deflect some of the attention away from the soon-to-be-defunct tennis programs. And when it didn't happen, President Ladner extended the programs' lives an extra year, a very admirable decision. But what these moves mean is that AU basketball has no choice but to improve and become dominant. Athletic dominance in an academic league would carry the university to the upper echelon of intercollegiate athletics. With Lafayette the only school in the league not offering athletic scholarships, the gap is closing on AU's window of supposed dominance. Holy Cross and Bucknell are clearly the class of the league. The second tier is comprised of AU, Lehigh and Colgate, with the service schools and Lafayette a step below. If AU wants to take that jump and reach the Crusaders and Bison, it must happen in the next two years. With the elimination of successful programs and impending graduation of Ingram, the best player at AU in awhile, the Eagles must capitalize quickly. On the women's side, new coach Melissa McFerrin graduates six seniors and will not have all her personnel to work with. McFerrin looks like Comstock's biggest find and should have this program in the tournament within two years. Looking at the big picture, Holy Cross is a couple strong seasons away from being asked to join a power conference, like the Big East (almost happened in the 90's) or the MAAC. Should this happen, AU would inherit the title of most desirable institution in the league. And if Holy Cross doesn't leave, maybe AU's success would give them an opportunity to move up the athletic ladder. With a defection to the Big East leaving it very thin, AU is a great candidate for Conference USA in a couple of years. The location is a bit far from other schools, but shouldn't Conference USA have a team in the nation's capital...sounds like a good place to hold the conference tournament. The fact still remains though, that this past Friday, Brayden Billbe was dunking over me and not Wayne Simien, and later than night, as CBS tuned the whole country in to see the first-ever PL tournament win, it was the Bison celebrating, not the Eagles soaring. I was excited for Bucknell, but I felt a little slighted. This isn't how it was supposed to be. I guess something happened on the way to heaven.