UMaine men’s basketball team deserving of support, respect

BOSTON – If the University of Maine men do win a championship, will anyone notice?

This season’s Maine squad is now only the second in the program’s 84-year history to reach the 20-win plateau. A win Saturday against defending America East champion Vermont in Burlington means the 20-9 Black Bears will get their first-ever invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

Big news, right? Well, judging from the reaction from fans and observers in the Maine, the state is taking its cue from Missouri and adopting a “Show me” attitude toward Coach John Giannini’s hoops program.

Sure, the story of Maine’s emotionally draining, two-point overtime win in the America East conference quarterfinals and subsequent 24-point win over tourney Cinderella Stony Brook University made the front page of the sports section – above the fold – and was the lead item on two of the three local TV station sportscasts, but college sports buzz in Orono and regions beyond still seems to be centered on UM hockey and women’s basketball, even though both have yet to play a postseason game.

It’s like the response I receive from a good friend when I mentioned I was covering the Black Bears’ tournament games in Boston.

“I didn’t think the men’s team was doing that great,” the friend said.

When told the male Bears were 19-9 and playing in the AE semifinals, he had this reaction: “Yeah? Well, haven’t they stunk historically?”

After being told Maine’s men have advanced at least into the AE semifinals five of the last six years, his reaction was a prolonged silence, followed by one word: “Really?”

Another example of the attitudes fueling the Maine men’s Rodney Dangerfield complex came Monday on one local 6 p.m. newscast in which the female anchor introduced the upcoming sports segment by saying “University of Maine’s sports teams are getting ready for the playoffs.”

What followed was a report on the men’s exploits last weekend, but it was obvious she assumed it was a story on hockey and women’s hoops when she did her lead-in.

Contrast that with the excitement surrounding Vermont’s second straight appearance in the AE title game, this time as the host team. Maine and Vermont split their regular-season meetings.

“Now we are all about to have the greatest week of our lives. The city [Burlington] and the whole state are going to go nuts,” said Vermont coach Tom Brennan. “These guys have really taken over the state of Vermont, and I really believe that we have become an integral part of the state’s soul.”

Wow. You don’t have to do much soul searching to realize it’s nothing like that here in the Pine Tree State.

Maybe Maine fans need that title run to become believers and transform themselves from casual observers to fanatics who pack neutral sites like Walter Brown Arena wearing their team’s colors, like the yellow-and-green-clad Vermont fans did Sunday.

Even a relatively small group of Stony Brook fans made more noise than the Maine contingent Saturday, and the Seawolves, who have only been in the league three seasons, had never made the semis before.

“No one thinks of Maine when you think of the better teams in the conference,” said SBU coach Nick Macarchuk. “You think of BU and Vermont, but they’re a very good basketball team and I’m happy for Maine because I like John and I like his kids.”

Maine hoops fans may too, but it’s not bringing them out to watch in record numbers.

In the past six seasons, Maine’s home game attendance has fallen from an average of 2,820 per game (1998-99) to 1,732 (2003-04), but that’s up from last season’s average of 1,588 – a six-year low. What’s sobering is the fact Maine averaged 2,820, 2,848 and 2,368 the three seasons before 2001-02, when attendance plunged to 1,613.

Maybe it’s the lack of a conference crown and/or NCAA Tournament bid. It was thought that the lack of local or in-state talent was a big factor, but this season’s Bears feature starters from Bangor and South Portland and a team captain from Auburn.

“I don’t know if people expected us to get this far, but we expected it from ourselves,” said senior guard Ludmil “Udo” Hadjisotirov. “Our goal has always been to win a title.”

Will that ever-elusive title help stimulate interest in a program that shares the winter spotlight with a national-caliber hockey power (four league regular-season and three tourney titles, two national titles) and regional women’s perennial power (17 regular-season or tourney titles)?

Simply? Yes. It might be one small step for UMaine’s overall winter sports hierarchy, but one giant, leaping slam-dunk for the men’s program.