It’s been said many times and in many contexts that history repeats itself. Surely one form of that is already here and will continue: the question of whether or not Northeastern can win in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Northeastern had to overcome a 24-point deficit against George Mason in the semifinals and then fell behind big early in the championship before falling to James Madison. The Huskies were the CAA regular season champions, but they couldn’t close it out thanks to a poor performance in the biggest game of the year.
Now one can brace for the familiar comment that will probably be aired plenty in the weeks and months to come: Northeastern will never be able to win in the CAA.
After 2005-06, Northeastern’s first season in the CAA, many expressed that they doubted Northeastern could win in the conference. The thinking was that the Huskies had the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and could only finish fifth and reach the semifinals of the CAA Tournament, so how could they ever win? Of course, that team, led by Jose Juan Barea and Shawn James, was hardly a great team to begin with. Barea and James had good, not great, help. That was also arguably the CAA’s best year until two years ago, so there was a certain amount of timing that played into the fifth-place finish.
This Northeastern team certainly had things set up to where it was their best chance yet to win. Four teams were ineligible for the tournament by way of APR bans or leaving the conference, and VCU, who would have been the pick to win it all, left for the Atlantic 10. Northeastern had a senior backcourt that made them a sleeper contender in the eyes of many before the season. When Northeastern won the regular season title, it meant a bye into the semifinals, so they needed to win just two games. They won one game, then tempted fate one time too many.
Simply put, a team is much more than just two stars. This Northeastern team was led by Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith, but they had a lot of good help from Quincy Ford, Reggie Spencer, David Walker and Zach Stahl among others. Indeed, the Husky teams of 2008-09 and 2009-10 were arguably better than their first CAA entry. Those teams had four solid players they built around instead of two, and they finished higher in years that were still good for the CAA.
One might say that it took a decimated CAA for Northeastern to contend. The simple reality is that down years happen in a conference. The Big East is down this year, but then, no conference will ever reach the level of the 2010-11 Big East that sent 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten has been down for years, but this year was clearly the best conference. The Atlantic 10 had a few down years but has been better of late and had a big year this year. In addition, the conference champion is not always the most talented or most experienced team.
Northeastern is an odd fit in the CAA, being over four hours away by bus from the nearest school. They have to fly to most conference opponents, and many opponents fly to Boston. There are plenty who feel they should just go back to America East, where they in theory could win most years, but that’s never going to happen – and doing so now wouldn’t bring back two games a year with arch-rival Boston University, who is leaving for the Patriot League. Besides, they didn’t always contend in America East, going through a major down period after reaching the conference championship game in 1995 while it was still the North Atlantic Conference.
The big question for Northeastern’s future revolves around head coach Bill Coen. It is widely believed that Coen, who loves Boston, will be on many athletic directors’ list of candidates for a coaching vacancy. Coen has proven he can win in arguably the toughest job in the CAA and is well-respected for his recruiting, coaching and character. Indeed, the Huskies have not only won, but they’ve done so with very high-character young men. Attendance has been up noticeably in the last few years, although as often happens in Boston it has tended to ebb and flow with the team’s success or lack thereof.
Northeastern will make an NIT appearance this season, their second under Coen. They have also been to the CBI during his tenure. The school hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991. If Coen leaves, it’s certainly a hit to the program as he was a terrific hire. But he’s proven that they can win in the conference, if nothing else.
If this season of college basketball, as well as recent history, has taught us anything, it’s that notions like that of Northeastern not being able to win in the CAA are far from absolute. One doesn’t need to stray far from Huntington Ave for further proof, as Harvard has become a powerhouse in the Ivy League. In just their fifth season of Division I, Bryant contended in the Northeast Conference. Vermont was never really a contender in America East before they started their big run of the last ten years.
Northeastern might be a better fit in another conference, but they are in the CAA for now and the foreseeable future. They have proven they can win, and while some will probably come out and say that they can never win in the CAA, history has already proven those who doubted they can contend to be wrong.
