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SMITHFIELD — For those of us who can’t abide unread text messages and missed calls on our cell phones, being part of a program that reaches the NCAA Tournament would present a significant challenge.
Phil Martelli Jr. is one such person. The responses started going out late Saturday night from the Bryant men’s basketball coach after earning a March Madness ticket earlier that day.
The Bulldogs tip with Michigan State in a scheduled 10 p.m. showdown Friday night in Cleveland. Tuesday represented something approaching normal on campus, with Martelli and Earl Timberlake holding media availability prior to practice at Chace Athletic Center. That’s something Bryant did routinely on its way to sweeping America East regular season and tournament titles.
“There are going to be some distractions,” Martelli said. “There’s extra media. There are tickets. There are all these different things.
“But we talked about trying – today, sometime this afternoon – to be able to stop and say, ‘Okay, distractions are cut. Let’s get focused on the game.’”
The Bulldogs hosted a watch party at the Bello Center on campus Sunday night. Their name flashed within the first 10 minutes of the Selection Show on CBS, a No. 15 seed in the South Region opposite the No. 2 seed Spartans. Players grabbed some of the extra pizza spread on a side table and headed for their residences to catch up on some needed rest.
“It’s been crazy,” Timberlake said. “I finally got some sleep last night for the first time since we won the game. It’s been crazy.”
Bryant’s mauling of Maine in that conference championship meeting, a 79-59 cruise that sealed a second bid in four years, was officially in the past. Martelli lingered to handle some extra interview requests while his staff retreated to the basketball offices. Their preparation was quickly underway to take on a program that’s reached eight Final Fours and won the 2000 national championship under Tom Izzo.
“Chris Cole and Nick Schmidt were already probably ankle deep in film,” Martelli said. “They weren’t quite knee deep, but they were ankle deep. Ryan Daly was printing box scores and stats. Brendan Phelps was handling all the logistics – he's neck deep in that.
“We walked out of here at 1:30 on Sunday night and they had a good idea. I did not, but now I’m caught up. Still some work left to do.”
The Bulldogs (23-11) typically play conference games Thursday and Saturday – their usual light Monday workout and heavy Tuesday practice were simply moved back 24 hours apiece. They were expected to leave campus early Wednesday morning and board a charter flight provided by the NCAA, one that would carry the basketball travel party, spirit squads and boosters who paid a little extra for a guaranteed seat.
“We definitely appreciate it because we know what it took to get here,” Timberlake said. “Being in the America East, it’s only one bid. We know how grateful we are to be able to win a championship here.”
Martelli left handling ticket requests and arranging family hotel room assignments to his wife, Meghan. She’ll have plenty of help – his mother, Judy, was in the same position seven times at Saint Joseph’s from 1995-2019. Martelli’s father, Phil, led the Hawks to the Sweet 16 in his first postseason appearance in 1996-97 and added an Elite Eight run in 2003-04.
“Once we got to a certain point (Monday) I said, ‘Alright, I’m done. Go ahead and run with it,’” Martelli said. “Luckily she has my mom, who has done this many times, to be a resource for that.
“But it sounds like we have a large number of alums and supporters who have already booked trips to come.”
Michigan State (27-6) has a considerably shorter commute from its campus and the institutional knowledge that comes with reaching every edition of this event since 1997-98. Martelli sought some advice from friends within the coaching community, and their responses were similar. Book a practice gym at a nearby college, enjoy a team dinner a couple nights before the game and gradually narrow the focus to the business at hand by the time the moment arrives.
“It’s a business trip,” Martelli said. “It’s not a field trip. Little kids go on field trips. Grown-ups go on business trips. That’s the way we go about it.
“I told them we’re not going there for sightseeing. We’ll make it fun. We’ll go out and get a nice meal Wednesday night. We’ll find some ways to kind of enjoy the trip. But we’re there for a reason, and the reason is to go get No. 1 in this next tournament.
“That will be the focus.”
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant basketball's first challenge is dealing with NCAA distractions
Continue reading...
Phil Martelli Jr. is one such person. The responses started going out late Saturday night from the Bryant men’s basketball coach after earning a March Madness ticket earlier that day.
The Bulldogs tip with Michigan State in a scheduled 10 p.m. showdown Friday night in Cleveland. Tuesday represented something approaching normal on campus, with Martelli and Earl Timberlake holding media availability prior to practice at Chace Athletic Center. That’s something Bryant did routinely on its way to sweeping America East regular season and tournament titles.
“There are going to be some distractions,” Martelli said. “There’s extra media. There are tickets. There are all these different things.
“But we talked about trying – today, sometime this afternoon – to be able to stop and say, ‘Okay, distractions are cut. Let’s get focused on the game.’”
The Bulldogs hosted a watch party at the Bello Center on campus Sunday night. Their name flashed within the first 10 minutes of the Selection Show on CBS, a No. 15 seed in the South Region opposite the No. 2 seed Spartans. Players grabbed some of the extra pizza spread on a side table and headed for their residences to catch up on some needed rest.
“It’s been crazy,” Timberlake said. “I finally got some sleep last night for the first time since we won the game. It’s been crazy.”
Bryant’s mauling of Maine in that conference championship meeting, a 79-59 cruise that sealed a second bid in four years, was officially in the past. Martelli lingered to handle some extra interview requests while his staff retreated to the basketball offices. Their preparation was quickly underway to take on a program that’s reached eight Final Fours and won the 2000 national championship under Tom Izzo.
“Chris Cole and Nick Schmidt were already probably ankle deep in film,” Martelli said. “They weren’t quite knee deep, but they were ankle deep. Ryan Daly was printing box scores and stats. Brendan Phelps was handling all the logistics – he's neck deep in that.
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“We walked out of here at 1:30 on Sunday night and they had a good idea. I did not, but now I’m caught up. Still some work left to do.”
The Bulldogs (23-11) typically play conference games Thursday and Saturday – their usual light Monday workout and heavy Tuesday practice were simply moved back 24 hours apiece. They were expected to leave campus early Wednesday morning and board a charter flight provided by the NCAA, one that would carry the basketball travel party, spirit squads and boosters who paid a little extra for a guaranteed seat.
“We definitely appreciate it because we know what it took to get here,” Timberlake said. “Being in the America East, it’s only one bid. We know how grateful we are to be able to win a championship here.”
Martelli left handling ticket requests and arranging family hotel room assignments to his wife, Meghan. She’ll have plenty of help – his mother, Judy, was in the same position seven times at Saint Joseph’s from 1995-2019. Martelli’s father, Phil, led the Hawks to the Sweet 16 in his first postseason appearance in 1996-97 and added an Elite Eight run in 2003-04.
“Once we got to a certain point (Monday) I said, ‘Alright, I’m done. Go ahead and run with it,’” Martelli said. “Luckily she has my mom, who has done this many times, to be a resource for that.
“But it sounds like we have a large number of alums and supporters who have already booked trips to come.”
Michigan State (27-6) has a considerably shorter commute from its campus and the institutional knowledge that comes with reaching every edition of this event since 1997-98. Martelli sought some advice from friends within the coaching community, and their responses were similar. Book a practice gym at a nearby college, enjoy a team dinner a couple nights before the game and gradually narrow the focus to the business at hand by the time the moment arrives.
“It’s a business trip,” Martelli said. “It’s not a field trip. Little kids go on field trips. Grown-ups go on business trips. That’s the way we go about it.
“I told them we’re not going there for sightseeing. We’ll make it fun. We’ll go out and get a nice meal Wednesday night. We’ll find some ways to kind of enjoy the trip. But we’re there for a reason, and the reason is to go get No. 1 in this next tournament.
“That will be the focus.”
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant basketball's first challenge is dealing with NCAA distractions
Continue reading...
