Published: March 11, 2007 12:01 am      

BILL WOLCOTT: Forgiving NCAA-bound Purple Eagles is easy

LOCKPORT — How can I say this softly without being a wet blanket? I didn’t like the Niagara University basketball team this year.

I’m the kid who followed the Purple Eagles since the glory days of coach John J. “Taps” Gallagher in the early 1950s. As a cub reporter, I covered Calvin Murphy’s first road trip in 1967 to Connecticut. I was seated courtside of Madison Square Garden in 1972 when Niagara went to the NIT finals.

There were troublesome stories which included Calvin Murphy Jr.’s premature departure from Mount Eagle Ridge and a phone call to Houston when Calvin Sr. got out of court after being charged by his daughters with incest. That day LaSalle High School star Carlos Bradberry quit the

team after a game against St. John’s at the Niagara Falls Convention Center should be forgettable.

The Purple Eagles haven’t always been angels. One evening my assignment was in the Lewiston Town Court where Niagara player was accused of rape.

But, I especially liked the NU beat and the team. It’s what I missed most when I was bumped from sports two years ago. The Eagles always made an effort and kept Gallagher students buzzing.

This year was different. Niagara players got into a bar fight with racial overtones before the season. Near the center of the fracas was senior Lorenzo Miles. This troubled me the most.

As a freshman and sophomore, “Renny” was one of my favorite subjects — good natured, smiling and good player. But, as a junior he was arrested for fighting. As a senior, he was involved in fighting again before this season.

Underaged, underclassmen were at the scene, including Gonzaga High School teammate Stanley Hodge. What kind of senior leadership is this, Renny?

I didn’t get to know the younger players, but the team was discombobulated early in the season. The player facing the most serious charges was Charron Fisher, the leading scorer. Fisher, after serving a nine-game suspension, would go up and down the court in droopy drawers.

The marquis player was representing the school in droopy drawers.

Maybe it was the haberdasher’s fault. Whatever, folks in the chairback seats of the Gallagher Center noticed.

Tyrone Lewis was the real-deal I was told and I was looking for something special when I watched him. I didn’t see much.

Still, the Purple Eagles put together an 11-game winning streak and combobulated for coach Joe Mihalich. I was not totally surprised. Mihalich has a way of coaching to the players’ strengths and finding the right roles for them. This was probably Mihalich’s best coaching job in nine years

The most joyous moment came when Lewis, the MAAC’s MVP, lept in the coach’s arms for a big hug after Niagara’s victory over Siena on Monday. Joe’s hip replacement be darned! The Eagles earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament — the Big Dance.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship will wash away sins and Niagara fans will forgive early transgressions. However, can the crimes be forgotten?

Niagara’s past will probably be brought to the national television viewers’ attention tonight when the Eagles are named to play one of the top teams in the country. Should they go further, the more notoriety they will receive — good and bad.

They represent the school, in the nationals and outside a bar.

Contact Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, Ext. 6246.