Morgan State is a big story right now in college basketball ? but for the wrong reason.
Predicted in the preseason poll to be 10th in the 11-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Bears are 10-13 overall, 8-4 in league play and in second place going into today?s game at South Carolina State. Morgan State?s conference victories also include a 54-40 upset at first-place Delaware State.
The Bears? play from a roster patched together mainly with freshmen, junior college transfers and graduate students comes one year after the team went 4-26 under former coach Butch Beard. Leading this resurgence is Todd Bozeman, who returned to the coaching bench a decade after being barred for eight years by the NCAA for offering a player an improper payment while coaching at California.
“I want every kid that comes in or plays for me to reach their dreams and goals,” Bozeman said. “I always tell them I?m going to be hard on you, but if you really want it and give me cart blanche to push you like that, I?ll get you there. If you trust in me I?ll get you there. My dream is to have a vision, put it together and see it materialize. I love having the opportunity to teach guys about life through basketball. I want to see them all be successful.”
Had attention been paid to the Bears because of this remarkable turnaround, that?d be great. Instead all the good vibes surrounding the team nearly got erased by a bizarre incident Feb. 3 in Farmville, Va., following a loss at Longwood.
The team is currently making headlines because Bozeman allegedly got into an altercation with an employee at Mulligan?s restaurant over a disputed order. Mulligan?s manager Carlos Holland told The Examiner that at one point Bozeman grabbed restaurant employee Stephanie Shreck and pushed her out of the way.
Bozeman is scheduled to go on trial April 24 in Virginia after being charged with assault and battery, a first-class misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine. He is also charged with curse and abuse, punishable by up to a $500 fine. Bozeman said last Saturday that he was falsely accused and is ready to defend himself in court.
What actually happened at the restaurant is now up for the judicial system to decide. It appears that all parties involved could have handled the situation better. Hopefully everyone, including Bozeman, can learn from this experience, and maybe he can work it into his life lessons as he continues building Morgan St. into a potential NCAA tournament team.
Regardless of what happened in Virginia, Bozeman?s players still have a strong respect for him as they rallied together two days after the incident to beat Delaware State.
“He taught me to be patient and try to consistent and efficient in what I do,” Bears senior guard Joseph McLean said. “I can carry that over in life ? try to be consistent and efficient in everything I do. Just don?t do it to be doing it. Do it the right way and do it right all of the time. Even before the Longwood incident, he has mentioned distractions. We?re a team that thrives on adversity, and when adversity comes up, we just knock it down and take care of business.”
Ron Snyder is a staff writer for The Examiner. Reach him at [email protected].
