The STF Q & A: Michael Litos of Cinderella and CAA Hoops

Every other Friday, STF will run a Q & A with some people who know much, much more about college basketball than we do. Look for insight and analyst from some of the top professional in the world of college basketball. Today, we have Micheal Litos, author of Cinderella: A Season Inside The Rise Of Mid-Major Basketball, blogger for CAA Hoops: Life as a Mid-Major and STF Correspondent for the CAA.





Q&A With Michael Litos


STF: First of all, outstanding work on Cinderella, the perfect book to describe the inner-working of a mid-major conference. How did you get involved with the CAA and what possessed you to write a book about the conference's plight as a mid-major?

ML: First, thank you for the kind words. Certainly appreciated. I've followed VCU basketball since my days on campus, so it was natural, as a college basketball nut, for me to follow the entire conference. The book came about in a bit of a Perfect Storm...I wanted to write for a living, as opposed to a dull corporate life. Basketball is close to my heart, and I always preach to write what you love. Finally, the CAA represented the poster child for mid majors. I simply did the math, factored in that there hadn't been a book on the topic, and went after it.

STF: It seems as if the CAA has been able to retain some big name coaches that have been offered jobs at other places ( Larranaga, Pecora, Taylor and Grant). How have these schools been able to retina such great coaches?

ML: I think there are a lot of factors. As the league continues to get better and succeed, these jobs become a destination and not a stop. George Mason went to the Final Four. Anthony Grant won a game in last year's tournament. Lute Olsen, Gary Williams, and Mike Krzyzewski didn't accomplish that. Part of that reason resides in the pay--the coaching profession can be quite lucrative for more than BCS schools. And not to get soupy on you, but there is pride in building a program. A personal pride for a coach. Mid majors are where building a program can best occur. Take Blaine Taylor for instance. Old Dominion beat Villanova in the 1995 NCAA tournament but fallen on hard times. He's won 90 something games there the past four seasons and nabbed an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. Compare that to some random BCS school that will win 20 games, make the NCAA tourney, and then lose. Which path would you rather take?

STF: Following George Mason's run to the Final Four and VCU's win over Duke, the conferences profile has risen dramatically. In what ways has this helped or hurt the conference?

ML: Let me be clear when I say there's no hurt. Zero. It's really a branding issue. There is a recognition that goes with the success, a recognition that not only can the conference get multiple teams into the tourney, but also to win when they get into the tourney. I've spoken to a lot of the coaches in the league and they agree that the perception of the league is at an all time high. The CAA will likely get 100 games on television this year, up from about 35 three years ago. It becomes a cycle: you win, you get noticed, you recruit better, you get better players, you win some more.

Wait, I lied. There is one down side: scheduling. It's worse now than when I wrote the book. BCS teams are paying $65,000 to get a buy game. Some just flat refuse. If you win at this level it gets impossible to find games.

STF: You had been following the CAA for the entire 200-2006, did it honestly ever cross your mind that Mason, or any team in the CAA for that matter, had a real shot at the Final Four? If so, when did it happen?

ML: Absolutely not. The perfect ending to my book, when I began the project, was an at large bid and hopefully a win. A Sweet 16 crossed my mind in a dream. But Final Four? Uh, no. That's what made the run so much fun--we were all experiencing something unfathomable. I'll never forget the UConn game. "I can't believe they're in this game" lasted until the final shot bounced off the rim.


STF:I was at the Mason-UConn game and know how much of a factor the crowd was in Mason's favor (loudest crowd I've ever been apart of). Do you think that Mason would have still beaten UConn if the game was played anywhere other than DC?

ML:Tough call. I'm a believer that a crowd has certain influences, but they never take a shot or play defense or rebound. The players play. Plus, I don't know that a neutral floor existed. You basically had a puny mid major playing a team of professionals. That game could've been played anywhere outside of Storrs, CT and UConn would be playing a road game. Fans loved that run. Mason wins that game maybe one of every 15 times. They picked the right "one."

STF: The best part about covering a mid-major as opposed to a major conference?

ML: The closeness of it all. I'm a purist, and BCS games are more events than basketball games. At mid majors, coaches are accessible, administrators recognize you, and fans are fans. There is an untainted excitement to mid major games.

STF: Favorite place to watch a game in the CAA?

ML: Wow, that is actually the toughest question of the bunch. I love Wilmington. Their gym (Trask) is all old school, and the fans there are great. Plus, three days in Wilimngton is never a bad idea. I'm partial to the Siegel Center (VCU) as well. That is just a wonderful college basketball atmosphere--the fans, the band, etc. are all top notch. I love the closeness of Drexel's DAC, too. The kids are right on the floor and that always makes it more entertaining.


STF: What currently down-trodden CAA program could we see rise to a conference power in the coming years.

ML: James Madison has everything going in its favor. Great campus, good facilities, and the administration wants to win. Their football success can only help the hoops program. Plus, Dean Keener may finally have the Sherm Dillard mess cleaned up. I don't know Rod Barnes very well, but he is recruiting hard and heavy in SEC country and looking for SEC kids--he has four transfers coming in next year--three are SEC players and one is an ACC player. Plus, their gym is getting revamped.

STF: On to this season, you placed George Mason and VCU as the conference favorites in the STF Conference Preview. Do they have the talent to be major players on the national level?

ML: They already are. One is a Final Four team and the other won a game in the NCAA tournament. Across college basketball, that list isn't a long one. The CAA, as a conference, has won 10 postseason games over the past two years. The league can play. When given the opportunity, they prove it. Mason is ridiculously experienced and still has Thomas, Campbell, and Carter from the Final Four team. VCU is loaded again. So yes, they can be national players.