100th SEASON OF MEN'S BASKETBALL TIPS OFF WITH CHAMPIONSHIP ANNIVERSARY

When he talks about winning and what it means, Mike Neer sounds more like a professor in a mythical department of basketball studies than like the head coach of a highly regarded basketball program.

Neer has plenty of winning to talk about, including a National Championship in 1990, and a 78-15 streak over three years in the early '90s that earned the Yellowjackets the nickname "The Duke University of Division III."

But Neer, who has coached men's basketball at Rochester for 25 years, most fondly remembers the lessons he and his players have learned independently of what the scoreboard says.

"The whole idea behind coaching is 'You give something to get something back,' " Neer says. "If you give something of yourself, you will get something bigger, and something better, back."

"The really good teams, like the 1990 championship team, know that, too," he says. "Those were good players, but they were also smart enough to know they couldn't do it alone."

Such lessons will be on display this winter as Rochester commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Division III championship. The team will be recognized in a ceremony preceding the Rochester-NYU game at the Palestra on December 1.

The 2000-2001 season also marks the 100th year that Rochester men have taken to the hardwood, and it inaugurates the newly remodeled basketball court in the renovated Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center.

The new court meets all current Division III standards, allowing Rochester to host post-season tournaments.

The new court also is a sign of how far Rochester has come in a century. According to Arthur May's A History of the University of Rochester, 1850-1962, "The first official University five played during 1901-2 without benefit of a referee, coach, or uniforms."

Neer, who is only the third men's basketball coach in the past 70 years--preceded by Louis Alexander (1931-57) and Lyle Brown (1957-76)--and the Yellowjackets are coming off a 16-9 season and a tie for second place in the University Athletic Association conference.

The 2000-2001 team will be looking to pick up where last year's team left off, but will need to post early wins and pull out close games to have a shot at the title late in the season, Neer says.

"Winning the UAA is our goal," Neer says. "We were in contention last year and we need to build on that."

For Neer, this year's commemorations are a chance to recognize also the unsung players and teams of the past who deserve a nod for their commitment to their teammates and to the University.

The teams of the 1990, '91, and '92 seasons were indeed special, Neer admits.

But he's just as proud of the teams and players who have been willing to put in the extra work together to create a presence beyond their talents as individuals.

"I can make them better players," Neer says. "I can change my coaching style, and I have over the years, to better match each team's potential.

"But for those players to be the best that they can be, they have to bring something extra from within.

"The teams I've enjoyed the most are the teams that bring their own little life force with them."

That's a winning combination for any team, he says.

"I know, just by the nature of this University, that I'm going to get bright kids and motivated students to work with. And they're the ones I am looking for: kids who are motivated by success."

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