Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Flint a class act, right to the end

James ‘Bruiser’ Flint said from day one of this season that he is proud of his accomplishments at the University of Massachusetts. Yesterday, he proved it.

Ever the class act, Flint kept his head high even as he was forced to resign from his position as head coach of the men’s basketball team. The 35-year old father retained an air of optimism as he reflected on the joys of guiding the Minutemen and the promise of coaching again somewhere else.

‘I’ve had a fantastic time here,’ Flint said. ‘It’s been an enjoyable ride; I hope my ride’s not over.’

Using the final installment of his weekly Bruiser Flint Show at Amherst’s Monkey Bar as his official sendoff, Flint thanked a number of his associates and supporters for the memories he accrued while at the Maroon and White helm. He extended special gratitude toward former coaching great Jack Leaman for mentoring him ‘from day one.’ He also expressed appreciation for the backing he has gotten from his fellow coaches at UMass during the tense days before his resignation.

‘I don’t know if resignation is the word I would use,’ said one of those co-workers, women’s coach Joanie O’Brien. ‘It’s tough; it’s part of the business and you deal with it. It’s just hard when bad things happen to good people and that’s exactly what he is. He’s a good person.’

Flint’s character aside, it is his record both overall and in the postseason that inevitably cost him his job at UMass. The Minutemen are a combined 46-47 over the last three seasons, and missed the postseason this year for the second time during that span.

While he has never tried to make excuses for his team’s recent misfortunes, Flint has pointed to a few contributing factors as being at least partially responsible. The first is home-away disparity; the Minutemen played 55 of their 93 games since the 1997-98 season away from the William D. Mullins Center. Both Flint and Temple coach John Calipari commented during this year’s Atlantic 10 tournament about how playing a road-riddled out-of-conference slate is no longer conducive to success for A-10 teams.

Flint indicated that his meeting with school officials yesterday including substantial discussion of that very topic.

‘That’s been a big thing for me in my last few years,’ Flint said. ‘What are you going to do with your out-of-conference schedule? The next guy who comes in, I’m sure that’s going to be a big thing. The job becomes different if you can change that.’

Another factor that Flint contends hurt his image as coach at UMass was expectation. He cited rival Connecticut’s two-year transformation from national champion to National Invitational Tournament (NIT) invitee as evidence that UMass fans may be somewhat unrealistic in their definition of success for the team.

‘You don’t hear [UConn] saying that their program is in shambles,’ Flint said. He then addressed critics’ claims that he has failed to import and develop adequate talent among his roster. ‘In the A-10, you’re not going to get a McDonald’s All American every year.’

But even as he was swallowing the most bitter pill of his 12-year UMass career, Flint couldn’t help but flash his trademark grin last night. He focused on the best of his past and his future, and may not have been too far off when he mentioned another possible career path that one of his revered predecessors now travels.

‘Coach Leaman went to the radio; maybe I’ll do that,’ laughed Flint.

Go ahead, coach. There’s always room in the media for an extra touch of class.

Adam White is a Collegian columnist

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