Coach K knows test is coming

Courtesy Chris Cochrane, The Chronicle Herald

Randy Nohr, Dennie Oliver, Jordan Croucher and Fred Perry.

Those former St. F.X. players, the hard-driving flashy stars who formed the core of the back-to-back national title teams in 2000 and 2001, are now part of basketball history at the Antigonish school.

Since those heady times, Steve Konchalski has put together solid teams that are at or near the top of the standings in the Atlantic conference. But there’s been a difference.

The X-Men haven’t had the same star power as in their national title seasons. Players such as Alberto Rodriguez, Charlie Spurr, Will Silver and Jeremy Dunn bring plenty of talent, but aside from Christian Upshaw, last season’s conference MVP, the X-Men don’t carry the same notoriety as did members of the unbeaten 2001 squad.

Recent editions of the X-Men simply haven’t enjoyed the same post-season success. After winning six of seven AUS basketball championships from 2000 to 2006, they’ve stumbled. Acadia, Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie have taken the past three titles.

Yet this season, the X-Men, ranked No. 3 nationally, are winning at a rate that allows their fans to recall those great teams of the past. At 13-0, St. F.X. is in a race with Cape Breton, 12-1, for first place.

Konchalski doesn’t sound like he’s too caught up in the winning streak. Maybe it’s because he appreciates that a successful post-season is how the campaign will ultimately be judged.

"Since 2001, we won a ton of AUS titles and got to nationals," Konchalski said. "We haven’t done it in three years. That’s what this group is focused on. It’s been a growing process with this group. One of the reasons why we’re where we are right now, that we’ve had a successful season so far, is that this team has matured.

"The most impressive thing to me is how resilient this group has been. We’ve had people coming in and out of the lineup all year. This team finds ways to win. They don’t want to be bridesmaids anymore. They want to take that next step to being a championship team. Different people have stepped up, finding ways to win games."

A year ago, the X-Men were distracted late in the season when three players were charged in an assault case. There was plenty of publicity at the time, and the cases are just now working their way through the court system. Though two of those players have moved on, Konchalski said the experience was an eye-opener for his entire club.

"They (the players) have learned lessons from some of the bumps in the road that we’ve had over the last few years, on and off the court. That’s contributed to the focus that they’ve had this year."

The biggest test for the X-Men will come later this month. Due to a scheduling quirk, they have yet to face Cape Breton but play the high-scoring Capers twice this month. The Capers, ranked No. 4 nationally, have their own 11-game winning streak going and haven’t lost since dropping their second game of the season to Saint Mary’s.

Only after those two head-to-head matchups will there be a clearer picture of the conference pecking order.

"What we can’t do is get caught up in that hype," Konchalski said. "We have two games between now and then. We want to be as ready as possible when we do face Cape Breton. They are very good.

"However the schedule-maker did it, he certainly built up the suspense."

Chris Cochrane is a Sports Columnist for The Chronicle Herald