Now that Murry Bartow has earned his second lifetime NCAA Tournament berth, he has little preparation to do with his veteran team. He has even less to do with a coaching staff that has experience all over the basketball world.
First season assistant coach Michael Boyd spent eleven seasons at the University of Michigan from 1979-90. He brought recruits to Ann Arbor that put an indelible mark on college basketball, such as Glen Rice, Rumeal Robinson, and Roy Tarpley.
Now that he’s assisting another winning team, his experience comes into play helping the team and Bartow focus on playing Cincinnati tomorrow.
“It’s been great to coach these guys,” Boyd said. “People say these guys are quiet but they are close and they do the things we need them to do.”
“I look back at the time when I was at Michigan and those guys were expected to win. This team finds ways to win. We may not be as talented at all five positions, but the bottom line in the last seven minutes of the game, I feel confident we have the opportunity to win the game.”
Boyd has coached under coaching phenoms such as Steve Fischer, who led the Wolverines to a national title against Seton Hall in 1989.
“There’s no difference, the bottom line is the fans,” he said. “The support and so forth may be on a smaller scale, but people yell just as loud. Secondly, I started at a mid-major, Kent State. I was a head coach at Cleveland State, so there’s not that much difference.”
“Their style is physical,” he said. “They will push the ball up the floor. They’re going to be very aggressive defensively. We are not going to change our game because of what they do. We just need to take care of the basketball, and we’ll be ok,” Boyd said of Cincinnati’s skills.
Before Bartow’s departure from UAB in the spring of 2002, he coached six seasons in Conference USA. His father Gene Bartow brought the program from nothing into being a competitive mid-major to playing in conference with major teams such as Cincinnati and Louisville.
“It gives us a lot more knowledge with his (Bartow’s) six years coaching opposite Cincinnati and coach Huggins. I know Bobby (Huggins) very well personally. I’ve seen his teams and played against him when I was at Cleveland State,” he said.
Jason Maxiell, the 6-7, 250 junior for UC, will be the one to keep an eye on.
Maxiell is said to be explosive around the basket and able to play much taller than his 6-7 frame.
“He is just a beast (Maxiell),” he said. “We have to do some things to neutralize him.”
Coolness is a trait that Boyd bestows on the Bucs. Since he’s been to the championship game in the NCAA and one that went into overtime against PJ Carlesimo’s Seton Hall, that performance value carries over to ETSU.
“You always pass on your experiences,” he said. “It’s a big thing for the public. It’s a big thing for the fans, also for the players. But once you get there you just play, you get focused, have fun and just play. If you do that good, things will happen.”
“Once you get to the tournament, you throw all rankings away. They don’t mean anything. They’re good for the public and the viewer, but for the players, once you step on the court, they tie their shoes the same way and play.”
“There’s only 64 teams playing your hoping that your one of four teams playing in April. That’s what you work the whole year on to play the games to get to the dance,” he said.

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