New York – Although his Clemson Tigers are playing Air Force on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament, coach Oliver Purnell may know more about the Nuggets than the Falcons.
Purnell was an assistant to head coach Larry Brown for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2004 Athens Games. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson were members of the team.
“There’s nothing like being at the Olympic Games, but we would have liked to have won it,” Purnell said. “We knew from the start it would be a struggle to win it because of the players who didn’t go. We still could have won it with the group we had, but we lost a couple of close games.”
He called Iverson and Anthony terrific college players and said Iverson also has been a terrific international player.
While he doesn’t know any of the Air Force players as well as the two Olympians, he knows enough about the Falcons (26-8) to be wary.
“Anytime you’re playing a team that ranks among the best in the nation in field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage and free-throw shooting percentage, you know it’s important to contest their shots,” Purnell said. “They are an excellent shooting team.”
The Falcons and Tigers (24-10) are meeting in the NIT under similar circumstances. Both started the season 17-1 and for much of the regular season appeared to be locks for the NCAA Tournament. Both faltered down the stretch.
“Our team feels that we can sink our teeth into this tournament,” Purnell said. “We’re one of eight Division I teams still playing. The NIT is so much better than it was a couple of years ago. To win this would be one heck of an accomplishment. Teams are seeded now because of what they have done during the year and not because they can guarantee a high attendance.”
The Tigers have just one senior starter, 6-foot point guard Vernon Hamilton. Air Force has six seniors, including starters Nick Welch, Dan Nwae- lele, Matt McCraw and Jacob Burtschi.
“That’s a huge advantage for Air Force,” Purnell said. “Those seniors have gone through a lot and have been playing together for a long time. They understand the importance of every game.”
Purnell isn’t so much concerned about playing a team that uses the Princeton offense as much as he is about playing an Air Force defense that utilizes the team’s experience.
“They play a very deceptive style of defense,” Purnell said. “It’s very difficult to recognize what defense they’re in as you bring the ball down the floor.”
Footnotes
The Tigers and Falcons arrived Sunday in New York City. Air Force bused in from West Point, where the team stayed Friday and Saturday. The Falcons practiced in Army’s facilities Saturday and Sunday morning. … The NIT’s luncheon is today. … Tuesday’s schedule at Madison Square Garden has West Virginia (25-9) and Mississippi State (21-13) playing at 5 p.m., followed by Air Force-Clemson at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
NIT Postcard: Air Force senior forward Jacob Burtschi
Editor’s note: Air Force senior forward Jacob Burtschi, from Chickasha, Okla., will be sending postcards to The Denver Post this week while the Falcons are at the NIT in New York City. Sunday was his first time in New York City:
It was awesome for a country boy like me.
We practiced at 9:30 this morning at West Point and then had a two-hour bus ride to the city. Our first stop was Firehouse 54, where we met some of the firefighters who were involved in 9/11. That probably was the most emotional experience in a day packed with emotion. We all found so much respect for the firefighters.
After the visit to the firehouse, we took a boat ride and saw the Statue of Liberty. Then we went to Ground Zero.
Everything moved fast, but we’re used to that with our routine at the academy. We’re used to doing a lot in a short period of time.
