GREELEY — Tad Boyle has been in Greeley so long the town no longer stinks. Thanks to him, neither does its fledgling college basketball team.
He remembers a time as a child when the outlying meat-packing plants made Greeley smell like one giant cow pasture. Today, it’s bad only when the wind blows in the wrong direction. Besides, he said, you get used to it, kind of like the obnoxious uncle you’re able to ignore on holiday visits.
He also remembers a time only two years ago when his Northern Colorado Bears not only stank, they were the worst in Division I.
Dead last. Irrelevant U. No. 336 out of 336 teams in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
Today, at 6-6 and fourth place in the Big Sky, they have the best conference record of the five Division I men’s teams in Colorado, which doesn’t say much for the Front Range but says a lot for the Bears. The hometown hero who made good has come home and done even better.
He has made UNC basketball relevant.
Who would have thunk it two years ago? In its fourth year of transitioning into Division I, its first in the Big Sky and his first as a head coach, the Bears went 4-24. They lost to Division II Colorado-Colorado Springs. Adding insult to history, at season’s end there they were, at the bottom of the RPI rankings.
“I made a copy for every player,” said Boyle on Sunday over a plate of wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. “I said, ‘So, for the offseason, I want you to tape this to your bedpost or your mirror.’ I put it on my mirror at home. I have a copy on my desk.
“I still got it.”
For any returning player, that list would be hard to miss. Ever seen the RPI rankings? They’re about the length of this page you’re holding. For Boyle, the daily reading hurt even more. He didn’t go to school at UNC. He has been big time from the beginning. Played at Kansas for Larry Brown. Assisted at Oregon, Tennessee and Wichita State.
From gym kid to coach
But Boyle, 46, is a Greeley native. His father was an English professor at UNC. Tad grew up one block from Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. He’d dribble his basketball to the gym and shoot hoops all day. Then he went out and led Greeley Central High to the 1981 state title and was named Colorado player of the year.
University of Denver coach Joe Scott has made the youngest men’s team in the country competitive in the Sun Belt, but Scott is an East Coast, Ivy League guy. UNC’s rise under Boyle is a grass-roots Rocky Mountain success story in the making.
“No question it’s been more emotional,” he said. “I have an emotional tie to the university. I have an emotional tie to Greeley. And I take ownership. Not that I wouldn’t if I was somewhere else, but it means a lot more to me and I have a lot more to lose if I’m not successful.”
Only a Greeley guy who attended Division II games here would be attracted to a place like this. UNC was the dregs in Division II, having two winning records in its last 14 years at that level.
But after Boyle’s inaugural disaster, the Bears improved to 13-16 (6-10 league) last year and are at the .500 league mark with four games left this season.
“Tad, in our opinion, has taken this program to another level much faster than anticipated,” UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs said. “He outshines everyone with his work ethic.”
How’d Boyle do it? Besides motivational gimmicks, he was able to sell the school and the town. And not only is he from Greeley but so is his wife, Ann.
He sold players on his memories.
“It was fantastic, a great place to grow up,” he said. “It was safe. I could get on my bicycle, go to the gym and leave it on the outside lawn, go in and shoot, get back on my bike and go home. I didn’t even have to lock it.”
Since then, Greeley has grown (“We’ve got some chain restaurants now,” he said), but the state’s high school basketball image hasn’t changed much. To Boyle, that wasn’t a deterrent. It was an advantage.
“I’ll tell you why UNC has the best niche in Colorado relative to the other programs,” he said. “There are a handful of guys every year who can help at the Big Sky level but not at the Big 12 level.”
Bears have scorers
UNC also had another secret advantage.
“It’s 63 percent female,” he said with a smile. “Teachers’ college and nursing are two of our bigger programs. I tell our assistants that’s got to get out in the first 30 seconds of the conversation.”
Still, that first year the Bears were short, slow and couldn’t shoot. Now they’re just short. Boyle doesn’t have a starter taller than 6-feet-7. His perimeter defense is last in the Big Sky in defending the 3-point shot (.412). His defense is second to last in overall field-goal percentage (.476).
But the Bears can score. The 6-7 Jabril Banks, their leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, is a physical presence inside. UNC leads the league in 3-point shooting (.394) and is second in scoring (71.0 points per game).
“He knows what it takes,” said sophomore reserve Neal Kingman, a Greeley West grad. “Coming from three or four high Division I programs, he’s coached winning teams and losing teams that became winning teams. He’s instilled those things in us to turn the corner.”
They’re not there yet. Entering tonight’s nonconference game against Denver Division II independent Johnson & Wales, the Bears are 10-15 overall and their RPI is 288.
But the Bears smell a change. Saturday against Idaho State, the defense stiffened in the last two minutes, Boyle’s timeout produced a nice layup from junior guard Will Figures and they won 79-74.
The overgrown high school gym that is Butler-Hancock had 1,586 fans. The designated student section had 44 students.
“Another 1,500,” Boyle said optimistically, as only a Greeley native can, “and we’re selling that thing out.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
State’s RPIs a recipe for RIP?
A look at the Division I teams in the state, with this year’s RPI and the last time they played in the NCAA Tournament:
Air Force — Jeff Reynolds coach
Record: 9-13, 0-9 Mountain West. RPI: 274.
Last NCAA Tournament: 2006, 13th seed in West.
Colorado — Jeff Bzdelik coach
Record: 9-13, 1-7 Big 12. RPI: 209.
Last NCAA Tournament: 2003, 10th seed in South.
Colorado State — Tim Miles coach
Record: 8-15, 3-6 Mountain West. RPI: 168.
Last NCAA Tournament: 2003, 14th seed in West.
Denver — Joe Scott coach
Record: 10-13, 5-7 Sun Belt. RPI: 235.
Last NCAA Tournament: Never; returned to Division I in 1998.
Northern Colorado — Tad Boyle coach
Record: 10-15, 6-6 Big Sky. RPI: 288.
Last NCAA Tournament: Never; went to Division I in 2006.
Getting closer to the Big Dance?
Division I men’s basketball in Colorado remains far below the national radar, so we asked Front Range coaches: “How far away are you from getting into the NCAA Tournament?”
AIR FORCE
Jeff Reynolds: second season, 25-27 overall.
“Difficult question. The strength of the conference enters into it. We have seven freshmen, and we knew there would be a dip in the program. Our young players possibly could be of that caliber. Are they talented enough? Yes. But here it’s different. You never know who might leave because of the constraints of the academy.”
COLORADO
Jeff Bzdelik: second season, 21-33 overall.
“I don’t want to put a timetable on anything. Our young players are improving each game, and we have good players coming in next year. The good thing is, you don’t have to win the Big 12 to get into the NCAA Tournament. History has shown (that) if you can finish .500 in this league, you have a great chance.”
COLORADO STATE
Tim Miles: second season, 15-40 overall.
“To me, right now I think we’re not even close to having that discussion. We’re not winning on a consistent basis. We’re not even close. . . . (But) I want it to happen tomorrow.”
DENVER
Joe Scott: second season, 21-32 overall.
“There is no exact timetable. . . . Based on the last two weeks, beating three of the best teams, including both (Sun Belt) NCAA Tournament teams from last year, we know we can compete with any team in our league and, more importantly, are continuing to improve.”
NORTHERN COLORADO
Tad Boyle: third season, 27-55 overall.
“I think we’re right there. For us, it’s about three days in March, and I don’t think we’re far off at all. We’ve got very little margin for error, but it could happen at any time. This year. Next year. We’ve closed the gap on our league. I wouldn’t say we’re the favorite, but we’re right there.”
The Denver Post
