Shane Rinner: Understanding the man behind the whistle

Former TAMIU head men’s basketball coach Shane Rinner (in white) was one of more mercurial and successful coaches I’ve covered in my seven years as a sports journalist. Here he is talking with me (in black) along with star guard Ryan McLucas after winning the program’s first conference tournament championship in 2011.

(Since 2009, I covered Shane Rinner’s stint as head coach of the Texas A&M International men’s basketball team. I was the beat writer for the program – and was from June 2007 through January 2012 – and recently learned of him leaving the program last week for a job in California. As one of the more mercurial and successful figures I’ve had the joy of reporting on in my career, here is my recollection of Rinner’s tenure in Laredo, Texas).

One of South Texas’ most brilliant and calculating basketball minds resigned last week to head to California for a better gig. But what Laredo’s Texas A&M International men’s basketball program lost in head coach Shane Rinner was not only a man who revived what had been a scandalous doormat of an athletic institution, but an individual presided upon ethics who embraced right from wrong and expected his staff and players to follow suit.

As complex as Rinner, who will be the first assistant head women’s basketball coach at Fresno State, may seem, he’s actually not. The fiery, no-holds-barred tornado that whirled the sidelines in the “Gateway City’s” north side is actually, in essence, an affable, thoughtful, considerate human being without a selfish bone in his body. All the evidence necessary is the reason why he took the Fresno State gig, and that was to get his wife Amanda, a Cali native and Fresno State alum, back home to be with her family, knowing that’s what she’s wanted all along. That was priority No. 1: do what’s right by his family.

See, there’s Shane Rinner, the coach, and there’s Shane Rinner, the person. It’s important to learn how to differentiate between the two.

In a brief but substantially rewarding three years at the helm of the Dustdevils, Rinner – who accepted what appeared to be a career death sentence in 2009 when he accepted the position following a cheating scandal the prior spring in which the program had six players who cheated on a spanish exam, resulting in the NCAA stripping the program of all wins in 2008-09 and putting it on probation for following seasons – led TAMIU to its first NCAA conference tournament postseason appearance in his first year and earning two consecutive conference championships in his next two seasons. He won a school-record 21 games in each the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, and in 2010-11 he guided the program on an epic run toward the NCAA Division II tournament, where the Dustdevils fell to No. 1 seed and site host Central Oklahoma by nine points in overtime in the first round. In his three years at TAMIU, Rinner’s Dustdevils won 54 games. In his final campaign last year, he earned the conference’s Coach of the Year honor and helped Evan Matteson (his first recruit to TAMIU) nab MVP.

It was easy to assume that basketball is all Rinner eats, sleeps and drinks. It’s true that his work ethic is legendary. It’s also true that he is incredibly meticulous on all matters in his program, nothing was void of his fingerprints, and is the definition of “hands-on,” from the style of marketing posters made for the team to the way a player closes out on a potential shooter. But there is certainly a method to his perceived madness, and if you can say one thing about Rinner it’s that it’s blatantly clear that he cares way too much. That goes for any waters he dips his toes into. If he pleads his allegiance, it will be done, and it will be done right.

But basketball is not the end-all, be-all with Rinner. In a sit-down chat right after a heated practice before the start of the 2011-12 season last winter, I found out a few cool things about a leader who is as multi-faceted as he is demanding. Rinner actually does not necessarily aspire to be a head coach at a prominent Division I university. He’d be perfectly fine as an assistant coach at a mid-major DI. He boasts other interests, vastly different from his current vocation. He loves politics. He’s been known to sit in on campaigns and craves that kind of stuff, even going as far as tinkering with the idea of running for office back home in Alaska.

He also likes fundraising. Loves it, in fact. In previous conversations, he has mentioned how he doesn’t necessarily have to coach and he would still be happy in college athletics. He’s talked about his passion for building a program. He also joked that he would like the lifestyle involved in fundraising, which is “little more than playing golf and going out to dinners.” He has a passion for helping others, for building, for structure. It’s a cliche, but Shane Rinner is all about the journey, all about being immersed in the process.

While I was taken aback a bit at the sudden nature of Rinner’s departure for Fresno State last week, I was far from totally surprised. His move not only achieved the goal of getting his wife closer to her family and back home, but also opened the door for former player, longtime associate head coach and dear friend Bryan Weakley to run his own program and keep TAMIU afloat all at the same time. It was a no-brainer for Rinner. It was a calculated move. It was an unselfish move. No one loses. Everyone wins.

It’s the end result to a past three years that have been hellaciously tiring and emotional. It’s why Rinner busted his tail in otherwise deplorable circumstances.

Consider:

– The Dustdevils are one of three Heartland Conference teams not fully funded. TAMIU, in the 2011-12 conference championship season, played with 5.2 scholarships. The rest of the 5.9 went to redshirts. TAMIU played with 5.8 schollys this year, 6.8 total.

– In the Heartland Conference, Laredo is considered the second-least desirable attraction other than Oklahoma’s Panhandle State. The program is also second-worst in scholarship allotment, also behind OPSU, and TAMIU has the fewest number of students on campus (approximately 600). The next fewest is 1,600 in Odessa at Texas-Permian Basin.

– Any increase in Rinner’s budget has come from his own fundraising, which is approximately $2,000 in his three years. That money helped for upgrades in the men’s locker room as well as the women’, due to Title IX. He was the program’s chief fundraiser and drove the initiatives, finding little support from department administrators.

The only plus of being in the situation in Laredo, Rinner told me, is how bad it was before he got there. It was a program mired in scandal and mediocrity; a program of apathy and a revolving door of head coaches, philosophies and principles. For a first-time head coach, it was also a beneficial one. Anything and everything Rinner and his staff would be able to accomplish in Laredo would be seen as the next great thing, simply because the program had never escaped the depths of college basketball purgatory. Had Rinner failed, it would have been thought of as nothing. But if he succeeded – he would be seen by university leaders as nothing less than a savior. It was win-win. Low risk, high reward. Much like his move to leave TAMIU, interestingly enough.

Give Shane Rinner this: No move goes unplanned. He’s always thinking 2-3 steps ahead, on and off the court. He is a throwback to the old age of coaches who demanded excellence on the court, off it and in the classroom. The plus is that TAMIU won’t skip a beat with Weakley. Weakley shares Rinner’s thrill for helping student-athletes succeed, in the classroom first before on the court. And while I have no doubt the Dustdevils – who graduated eight seniors and are in an ideal rebuilding situation with a motivated, hungry teacher like Weakley running the show – will maintain the program’s integrity and growth initiated three years ago, it’s important to take a moment and understand what Rinner truly accomplished, coming to Laredo like a dark knight from his home of Alaska, willing to put his career on the line and sacrificing for the greater good of the university.

And now that sacrifice has been rewarded, for the greater good of his family.

TAMIU’s “game-changers”

TYREE MURRAY.

JOE REID.

JAYVIN REYNOLDS.

The following story I wrote as a preview for TAMIU men’s basketball’s conference opener earlier tonight, which they won 65-59 over rival Texas-Permian Basin.

The Dustdevils initiated defense of their conference title and are off to a fast start. If they are to repeat, they’ll need to expect big seasons from JUCO transfers Tyree Murray, Joe Reid and Jayvin Reynolds.

Here’s my story on TAMIU’s “game-changers.”

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In sports lexicon, they’re called “game-changers.” In other words, players that can change the complexion of any game simply by their presence on the court or field.
For the Texas A&M International men’s basketball team, they’re sophomore forward Joe Reid, junior guard Tyree Murray and junior center Jayvin Reynolds, all junior college transfers acquired this year to bring more depth, speed and strength to an already blossoming program coming off its first NCAA Division II conference championship.
Through 13 games, 10 of which are wins, the answers are clear for the aforementioned trio. There is no more uncertainty, no more doubts about whether coming to Laredo was the right move, and no more questions about how they fit into a veteran roster that returned eight players from last year’s champion.
Whether it’s via Reid’s length and athleticism, Murray’s pure scoring or Reynolds’ stability in the paint, know this: As the Dustdevils initiate defense of their conference title with a four-game road trip starting today in Odessa against rival Texas-Permian Basin, they do so as a more dynamic group than the one UTPB saw last spring when it fell to TAMIU in the conference tournament title game.
“I’m excited,” TAMIU coach Shane Rinner said of his prized recruits. “We brought them here to help us get some wins. All have the chance to really do that and to help us there at the end when it’s time to win a championship.”

Balanced bigs

When the Dustdevils produced the finest campaign in the program’s nine years last season, they did so deliberately.
They were methodical in approach, relying upon a dominant defense to accompany an efficient offense predicated upon motion and sharp shooting from 3-point range.
But when Rinner went shopping for more talent during the summer, he sought speed, athleticism, quickness. He wanted a team that could play just as easily in transition as it did in the halfcourt.
A little less than halfway through the season, consider that goal accomplished. While TAMIU does not officially keep track off fast-break points or points off turnovers, there is no question the Dustdevils get easier baskets.
Most of that starts with the 6-foot-7 Reid, who is averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and is second on the team in blocks. After struggling early in the season staying on the floor, thanks to his happy hands on defense, Reid has settled into a groove, adjusting to Rinner’s disciplined system sooner than many thought.
“Playing in a system was tough at first,” Reid said. “I haven’t really played in a structured system before, and that was hard. I had to take awhile to learn not to be as loose as I used to be on the court.”
While Reid figures to be vital against the Arkansas-Fort Smith’s and UTPB’s of the world, Reynolds holds down the fort inside, surely to be an asset against the likes of St. Mary’s and St. Edward’s.
His numbers are modest (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), but there’s a reason Reynolds has started eight of the 12 games he’s played. Alongside Reid, he gives Rinner nice depth and balance at a position that is perhaps the most evolved in college basketball.
“Jayvin stepped up early and was really good in the wins against Incarnate Word and on the road against West Texas A&M and Abilene Christian, and here lately Joe’s stepped up of late and Jayvin hasn’t had as much time,” Rinner said. “But I’m fine as long as one of them steps up.
“They’ve kind of taken turns and that’s nice to see.”

TAMIU’s wild card

The true wild card, however, may indeed be Murray. After posting a gaudy 17 points per game on 48 percent 3-point shooting at Los Medanos Community College last year, the 6-foot sharpshooter had to all but reform his game.
When you shoot as well as Murray, almost any shot is a good shot. But under Rinner, where the ball and offensive possessions are valued, that’s not the case, and instead of learning how to get open, Murray had to also learn how to reverse the ball, look for open teammates and pass up good looks for better ones.
Not the easiest assignments for a player that’s been a top scorer all his life. Interestingly enough, however, they weren’t the toughest.
“The hardest part, to me, was defensively,” Murray said. “I’ve never been known as a defender, but coming in and playing with a group of guys that emphasize defense, it changes your mentality.
“With everybody else out there working hard defensively, it forces you to straighten up and not be the one that gets beat.”
Murray has certainly grown in that regard, and his offense is improving as well. While his 7.6 points per game on 41 percent shooting aren’t near his standards, he’s doing other things like getting teammates involved, moving the ball quickly and just knowing when and where to be offensively.
Just as he’s learning how to adapt to Rinner’s style, Rinner is also learning how to adapt to Murray.
“If Tyree can continue to grow into what we do offensively and score the ball for us, it’s going to be a huge advantage for us,” Rinner said. “I’m worried about getting him more shots and him learning where to get those.
“He’s got to continue to learn where to get shots in our offense, but we also do need to get him a few more shots per game.”

Game time

Throughout the season, players have raved about how this team is more talented than last year’s. That has to do with Reid, Murray and Reynolds.
On more than one occasion, each has affected a game significantly and made more than their share of footprints en route to the best start in program history.
“They’re huge for us. I really think they’re the key,” said senior center Evan Matteson. “They provide a whole other dynamic altogether for this team. They’re great guys to have and they’ve fit in just fine.”
But, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. As a result of their vast skills and game-changing ability, much is resting upon the shoulders of the three to help lead the Dustdevils to not only another conference title, but also a NCAA tournament win or two.
It’s why as conference play tips off today, there is a great sense of anticipation amongst them.
“It’s more anxiety than anything,” Murray said. “These guys won a championship last year. There’s some pressure on the new guys to continue the excellence, but we don’t feel it.
“The guys who came back are making us feel comfortable and we really do feel like we fit right in.”

Dustdevils looking at spectacular finish

Junior guard Tyree Murray, along with sophomore forward Joe Reid, is a big reason why this year's Dustdevils are destined for an outstanding finish to the season. (PHOTO BY JOEY SANCHEZ | JSPHOTOSTUDIO.COM)

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated on the TAMIU men’s basketball team. It’s been an off-and-on month consisting of a nine-day holiday break and four games against cupcakes so that preparatory work is at a minimum while the team focused on finals and improving on last season’s program-best GPA.

However, these Dustdevils being defense of their conference title on Thursday on a record roll. They stand at 10-3, the best non-conference record in the program’s nine years, barely nipping last year’s 9-4 mark. Among those wins are demonstrative tallies against Incarnate Word, West Texas A&M, Abilene Christian, Notre Dame College, and most recently on Saturday, Cedarville.

In my opinion, Incarnate Word was the most impressive of the bunch, with Cedarville a close, close second.

The Dustdevils are beating their opponents by a little less than 18 points per game. They average 78.2 points on 51 percent shooting (including 40 percent from 3) and also compile an unheard of 18 assists per game. There are NBA teams that don’t even sniff that many.

But, as we know, offense is not what drives TAMIU. It’s defense.

On that end, TAMIU allows just 60.5 points per game on 39 percent shooting. Opponents shoot just 32 percent from deep and have amassed 28 more total turnovers than assists against the Dustdevils.

Every aspect of the game has been upgraded for the Dustdevils’ from last year to this year. But what’s the big difference? In my opinion, it’s the fact that TAMIU has some wild cards this year, and I mean that in the best light possible.

Last year, you knew what you were getting when you faced TAMIU. A precise, halfcourt-oriented team that used defense as its fuel. Aside from Brian Schaeffer, who has almost doubled his scoring average from last year to become a primary scoring threat, most of the eight returners are pretty much set in who they are.

However, this year, there is some nice change of pace off the bench in sophomore forward Joe Reid and junior guard Tyree Murray, both junior college transfers. Reid, in particular, is a huge factor, simply because of his versatility, length and shooting ability. He averages 8.1 points on 57 percent shooting. He takes good, smart shots, but he can really frustrate a defense, particularly off the bench.

Murray is a pure scorer, but he’s really improved as a facilitator. He had big trouble with shot selection earlier this season, but he has moved the ball extremely well and seems to have a much better grasp on when and where to get his shots.

I know for a fact both guys had a real tough time acclimating to coach Shane Rinner’s system earlier this season. At one point, I even thought there was a chance they may not be much of contributors after all. It seemed they were fostering a mindset that Rinner’s emphasis on structure, discipline and teamwork was too much to overcome.

But there’s a reason Rinner recruited them. Of course for their skills, but also because of their toughness. And their ultimate acclimation to buying in and sacrificing numbers and glory for the team is a testament to just that. In fact, how quickly they have turned things around is why I’m even more optimistic this team is more than capable of defending their conference title and winning a NCAA tourney game or two. I seriously thought it wouldn’t be until four or five more games until they really hit their strides, but they’ve proven me wrong.

It’s going to be interesting. I think Arkansas-Fort Smith and St. Mary’s are the top threats to TAMIU’s crown, but at this point, having watched the Dustdevils grow and mature over the last couple of weeks, it’s hard to see anyone taking down TAMIU for the title. TAMIU is well equipped to deal with teams of size, quickness and/or versatility. All I needed to see was the wins over Incarnate Word and Cedarville to know they can really play with anyone. And while it’s fine for me to be optimistic about their chances, I know Rinner isn’t even thinking that far ahead.

“I’m pleased, but nervous,” he said about where his team stands at the moment. “Now it really starts.”

 

Rising above: The story of Brian Schaeffer

BRIAN SCHAEFFER (PHOTO BY CUATE SANTOS | LAREDO MORNING TIMES)

One of the best things about my job is working within the nuances of a team. As a beat writer, I love unveiling the little things that make players/coaches who they are. Essentially those bits are what make up a team.

Recently, I got to spend a few days writing a profile on TAMIU senior men’s basketball guard Brian Schaeffer. Schaeffer leads the team in scoring and is second in rebounding as a 6-foot-2 guard. He has grown leaps and bounds since averaging six points for last year’s conference champion Dustdevils, but as you’ll see, he has grown even more as a man during these last few years.

Enjoy

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Not long ago, during the depths of the draining monotony known as preseason practices, Texas A&M International senior guard Brian Schaeffer held court.
Literally.
Sensing a lack of accountability amongst a team of veterans, Schaeffer preached. He reminded his teammates what they were there for (to win basketball games) and, more importantly, for whom they were there for (each other.)
He talked about coming too far just to give up now. He talked about one last ride for the seniors and the chance to do something special, to possibly repeat as NCAA Division II conference champions and maybe even win a NCAA tournament game.
It was a speech of passion, of truth. In essence, however, it was a speech of survival. And that’s something all too familiar to Schaeffer.
The Dustdevils’ leading scorer and second-leading rebounder grew up too fast, too soon. Living with three families as a kid, without a father during his childhood and now a father himself, Schaeffer is the definition of rising through adversity and refusing to fold.
“Brian’s a kid who never got to be a kid,” said Mike Fetters, a 16-year veteran pitcher of Major League Baseball who took in Schaeffer late in his high school years. “He grew up quick. He’s one of those kids who learns from his mistakes and he can be proud that any success he’s had, he’s done it on his own.”

Rough start

The true gift of Schaeffer, 25, is not in his 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. It’s not in his 56.6 percent shooting or 3.3 assists per game, either.
It’s in his resiliency. It’s in his ability to not cave in when too many rocks were hurled his way.
“I’m somebody that’s always had to work for stuff,” Schaeffer said. “I come from a situation where parents were in and out. Finally met my father at a late age, had a kid of my own. Those are all things that are motivating me this year because I know this is my last go-round.
“I want to leave everything out there.”
Schaeffer’s struggles began at the age of 2, when his mother Tammy was put in prison for the first of two times before he turned 13.
Tammy was incarcerated the first time for eight months for leading police on a high-speed chase. Five years later, she spent another year in prison for borrowing a car that a friend reported to the police as stolen.
“It was tough, very tough,” Tammy said. “Living in a poverty role … I wouldn’t have been incarcerated at all if I could have gotten an attorney. You just learn to make the best of it. Prison, for me, was a good learning experience.
“It was just about me. I started to learn and grow.”
With Tammy in and out during his child years, and his father Floyd Johnson nowhere to be found, Brian lived with three families, but two men in particular left an impact he carries with him to this day.

Direction

Joe Jackson, an older sibling to three brothers and four sisters, took Brian under his wing and kept him out on the field or court, disciplining him and quenching Brian’s thirst for the games. He kept Brian from trouble and only aided his love for basketball.
If Jackson was Brian’s guiding light early during his prep years, Fetters was just that late during those years. It was Fetters and his family who took Brian in prior to his junior year at Hamilton High School in Arizona.
“I was helping coach as volunteer assistant for high school basketball,” Fetters said. “Brian was a good player and a good kid. I liked his desire. One day he came up to me, and he said, ‘Well, thanks, Coach, but I have to quit.’ Well, his mom had gotten out of jail and he was being looked at as a runaway. His mom was coming and he was going to move back with her and get a job. But I took him home and introduced him to my wife, and said, ‘This is Brian Schaeffer. He’ll be staying with us.’ We did our homework and promised him if he stayed, he had to go through high school. From there, he can do what he wanted. We pledged to keep him in school and that’s what we did.
“He was a joy to be around.”
Through it all, Schaeffer never held ill will toward Tammy. But those feelings were not the same for Floyd, who entered back into Brian’s life when Brian was 17.
Beginning to mature into a young man himself, Schaeffer was dealt with a unique hand: welcoming stability back into his family when he had already accomplished much of his growth on his own.
“Especially at that age, 18 and growing up, it was tough,” he admitted. “It was always easy for me to accept my mom, because that was my mother. The times she was there, she took care of me like nobody else. She sacrificed so much for me. She would always try and give me things like other kids had. It was always easy to accept her.
“For my father, it was tougher, because when I finally met him I was already a man. I hadn’t had him growing up and it was tougher to accept him back in my life. But as you get older and have a kid of your own, you start to realize family is important. Even if he didn’t spend time with me when I was younger, now he gets to spend time and enjoy it with my son.
“That’s what’s important to me.”

Making moves

Tammy regrets wholeheartedly the circumstances she put Brian through. However, she does feel she helped guide him toward mentors like Jackson and Fetters who helped make him who he is today.
“When I came back, he was almost a teenager,” Tammy said. “But one thing is, I would always go without before he would. He grew up without a father and I grew up without a dad, too. I’m grateful my mom didn’t give up on us and I feel I put a lot of good mentors in his life he could talk to.
“It was a moment in our life that I did a lot of growing and it changed our relationship from buddies to mother and son.”
Because of his upbringing, Schaeffer tends to put up a guard around others. Smiles are rare, stares are studious and he keeps to himself.
Tammy said that image is not the real Brian.
“Brian was a perfect child,” Tammy said. “So loving … he tries to be hard and tough and it cracks me up. Tell him that’s not who he is. He’s so loving and caring.”
After playing college basketball at a junior college his freshman year, Schaeffer, then 19, was kicked off the team for getting into a fight. He hardly picked up another ball over the next four years.
Over that time, however, is when priorities started to arrange themselves. Approximately three years after he left, he had his son, Dasaan, now 3.
His life would never be the same.
“It was the best thing that could have happened to me,” Schaeffer said. “It put life in perspective. I started taking things a lot more seriously and realized what I needed to do to take care of my son and be a part of his life like I didn’t have. I want to be that father he could always turn to so that he doesn’t have to learn the hard way like I did.
“So the best thing for me to do is get back to school, and then figuring out how to pay for it, well I’d play basketball again like I used to. That’s what led me back to going back to school and playing basketball.”
After playing for South Mountain Community College and earning honorable mention all-conference honors in 2008-09, Schaeffer was recruited by TAMIU head coach Shane Rinner, who had turned around the Dustdevils’ program in his first season on the gig, not even a year after it had been mired in scandal and mediocrity.
Schaeffer fits all of Rinner’s desires: tough, accountable, smart, gritty, unselfish. It was a perfect match. In a matter of three years, Schaeffer went from being done with basketball to contributing 6.1 points in 29 games for a conference champion last season.
This season, everything – from his personal life to his play on the court – has become one, hence a season in which Schaeffer is the backbone of a team looking to repeat and go beyond.
“I’m extremely pleased with Brian,” Rinner said. “He’s definitely taken everything to another level. He’s grown a lot, not only in basketball but his personal life as well. He’s been our most consistent player and our strongest leader.
“His attitude is superior and his mindset is great. When you coach, you hope everyone’s moved the way Brian moves. You hope they all make the strides Brian has.”

A happy ending

Brian’s and Tammy’s relationship remains strong. His and Floyd’s is still a work in progress, but headed in the right direction.
Brian holds no bitterness toward any of them.
“Every one of us is continuing to grow and that’s all you can really ask for,” he said. “Everybody’s healthy, everybody’s still living and that’s what’s important.”
He may play with a chip on his shoulder – after he left that junior college team his freshman year, a coach told him he would never play basketball again – but he is admirably appreciative of what’s been thrown his way.
“I’ve had a lot of people that really wanted to see me make it,” he said. “They helped me to this position. While my own situation was not stable, I had families take me in who really believed in me and saw me through things, like finishing high school.”
“Part of his upbringing is what makes him who he is,” said Fetters, now an assistant to the general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks. “He’s tough as nails. He didn’t have a great life growing up, but I’m proud of him for getting through it.”
Schaeffer has grown from someone who needed a role model to someone who is one.
“By the grace of God, he is where he is today,” Tammy said. “He could have been anywhere else. A lot of people in our neighborhood have a lot of respect for him and they look up to him for not going down the wrong path.
“He’s done an excellent job. He’s done an awesome job.”
When he looks back on it all – from living family to family, to being a conference champion and now on the brink of earning his degree in business administration with a minor in management information systems – Schaeffer has taken it all in stride, almost as if it’s simply a rollercoaster he’s had no other choice but to keep riding.
“I didn’t expect anything when I came to Laredo, when I came to TAMIU,” he said. “All I knew is I was coming to a place where coaches wanted hard workers and they have a winning mentality and a winning philosophy. I just wanted to fit in.
“I didn’t see any of this for me, but that’s what happens when you stay positive, believe you can do things and just trust. For all this to happen, it’s been a blessing.”

Dustdevils off to best start in three years

Scottie Payne and the TAMIU Dustdevils are off to the team's best start in the last three years. (PHOTO BY CUATE SANTOS | LAREDO MORNING TIMES)

Fresh off a four-game, 11-day road trip in West Texas and California, the Texas A&M International men’s basketball team has reason to hold its head high heading into a stretch where it will end the year playing six of seven games at home.
At 4-3, the Dustdevils are off to the best start in head coach Shane Rinner’s three years at the helm. The road trip brought forth big wins over regional foes West Texas A&M and Abilene Christian that will serve as crucial toward an at-large bid, as well as more telling signs in regard to the character of the this year’s bunch.
“Overall, this stretch that we had was encouraging,” said associate head coach Bryan Weakley, who led Tuesday’s practice while Rinner remained in California recruiting. “We started to see more leadership from our seniors during crucial parts of the game. “
TAMIU went 3-1 on its road trip after starting the season 1-2. It won close games in Odessa – 53-50 over West Texas A&M and 71-69 over Abilene Christian – and lost by eight to Cal State Stanislaus before dominating Cal-Merced 92-71.
Like last year’s extended trip to Hawaii, it was a chance for the Dustdevils to get back on their feet and right some wrongs. While much work still needs to be done – such as limiting turnovers – this year’s trip paid dividends, both on and off the floor.
“They really help and bond a team,” senior center Evan Matteson said of the long getaways. “It’s kind of like forced bonding because we’re together all the time, but it’s good. We had some time where we can do whatever we want, whether it’s going to go get food, go to a movie … it was nice.”
While Weakley said coaches are still trying to find out what’s “in the guys’ hearts,” he did note that, should things come together accordingly, it’s a unit that can even be better than last year’s historic team.
The Dustdevils are off to a fine start even without the services of key senior forward James Silvie, one of the team’s strongest interior threats. The versatile Silvie is day-to-day with a pulled groin.
“We haven’t come close to maximizing our group, though I think a lot of teams are saying that at this point of the year,” Weakley said. “With all the returners, we thought we’d be a bit further ahead than where we are, but we’re not too far from being a really good basketball team.
“If this group decides it wants to be good, they can be really hard to beat come March.”
The Dustdevils were tested late in all their wins on the trip, aside from Saturday’s rout against Cal-Merced. The ability to execute and close out teams down the stretch that was on display early in the season proved just as true on the road.
“We have a group of guys that really step up to the plate,” Matteson said. “When it comes to crunch time, there are no other guys I’d rather play a game of basketball with.”
Aside from a trip to Edinburg to play NCAA Division I Texas-Pan American on Dec. 10, the Dustdevils won’t leave Laredo until Dec. 18 for Christmas break.

 

Dustdevils stay in the moment as season approaches

After 26 days of practice, including a plethora of two-a-day sessions, the Texas A&M International men's basketball team finally gets to see what it's made of Friday night at home. (PHOTO BY CUATE SANTOS | LAREDO MORNING TIMES)

Fall practices for the 2011-12 men’s college basketball season began 26 days ago, but Friday night’s season opener at home for the TAMIU Dustdevils began as a work in progress on March 13.

As soon as the Dustdevils left Central Oklahoma following a historic campaign that featured a conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance – both firsts for the program – they immediately began work toward Friday night’s contest against regional foe Incarnate Word.

So what do we know of these ’11-12 Dustdevils? Well, we know they’re more athletic and versatile, thanks to junior college transfers Joe Reid (sophomore forward), Jayvin Reynolds (junior center) and Tyree Murray (junior guard). We know, in spite of the graduation of their top two scorers in Will Faiivae and Luis Gomez, they return a great chunk of last year’s core in senior center Evan Matteson, senior forward Armando Brito and senior guards Ryan McLucas and Scottie Payne. We know that they have issues communicating on the floor consistently, talking and directing, and they had turnover troubles during recent practices.

Most importantly, however, we know they’re all on the same page. Even for the newcomers, it didn’t take long for them to buy into head coach Shane Rinner’s mindset.

“Excellence is the standard,” Murray said. “That’s our motto and that’s what’s on our posters everywhere. He doesn’t expect anything less, and that’s good. Even if you’re not excellent, you’ll fall somewhere around there.”

Coaches are generally pessimistic by nature. but even TAMIU’s leaders are having a difficult time pinpointing much to be concerned with.

“Our practices are more consistent and the unity and the closeness of the group is a lot higher than at the beginning of the year last year,” associate head coach Bryan Weakley said. “We have eight seniors preaching our system daily and that’s a huge benefit. Now we’ve got to see who steps up in a leadership role.”

Even Rinner, normally high strung and as stressed as can be about his team, is relatively assured. Perhaps that comes with having 12 returners, including eight seniors. Perhaps that comes with not having to preach about effort or intensity, two things the Dustdevils do well. Or perhaps he finally sees a complete team with size, shooting, athleticism, scoring and versatility.

“I like where we’re at,” Rinner said. “The guys are getting better and they’re really working. You just have to try and get them to be as edgy as you can, so you overemphasize everything to make sure they can get there. But I like where they are.”

If you’d like to know where these Dustdevils compare to last year’s record-setting unit or of any in Rinner’s tenure here, don’t bother. Rinner loathes comparing teams and is all about the process, the journey, opposed to the destination.

He literally lives day by day, practice by practice. In practices he encourages players by saying he sees them getting better, which is perhaps the highest compliment you can receive from Rinner, who scrutinizes everything to the max and prioritizes detail after detail after detail.

“I don’t get caught up in wins or losses or anything like that,” he said. “I always try to stay involved in the process instead of setting my eyes on the destination. When you set in on the destination, it’s easy to skip steps and there are no steps you can skip. If you climb a ladder, you go one rung at a time. If you miss one, you fall down.”

The most glaring flaw of these Dustdevils, from what I’ve seen through six preseason practices and a scrimmage, is they don’t communicate consistently. There are bursts where everyone is talking, directing, in sync like an orchestra. And there are others where there’s, well, nothing. No talking, no anything.

For a team predicated upon defense and spacing and movement on offense, communication is absolutely a necessity. It’s not to say the Dustdevils are bad at it, not by any means. It’s my opinion, however, that they’re not communicating up to the standards of last year’s bunch or even other Rinner teams in the past.

Rinner, for his part, does not see it as a significant issue.

“If the average person came into our practice, they’d say we communicate at an above-average rate,” he said. “As a coach, it’s not what you coach, it’s what you emphasize. We emphasize communication, so I’ll hit them over the head with it every day.

“We’re pretty good at communicating. But we want to be the best.”

That’s fair. And it’s, to be honest, nit-picking. This Dustdevils team is tantalizing because it, for the first time in Rinner’s tenure, has the ability to make up for mistakes due to its speed, athleticism and quickness. While it’s not something you’d like for them to fall back upon, at least it’s there.

TAMIU tips off its season Friday against Incarnate Word at home. The Cardinals were ranked No. 15 in the country last season before injuries precipitated a drop from the rankings. They opened some eyes in the exhibition season with a 69-65 win over NCAA DI A&M-Corpus Christi, though they were picked to place seventh in their 10-team conference’s preseason poll.

The Dustdevils then play A&M-Kingsville on Saturday before going up there to play them again on Tuesday. Then they head next week to Odessa for a tournament to play West Texas A&M and Abilene Christian.

These next two weeks are absolutely crucial. All four teams are Lone Star Conference foes, which, if TAMIU is to do well and thrive, could help in its bid for an at-large spot for the NCAA tourney.

All four are picked within the bottom half of their 10-team conference, though the conference is said to be 5-6 deep in title contenders.

“If we want to accomplish what we hope to accomplish in the preseason and get some regional points so we can get an at-large bid for the NCAA, that’s what we’re urgent about,” Weakley said. “Ever since (Rinner) called the team out a couple of weeks ago on the lack of urgency, that’s risen. But it’s still not where we want it to be.

“We measure this team to the team in Alaska when we went to the (NCAA Division II) Final Four (in 2008, with the University of Alaska-Anchorage), where we had great practices and the leadership was intact.”

It remains to be seen whether these Dustdevils are deserving of being mentioned in the same sentence as that UAA squad. But the mentality is right, the tools are in place and the system is proven.

“I just take it game by game,” Payne said. “Every game plays out a different way and it’s a long season, man. The focus is winning every game you can so that when the big games come you’ve been through the battles and you can compete.

“It’s about the process. You can’t look down the line.”

 

Dustdevils lack urgency

Following a poor defeat to Blinn in a scrimmage on Saturday, the TAMIU Dustdevils find themselves having to answer more questions with the start of the season 11 days away.

At the middle of Monday’s afternoon practice, Texas A&M International men’s basketball coach Shane Rinner gathered his team. What he said next was stirring.

“I’m scared to death,” Rinner said. “I’m not feeling the sense of urgency.”

16 days since the start of fall practices, and coming off a sloppy, underwhelming 18-point defeat in a scrimmage to Blinn on Saturday, the Dustdevils’ lack of purpose was startling. They reacted slowly. Their was a constant lack of communication on the floor.

It was a startling turnaround from just a week and a half ago, when this was a team of purpose and acted like it. But now the Dustdevils find themselves discombobulated offensively and too loose defensively.

Rinner does not wish to concern himself with such basics just days from the tip-off to the season next Friday against regional power Incarnate Word. But that’s where he finds himself, having to coax, urge and prod.

“I’m always scared,” Rinner said after practice. “I just feel like the way we were practicing isn’t the way you have to practice in order to win games. It doesn’t mean I’m fearful long-term, but we’ve got to get significant gains. Practices are going by, days are clicking off. I’m always fearful of an opponent.”

Leadership, or lack thereof, is apparently at the heart of the issue. Rinner specifically pointed out his team’s inability to coach each other through drills. Two weeks into practices, and the Dustdevils often find themselves fatigued and having problems with such basic principles as spacing, flashing to the ball and filling spots.

Defensively, they close out poorly and often find themselves in poor position to help.

And while Rinner openly expressed concern with his team’s lack of urgency, his players don’t necessarily see it that way.

“I do think we have a little bit of that, but we also do have a lot of guys who are new and are having to learn on the fly,” senior center Evan Matteson said. “He is right in that we do have to step it up from where we are now, but I think we’ll be ready to go once that first game gets here.”

It’s a domino effect. The lack of urgency – and don’t be mistaken, there is indeed a lack of it – can be attributed to the lack of leadership. The only consistent leader, vocally or otherwise, is senior guard Ryan McLucas. And while others have stepped it up at times, like senior guards Brian Schaeffer and Winston Harris, it’s not enough.

Because of the lack of leadership, there is little to no accountability, a big, big emphasis of Rinner’s. It’s obvious Rinner is getting tired of hearing his own voice and not hearing that of players’. Will Faiivae was the team’s vocal and emotional leader, on and off the court. But now he is gone and that void is painstakingly apparent.

“I do believe we have guys who know how to do it and can do it,” Matteson said of being a leader not only by example but vocally. “They just have to. That’s the bottom line.”

OTHER NOTES:

– The Dustdevils will redshirt junior guard Ty Condie and junior wing Johnel Gray. Gray was expected, but Condie? Rinner had talked highly of him all preseason as if he was ready to step into the starting lineup and contribute. But apparently that’s not the case and Condie will sit out this year. “It’s the right decision for him and our school,” Rinner said of Condie. “He’ll be here a couple of more years. He could have certainly played this year, but he was the only one to have a redshirt year (available). That’s what it came to.”

– Laredo native and Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Kaleb Canales watched a bit of today’s practice. Canales is visiting around, attending different schools’ practices and studying gameplans. He plans to attend another practice or two of the Dustdevils’.

 

Determining the Dustdevils

Junior guard Ty Condie is one of five newcomers to a Dustdevils team that returns 12 from last year's Heartland Conference champion. (PHOTO BY DANNY ZARAGOZA | LAREDO MORNING TMES)

It’s a little more than a week into preseason practices for the Texas A&M International men’s basketball team.

This is undoubtedly the strongest roster during head coach Shane Rinner’s three-year tenure. Yes, even stronger – at least on paper – than the unit that won the Heartland Conference last season and took the No. 1 seed Central Oklahoma to overtime before falling by nine points.

While 12 return from last year’s historic unit, it’s the newcomers that really give the Dustdevils juice. Two of them – junior guard Tyree Murray and sophomore forward Joe Reid – give TAMIU dimensions (athleticism, speed) it hasn’t had since the 2008-09 season. Two others (junior guard Ty Condie and junior center Jayvin Reynolds) supply skills that were lost with the graduation of TAMIU’s top two scorers from last year, forward Will Faiivae and guard Luis Gomez. Condie has been said to be a better shooter than the sharpshooting Gomez and a better all-around player. Reynolds does the dirty work inside, emphasizing defense and rebounding, but also runs the floor well. While he won’t produce the 12 points per game that Faiivae gave, he will at least supply the six rebounds per game and the blocked shots.

I’ve been able to attend four practices so far to try and get a gauge of the new class of Dustdevils. I’ve talked to most everyone – including a strong core of central figures in guards Ryan McLucas and Scottie Payne, forward James Silvie and center Evan Matteson – and feel that I have a good sense of how things have gone to this point in the season.

I’ll go player-by-player and give my thoughts on each one, but not before I allow Payne his thoughts on how things have gone so far.

On how the team has looked through 10 practices and a team scrimmage: “It’s looking alright. I feel like we’re working hard and that’s the best thing going for us. I know things are crammed for us because it’s just the first week, but our effort has been the main thing.”

On this year’s team from last year’s: “The biggest difference to me is the athleticism. It seems like we’re quicker and we’re able to get out a little more and run. We can put some pressure on defenses now. Last year we had more of a set team.”

And now on to my thoughts, going down the roster alphabetically:

CORNELIO ALVAREZ (sophomore 6-6 forward): Like last season, Alvarez won’t play much this year. He works hard and looks more comfortable on the floor, but there is too much talent on this squad. He’s a tweener that’s not quick enough to play the wing position and nearly tough or big enough to play inside.

ARMANDO BRITO (senior 6-6 wing): Brito is arguably the team’s top defender. I heard someone refer to him as TAMIU’s Tayshaun Prince and that’s about right. I do think he has a lot of scoring ability that isn’t taken advantage of, but it may this season. He makes the plays that win games, getting loose balls, tough rebounds and is athletic.

TY CONDIE (junior 6-2 guard): Sharpshooter. Smart, heady player. Rinner likes his ability to make shots and get the ball to post players. He’ll be expected to contribute significantly.

JOHNEL GRAY (junior 6-3 wing): He’ll probably redshirt this year, but he has some tools. He’s vocal and communicates well. His shot is iffy but his effort has improved drastically from the first day of practice when he was kicked out for not running the floor hard enough.  Makes some good passes but has a lot of room to grow.

WINSTON HARRIS (senior 6-2 guard): 3-point specialist. One of the hardest workers on the team. Quiet, but does his job well. A professional. I’d venture to say he’s probably the best shooter on the team, and that’s saying something with this bunch.

LOUIS ILTON (sophomore 6-4 wing): Scrappy player, hustles. Energy guy. I don’t expect him to get a lot of PT this year, but he’s a guy who gives 100 percent effort.

JUSTIN LAFITTE (junior 6-3 forward): Perhaps the team’s strongest player, Lafitte is a bull inside. Almost no offensive game whatsoever, but he does the little things extremely well: setting screens, attack the offensive glass, run the floor.  The energy guy of all energy guys.

EVAN MATTESON (senior 6-10 center): The team’s top returning scorer and rebounder. Great, great shooter; in fact I hope he’s used a lot more in pick-and-pop situations to take advantage of his 3-point touch. Can afford to get tougher in the paint, but runs the floor well, is a solid passer and has taken more of a leadership role this season.

RYAN McLUCAS (senior 5-11 guard): Team leader. Period. Most vocal. Communicates well. I’d like to see anybody who talks and communicates as well as he does. Pure shooter. Hustles. A coach’s dream. Can’t find too many wrongs with Ryan.

TYREE MURRAY (junior 6-0 guard): Adds so much pop to the perimeter. Quick, can slither and take apart a defense. Knockdown shooter whose shot selection has improved nicely as practices have gone along. Provides healthy change of pace.

SCOTTIE PAYNE (senior 6-1 guard): A bulldog. Gritty, tough. Shot needs work, but he’s a dogged defender who can get in the paint and draw contact. He now has a teammate in Murray who can also get inside a defense and create. Solid rebounder. Good leader. Teammates respect him greatly.

JOE REID (sophomore 6-6 forward/center): The Dustdevils have not had a frontcourt player of his athleticism and versatility in Rinner’s tenure. Nice jumper. Flies down the floor with ease. Has adjusted nicely to a system of structure and spacing that you think would be hellish upon an athlete like Reid. He’s working harder with each and every day as he finds his niche.

JAYVIN REYNOLDS (junior 6-6 center): Mr. Steady. Rebounds, screens, blocks shots, runs the floor. You don’t have to tell him something twice. A quick study. Pretty much everything you want in a big man.

DANIEL ROSAS (freshman 5-9 guard): A local boy who will hardly see anytime this year playing behind McLucas and Payne and maybe even Murray, who’s maybe more of a 2 than a 1. He’s gotten stronger, has more definition physically. Has a scoring and shooting ability that has taken a backseat to setting up teammates and playing good defense.

IAN SALTER (senior 6-10 center): The Dustdevils’ lone legit center in the true sense, though he has a shooting touch I’d like to see taken advantage of more. Can block shots, rebound and set good screens. Quiet guy. Not the quickest afoot by any means, but knows his role and doesn’t go outside of his limitations.

BRIAN SCHAEFFER (senior 6-2 guard): Smart, quiet player. Good shooter. Makes heady plays. Always seems to make the right decision on the floor. Very much like Harris in that he’s professional and just goes about his business, although I did see him get vocal and lead today at practice. Certainly leads by example.

JAMES SILVIE (senior 6-6 wing):  Two years ago, Silvie came to TAMIU much in the mold of Reid but with better shooting and ballhandling skills. Now he’s a true power forward who is a force inside and makes heady plays defensively and offensively. While he’s lost a bit of that speed and quickness due to leg ailments, he’s a dynamic threat inside. While I’m sure he’d like to take advantage of his perimeter skills more, he has accepted his role nicely and will be a key player for the Dustdevils this year.

 

Hoops!

During the fall and winter, men’s college basketball and high school basketball are my primary beats. Therefore, you will be reading quite a bit on those from here until mid March or so.

TAMIU athletics recently put out some introductory videos for new TAMIU men’s assistant coaches Kemmy Burgess and Mark Laird.

Kemmy:

Mark:

The videos are courtesy new TAMIU SID Michael Blake. Enjoy.