Porter Moser

Loyola men’s basketball coach Porter Moser is the pride of underdog NCAA D-I programs everywhere with the Ramblers’ Final Four finish based on a five-player approach to both offense and defense.  That’s sometimes called “suburban” basketball or even “white” basketball, which I’ll address shortly.

First, though, let me offer Moser as the new and improved Bobby Knight, minus the ego; temper; screaming; and incessant need to humiliate.  Moser is none of that, but he and Knight do share that same five-player approach to the game.  What makes the Ramblers’ Final Four appearance all the more impressive is that they did it with players who probably don’t see themselves playing in the NBA.  Despite all of Knight’s yelling and chair tossing, Indiana players (Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Isaiha Thomas) could still realistically dream that dream.

There is an element of race to Loyola’s success that has basically gone unnoted.  Three of the starters for the Ramblers this year were in fact white and all from suburban schools.  Two of the three graduating seniors who had significant playing time were black, which means those two players did not go the one-and-done route on their way to the NBA.

For me and other people who watched the tournament, that’s great, a true testament to the notion of scholar-athletes.  But, in truth, it’s easier for white players likely to come from middle- to upper-middle class backgrounds to buy into Moser’s approach.  Other players come from different, more precarious, circumstances that dictate they minimize their time in school and take a chance at the NBA.  It’s not just about them, it’s about people who depend on them.

And let’s be clear that “one-and-done” has a lot more to do with class status and financial need than it does with character.  Kevin Garnett never went to college, and no one ever questioned the character he demonstrated on (and off) an NBA court over the course of 21 seasons.  Whether or not the NCAA wants to admit it, a college degree is the furthest thing on the minds of many—half, more than half?—men’s D-I basketball players.  For those players, “college” is basketball, a pro contract their diploma.

So, Porter Moser will always have a challenge recruiting players into his system; the likes of Jabari Parker or Lauri Markkanen will probably never commit to the Ramblers.  That said, I’ll be rooting for him while withholding judgment on players who decide to chase the brass ring elsewhere.