A rash of injuries has struck big names in college basketball and high-profile teams have taken the brunt of it. But there are no more broken bones, torn anterior cruciate ligaments and sprained ankles than any other year.

This season, coaches are the ones missing time. While there isn’t a common cause for it, one thing is certain: coaching in college basketball isn’t easy. The physical and mental demands can lead to little sleep and a lot of stress.

‘Most people are stressed to the max,’ said Dr. David Cifra of Syracuse, who specializes in wellness care and chiropractics. ‘Society has people running a 40-hour workweek in a day.’

UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour resigned last Tuesday citing unspecified ‘health issues.’ The 64-year-old’s announcement was the latest of many health related leaves of absence this year.

On Feb. 10, Utah’s legendary head coach Rick Majerus made his leave permanent. Majerus initially left his team Jan. 28 when he was admitted to a Santa Barbara, Calif., hospital because of heart problems.

‘The dedication you have to have is unbelievable,’ Utah interim head coach Kerry Rupp said. ‘It’s difficult on you, but you have to have the work ethic to see it through.’

Rupp estimates that, on a normal day, he spends 15 hours on basketball-related activities, and on nights before games, he gets few hours of sleep.

‘During the season, you’ve got to focus all your energies on the task at hand,’ Rupp said. ‘It’s like anything in life. You have to budget your time wisely and you have to prioritize.’

Two days before Majerus’ leave, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino left his team because of pain in his left side. Pitino did not confirm the specifics of his injury, only that it was ‘urological related’ and that it was not an immediate threat to his health. Pitino returned two days later after treatment at The Cleveland Clinic.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim believes stress is self-inflicted, and Rupp’s case is unique because it is his first head coaching job at the college level.

‘I’ve learned that 15 hours doesn’t make your team any better,’ Boeheim said. ‘There will be days I will spend more than 10 hours on basketball. It just depends on how much you put in.’

Boeheim, who is in his 28th season, believes he has found a balance in his life, and the stress in coaching is the same in any other profession. It has only become news this season because of the high-profile coaches who have had the problems.

‘You take any 300 people in their profession and you’re going to have a few with health problems,’ said Boeheim, who underwent prostate surgery two years ago as current associate head coach Bernie Fine took over. ‘By and large, coaches are very healthy,’ Boeheim said. ‘Most coaches are at every game and every practice.’

Cifra believes maintaining good mental health can start with taking care of one’s physical health.

‘It’s all about living a lifestyle that’ll keep you healthy,’ Cifra said. ‘You have to maintain and keep the body young.’

Long Road Back

When Michigan State lost, 96-83 at Syracuse on Jan. 3, the Spartans fell further than they ever thought they would. The Spartans, which fell to 5-6 after the loss, barely resembled the team that had advanced to the Elite Eight one year earlier. They were not the same team that was ranked No. 3 in the preseason, and they were what head coach Tom Izzo called possibly his most athletic team ever.

That same week, their most talented freshman, McDonald’s All-American Brandon Cotton, announced his plans to transfer to Detroit Mercy. Cotton, who was expected to compete for the starting point guard position, appeared in only three games after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.

Yep. The Spartans hit an all-time low.

But as March Mayhem draws near, the Spartans (16-9, 11-3 Big Ten) are considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament. They are No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference and have won their last four games. Two months since they hit their low, MSU looks more like that Elite Eight team than a sinking ship.

‘We started getting better after Christmas,’ Izzo said. ‘Even when we came out there to Syracuse, other than a couple screw-ups right before halftime, I thought we made some progress.’

Though the Spartans are not used to having a losing record, Izzo always puts together a challenging non-conference schedule. This season, five of MSU’s 11 non-conference opponents were ranked teams, and MSU’s losses include Kansas, Duke and Kentucky.

‘The tough schedule helped us some,’ Izzo said. ‘At least we can always say we might play teams as good, but we won’t play teams better than we’ve already played. When our players started to get some real confidence in what they did, we started playing a little better.’

Player of the Week

Wake Forest, Fr., Chris Paul

Chris Paul grew up in the middle of a basketball hotbed in Lewisville, N.C. The state is divided by bitter rivalries between North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest fans. On Feb. 18, Paul won a huge battle for the Wake Forest faction.

In a win against No. 3 Duke, 90-84, Paul led the Demon Deacons with 23 points, five rebounds and eight assists. His 19 second-half points helped them overcome a 13-point deficit to upset their Atlantic Coast Conference rival. No. 15 Wake Forest dealt the Blue Devils their second straight loss, only their third this season.

‘Chris played with great courage, and courage is contagious,’ Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser said. ‘His teammates feed off of that. … I wouldn’t trade him for any point guard in the country.’

This and that

A Texas judge dismissed seven counts in a wrongful death suit brought against Baylor by Patrick Dennehy Sr. Dennehy’s son, Patrick Jr., was found dead in a field in July of 2003 near the Waco campus. … The presidents of the Atlantic Ten Conference schools voted to allow St. Bonaventure to compete in next month’s conference tournament. The NCAA placed St. Bonaventure on three years probation and banned it from postseason play this season because of a player-eligibility scandal last year. … Jameson Curry, a top UNC recruit, has been indicted on multiple felony charges, including possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Curry is the leading scorer in North Carolina state history. … A Connecticut judge dismissed all claims yesterday that four Big East schools had filed against the ACC for its expansion.

Published on February 25, 2004 at 12:00 pm