Despite Mulligan’s Effort, Anteater Problems Persist

Bill Mulligan has screamed at and insulted his players. He has made them watch game films until 2 a.m. after a loss on the road. He has also taken the soft approach, teaching and instructing in a patient manner.

Mulligan, the basketball coach at UC Irvine, has used 12 starting lineups in 15 games. He has changed the offense almost as many times, going from fast-breaking up-tempo to walk-it-up-slow-as-can-be, depending on the opponent.

He has had his players work the ball inside for layups and he has instructed them to shoot three-pointers whenever possible.

And through it all, Irvine has continued to lose games at a relentless, record-setting pace.

With an 88-75 loss to New Mexico State last Saturday night, the Anteaters dropped to 2-13 overall and 0-6 in Big West Conference play.

“I used to think this could only happen to other people,” Mulligan said. “This could never happen to me. But it has.”

In 34 seasons of coaching at Long Beach Poly High School, Riverside City College, Saddleback College and Irvine, Mulligan has never had a season quite like this one.

In 23 seasons of college coaching, including the past 10 at Irvine, Mulligan has had only two losing teams, the most recent a 12-17 record last season.

This season, the Anteaters are setting records for futility at every turn.

A sampling:

--Irvine’s record is its worst at this point in the season in the 25-year history of Anteater basketball.

--With eight consecutive losses, Irvine is closing in on the school record of 11, set in the 1979-80 season.

--Irvine hasn’t won a Big West game since Feb. 18, 1989, a span of 10 consecutive losses.

--The Anteaters’ shooting percentages from the field and from the free-throw line are on a pace to set record lows.

The Anteaters are ranked No. 219 among the 293 National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division I teams in USA Today’s weekly computer rankings.

“It’s been a real experience for me,” Mulligan said. “I’ve tried not to let it affect my personality. I tried to not let it affect people around me.”

That would seem a task as daunting as defeating ninth-ranked Nevada Las Vegas at Thomas and Mack Center, which is what Irvine must do tonight to avoid its ninth consecutive loss.

Never one to understate his feelings, Mulligan looks upbeat enough.

After several especially tough losses, he has said the Anteaters are improving. His wit and biting humor are still as sharp as ever.

But he also admits losing is tough to take.

Mulligan has often placed the blame for losing on his own shoulders, but he’s been quick to rip into his players if he thinks they lack intensity.

“I’ve taken the blame for some of these losses, but I’m not taking it for this one,” he snapped after Irvine was beaten, 81-71, by Pepperdine in December.

“Right now, we’re the weakest team in the league; We’ve got to make some adjustments,” he said after a 75-69 loss to San Jose State this month.

Atrocious shooting (42.1% from the field and 64.5% from the free-throw line), turnovers (18 a game) and the Anteaters’ inability to maintain momentum for 40 minutes have contributed mightly to their troubles.

The bad free-throw shooting has been a mystery to Mulligan.

“We were fifth in the nation (in free-throw shooting) one year and we never practiced them,” Mulligan said. “Now, we run a drill called ‘brass tomatoes’ where we line up all 15 guys and shoot a free throw. If a guy misses, they all run.”

That hasn’t seemed to work.

A lack of experience, with two seniors and three juniors among the 10 regulars, has not helped matters.

Neither have injuries. Point guards Rod Palmer and Ben Rishwain were sidelined with a sprained knee and a broken index finger, respectively, in a 74-72 loss to Tennessee Chattanooga Dec. 2.

Inconsistency has hurt, too.

“We don’t get a consistent game from hardly anyone,” Mulligan said. “We could have won all six (Big West) games. Every game was a four- or five-point game at one point.

“Once you start losing, the players think they’re supposed to lose. I’m not saying they’re not playing hard.”

Breaking down the Anteaters’ losing mentality has proven to be tougher for Mulligan than revamping the Anteaters’ offense.

Mulligan’s preparation and game plans have been as strong as ever. After beating Irvine Saturday night, New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy said, “I thought they were better prepared than anyone we’ve played this year (season).”

New Mexico State’s opponents have included New Mexico, Texas El Paso and UNLV, which the Aggies upset last week.

The kind words are but small consolation for Mulligan.

After 34 seasons, is Mulligan feeling the pressure to win?

“I’m sure people are saying, ‘What the hell, he can’t coach,’ ” said Mulligan. “The pressure to win is within yourself (not from what others are saying).”

Mulligan, who will be 60 on Feb. 24., has one year remaining on his contract after this season and is optimistic about the Anteaters’ future. Last week, he said he was “undecided” whether to apply for the vacant Irvine athletic director’s job.

The younger players, particularly freshmen Jeff Von Lutzow and Craig Marshall, have shown flashes of brilliance, albeit brief ones.

On the bench sit twotalented redshirts, freshmen Khari Johnson and Rick Swanwick. Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward, is a spectacular leaper and Swanwick, a 6-10 center, could prove to be the best post player Mulligan has coached since Kevin Magee (1980-82). Both will become eligible next season.

As a senior at Trabuco Hills High School, Swanwick led the Mustangs to the state Division III championship game last March, scoring all 25 of the Mustangs’ second-half points in a 62-61 loss to Central Valley.

Mulligan already has signed a promising newcomer for next season, Gabe Higa, a 6-6 forward who has triple-jumped 50 feet for Quartz Hill High.

“I want to turn this around,” Mulligan said. “I really think we can. If not this year, then next. Then if we can’t, we’ll see.”