First Year Brings Valuable Experience

Some would call a first-year head coach improving his team from 2-8 to 5-5 in one season beginner's luck. I call it the start of an era.

The Lions' five wins this season did not come by Hail Mary passes or lucky breaks handed to them by officials. This team did it the old-fashioned way, steadily improving over the course of the season and progressing enough to turn games from close, competitive battles early in the year into Light Blue victories in the team's final two outings.

Head coach Norries Wilson did not attempt to jump-start his team by drastically changing his practice regime in the final weeks of the season. In fact, he kept the routine nearly identical, reaping the benefits as players were finally able to find their grooves and execute plays in the ways in which they were designed.

"I would like to be able to go back and start the season with the knowledge that they have now," Wilson said. "It took them 10 weeks to figure out what we were talking about. It's hard."

Enjoying back-to-back league wins to finish out the 2006 season, the young Lions will take a winning streak into the offseason for the first time in recent memory. With about 80 percent of the players eligible to return next year, many of the Lions are finally beginning to realize their roles.

"We truly can play with anybody in the league," Wilson said. "At least, this past team could. We have 60 kids coming back off of this team, and they have to come back and prepare the same way, but if they prepare that way, we can have a chance to move up a little bit more in the league standings next year."

Given the charisma of Wilson's staff and the close relationships his coaches have forged with current players, there should be no problems mastering either of those facets in the offseason.

Good players want to play for winning programs under winning coaches, so the fact that this coaching staff earned the team its first non-losing season in 10 years should be an incredible resource for recruiting. Aided by the experience several coaches had while recruiting at the University of Connecticut-a football program in a different league in more ways than one-Wilson's staff should give Columbia a fighting chance in bringing in talented recruits who can fit in his game plan. The task will be difficult, however, as he has to replace the 15 graduating seniors, while padding his rail-thin roster.

"It means a lot for the coaches to go on the road and to say we were .500 and we're building on something," Wilson said. "It means a lot to the guys that are coming back to be inspired a little more to get in the weight room and to try to continue the win streak that they're on."

With a long list of talented underclassmen to work with in the offseason, the Lions are in good shape to replace their graduating seniors. Three different Lions earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors over the course of the season.

Linebacker Justin Masorti received the honor for his performance against Cornell, linebacker Andy Shalbrack, who led the league in interceptions for the season, earned the recognition for his play against both Dartmouth and Georgetown, and wide receiver Austin Knowlin earned the distinction three times. Knowlin was also named League Rookie of the Year.

And those are just the freshmen.

Add to that the developing talents of sophomore running back Jordan Davis, sophomore linebacker Drew Quinn, and two-time Special Teams Player of the Week sophomore kicker Jon Rocholl, the Lions appear to have a solid foundation of personnel on which to build their future.

Now all they have to do is continue to execute.

That execution is easier to accomplish now that three-quarters of next year's team have tasted league victory. That's not a taste that the team will willingly give up, and it will push itself to be a league contender in years to come. Wilson's staff has got his players seeing the game in a whole new light, and as long as he is at the helm, this program is headed in the right direction.

"I came here to start something, to turn this program around," senior co-captain Uche Osadebe said after his final game as a Lion. "I think we really did that, going 5-5 for the first time and starting things off right for the off-season for these younger guys."

The next step? Finish it. We'll all be watching.

Carolyn Braff is a Columbia College senior majoring in urban studies amd Spanish.
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