Samford slows down pace, speeds up success

"I'm the only coach in Alabama who doesn't play golf," Tillette said.

But when he took over the Samford program as head coach in 1997, Tillette had a more urgent purpose in mind. Six years as an assistant at the academic-minded, Christian-influenced school in Birmingham made him plenty familiar with the recruiting limitations: He could get smart players and passionate players, but not overly athletic ones.

He knew he needed to install an intricate system that could use that intelligence to gain a competitive advantage, a way to confuse much more athletic teams. Things like precision cuts, screens, ball movement and cautiously taken three-pointers would be key.

He knew he needed the Princeton offense.

So Tillette tried to learn all he could by watching Princeton tapes, realizing that, under previous Tigers coach Pete Carril, the most intricate details of that offense were a very closely held secret. Then, figuring maybe things had changed after Carril left in 1996, called up then-coach Bill Carmody and basically begged to get in the door.

"Like a Greek bearing gifts, I said, 'Would you mind sharing your life's work with me?'" Tillette said. "They took pity on me."

Tillette spent some time during the summer of 1997 watching Princeton drills and exported it back to Samford that fall. The system took a while to catch on — the Bulldogs went just 14-13 in 1997-98 — but his team made the NCAA tournament in 1999 and 2000.

Since 2000, the Bulldogs have been over .500 in three seasons despite upgrading from the Atlantic Sun to Ohio Valley conferences in 2003. Tillette's adaptation was so successful that in 2003, Sports Illustrated named him "The Maven," the first outsider to come in and learn the Princeton system.

Now, Tillette can recruit players who are both eager to play in the system and those who learn to love it. Both see the same carrot: those NCAA tournament appearances.

"It takes you a little longer to get used to, but when you get into it, it helps your strengths," said guard Randall Gulina, the Bulldogs' leading scorer. "It becomes like a warm blanket."

With Gulina and three other returning starters, the Bulldog system is expected to be well-oiled enough this time to make another tournament appearance. They are picked to win the OVC, and Tillette, in order to prepare his veteran club and earn the school some money, scheduled road games with Florida, Arizona and LSU.

He also agreed to face the UA tonight in order to get center Travis Peterson, a graduate of Glendale's Mountain Ridge High School, closer to home. Peterson, who said he grew up dreaming of playing for UA coach Lute Olson, was not recruited by the Wildcats but now at least has a chance to play at McKale Center for a game.

Peterson is well aware of what is needed for the Bulldogs to have a chance.

"We have to play close to a perfect game," he said. "With bigger-name teams, we have to win with intangibles. We have to out-hustle them. We have to slow down the game on offense."

That contrasting philosophy is precisely why the UA brought in the Bulldogs. Their slow-paced style draws some comparisons to Washington State's Bennett Ball and the new scheme Herb Sendek is installing at Arizona State.

Olson said his players need to learn defensive patience, and several Wildcats said they are aware overplaying Samford defensively risks giving up easy backdoor baskets.

So although it might not be fun for the Wildcats, tonight's game will be necessary.

"It goes back to getting ready to play against this style of play," Olson said. "It's sort of like going back to the dentist."

Rim shot

● UA guard Mustafa Shakur and forward Marcus Williams were named among the 50 preseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy, one of the major college player of the year awards.

Today

● Who: Samford at Arizona

● Where: McKale Center

● When: 7:30 p.m.

● TV: FSNAZ

● Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 1210-AM (Spanish)