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Junior Tim Pollitz shoots over Akron's Romeo Travis in the championship game of the MAC Tournament. Pollitz was named the MVP after the game.

RedHawks fall short in Duck hunt, unable to extend Cinderella season

By: Ben Garbarek

Posted: 3/23/07

Although the clock struck midnight on the RedHawks' Cinderella story, Miami enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in recent years.

"We saved the best for last," Head Coach Charlie Coles said. "We proved we were a darn good team."

Miami secured its first invitation to the big dance since 1999's trip to the Sweet 16 on a thrilling buzzer-beater in the Mid-American Conference championship game by Doug Penno. The senior guard had a flair for the dramatics all season, providing the RedHawks with several game-winning shots during the season.

"The game-winner in the MAC Championship was something I'll never forget," Penno said. "It's something as a basketball player you dream about."

Miami also played a spirited game against the No. 3 seed Oregon Ducks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red and White faced a tough Ducks squad in Spokane, Wash., and jumped out to an early 9-0 advantage. It would be the only time they would lead in the game.

With an opportunity to tie it late, Michael Bramos' off-balance, fallaway 3-pointer could not repeat Penno's earlier heroics from the MAC Championship game and hit the front of the rim to end Miami's magical run.

"What I'm most proud of, is that even though we lost to Oregon on their turf, we played at a high level," Coles said.

Despite falling short in the opening round of the tournament, the RedHawks say they have plenty to be proud of this season.

"We take pride in our toughness, we proved against Oregon that we can play any team in the nation," senior Monty St. Clair said.

Miami began the season slowly, posting a 5-10 record during the first half of the season. The Red and White played its opponents closely, but were on the losing end of several close games during its non-conference schedule.

The RedHawks' fortunes began to turn during their MAC conference schedule as they returned to their winning ways claiming victory in 10 of their last 13 games to compile an 18-14 record overall, and a solid 10-6 record in conference play. The 'Hawks finished the season perfect at home against their MAC rivals at 8-0, and an impressive 11-2 overall in the friendly confines of Millett Hall.

"We were able to fight back and turn this season into the season it was," Penno said. "It was the most amazing turnaround I have ever been a part of."

Coles knew that building momentum the entire regular season would pay off in the post season.

"We were building momentum all season," Coles said. "We used that momentum to beat three really good teams in the MAC Tournament."

Miami beat three of the top teams in the MAC on three consecutive nights in the tournament. The RedHawks first knocked off Ohio, the team that had beaten Miami in the MAC Tournament three of the last four seasons. After avenging the Bobcats, Miami went on to stun top-seeded Toledo and defeat Akron in the championship on Penno's 3-pointer.

Despite the ups and downs of the 2006-07 season, Miami showed its fans they have plenty to look forward to next season. The RedHawks played well under Coles' system and played their opponents tough on the defensive end. Miami ended the season as the only team in the country not to give up more than 70 points in a game.

"These guys became very difficult to play against," Coles said. "We were a tough team, mentally and physically - we were a very good defensive team."

Coles noted that one of Miami's best defensive performances came in the NCAA Tournament against Oregon.

"Even though we lost that game, we had chances to win it at the end," Coles said. "Oregon was one of the most explosive teams in the nation and they had a hard time scoring on us."

The 'Hawks will undoubtedly miss their three seniors, but the RedHawks saw key contributions from their underclassmen.

Junior forward Tim Pollitz had a breakout season finishing with a team-high 15.9 points per game, including 18.1 points a contest in conference play. Pollitz came alive during the second half of the season, scoring 20 or more points in nine of his last 12 games. Pollitz became the latest RedHawk to earn First-Team All-MAC honors for Miami. Pollitz joins the likes of William Hatcher (2006), Chet Mason (2005), Danny Horace (2005) and Juby Johnson (2004) with the honor.

Miami will be returning three of their five starters and plenty of young talent ready to fill in for the departed seniors.

"We have players that didn't play a lot this year that will blossom next season," Coles said.

The future of Miami basketball is brighter than it has been in a while. The bar has been raised, but Coles said he welcomes the heightened expectations after this season and looks forward to trying to punch a ticket to the big dance again next season.

"We didn't get a chance to dance enough," Coles said. "We only got one song."