Jan. 29, 2002

Greenville, SC - As the team bus wound its way from the hotel to the Furman campus for Monday night's game, not a word was spoken by anyone.

To do so would be breaking routine and that is sacrilege in the world of sports.

"We never talk on the bus going to the game," Citadel coach Pat Dennis said. "That's just the way we do it. That time is for the players to mentally prepare for the game."

They arrived at the arena at exactly 5:45 for the 7 o'clock game against the Paladins and immediately went to the locker room for a chalk talk session before another shoot-around in the quiet auditorium. Right on time. Just the way they like it.

"Routine is very, very important," said Dennis, who loves it as much as every other coach in the business. "We do everything exactly the same way every road game. That way the players are conditioned to prepare themselves to play."

Which is fine as long as everything goes right. It's when things go wrong that these creatures of habit have to rethink the routine.

PRAYER RULES

For The Citadel, this road game began the day before with a shoot-around at McAlister Field House before loading up for the bus ride to a Greenville hotel.

"The players always sleep on the bus," Dennis said. "They cherish their sleep." Once they arrive, they meet with the coaches before lights out at midnight.

At 9 a.m. on game day, they eat breakfast at the hotel then bus over to Timmons Arena on the Furman campus for a shoot-around. The afternoon is spent watching tapes and getting the scouting report before they have their pre-game meal at exactly 3:45.

"We always have chicken, string beans, pasta and salad," Dennis said. "It's the same every time. Oh yeah, and I have a rule that the person who says the blessing never prays for us to win. You only pray to play well and stay healthy."

But sometimes, no matter how much you plan, things can go wrong. Players can be late. Buses can get lost. Traffic can slow you down. The meal might not be as good as you like. Those are the things that drive coaches crazy.

"I used to freak out when things went wrong," said Dennis, now in his 10th season at The Citadel. "Now I just try to take things in stride because if you make a big deal out of it, so will the players."

Anything else, coach?

"Oh yeah, I tell my wife never to wish me good luck before a game," he said. "That's bad luck."

BREAKING ROUTINE

All of this attention to detail over a 36-hour period is to ensure that the Bulldogs are totally prepared and focused for that two-hour period called the game.

Unfortunately, that's the one thing they can't control. On this night, the Bulldogs came out flat, fell behind fast, fought back but eventually lost to the Paladins, 83-75. That effort was followed by yet another long, quiet bus ride home.

"Sometimes," Dennis said, "it's a good idea to change things up if you start losing some games."

With three straight losses, it looks like it's time for the Bulldogs to break routine.