Brandon Rash doesn't talk much off the floor, but his words helped fire up Transylvania after an opening-night loss. Hoopsville photo by Dave McHugh

By Brian Falzarano
D3sports.com

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Instead of reading his team the riot act after a 26-point setback in Friday night's Hoopsville National Invitational Classic opener against Catholic, Brian Lane, head coach of No. 16-ranked Transylvania, started his postgame meeting by turning the floor over to a senior leader who, usually, is a man of few words.

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Brandon Rash changed all of that with a challenge to his teammates.

“I just said we each, to a man, had to decide that it mattered to us,” the senior swingman said. “Last night was just embarrassing. I've seen these guys and what they capable of. I usually don't speak that much and didn't want people to think we didn't compete or didn't like to compete.”

More than just the ego blow of a 67-41 rout in which the Pioneers went 14:14 without scoring, Rash's words struck the right tone with a team whose heart and passion Lane openly questioned during his postgame commentary a little more 24 hours earlier.

A little more than a day later, Transylvania left the Hoopsville National Invitational Classic a grittier, more united squad, having overcome a 10-point deficit to stave off a potential game-tying shot that rimmed out en route to a stirring 56-54 triumph over No. 24 Randolph-Macon that sent the 2012 NCAA Tournament participant back to Kentucky with a 1-1 record.

Afterward, all Transylvania talk centered around Rash's response — and how it ultimately fueled the Pioneers' reversal of fortune.

“I think we were all frustrated, (but) I think Brandon was most frustrated about how we all didn't compete the way we wanted to,” Lane said. “This could have been a very tough situation for us coming back after the way we play last night.”

Transylvania made it difficult by falling behind 41-31 with just over 14 minutes remaining, although no one wearing maroon looked worried. Even as the specter of an 0-2 start to their season loomed, the Pioneers thought back to their meeting the previous night.

One part of it featured Lane utilizing lessons learned from a best-selling book called “QBQ! Question Behind the Question” in which his players could only start a question asking how or why, use only I, and then follow with an action. For example: What can I do to help my team get better?

And the other was Rash's speech.

“You usually don't see him speak up vocally,” said senior and d3hoops.com Preseason Second Team All-American Ethan Spurlin, Rash's road roommate. “I know exactly where he's coming from. We had our meeting and he's absolutely right. I agree with him 100 percent.”

Although it was fellow senior Nick Fudge who netted the game-winning free throws with 1:53 left that gave the Pioneers a 56-54 cushion, ultimately Rash earned his spot on the All-Classic team with his 21-point, eight-rebound effort that included six points during a 19-4 surge that put Transylvania up 50-45. Of course, it did not hurt that the Pioneers produced 26 points off 22 Randolph-Macon turnovers.

However, the Pioneers still needed to survive a final shot by Randolph-Macon, a baseline jumper that rattled out, enabling Rash and his teammates to celebrate coming back from Friday night's debacle and a double-digit deficit Saturday night.

“We just needed to learn how to deal with adversity,” Rash said. “When times get tough, come together and say, 'Lets go' rather than get a long face and let it slip and slip. We learned how to come together.”

Transylvania came together. And found a vocal leader in the process.

“We showed the emotion that a good team should show,” Lane said.

Catholic pulls rank again

It may only be a two-game snapshot to start its season — after all, Catholic started last season 11-0 and failed to even qualify for its conference tournament — but, really, how much better could the Cardinals' weekend have fared at the inaugural Hoopsville National Invitational Classic?

From not receiving a vote in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, Catholic is well on its way to seeing its name in our next poll a week from Monday. Not that the Cardinals will be checking, because as senior Nate Koenig assured us, rankings are of no concern to he and his teammates.

Their concern: Restoring Catholic to its previous place of national prominence. If we will learn what the Cardinals are truly about it late February and March, consider their two games at the Hoopsville Classic a window into what we might see a few months from now.

Less than 24 hours after a stunning 67-41 victory over No. 19 Transylvania that featured a scoreless defensive stretch of 14:14, Catholic weathered a 28-16 opening outburst by responding with a decisive 43-12 surge that ultimately produced a 65-52 victory Saturday evening.

“This is what we aspired toward, what we worked toward,” senior guard Shawn Holmes said. “We all knew we could do it. It just shows the growth and maturity and buying into the system and trusting.”

“It's a good feeling, but I don't think any of us are surprised by it,” Koenig said. “I think we expected it and I think we can play with anybody. … Our freshman, sophomore, junior year, we might have crumbled under that 12-point (deficit).”

Not this new and improved version of Catholic. Not the one takes the slogan coach Steve Howes took from Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra while speaking with him at University of Florida coach Billy Donovan's camp this past summer, one that now embodies the version of a Cardinals' squad eager to succeed where it failed in recent seasons.

Together/Tough/Trust. The Heat branded it on the bottom of their NBA championship trophy. At least through its first 80 minutes of this young season, Catholic is living it.

From trailing 28-16 just 4:05 before the break, Pete Schramm — who played only three minutes against Transylvania — changed the tenor of what was looking like a blowout. The 6-8 junior center buried two free throws, assisted on scores from seniors Chris Kearney (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Koenig (12 points, seven rebounds), then tipped in a missed Koenig three-pointer before the halftime buzzer to pull Catholic within 28-27 as it left the floor.

“Runs happen in basketball,” Koenig said. “You know each team is going to go on runs each game. Coach made a good move put Pete Schramm in the game and that completely changed the game. We knew we were going to make our run.”

Only Catholic's run was far from over. When Steve Limberiou's third three-pointer in 67 seconds flowed through the net, the Cardinals seized an insurmountable 59-40 advantage with 5:03 left.

Think about it. From scoring just 16 points in the first 15:55, Catholic reeled off 43 over the next 19:02, buoyed by a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers and 16 second-chance tallies.

“You hold them to stops, but you give up offensive rebounds … it's a backbreaker,” St. Mary's coach Chris Harney said.

It is also an indication that, if two games can be counted upon to provide an accurate snapshot, that this is a Catholic squad ready to return to March Madness for the first time since 2007.

“It's what we aspired to. It's what the program has been about,” Howes said. “But we have to do this 23 more times.”