A Very Lengthy Road Ahead

As an African-American man in this country, the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama was a signification of what seemed to be an unreachable goal. Sure, black Presidents had come to fruition on television and movie screens, but there didn't seem to be a lot of evidence to suggest this could happen in real life for quite a long period of time.

Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," like many of his works, discusses life and the choices that must be made in it. He ends this particular poem by repeating the line of how the main character has "miles to go before (he) sleep(s)". In a way, the inauguration of President Obama brings some to the end of those miles they had to travel. For others, it signifies just the beginning of those miles they must go.

The same can be said in many aspects of life, although on a much less epic scale. Take collegiate athletics. Over the past few years, several small universities have shifted part of their focus to improving and enhancing their athletic programs. The most obvious endpoint of this venture could be seen in moving up a division in the college ranks.

The change has probably been most evident on the basketball court, where several teams have made the jump from Division II to Division I over the past 10 to twelve years. One such case is currently happening in Newark, NJ. Amongst the shadows of the state school (Rutgers) and the private university (Seton Hall), the New Jersey Institute of Technology is trying to build their own niche of athletic relevance.

NJIT decided to step their Highlander sports teams up from D-II to D-I earlier this decade. The basketball team started to take that plunge in 2006, and they actually put a positive spin on the move by knocking off two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams in Manhattan and Rider. Since then, the story hasn't gone their way.

After that fast push from the blocks, NJIT won three out of their next 27 games, ending up 5-24 for the '06-'07 campaign. In November of 2007, they began season two with a rematch against Manhattan. This one didn't go so well, as the Highlanders got crushed 70-28. Thus began a long, arduous season that saw loss after loss pile up. The closest they got to an opponent were nine-point defeats at Lehigh and at Stony Brook.

At the end of February, they had amassed the most losses in a winless season (0-29) and the most consecutive losses in a season. The records are put in the NCAA media guide under the condition that the team is under going reclassification, but they are still there alongside the 1991-1992 Prairie View A&M and 2004-2005 Savannah State teams that both finished 0-28.

With a new coaching staff in place and half the team replaced due to graduation, a second rematch with Manhattan ushered in the '08-'09 schedule. The 56-32 final wasn't as lopsided, but it continued the streak of losses. Going into Wednesday night's matchup with Bryant University, the Highlanders are 0-18, pushing their length of consecutive Division I defeats to 51 (including the last four games of the '06-'07 season). Even under reclassification, that shatters the old record of 34 established by Sacramento State from December of 1997 to January of 1999.

And it doesn't look to get any better for NJIT. Next year, the Highlanders will achieve their conference status. Of course, it won't be with the big boys from the ACC or Big East. So, they'll head to the MAAC, right? Uh, no. The America East Conference? Negative? It's got to be the Northeast Conference. Nope. The New Jersey Institute will be a proud member of the Great West. That's right ... I said the GREAT WEST. (I mean, really, was it too hard for any of the eastern leagues to throw these guys a bone?)

That means, if the streak continues, this team may have to try to break it next season while flying out to the following locations during league play:

San Luis Obispo and Davis, California
Orem and Cedar City, Utah
Vermillion, South Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Chicago, Illinois
Houston and Edinburg, Texas

It's not tough enough to field a fresh squad for a "normal" conference slate that features games a couple of states over, let alone trips that span three time zones and 1,500 to 3,000 miles for basically every opponent (against opponents that outscored them by an average of 16.9 points last season).

The affiliation is only for the 2009-2010 season at this point, so NJIT will have to arrange an extended or new affiliation after that time. However, even in these days of chartered planes and advanced technology, to have a team push themselves over that distance might ask a little much.

Personally, I have to give the Highlanders an "A" for their efforts. To decide to go against the deeper pockets and better talent pool of the bigger division is a large step and gives out its share of lumps. The wins will most definitely be few, but there might be one or two during the rest of this season (a rematch with Maryland-Eastern Shore, whom they lost to by four on December 6th, is set for January 28th).

In any case, I will secretly root for the New Jersey Institute of Technology through the rest of the season. I hope they win. I hope they grab victories in bunches. I hope they prove that they can compete at the D-I level. But struggle may be more appropriate and available due to the fact, figuratively and literally, that they have miles to go before they even think about getting groggy.