Westfield State College will be represented at the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four this weekend as a result of George Mason University's shocking overtime victory over the University of Connecticut in Sunday's Regional Finals in Washington, D.C.
Chris Caputo, a 2002 Westfield State College graduate, is an assistant coach for George Mason, which, according to some media experts, recorded the “biggest upset of consequence in college basketball history.”
Caputo, who was a four-year reserve point guard for the Owls, has been surviving on adrenaline during his college's March Madness rush to the Final Four this weekend in Indianapolis.
“It's been absolutely crazy, the media and everything else,” said Caputo from his Fairfax, Va., home. “You just get knocked in the face with it.
“Hopefully, we can win a couple of games down there (Final Four), but having a mid-major team make it this far is just a great thing. And it's great to have the MASCAC (Massachusetts State College Athletics Conference) represented in the Final Four.”
There was a distinct MASCAC and Western Massachusetts flavor on the sidelines this past Sunday. The Huskies are coached by AIC graduate Jim Calhoun and long-time UConn assistant coach Tom Moore was the head coach at Worcester State in the early 1990s.
In addition to Caputo, George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga was the head coach for two years at AIC in the late 1970s, and George Mason reserve guard Tim Burns is a graduate of Greenfield High School and Worcester Academy.
Caputo was an honor student at Westfield State, majoring in economics and finance. But he knew that he wanted to coach and coach at a higher level. And with his New York City background, he had the connections and confidence to make the big jump from a Division III player to a Division I assistant coach.
A native of Elmshurst, N.Y., Caputo is a 1998 graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School, the same alma mater of Larranaga. Playing for the legendary Jack Curran, Caputo saw 11 of his teammates during his four years at Molloy go on to play NCAA Division I basketball.
Caputo was a part-time assistant coach (translation: full-time job, part-time pay) his first three years at George Mason and was the coordinator of video. He was elevated to full-time status this season and it's been an incredible ride for him.
The Patriots have posted a 27-7 record with NCAA Tournament victories over three teams that have won NCAA championships - Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn; they also defeated highly regarded Wichita State.
“I'm 25 years old and I am in the Final Four as an assistant coach; it's pretty crazy,” said Caputo. “Timing and luck are huge factors.”
Hard work, dedication, and loyalty also are major reasons Caputo will be experiencing college basketball's biggest stage this weekend. The week before Selection Sunday, Caputo slept in the lockerroom before taking a flight to Massachusetts to recruit a player. A day later, he was flying to Arizona for another recruiting visit.
Caputo expects the recruiting to intensify after George Mason's Final Four appearance. Unlike many of the so-called experts, however, he doesn't believe the Patriots' tournament victories were truly that stunning.
“We've had success before,” Caputo said. “We advanced to the (NIT Tournament) third round in 2004. Plus, we have been playing tougher non-conference teams during the regular season and our conference (Colonial Athletic Association) had five or six teams ranked in the RPI (strength of schedule) top 100.
“And we have a veteran team this year. We have four-year players who aren't going anywhere (leaving college early for the professional ranks). Teams like UConn have younger guys who are 18 years old.”
