MHERST — The five-year coaching career of Bruiser Flint at the University of Massachusetts may be over any day now, unless Chancellor David K. Scott or other influential administrators intercede on his behalf.

UMass was left out of the National Invitation Tournament, a stunning development after the Minutemen (15-15) had reached the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament before losing 76-65 to Temple Saturday.

UMass had gone 13-6 since New Year's Day, and its Rating Percentage Index was 64th, a more than sufficient power rating for the NIT. But Dayton and St. Bonaventure, which finished lower than UMass in the Atlantic 10 Conference, were chosen while the Minutemen were not.

The absence of UMass from the 32-member field raised the prospect that Flint might be gone as early as today. Athletic director Bob Marcum, who has appeared to favor a coaching change, was in his office last night, and is expected to meet with Flint and other UMass officials today.

Comments last week by Scott, who will serve as chancellor until July 1, indicated Flint's emphasis on educational values, coupled with the team's late surge and the coach's career 86-72 record, would be considered. Scott claims the final decision rests with him, but that he will consult with other officials.

Flint ranks third all-time in UMass coaching victories.

Marcum said last night he wouldn't comment on Flint's situation until speaking with the coach today. He also insisted he wanted UMass to be picked for the NIT.

Sources close to the situation have questioned whether Marcum's disenchantment with Flint had somehow undermined the chances of UMass being chosen. Marcum emphatically denies preferring UMass not be chosen.

"I never spoke to the NIT people (before the selections)," he said. "But I never felt good about our chances. I'm disappointed."

Officials at the NIT office could not be reached last night. Last year, UMass was chosen for the tournament with a 17-15 record.

Marcum said he was concerned about quotes by some UMass players after the Temple loss that they were not enthused about playing in the NIT.

But Flint said last night he had spoken with the team yesterday morning, and that the players had already put aside some of their disappointment about missing the NCAA tournament, and were asking where they'd be going for the NIT.

"I'm a little surprised we didn't make it," Flint said. "(Saturday night), everybody insisted we were a lock. I guess that's the way it goes."

Flint said Atlantic 10 officials had been among those offering the promising forecast.

Atlantic 10 media relations director Ray Cella said A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno had spoken with NIT selectors over the weekend, promoting all eligible A-10 teams.

Cella said no indication of any team's chances had been given.

Flint expects to talk to Marcum today. He has not ruled out returning to UMass, where he has one year left on his contract.

But neither is he optimistic, either. If UMass fires Flint, the school will be obligated to pay him about $150,000 for the final year.

"I guess we'll sit down today and see what's going on," Flint said. He has stated that unless UMass revamps its attitude toward nonconference scheduling, which he thought doomed his team to a poor start, the future won't be any better than the recent past.

Marcum has defended the scheduling, saying it helps the power ratings that help determine NCAA qualification.

"People heard what (NCAA selection committee chairman) Mike Tranghese said (last night)," Marcum said. "Those were his words, not mine."

Tranghese said strength of schedule was a prime consideration of selectors — explaining, among other things, how Georgia was selected with a 16-14 record.

The NIT has no stipulations other than the requirement of at least a .500 record. The ability to draw a large home crowd helps, too, which is why UMass expected a road game based on flagging attendance at the Mullins Center.

While the players were disappointed at missing the NCAA tournament, several pledged to keep playing hard for Flint, hoping an extended NIT run might strengthen his chances of being retained.

An NIT bid would have also given Flint a chance for his first postseason win. He is 0-3 with 1997 and 1998 first-round NCAA tournament losses, and last year's 66-65 NIT defeat to Siena.

he forgotten man of University of Massachusetts athletics, who also happens to run the Amherst campus, has entered the ring.

But the fight over Bruiser Flint's future is already winding down, and while Chancellor David K. Scott's thinly veiled support is refreshing, it may not change the fact Flint probably won't be the UMass coach much longer.

This won't be a dismissal as much as a divorce, one that added another depressing chapter with last night's news UMass would not even go to the NIT. Flint and athletic director Bob Marcum have irreconcilable differences.

But in comments to the Boston Herald last week, Scott entered the debate by saying that he, and no one else, has the final say.

Scott has this quaint notion that college teams exist to support the mission of the school. He could never work at Texas Tech, where the school exists to support the mission of the teams.

That's why his regard for the principled Flint remains high. Ironically, his comments about Flint's off-the-court qualities came just as Flint's coaching was gaining more appreciation.

His team had upset St. Joseph's. Flint was only one win away from reaching the NCAA tournament, and quite possibly saving his job.

Scott, whose job as chancellor ends July 1, didn't say Flint would be back. But everything else he said — about the importance of academics, about the need to be competitive within your conference, about understanding the reasons for the team's slow start — sounded like his way of saying "not so fast" to those who want Flint out.

There is no shortage of influential people involved here — Scott, athletic director Bob Marcum, the trustees and UMass president William M. Bulger. There's one other opinion worth considering, too. Flint's.

"If I come back," he repeated yesterday, "some things have to be different."

Flint does not want to come back without an extension of his contract, which has one year to run. He doesn't say he won't. What he does say is it's either time to create a schedule that gives him a fair chance, or it's time to move on.

The biggest mistake he has made at UMass, he said, was not speaking up earlier.

"When you're a young coach, you do what they tell you," Flint said. But was Flint ever in a position to demand anything?

"Even if I wasn't," he said yesterday, "I should have."

I have this theory that of all the coaches in college basketball, 20 percent are brilliant, 20 percent shouldn't have their jobs, and the other 60 percent fall in the middle.

Flint is in that 60 percent, though his emphasis on values elevate him within that group, at least in my mind. UMass assumes that long lines of candidates from that top 20 percent will apply. I think we're in for a reality check.

Based on what Marcum himself has said, Flint should be back. The athletic director often points out that the season has three parts, and only the nonconference part — which because of the schedule, was also the part least in Flint's control — went poorly.

But for Flint, the UMass job has become an ordeal. It looks like he'll soon be gone, and Marcum will have a chance to hire whomever he wants — taking Flint off the firing line, and putting Marcum much closer to it.

Flint wants changes he thinks are necessary, but which Scott won't be around to guarantee, unless Scott volunteers to start doing the nonconference scheduling.

Scott's support of what Flint represents is refreshing, valid and commendable, and he says he's the final word. But it's likely Flint is gone, off to a school where competitive teams and high graduation rates are good enough.

Maybe we'll bump into him down the road, in our own desperate search for the path back to the Final Four.

ruiser Flint, like everyone else connected to the UMass program last night, was living on rumors in the hours leading up to the selection of the NIT field.

One scenario had the Minutemen (15-15), a day after their loss to Temple in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament, playing former UMass coach John Calipari and Memphis in the NIT's first round.

With Villanova and UConn being snubbed by the NCAA selection committee, both teams also received mention as possible UMass opponents. Ditto for Richmond - the regular-season Colonial Athletic Association champ that also received a snub.

But reality was much colder to the Minutemen, as UMass did not make the NIT tournament at all.

The news, coming on the heels of UMass' emotionally draining 76-65 loss to Temple in the Atlantic 10 final, will undoubtedly have an effect on the coaching situation.

Flint's job was already thought to be in serious jeopardy. The word was that athletic director Bob Marcum was planning a major challenge to Flint's job security.

As far as the teams that did make the NIT, the Big East, which sent five teams to the NCAA tournament, had six more selected last night.

Connecticut (19-11), Villanova (18-12), West Virginia (17-11), Seton Hall (16-14), Miami (16-12) and Pittsburgh (18-13) are among the 32-team field that begins play at campus sites on Tuesday.

The semifinals and finals will be played at Madison Square Garden on March 27 and 29.

St. John's, Virginia Tech and Rutgers - which all had losing records - are the only Big East schools not to be chosen for postseason play.

Seton Hall, a surprise semifinalist in the Big East tournament, will play at Alabama (21-10) on Tuesday night.

Connecticut, the 1999 NCAA champion, will play host to South Carolina (15-14) the next night. Also on Wednesday, Miami travels to Auburn (17-13); Villanova plays at Minnesota (17-13); and Pittsburgh welcomes St. Bonaventure (18-11).

West Virginia will play Friday at Richmond, the regular-season champion of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Spiders (21-6) were barred from the CAA tournament because they are moving to the Atlantic 10 next season.

North Carolina-Wilmington (19-10) will be at Dayton (19-12) on Wednesday in the same building where the NCAA opening-round game will be held the night before. First- and second-round Midwest Regional games will also take place at University of Dayton Arena on Friday and Sunday.

Other first-round matchups on Wednesday, include, Detroit (22-10) at Bradley (19-11); Illinois State (21-8) at Purdue (15-14); UC Irvine (25-4) at Tulsa (21-11); Southern Mississippi (22-8) at Mississippi State (16-12); Pepperdine (21-8) at Wyoming (20-9); Baylor (19-11) at New Mexico (19-12); and McNeese State (22-8) at Texas-El Paso (22-8).

South Alabama (22-10) travels to Toledo (21-10) to play the only game on Thursday night. The only other Tuesday game has Memphis (17-14) at Utah (19-11).

Earlier in the day, things seemed much more encouraging for UMass and the NIT.

After all, UMass had ended the A-10 season with at least one win over every team in the conference, including a 4-3 record against Temple, Xavier and St. Joseph's - the three A-10 teams with NCAA bids. It looked like the Minutemen may have better times ahead.

Flint was in a reflective mood. ``We have to be proud of what we've done,'' he said. ``We've been playing good basketball since January. It's just the start of our season that was unfortunate.''

``But (the NIT) is another opportunity. When you're a senior, and you take a moment to stop and look a round at what is about to follow once basketball ends, your first reaction can be, `Uh-oh.' ''

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

he rumors began last season when the Massachusetts men's basketball team struggled to a 17-16 record and a first round exit from the NIT.

Since then, it has become a genuine possibility. James "Bruiser" Flint may not be the head coach of the Minutemen next year, depending on how his team does in the Atlantic 10 tournament this week in his hometown of Philadelphia.

It seems that of late, many people have been calling for Flint's head on the top of a pole, and have entertained the thought of just about any other person jumping to the helm of the UMass ship.

And none of it really makes any sense.

"I'm proud of what I have done here," Flint said. "I've won games, I've graduated my players and whether I coach here or not next season I'm going to hold my head up high. My record speaks for itself; I've done better than most."

Flint should be proud of what he has done here. In the five years he has been in Amherst, he has totaled an 84-71 record, while consistently playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. His conference record (52-28) has been even better, and his .650 winning percentage ranks him below only Temple's John Chaney and Xavier's Skip Prosser as far as success goes in the A-10.

His teams qualified for the postseason three out of four years (with this season yet to be determined), and he continued the UMass tradition of playing anyone, anywhere. In the 2000-01 campaign, the Maroon and White totaled the 12th hardest schedule in the nation, with most of those tough games coming on the road.

In addition, he has done a fantastic job of motivating this year's squad. The Minutemen were a lowly 2-9 at one point after a demoralizing loss at the hands of Richmond, and could have easily rolled over and given up on the year. Instead of doing that, though, Massachusetts exploded out of the A-10 gates, going 11-5 in the conference to propel itself back into respectability.

If Flint is going to take the blame for the 2-9 start, which is one of the main arguments against him, than you have to also give him credit for team's 11-5 finish. And that should be reason enough for him to keep his place of employment.

"If you go 11-5 in conference play, that's pretty good," Flint said. "But when you are 13-14, people are going to talk about your job."

In only five years, Flint has also commanded the respect of almost every peer that has happened to get the chance to know him. Oregon's Ernie Kent, UConn's Jim Calhoun, St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, Fordham's Bob Hill, St. Bonaventure's Jim Baron, Iona's Jeff Ruland, Rhode Island's Jerry DeGregorio and others have all showed their support for Flint in press conferences after games, and have delivered some inspiring speeches in the process.

"I think all of this talk about him not being here next year is nonsense," DeGregorio said about Flint. "He is about as good of a coach as we have in the conference and he is as class an act as there is. He does an outstanding job and more importantly, he is an outstanding person."

Baron and Martelli both agreed wholeheartedly with the URI coach. "Bruiser has done a hell of a job, especially with the tough start they had," Baron said. "The last two months, they have been as good a team as any in the country."

"I think you should be embarrassed to go to UMass if it's a place where a guy like that has to fight for his job," Martelli added. "Just look at what he's done, turning around a 2-9 team like he has. You aren't going to find a better coach than him."

But it is not just his fellow coaches that Flint has had such an effect on. His players also realize that they are lucky to have him on the bench, and they have delivered some inspiring speeches as well.

"I think Bruiser is a good coach," forward Winston Smith said. "He came at the helm when coach [John Calipari] was here and the team had just gone to the Final Four, but I think that if people give him a chance, he can also take UMass to the Final Four."

Kitwana Rhymer took a different approach when asked about his coach's job security.

"Let's get over [all the rumors and talk]," the senior center stated while pointing toward Flint. "That is my coach."

Relating to his players, on the court and in the classroom, has been another mark of Flint's tenure at UMass. Nine of eleven players have graduated under the fifth-year coach, and Anthony Oates is in the process of getting his degree this semester, making it an impressive 91 percent graduation rate.

Flint's former players have also had a habit of staying connected to the program, and they have recently expressed their concern about the well being of their former mentor.

"All of my players in the last couple of weeks have called me to make sure I was alright," Flint said.

On a different note, one thing a lot of people around here don't seem to understand is the fact that UMass is not historically a basketball powerhouse. Because the Minutemen had a nice streak of tournament appearances in the 1990's, people automatically want to compare Massachusetts to places like UCLA and North Carolina. However, in 100 years of Maroon and White competition, exactly two players have moved from Amherst to NBA success, Marcus Camby and Julius Erving. That is a far cry from the aforementioned schools, which have had enough NBA players to form about five all-star teams each.

In addition, UMass has had more losing seasons than most people realize. From 1978 to 1989, the Minutemen did not even record a single winning season, and if not for one seven-year run, then the Maroon and White would have exactly one NCAA tournament appearance to its credit.

All of this does not necessarily excuse Flint, of course, but it does show that UMass does not have the resources most people think it does. Recruiting in the Atlantic 10 is not easy, and with the possible exception of Temple, every school has had its ups and downs over the last 15 years. A two or three year absence from the tourney is far from catastrophic, and more successful teams than the Minutemen have gone through similar droughts.

Also, plenty of quality programs are struggling more than UMass right now, and that does not mean that their coaches should take the entirety of the blame, either. Louisville, Rhode Island, Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico - just to name a few - all made quality runs through the NCAA tournament over the last few years, and are now wallowing in mediocrity.

Every NCAA team goes through its ups and downs, and as long as the Minutemen continue playing in the upper echelon of their conference, there should be no reason for Flint to worry about where he will be next season.

While he has been in Amherst, Flint has run a clean program, graduated his players, won more games than just about any other A-10 coach, commanded the respect of his peers and players and has quietly gone about his business despite all of the rumors about his job security. If that does not constitute a good coach, then what does?

"I've had a lot of fun here," Flint said. "I've enjoyed myself and I still think we can win the A-10."

Here is to hoping that Flint continues to enjoy his head coaching position next year.

he final episode in a weekend filled with bad news for Bruiser Flint will come today when he is fired from his post as men's basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts after a five-year tenure.

The firing was a fait accompli after UMass lost to Temple in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament final Saturday night, costing the team an NCAA bid. But the process was accelerated last night when the Minutemen learned they were snubbed by the National Invitation Tournament.

According to sources, athletic director Bob Marcum will inform Flint of the decision today. When reached by phone at his office last night, Marcum was noncommital. ''We're going to sit down and talk about things,'' Marcum said.

But the talking is over for Flint. The final year of his contract will be bought out.

''I guess we'll settle some things now,'' Flint said when reached by phone at his home. Flint could look into openings at La Salle and Drexel, and would be a strong candidate if Northeastern makes an expected move in the next day or two and dismisses coach Rudy Keeling.

As for UMass, the dismissal of Flint will initiate another flurry of activity in a search for a new coach. While some UMass alumni wanted Bobby Knight, people who know Knight's current situation say the former Indiana coach is too involved with Texas Tech, which has been in discussions with Knight since last week about the vacant coaching job at the Big 12 school. If Knight is off the radar screen, then the Minutemen must scale down the search.

Flint had been under siege all year after the team got off to a horrendous 2-9 start, but when the Minutemen rebounded during the conference season with an 11-5 record, then reached the league tournament final, they were one step away from an NCAA berth, which would have made it very difficult to fire Flint. While there was no guarantee that an NCAA bid would have saved his job, a first-round victory might have gone a long way to ensuring that.

But that hope was dashed when Temple handed UMass a 76-65 loss in the conference tournament final in Philadelphia Saturday. When the team took a bus back to its Amherst campus yesterday morning, however, Flint's coaching career at UMass still seemed to have some life because it appeared the Minutemen's 15-15 record would merit an NIT bid. Rarely has a team from a major conference with a Ratings Percentage Index of under 100 and a .500 or better record not received a bid.

But late last night, when the NIT selection committee chose its field, Flint was informed of what would become his double jeopardy: no bid, which meant no more coaching for him at UMass.

''What?'' Flint exclaimed, last night when informed of the NIT committee's decision. ''You're kidding me. It's very disappointing. People were calling me and telling me we were in. We were ready to play.''

As it turned out, all the teams in this year's NIT field have a better-than-.500 record, and only two - Purdue (15-14) and South Carolina (15-14) - are one game over .500.

Flint was hired after John Calipari left UMass to coach the New Jersey Nets in 1996 and he took the Minutemen to three postseason appearances (one NCAA, two NIT) in his five years. But during that stretch, there was a steady decline in the interest in the program, with attendance for home games at the Mullins Center dropping. Revenue from the basketball program is essential at UMass, since it is the only profitable program the athletic department has.

For the past two seasons, Flint has been judged as much by how many people were in the stands as by how many games his team has won. This season's horrible start, which some people blamed on scheduling tough opponents and a preponderance of road games, exacerbated the frustration felt by many in the UMass administration. So much so that there was a faction calling for Flint's dismissal in December after the 2-9 start in the nonconference portion of the team's schedule.

It took three months for the drama to play out, and today, the final curtain falls.

MHERST - The University of Massachusetts was eight minutes away from the NCAA Tournament, but its strong finish in the Atlantic 10 was not enough to earn the Minutemen their second consecutive trip to the National Invitation Tournament's 32-team field.

"I'm very surprised," UMass coach Bruiser Flint said Sunday night. "A lot of people said they thought we were in. That it was almost a lock. Down the stretch we played as well as anybody in the country. But that's the way it goes."

The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is an instrument that the NCAA uses to rank teams using winning percentage against Division I opponents and strength of schedule. The Minutemen were ranked 64th Sunday, which made them the 16th highest ranked team not to make it to the NCAAs. Seventeen teams with RPI ranks worse than UMass' made the NIT.

NIT Executive Director Jack Powers said UMass was a difficult omission.

"It was a tough call," he said. "We had them up on the board all night. It came down to them and St. Bonaventure in that conference."

Powers said that RPI is a factor the committee considers, but not the only one.

"It's not the end-all," he said. "We take other factors into consideration."

Powers said that many schools call to lobby for a place in the 32-team field, but that UMass hadn't done much campaigning.

Minuteman Athletic Director Bob Marcum defended the NIT committee's decision to exclude his school.

"I didn't feel good about it last night and after looking at the NCAA field, I had my doubts," Marcum said. "When you look at all the schools the Big East got in there, you have to give them credit. They had a great year."

The focus now shifts fully on Flint's job security.

The embattled coach has faced inquiries about whether or not he'd be fired all season. He nearly saved his job when the Minutemen almost upset Temple Saturday, a win that would have earned UMass a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Flint's relationship with Marcum has become more strained over the past two years. Both have criticized each other publicly while privately barely interacting at all.

Powers said the NIT committee was aware last year that Flint's job security was precarious when they selected the Minutemen for the tournament, but wasn't aware that he was still in trouble.

"I hadn't heard that," Powers said. "I think Bruiser has done a great job. Who are they going to bring in up there that's better? I hope to God they don't let him go."

MACK'S MARK - With no NIT trip, Saturday marked the final game in the brilliant career of Minuteman guard Monty Mack.

The South Boston product arrived at UMass as a partial qualifier and was forced to sit out his freshman year. After completing his degree requirements in four years, he earned back his lost year of eligibility, allowing him to complete one of the most impressive offensive resumes the school has ever seen.

He finished his career as one of only two players to score 2,000 points; his 2,183 is No. 2 on UMass' all-time chart.

Fellow seniors Jonathan DePina and Winston Smith also completed their careers. Center Kitwana Rhymer is listed as a senior, but if he completes his sociology degree before the summer is over, he'll be able to play for another year, as Mack did.