Thankfully, Pat Murphy enjoys donning a nice suit on gameday opposed to a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Other than that and the Monroe boys basketball head coach's jovial personality, the similarities between he and the New England Patriots director Bill Belichick are striking. Arguably, both are the best at their respective positions and levels. They both also oversee rosters spilling over with talent.
Still, neither wants to completely acknowledge what they have other than pretty good teams that have to "get better."
Even when the stats say otherwise.
Last Friday, for the seventh time in 10 victories the Cheesemakers won by more than 15 points with a 59-40 clobbering of Monona Grove at home. Monroe's 10 wins have come by an average of 19.9 points. Junior point guard Mitch Tordoff - the Cheesemakers' Tom Brady - averages 18.6 points and has been Monroe's leading scorer in every game.
How much better can a team get than that? Eerily, the Cheesemakers have really just begun to find their groove.
The chip that was firmly on the Cheesemakers' shoulders last season when they "were too young" according to media figures and other pundits has mutated into a second head that petrifies opposing offenses -Monroe's defense has allowed only 36.8 points per game.
And the attitude that Monroe brings along with its defense is menacing to boot. Monona Grove outscored the Cheesemakers 12-6 in the fourth quarter Friday night and defensive specialist Matt Turek - Monroe's Rodney Harrison sans human growth hormone - was none too pleased with the transpirings.
"We're going to see better teams down the stretch and to have mini-collapses like that is just unacceptable," Turek said. "We've just got to continue work on tightening the bolts and just covering all your bases. And be as good as you can all the time."
Offensively, Monroe scores 56.7 points a game in part because at least four Cheesemakers -Tordoff, Bryan Tordoff, Brett Stangel and Tony Cates - can easily score in double-digits if given the scoring opportunities. Teams across the Division 2 board would saw off an appendage to have that type of scoring depth. It's also frightening to think of the kinds of numbers reserves like Cullen Sampson and Jake Grinnell could provide if they were in Murphy's eight-man rotation. They both have filled the cup when out on the floor.
Going into the season, everyone in town and around the state knew the Cheesemakers would be good. This good, though? Well, not every surprise is confined to Halloween.
It even allows Murphy to take his Belichick mask off for a moment. But, only for a moment of candid commentary.
"I tell these guys we could be a part of something special," Murphy said after Friday's game. "To go back-to-back years of having pretty quality teams is hard to do, in our league and in Division 2 basketball."
Monroe has 10 more games left on its schedule before the WIAA postseason starts and the pressure of one-and-done games magnifies immensely and the thought of running the table is a speck on the radar. But, a speck nonetheless.
"If we just stay hungry and humble and take it one game at a time," Turek said. "If we don't get too ahead of ourselves and just concentrate beating the team that's next. I like our chances too."
One foot in front of the other got the New England Patriots to 16-0 this season - and makes them the favorite to go 19-0 with a Lombardi Trophy raised in hand. If the pattern fits, 27-0 and a second Gold Ball in as many years locked away in the case is very real in the foreseeable future.
- John McNally is a sports reporter with The Monroe Times. He can be reached at jmcnally@themonroetimes.com
Other than that and the Monroe boys basketball head coach's jovial personality, the similarities between he and the New England Patriots director Bill Belichick are striking. Arguably, both are the best at their respective positions and levels. They both also oversee rosters spilling over with talent.
Still, neither wants to completely acknowledge what they have other than pretty good teams that have to "get better."
Even when the stats say otherwise.
Last Friday, for the seventh time in 10 victories the Cheesemakers won by more than 15 points with a 59-40 clobbering of Monona Grove at home. Monroe's 10 wins have come by an average of 19.9 points. Junior point guard Mitch Tordoff - the Cheesemakers' Tom Brady - averages 18.6 points and has been Monroe's leading scorer in every game.
How much better can a team get than that? Eerily, the Cheesemakers have really just begun to find their groove.
The chip that was firmly on the Cheesemakers' shoulders last season when they "were too young" according to media figures and other pundits has mutated into a second head that petrifies opposing offenses -Monroe's defense has allowed only 36.8 points per game.
And the attitude that Monroe brings along with its defense is menacing to boot. Monona Grove outscored the Cheesemakers 12-6 in the fourth quarter Friday night and defensive specialist Matt Turek - Monroe's Rodney Harrison sans human growth hormone - was none too pleased with the transpirings.
"We're going to see better teams down the stretch and to have mini-collapses like that is just unacceptable," Turek said. "We've just got to continue work on tightening the bolts and just covering all your bases. And be as good as you can all the time."
Offensively, Monroe scores 56.7 points a game in part because at least four Cheesemakers -Tordoff, Bryan Tordoff, Brett Stangel and Tony Cates - can easily score in double-digits if given the scoring opportunities. Teams across the Division 2 board would saw off an appendage to have that type of scoring depth. It's also frightening to think of the kinds of numbers reserves like Cullen Sampson and Jake Grinnell could provide if they were in Murphy's eight-man rotation. They both have filled the cup when out on the floor.
Going into the season, everyone in town and around the state knew the Cheesemakers would be good. This good, though? Well, not every surprise is confined to Halloween.
It even allows Murphy to take his Belichick mask off for a moment. But, only for a moment of candid commentary.
"I tell these guys we could be a part of something special," Murphy said after Friday's game. "To go back-to-back years of having pretty quality teams is hard to do, in our league and in Division 2 basketball."
Monroe has 10 more games left on its schedule before the WIAA postseason starts and the pressure of one-and-done games magnifies immensely and the thought of running the table is a speck on the radar. But, a speck nonetheless.
"If we just stay hungry and humble and take it one game at a time," Turek said. "If we don't get too ahead of ourselves and just concentrate beating the team that's next. I like our chances too."
One foot in front of the other got the New England Patriots to 16-0 this season - and makes them the favorite to go 19-0 with a Lombardi Trophy raised in hand. If the pattern fits, 27-0 and a second Gold Ball in as many years locked away in the case is very real in the foreseeable future.
- John McNally is a sports reporter with The Monroe Times. He can be reached at jmcnally@themonroetimes.com
