This is Part 4 of the story of one of Sussex County’s most standout of athletes. Michael Ferrara was exceptional in high school and college and made it to the NBA, considered the pinnacle of achievement.
How he gained his success is documented here, and the “history lesson” may act as a guide for others willing to try to make the best of what skills and abilities they may have.
Here is Mike’s story, as told by himself:
My first year in college, I went to Niagara University on a full basketball scholarship. Niagara had a big-time eastern basketball program back then, and they had just played in the NIT in spring ’76 (my senior year at Franklin High School).
Being in the recruiting process, I was invited to that game at Madison Square Garden. I had someone with me, but I can’t remember who it was. It was either Gary Baldwin and Eric Roskelly or Danny Walsh from Pleasant Valley Lake. Niagara lost to Kentucky and Goose Givens in the semifinals. That was when the NIT was a real tournament and only 32 teams qualified for the NCAA tournament.
I sat with Hubie Brown, head coach of what I remember was the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA. Hubie was a Niagara alumni and was the former roommate of Frank Layden (then head coach at Niagara) and Wally Rooney Sr. (NBA head ref).
I was recruited to go to Niagara to play for the great Frank Layden. He wanted me badly as he thought I could replace Andy Walker, the Niagara player who just graduated and went to the New Orleans Jazz (NBA). Plus, he thought Phil Scaffidi and I would work very well together in the backcourt. That was the plan anyway.
Let’s get back to FHS and Mr. Frank Virtue quickly. Quick story: Frank Layden was a famous and very funny public speaker and was known as such throughout all of basketball back then. Part of my scholarship negotiations was that when Mr. Virtue put in my negotiations that Coach Layden had to speak at the Franklin Basketball Banquet that spring, and he did.
I remember Coach Layden doing a fantastic job. I am told until this day he still talks about my Niagara revenge story. I know that for a fact because I was roommates at Niagara with Wally Rooney Jr. and the families are still close and I get the word every now and then when it happens.
So, what happened? I arrived at Niagara on Aug. 25, 1976. The first day I arrived at Niagara, a basketball meeting was called, and Frank Layden resigned, and he took the head assistant coaching job at the New York Knicks with his college roommate who just became the head coach, Hubie Brown. Nice huh?
Anyway, a new guy takes over the head coaching job at Niagara that day named Dan Raskin. It wasn’t a week, and I knew this situation was going to be a big problem. I can’t get into what happened, but it was horrible on all fronts. Plain and simple, it was just a terrible basketball culture when I was there. I came from a very special basketball situation and found myself quickly in basketball hell.
To summarize my first college season: In just one of the various preseason polls, Niagara was ranked 19th in the country. We had a 6’10” All American Mike Hanley (a good player-good guy) but we wound up going only 13-13 and even lost to Canisus, who had like two wins that year (Niagara and Colgate).
My playing time was limited to maybe two minutes a game, usually garbage time and I didn’t get in maybe 10 games. There were two other freshmen with me (Wally Rooney Jr. being one of them) and they weren’t happy either but weren’t having as tough a problem as I was having in the program. But they did have their share of problems and hassles too. One left and one quit after that first season also.
So, now I was either going to be done, and the career comes to a quick end, or I leave. So, I started calling the schools that spring ’77 that had really wanted me from back in FHS. They were Vermont, Assumption and George Washington.
Colgate was also all over me in high school, but they did not give scholarships at Colgate back then and my family couldn’t really afford to pay for college, so I had no interest in Colgate, so I thought.
I contacted all three schools/coaches that spring and all three of them got amnesia and thought maybe I was that big fish in a small pond at FHS after all. They wouldn’t give me my scholarship any longer, I was told to walk on - even at Division II Assumption.
So now I have four schools/coaches I couldn’t stand, not just one. Guess what, hello Colgate. I contacted Coach Mike Griffin. I remember him being happy that I reached out to him. But when I reached out to him, I didn’t tell him the three other schools didn’t want me any longer. I told him I was going to call the other three next if I needed too but I really wanted to give Colgate the first shot because of that fine education (I wasn’t really interested in the education - I wanted to play basketball - but they did force me to get a good education by default).
Colgate cost $5,500 a year to attend in 1977. They were a financial-aid school and Coach Griffin asked me “what do I think I need.” I said at least $5,400. A few days later, I was approved for $5,400, and I was on my way to Colgate the next year to play.
Why was I excited to play for Colgate? Several reasons.
First, the next four years I would be there they were to play two of the four schools I hated: Niagara and Vermont. Niagara three times: 78-79, 79-80 and 80-81. My three eligible seasons and that was the first time they played them since the 1940s and hadn’t won a game since the 1930s.
Colgate also played LSU twice: 78-79 and 80-81. That is the school I wanted to go to from the start because of Pete Maravich (who I met twice in my career: Jan 1, 1979 at Tulane and again in January 1981 - now that was pretty cool).
But unfortunately, Dale Brown and LSU never looked at me in high school. In all honesty, I probably wasn’t good enough to play for them at that time anyway.
Finally, Vermont happened to be in the Colgate league, the ECAC North. Coach Griffin’s strategy at Colgate was to play all the majors and that way maybe he could attract some good Division I transfer players to Colgate.
That strategy actually worked on me and Kevin Ryan from Fordham. We both transferred in because of the schedule (and the money). I now had a shot at everyone (Ohio State, Villanova, Missouri, Clemson, LSU, Siena, Syracuse, Princeton, Penn State, etc.) plus the ECAC North was a good solid eastern scholarship league except for Colgate (we weren’t good, and we didn’t give scholarships).
So, I was going to get the chance to play and go against the best. That is all I wanted. Second, I sat on the bench at Niagara the entire first year and had a great courtside view of the games and skills. I knew watching these guys play that year I could do everything they were doing. I just knew it; I just needed the development time on the court and that chance. Third, Colgate was as bad as Canisus when I first got there, and the team was horrible. I knew I would play in the games and get a lot of playing time as soon as I was eligible. That is what I needed to do without someone constantly screaming at me. And finally, I will tell you about Mr. Platukis again.
Of all the people who ever trained me, he transferred probably some of the more important early skills and basketball attitude that I needed at this time to save my career more than anyone. I was taught since the first day in ’72 with him, when you’re playing basketball and you get them down, put your boot on their neck and keep them down. No mercy.
Second thing, no emotions (poker face) when you play, don’t ever let them see you mad, just get even. That is how I was taught to play from day 1 at FHS. As silly as those two things sound today, that was my mindset at 18 years old.
I remember now, just in remembering this story, how possessed I was at that time, especially about Niagara - slowly I turned, step by step, you know that story right? I was seeing blood red with those guys. I hated them and everything about that program.
That is when I incorporated an aggressive lifting regime into my workout schedule for the first time. For the next four to five years, I was fit to be tied. I went from 185 to 210 during the next four years and I basically put my target on all three of their backs (Niagara, Vermont and LSU, a friendly target). And it took every bit of four years to pull it all off, but I did.
This Niagara year was a very pivotal year in my basketball career/development. It changed my entire focus/goal. This Niagara year took the fun out of the game, I didn’t respect the people I was playing for now, and I wasn’t dreaming about the NBA anymore - I didn’t really care about that anymore as it wasn’t realistic.
I hadn’t even proven I can play in college yet. First things first. I now was completely aware I had to dominate college before anything else. I just stayed laser-focused now on that one goal.
Of course, I was hoping I would have some payback to deliver someday. Don’t think I wasn’t nervous about setting out to do this either. I was very much so, it was a lot to bite off for an 18-19-year-old, and I wasn’t sure I could even pull it off, especially with LSU.
My entire basketball focus became No. 1 revenge on Niagara/and also Vermont plus No. 2 outplay the LSU team if possible. That is all I was focused on or thought about after Niagara for the next two to four years.
Getting ready for those couple of games. I think my laser-focus on those two to three targets/goals probably caused me to work even harder than I would have worked if it had all gone well at Niagara that first year.
Contact Bill Truran, Sussex County historian, at billt1425@gmail.com