Jim Phelan

EMMITSBURG -- Looking at Jim Phelan's cluttered office at Knott Arena, it is difficult to tell that he is the winningest active Division I coach in the country or that he's on the verge of doing something only three others have accomplished in their careers -- win 800 games.There are more family photos than team pictures, more references to Phelan's life as a husband, father and grandfather than to his now legendary 45-year career at Mount St. Mary's. "If he has a bad side," said his wife, Dottie, "it's that he doesn't promote himself."

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Melvin Whitaker came here a little more than two years ago as a promising basketball player with hopes of making a name for himself at the University of Virginia. He accomplished that, though not the way he planned.Whitaker left this college town last week without having attended a class or played in a game for the Cavaliers. He left not as a transfer from Virginia, but as a transfer from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.And he wasn't going yet to Mount St. Mary's College, the school Whitaker committed to in March and hopes to play for next season, but to the Southampton Correctional Center, a medium-security facility in southeastern Virginia.

EMMITSBURG -- Mount St. Mary's has been weakened by ankle injuries to two key players, depleting its bench strength and inside defense.But the Mountaineers compensated with other resources last night to repulse Robert Morris, 70-58, in a Northeast Conference game at Knott Arena.Superior three-point shooting, 24 Robert Morris turnovers and an edge at the foul line carried Mount St. Mary's (7-8, 3-3) as Jim Phelan became only the second to coach 1,200 collegiate games."Our defense is not good enough to force all those turnovers," said Phelan, who joined former Winston-Salem coach Clarence Gaines at the 1,200 mark.

Mount St. Mary's College President George R. Houston Jr., was incorrectly identified in an article in yesterday's Sports section.The Sun regrets the errors.EMMITSBURG -- Retirement communities are selling out just on the other side of the Pennsylvania border, a tax haven of sorts for card-carrying members of AARP. Then there's the cemetery that was built last year on the campus of Mount St. Mary's. It has no vacancies."If we built another one, I think that would sell out, too," said George Laughlin, the school's president for the past four years.

EMMITSBURG -- Rider made its final Northeast Conference appearance at Knott Arena last night and left with a good impression.One of Mount St. Mary's best rivals in recent seasons, Rider pulled away in the final nine minutes and scored a 71-62 victory before 3,070 fans, Knott's largest turnout of the season.The Broncs are headed for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference next season, so last night's game will probably signal the end of a spirited series."I'm going to miss coming here," Rider coach Kevin Bannon said.

NORMAL, Ill. - A season filled with postseason promise ended with a thud for Mount St. Mary's last night.With their three-point shooters completely stifled by a sound Illinois State defense, the Mountaineers went down meekly in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, 73-49, before 5,869 at Redbird Arena.The game was never really in doubt after the Redbirds scored 13 of the first 17 points to establish that they were on their home turf and get the crowd into the proceedings.

The story of Mount St. Mary's, the tiny college in Emmittsburg that earned a bid to play in the national men's collegiate basketball championship this month, has something for everyone.Lovers of underdogs will be attracted to the story of a school of 1,400 students, the oldest independent Catholic college in America, making it to the coveted, nationally televised tournament for the first time in its 187 years. (Mount St. Mary's only began competing in the top Division I a few years ago.)Students of the game will be drawn to the professorial style of bow-tied Coach Jim Phelan, whose 737 career wins rank as the seventh most in college basketball history.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (2-5) at NAVY (4-4)Site: Alumni Hall, AnnapolisTime: 7:30Radio: WNAV (1430 AM)Outlook: Navy fell to New Hampshire by two on Wednesday, missing a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Midshipmen had balanced scoring with three players in double figures. G Brian Walker also had seven assists. Florida International snapped a four-game losing streak with a 30-point victory over Lamar on Wednesday. Leland Johnson, a junior college transfer, scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half and four other Golden Panthers players reached double figures.

Jim Phelan hates to hear the disagreement between himself and the president of Mount St. Mary's this winter described as "a power struggle."A struggle, by definition, is a fight. After 39 years as basketball coach, Phelan has too much affection for the Mount to want to besmirch it by conducting a public fight with its leader.What actually happened is that the president, Dr. Robert J. Wickenheiser, sent Phelan a letter six days before the start of practice -- horrendous timing, by the way -- saying he wanted this to be Phelan's last year.