Jason Bodnar: Dunphy in the midst of chaos

If you look around you in this battlefield, Fran Dunphy, what do you see? Do you see the other generals falling like a toddler's lineup of toy soldiers? Do you see the companies that Speedy Morris and Steve Seymour and Steve Lappas -- your departed comrades -- used to head? Do you see the other generals rising like heroes in some Tom Clancy book, gathering medals of merit and stars like children gather seashells? Do you glow with some sort of patriotic or familial pride when you see John Chaney or Phil Martelli? Fran Dunphy, do you see your brigade dying? Do you see your brigade thriving? Or do you look at the battlefield and see yourself, unscathed, but uncelebrated? It's certainly been war around here the past two weeks. There have been casualties. There have been heroes. And then there's been you. Drexel's Seymour was axed. La Salle's Morris was shoved off his coaching perch. Villanova's Lappas resigned amid mysterious conditions. And you, Fran Dunphy, you're still standing. St. Joe's Martelli earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors. Temple's Chaney guided his team to the Elite Eight. Lappas has found a new station in Massachusetts. And you, Fran Dunphy, you're coming off a 12-17 record. It's been strangely calm, hasn't it? No NCAA tournament to deal with. No job security problems. Save for a meeting about that La Salle job, a meeting that's been characterized as not-too-substantive, you've practically been on leave. Peace-time business in a war-time economy. You're not used to this, are you Fran Dunphy? You're used to the occasional skirmish, the annual Tournament, the brief accolades. You're used to a mostly static battlefield. You're not used to this chaos. Half of your Big 5 counterparts were fired, as was your neighbor. And your other two City Series rivals became media darlings, heroes even, before bowing in the tournament. All around you there are purple hearts and dog tags. All around you the war is being waged. And you, Fran Dunphy, can you help but think about it? Can you help but think about which side you're closer to? Your team, the unanimous preseason choice to three-peat as Ivy champs, finished a disappointing five games under .500. Your team has made it past the first round of the Tournament just once in your 12-year tenure. Have you worn out your welcome? Have you worn out that protective armor? Are you next? Then again, you've made it to the Tournament five times. And your team has been at least semi-competitive each time. You're second all-time in wins at your school. And, after all, this is the non-scholarship Ivy League -- what more can you ask for? What Ivy coach has accomplished more? Are you still looking around, Fran Dunphy? Are you wondering whether this war will turn out to be, in terms of duration, more Spanish-American than Vietnam? Are you wondering whether this battle will die down soon? Will next year be like the last few? Will calm return? Or will next year be like this year? Will Chaney, Martelli and the replacements -- the Wrights and McCafferys and O'Hanlons and such -- join you in drawing straws for the hero and goat roles? Then will you be at one of those extremes next year? Will you be lauded? Will you be decimated? Or will you be living a reprise of this month, watching passively as the guns fire around you, as flags are hoisted, as flags are burned? If you looked around you, Fran Dunphy, what would you see?

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