Published: December 24, 1997
Section: SPORTS
Page#: 01C
Part of the family
By Todd Zolecki; Staff Writer   

Mike Spencer's 3-year-old daughter Flicai barely noticed the 23 points her dad scored last Saturday for the Minneapolis Community and Technical College basketball team. A one-on-one between the cartoon character Barney and her dad might have been the only thing capable of drawing her attention away from the stands and onto the court.

On this day she had too much fun playing in the bleachers and running up and down the floor during halftime to watch her dad slam a dunk that left other fans gasping.

Spencer, a junior college All-America last season who will play for North Dakota State next winter, didn't mind the lack of attention. After the game he emerged from the Marauders' locker room, picked up his daughter and showered her with kisses.

Flicai showed her dimples and laughed.

"She usually sits in the front row," he said. "It just wouldn't be the same if I didn't see her when I walked out of those doors. She's running around, but she'll tell you all about the game after it's over."

A number of Spencer's teammates know exactly what he is talking about. Six players on the 14-player roster - Ahmad Withers, Mario Green, Larry Smith, Montrell Yancy, Marlon McCoy and Spencer - are single fathers between the ages of 20 and 22; none has primary custody of his child. Their children range from 15 months to 4 years old.

It's a unique - and sometimes trying - situation for the Marauders, who are undefeated through nine games, winning by an average of 22 points, and rated No. 4 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association Division III poll.

"That's so odd," said Yancy, 20, whose daughter, Allyssa, is 15 months old. "Five other guys are in the same boat I'm in. It makes it a lot easier for me to deal with. It's kind of comforting to have other people that I can not only play with on the court and feel a part of something, but to then take it a step further. It's an even tighter bond. It's reassuring."

MCC coach Jay Pivec, who has four children of his own, constantly pushes the six players to take care of their parental responsibilities. Pivec does his part by being flexible on practice requirements and allowing children to attend workouts if daycare is needed.

"We're trying to make a connection that this is a responsibility that they have to deal with," Pivec said. "As a member of a big family I can't neglect what's going on. I have to address it as best as I can. The best way for me to do that is through examples and through offering any kind of advice that I can give them."

The lessons learned can be difficult. Last week Smith called from Hennepin County jail to say he would be missing practice that day. Smith had missed his last court date regarding child support and had been arrested.

"I missed that date because I had my wisdom teeth pulled," Smith said. " The judge just told me to make the court date next time. They just wanted to make sure that my status [as a full-time student] hasn't changed or anything."

Pivec sees his players as "children with very manly situations." The players believe all the work now will pay off in the future.

"Financially, right now, it's hard for me," Spencer said. "I figure going to school right now and getting an education is going to be better down the line for me and my daughter."

Finding ways to make ends meet is tough, players said, especially around Christmastime. Yancy and Smith joked that they haven't been able to buy themselves a new pair of shoes for about a year, but each player does get help from his family.

"You want to get your kids lots of things but you can't really because you're trying to go to school," said McCoy, who helps raise 1-year-old Marlon. "But when you're going to school you have to spread it out. You can't use as much. Basically I just try to spend more time with him. It's hard for me to buy him a lot of material things so I try to spend more time with him and make up for it."

Four of the players said a fatherless childhood is their motivator for staying involved with their children. McCoy said he grew up without his father and believes he missed out on a lot of things because of it. He doesn't want that to happen with his son.

"I feel like I came out pretty good," he said. "I'm making it, but I feel with [my father] there, there could have been things I could've picked up on more. I don't want my son to be like that."

Said Pivec: "As they grow up they're going to have to get more involved. There's a great deal of weight on their shoulders, tackling their fatherly responsibilities. I'm here to help these guys to try to understand how important it is to be a father. If some of them, if any of them see what appears to be a good father in me, that's probably success in its own way in terms of coaching."

Players say they look at Pivec as a role model. And they see practice as a two-hour getaway from the daily grind of school, financial difficulties and the worries of being a father.

"A lot of people have their stress breakers in life," Yancy said. "Some people knit. Some people read. Basketball is the only thing in this whole entire world that makes perfect sense. You get on this court, you practice, you work hard, you get better."

Said Spencer: "You've got so many responsibilities on the court that you've got to fulfill to make your team successful. I take that into taking care of my daughter and take care of all those responsibilities."

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