When the St. Thomas Tommies and Hamline Pipers take the court at Hutton Arena on Wednesday night, it won’t merely be a battle of two St. Paul universities, but two long-time competitors both coaching at their respective alma maters.
Tommies coach John Tauer and Pipers coach Jim Hayes have a relationship that goes back to the mid-1990s when both were student-athletes — Tauer at St. Thomas and Hayes at Hamline.
Before taking the the head coach position at Hamline in 2013, Hayes was an assistant at St. Thomas for two seasons, alongside Tauer during which the Tommies reached the Final Four.
“It’s fun to see guys that you’re friends with have success in coaching,” Tauer said. “You certainly pull for them when you aren’t playing against them.”
Hayes shared Tauer’s sentiment that they support each other until they are on opposite benches.
“Coach Tauer and I get along well, but obviously we will put that aside for a couple hours,” Hayes said. “It’s become a great friendly rivalry for sure.”
The rivalry had been one-sided in the Tommies favor since Hayes arrival with St. Thomas winning the first six matchups before the Pipers win at St. Thomas on Dec. 7 74-61. The Tommies have won 12 of their last 13 games since the loss.
“We know the challenge that St. Thomas brings,” Hayes said. “They’re playing extremely well and better than they were the first time we played them so we know it’s going to be a heck of a challenge but a fun challenge as well.”
Hamline is coming off of a 68-63 win at Gustavus on Saturday.
Hayes emphasized that ball control will be key if they Pipers want to come out on top again Wednesday.
“We want to be more efficient offensively, we had a few more turnovers in Saturday’s win (over Gustavus) than we have been accustomed to,” Hayes said. “We have to clean the turnovers up to have a chance.”
Hamline is currently ranked third in the NCAA in turnovers per game, while the Tommies are ranked sixth.
Tauer feels the Tommies has improved greatly since the first matchup with Hamline.
“We are a lot better than we were two months ago,” Tauer said. “I thought the first game we had far too many turnovers and didn’t execute very well on offense, and some of that is a credit to them.”
Wednesday’s matchup is important for both teams with the Tommies sitting atop the MIAC standings and the Pipers currently holding the sixth and final playoff spot.
“At this point in the year, every game is like a playoff game for us because we are right in the thick of it and trying to secure a spot in the playoffs,” Hayes said.
Tauer is excited for the opportunity the Tommies against the Pipers in hopes of ultimately finishing at the top of the MIAC.
“It’s a huge game for both teams and I would expect a pretty electric atmosphere as just about everybody you play is trying to jostle and maneuver whether it’s for a playoff spot or a conference championship,” Tauer said. “I think the environment will be a lot of fun and I think getting an opportunity to play against a good team on the road is one that our guys relish.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hamline’s Hutton Arena.
Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.