SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION: Bringing It All Back Home!

As I discussed in an earlier column (see Generation Laughna Enters the Fray), my conversion to Georgetown Basketball occurred on February 10, 1968, when I first saw the Hoyas crush cross-town opponent George Washington 76-49 in McDonough Gym. But my conversion to the secular realm of college basketball began sometime in the early 1960s at another gym named after an Irish prelate -- Archbishop Walsh Memorial Gymnasium, the former home of tonight's opponent, the Pirates of Seton Hall. Thus, my collegiate basketball memories, especially from those early years, sometimes blend between Seton Hall and Georgetown. This also helps to explain why I have a soft spot in my heart for the Pirates, except, of course, when they lace them up against the Hoyas. And these memories of people, places and teams inevitably call to mind Georgetown's own John Guare (C'60, H'91) and his memorable play, "Six Degrees of Separation." So please indulge me while I prepare for the Hoop Club's bus trip this afternoon to Northern New Jersey by evoking memories of my childhood and connections in what will be, in so many ways for me, a "Homecoming!"

I was born and raised in West Orange, New Jersey, attending St. John's Grammar School in Orange, and then Seton Hall Prep, when it was located on the grounds of Seton Hall University in South Orange. At that time, in a eerily-parallel situation to our own Hoyas, the Pirates played their home games at Walsh Gymnasium on the campus. (Now, of course, the Pirates, like the Hoyas, play at least the great majority of their home games at an NBA-style arena, Continental Airlines Arena. And the Hall's women's basketball and volleyball teams continue to use Walsh Gym for their home contests, just as our women's teams use McDonough Gym for their home games.) My introduction to college basketball, thus, was in the days of Seton Hall teams featuring scoring machine Nick "The Quick" Werkman, Richie Dec, and Golden "Sunny" Sunkett. During his three-year career from 1961-64, the 6'3" Werkman averaged 32.0, 29.5, and 33.2 points, respectively. And his 17.2 rebounds per game average for the 1961-62 season placed him behind only the legendary Walter Dukes from the early 1950s, also a Seton Hall Prep grad, in the Pirate record books. Dec, another Seton Hall Prep product and Junior Varsity basketball coach at "The Prep" during my early years there, averaged 13.2 rebounds per game in 1963-64 and 11.6 rebound per game in 1964-65. And Sunkett still holds the Pirates' season mark for assists per game with his 8.57 average during the 1962-63 season.

With the graduation of Werkman and Sunkett in 1964 and then Dec in 1965, my high school years at Seton Hall Prep (1964-68) saw a falling off in the fortunes of Pirate collegiate basketball. Nevertheless, I continued to attend Pirate games at Walsh Gym to see the likes of second-ranked St. Joseph's with 6'03' center Cliff Anderson and 6'05" point guard Matt Guokas and coached by a youthful Dr. Jack Ramsey; Providence, with Jimmy Walker, who, as I recall, effortlessly rained 56 points on the Pirates in one game. (Our own legendary coach John R. Thompson, Jr., had graduated from PC during 1964, but I do not recall seeing the Friars at Walsh Gym during his collegiate playing days.)

Walsh Gym also is where I took PE and attended mixers and dances during high school and where our Prep basketball teams played their games. During my time at Seton Hall Prep, our best basketball player was Melvin Knight, Class of 1967, the father of former Stanford and now NBA guard Brevin Knight and former Pitt point guard Brandon Knight. Melvin was 5'9" but could jump out of the gym. As a junior, he led the Pony Pirates, as Prep teams were called, to a stunning 37-36 upset victory over the great Newark Weequahic teams of 1965-67 at Walsh Gym. Weequahic was led by 6'9" center Dana Lewis, later a center at Tulsa, 6'3" point guard Mo Layton, later a star on USC's 1971 team, and Bill Mainor, a starter on Digger Phelps's magical Fordham team of 1970-71. This was the only loss that Weequahic suffered during their extraordinary two-year run. Melvin went on to Seton Hall University, but a knee injury derailed what might have been a long NBA career, despite his 5'9" height. He then became an athletic administrator at Seton Hall University, and, now I believe is the Athletic Director at Essex County Community College. Whenever I saw his sons play in college, especially Brandon at Pitt, I thought of Melvin and smiled at the wonderful memories he had given me and wondered what might have been but for the knee! I also confess to a soft spot for Brandon during his days at Pitt, except, of course, when he played against the Hoyas.

While I could go on with memories of rivalries between the Prep and St. Benedict's in Newark, I will stop now to get this in in time for posting. I simply note that two of my predecessors as President of the Hoya Hoop Club, Joe Guarriello (B'71, L'74) and Wayne Cyron (C '67) attended St. Benedict's as did my generational namesake, Mike Laughna (C'72). And the Prep also has left its mark on Hoya basketball as well, as long-time Hoya Sports Information Director Bill Shapland, (C'77), graduated from the Prep in 1973 before coming to the Hilltop for College.

As noted above, tonight's game is being played at Continental Airlines Arena, not Walsh Gym. I am glad since I, thus, will not have to fight off memories of many hours at Walsh Gym rooting for Nick the Quick and the Pirate teams of the early 60s and can concentrate fully on rooting our Hoyas on to victory against the Hall! Go Hoyas!

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Michael E. Karam (F'72, L'76, L'82)
Generation Laughna
Immediate Past President, Hoya Hoop Club