Nov. 14, 2007
Good vs. Evil
Growing up in West Orange, New Jersey, in the early to mid-60s, Bill Bradley was my boyhood hero. I first remember reading about him in a Sports Illustrated cover story about promising college sophomores, including the Crystal City, Missouri, product, who eschewed an offer from Duke to play his college ball at Princeton. I followed his career as he led the Tigers to three consecutive Ivy League titles, captained the 1964 United States Men's Basketball Olympics team to a Gold Medal performance in Tokyo between his junior and senior seasons, and, along the way, earned himself a Rhodes Scholarship. He was the basketball personification of Jack Armstrong and all that was Good! Yet during his Senior year, he was denied on two occasions - - the finals of the ECAC Christmas Holiday Festival Tournament at the Garden and the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament - - by the number one ranked Michigan Wolverines, led by Cazzie Russell. Thus, in my mind, the Michigan Wolverines became the Evil Empire.
And what about this Evil Empire from Ann Arbor. The Evil Empire plays its football games in a stadium known as "The Big House." As a former Federal prosecutor, I can tell you that "The Big House" is the place where the judge sends you after the jury says you are "guilty." And in excess of 107,000 followers of the Evil Empire flock there on fall afternoons to see their beloved "Maize and Blue" and sing "Hail to the Victors" (except earlier this football season when they lost to Appalachian State, but I digress).
And what has this Evil Empire brought to us in the realm of college basketball, other than Cazzie Russell and Rudy Tomjanovich. Oh that's right, they won the 1989 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament by defeating P.J. Carlesimo's Seton Hall Pirates, 80-79 in overtime, thanks to a very questionable foul call by John Cloherty on the Hall's Gerald Green that sent Rumeal Robinson to the line for two free throws with three seconds remaining.
And then, of course, there was the "Fraud Five", I mean the "Fab Five" a group of five, individual, high school, trash-talking, hot shots who signed up to play in Ann Arbor in baggy shorts, black socks, and a swaggering `tude that said: "No need to play the games. Just mail the NCAA trophy to Ann Arbor for the next one, two, or however many years we stay together!" The Fab Five, of course, never did win the NCAA Championship that they assumed was their birthright! The Fab Five - - Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson - - did make it to the Finals in both years they played together, but both years, failed to win the prize. In 1992, Duke slaughtered the Fabsters, 71-51, and in 1993, Webber, the "first among equals" Fabster, appropriately ended his collegiate career by calling a time-out, when his team had none remaining, thereby resulting in technical fouls which sealed the championship for the Carolina Tar Heels, 77-71. But don't look in the NCAA record books or even in Crisler Arena for anything about the Fab Five. It turns out that Michigan forfeited all the victories of that era and removed both the Final Four banners for that era from the Arena and any record of its participation in the tournament since a federal investigation revealed that one Ed Martin, a Michigan booster, "loaned" Webber $280,000, while he was in high school and college. (So I guess "The Big House" is appropriately nicknamed after all.) Fortunately, for Webber, Martin died before Webber's prosecution for obstruction of justice and lying to the grand jury in the Martin investigation could be completed. Thus, absent Martin's testimony, Webber was able to plead guilty to criminal contempt for lying to the grand jury and received a sentence of community service. Of the remaining Fabsters, Rose and Howard played one more year of college ball before leaving for the NBA and the other two, whose names I always have to look up, finished out their eligibility at Michigan. Of the five, only Juwan Howard ever received his undergraduate degree. Even a former Michigan Athletic Director, Don Canham (1968-88), termed the era a "disgrace."
In contrast to the individualized styling of the "Fab Five," whose reputations were the highest upon their arrival in Ann Arbor, the Georgetown's Men's Basketball Class of 2008, including Jeff Green, now with the Seattle Sonics, arrived at Georgetown in 2004, together with their new Head Coach John Thompson III, with uncertain expectations in a time of transition for Georgetown basketball. Three of the four who enrolled as freshmen were recruited by former Coach Craig Esherick (Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, and Tyler Crawford) and none came to the Hilltop as "can't miss" prospects. Hibbert, from Georgetown Prep, was 7'02" when he was 14 but was still growing into his body. Green had led Northwestern High School to a Group 4 Maryland State Championship with a monster State Tournament run, but had not yet demonstrated that he was going to be among the top five players in Hoya history. Tyler was a very hard-working, solid high school player from Stuarts Draft, Virginia. This trio was joined by Jonathan Wallace, a walk-on from Harvest, Alabama, whom Coach Thompson was recruiting for Princeton, when he signed up to coach Georgetown and brought Jon with him. Finally, Patrick Ewing, Jr., started his collegiate career at Indiana University, but transferred to Georgetown following the arrival of Coach Thompson. Together, with Coach Thompson, this group has taken the requisite "baby steps," worked extremely hard throughout the year and especially during the Summer off-season, and each has improved significantly each year. They have gone from winning several NIT games in their first season, to the Sweet Sixteen in their second year, and then, last year to the Final Four! As four of the five reach their senior seasons, they are part of a team that is universally regarded as being among the top contenders for the Men's Basketball Championship in early April. What distinguishes this group is their cohesiveness, their togetherness, their synergism!! They are, as I have said in an earlier blog, the single, most influential class in the history of Georgetown basketball. Based on what they have accomplished already in their body of intercollegiate basketball work, they could be called Georgetown's Fab Five! But I would not want to insult them by doing so!
Tonight, our beloved Hoyas take on the current version of the Wolverines, a team in transition with a new Coach and four new starters. Former Coach Tommy Amaker, one of Coach K's career assistants, has been dispatched and is now at Harvard. Their new coach is an old nemesis, John Beilein, formerly of West Virginia, who turned Kevin Pittsnogle, et al., into a genuine national contender. He is a coach for whom I have the highest respect. He has built his coaching career on "baby steps" - - from Erie Community College in Buffalo, to LeMoyne, to Canisius, to Richmond, to West Virginia, and now to Ann Arbor, in the shadow of "The Big House." He numbers among his players freshman Corperryale "Manny" Harris, last year's Mister Basketball in Michigan. So the process of reconstruction at Ann Arbor has begun. I am confident that if we play "Georgetown Basketball," the way Coach and the Class of 2008 have defined it over their four years together, that we will come away with a victory! And I am glad that we play Michigan now, rather than next year or thereafter, when Coach Beilein has had the time to inculcate his system into the Michigan team.
Tonight's game will be broadcast on WTEM - SportsTalk 980 and telecast on ESPN360 beginning at 7:30 p.m. As always, the voice of the Hoyas, Rich Chvotkin, will have the call of the game for the Hoyas.
In addition, readers are reminded that the Princeton Review, together with the Hoya Hoop Club will be sponsoring a pre-game Young Alumni Reception tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Gordon Biersch, 900 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004. Prior to Thursday's game against Michigan, Princeton Review will host the Young Alumni Reception at Gordon Biersch. The first 100 Young Alumni in attendance will receive a free drink, compliments of Princeton Review. All Hoya fans, regardless of age, are invited to attend and enjoy before going to the game.
Finally, immediately after the game, the Metropolitan Club of DC is sponsoring a Young Alumni Third Thursday Happy Hour, also at Gordon Biersch. Again, Hoyas of all ages are welcome to attend!
WE ARE GEORGETOWN!!
Michael E. Karam, F '72, L '76, L `81
Proud Member of Generation Laughna!!
