by Chris Maynard ([email protected])
| | The younger you are, the older you want to be. The older you get, the younger you wish you could be. I’ve always liked the above idea and thought that it applied quite well in my life, with one exception…SPORTS. |
Don’t get me wrong. Growing up in Chicago during the late eighties and early nineties, I have nothing to complain about, having seen the Chicago Bulls win six championships in eight years with the greatest player ever to lace them up, Michael Jeffery Jordan.
And yet, if I could be a bit older, I would do so to experience certain things in the eighties that I either missed out on or was too young to remember.
First and foremost, I would die to experience the 1985 Chicago Bears, even though it is kind of sad that Bears fans have to keep falling back on that team. Unfortunately, I was a bit too young (five years old) to remember Super Bowl XX, a 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots. I can’t imagine what that season and day must have been like, especially now as a 34-year-old man who has little to no feeling for that franchise anymore.
Second, I would love to have watched the rebirth of the NBA in the eighties, specifically the Lakers and Celtics rivalry. Sure, I’ve pretty much seen all of those games on NBA TV throughout the years, and got to experience the Bulls in the Finals from basically third grade through my sophomore year of high school, with the lone exceptions being the sixth and seventh grades. Yet, seeing Bird and Magic battle it out at the time would have probably created an even crazier basketball fan, and made the Bulls reaching the top of the mountain even more euphoric, if humanly possible.
Last but not necessarily least, I would have really enjoyed watching college basketball in the eighties, what was arguably the golden era of the sport, thanks in large part to the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Magic’s Michigan State Spartans and Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores.
I mean, when I think of college basketball in the eighties, several things immediately come to mind:
● Classic championship games (see 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989).
● The age of dominant centers like Ralph Sampson, Patrick Ewing and Akeem Olajuwon.
● The explosion of the Big East (if you haven’t seen the ESPN 30 for 30 “Requiem for the Big East,” you must do so ASAP).
● The power of John Thompson and his mighty Georgetown Hoyas.
And yet, if I could be a bit older, I would do so to experience certain things in the eighties that I either missed out on or was too young to remember.
First and foremost, I would die to experience the 1985 Chicago Bears, even though it is kind of sad that Bears fans have to keep falling back on that team. Unfortunately, I was a bit too young (five years old) to remember Super Bowl XX, a 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots. I can’t imagine what that season and day must have been like, especially now as a 34-year-old man who has little to no feeling for that franchise anymore.
Second, I would love to have watched the rebirth of the NBA in the eighties, specifically the Lakers and Celtics rivalry. Sure, I’ve pretty much seen all of those games on NBA TV throughout the years, and got to experience the Bulls in the Finals from basically third grade through my sophomore year of high school, with the lone exceptions being the sixth and seventh grades. Yet, seeing Bird and Magic battle it out at the time would have probably created an even crazier basketball fan, and made the Bulls reaching the top of the mountain even more euphoric, if humanly possible.
Last but not necessarily least, I would have really enjoyed watching college basketball in the eighties, what was arguably the golden era of the sport, thanks in large part to the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Magic’s Michigan State Spartans and Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores.
I mean, when I think of college basketball in the eighties, several things immediately come to mind:
● Classic championship games (see 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989).
● The age of dominant centers like Ralph Sampson, Patrick Ewing and Akeem Olajuwon.
● The explosion of the Big East (if you haven’t seen the ESPN 30 for 30 “Requiem for the Big East,” you must do so ASAP).
● The power of John Thompson and his mighty Georgetown Hoyas.
Hoya Paranoia
Oh, Big John Thompson and his awesome Hoyas.
They were big.
They were tough.
They were aggressive.
They were fearless.
They were black, and boy were they intimidating to white America.
A former backup to Bill Russell for two seasons with the Boston Celtics, the 6’10’’ Thompson was a mighty oak tree on the sidelines in comparison to other coaches.
While the late UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian was famous for chewing a towel during games, Thompson would drape a white towel over his shoulder.
If Tark was known as "the Shark," Thompson was a great white, with his Hoyas of the 1980s most often feasting on the chum thrown in front of them.
Just as the Hoyas carried themselves with a no-holds-barred bravado, so did Thompson, who, like Bobby Knight, had the power to strike the fear of God in anyone with just his presence and even more so with his abrasiveness.
More importantly, Thompson's Hoyas teams were incredibly successful in the 1980s, making the national championship game in three of Patrick Ewing's four years on campus.
Combine all of these factors (Georgetown's success, Thompson's presence, and the issue of race), and what resulted was Hoya Paranoia, this fear of not only Georgetown on the court but this idea of empowered black males.
Obviously, Hoya Paranoia was steeped heavily in racism, an issue that has especially rocked America this concluding summer.
While I was too young at the time to understand all the racial implications that followed Georgetown, I quickly grasped at an early age the intimidation that came with the Hoyas.
Oh, Big John Thompson and his awesome Hoyas.
They were big.
They were tough.
They were aggressive.
They were fearless.
They were black, and boy were they intimidating to white America.
A former backup to Bill Russell for two seasons with the Boston Celtics, the 6’10’’ Thompson was a mighty oak tree on the sidelines in comparison to other coaches.
While the late UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian was famous for chewing a towel during games, Thompson would drape a white towel over his shoulder.
If Tark was known as "the Shark," Thompson was a great white, with his Hoyas of the 1980s most often feasting on the chum thrown in front of them.
Just as the Hoyas carried themselves with a no-holds-barred bravado, so did Thompson, who, like Bobby Knight, had the power to strike the fear of God in anyone with just his presence and even more so with his abrasiveness.
More importantly, Thompson's Hoyas teams were incredibly successful in the 1980s, making the national championship game in three of Patrick Ewing's four years on campus.
Combine all of these factors (Georgetown's success, Thompson's presence, and the issue of race), and what resulted was Hoya Paranoia, this fear of not only Georgetown on the court but this idea of empowered black males.
Obviously, Hoya Paranoia was steeped heavily in racism, an issue that has especially rocked America this concluding summer.
While I was too young at the time to understand all the racial implications that followed Georgetown, I quickly grasped at an early age the intimidation that came with the Hoyas.
 (Sports Logos Screensavers) | One Scary Logo I still remember seeing that logo for the first time. Somehow, someway, when I started getting into basketball around 1986 (Santa gave me a mini-basketball goal |
| that Christmas), I received a grey and white mini-basketball. It must have been the only one at the store, as the Hoyas were culturally quite popular at the time. On that basketball was the Hoya logo. Then and even now there was something off-putting about that Georgetown logo from back in the day. |  (Logo EPS) |
I mean, that old Hoya logo was basically the same thing as that of the old Georgia Bulldogs logo.
While the Georgia logo is scary, in a devilish and nighmarish sort of way, those blue and grey colors of the Georgetown logo used to make my stomach drop as a naïve kid.
That Georgetown logo just seemed more real. It screamed junkyard dog, and not in a good way like the lovable JYD from the WWF, a rabid force for any kid to stick his or her fingers in between the fence.
As I have mentioned before on The College Basketball Nostalgic , I grew up a De Paul fan because of my Chicago ties and fandom of a player named Tom Kleinschmidt.
Each season De Paul would play Georgetown, either in Washington, D.C., or in Rosemont, Illinois, and I would get extremely nervous just seeing that Georgetown logo at the introduction of those games.
To me, Georgetown wasn’t scary because the team was all-black.
Or that Thompson was such a giant figure or an intelligent, opinionated man with a deep voice.
It was because of that damn dog.
And yet I was no dummy.
I understood quite quickly watching those De Paul games that the Blue Demons better come to play or Georgetown was going to foam at the mouth and have its lunch.
If there ever was a team that exuded toughness and fear before the game even started, and matched those qualities with its in-game intensity, it was Georgetown.
I can vividly remember De Paul going to Washington, D.C., during either Kleinschmidt's sophomore or junior year and getting blown out by Georgetown.
De Paul bounced back the next year to beat Georgetown at home on a nationally-televised CBS game. What a big deal that victory was to me.
While I may not have experienced the Hoyas of the 1980s until years later via videotape and cable television, I knew back then what it meant to beat them.
No ifs, ands or buts, the Hoyas were the program of the 1980s, and that feeling was still looming in the early 1990s, even if it was clearly not the case anymore.
Of course, Georgetown had the big dogs.
Taking nothing away from these accomplished players, the Hoyas were the Hoyas because of Thompson, who was a hell of a basketball coach, someone who probably doesn’t get enough recognition nowadays.
While the Georgia logo is scary, in a devilish and nighmarish sort of way, those blue and grey colors of the Georgetown logo used to make my stomach drop as a naïve kid.
That Georgetown logo just seemed more real. It screamed junkyard dog, and not in a good way like the lovable JYD from the WWF, a rabid force for any kid to stick his or her fingers in between the fence.
As I have mentioned before on The College Basketball Nostalgic , I grew up a De Paul fan because of my Chicago ties and fandom of a player named Tom Kleinschmidt.
Each season De Paul would play Georgetown, either in Washington, D.C., or in Rosemont, Illinois, and I would get extremely nervous just seeing that Georgetown logo at the introduction of those games.
To me, Georgetown wasn’t scary because the team was all-black.
Or that Thompson was such a giant figure or an intelligent, opinionated man with a deep voice.
It was because of that damn dog.
And yet I was no dummy.
I understood quite quickly watching those De Paul games that the Blue Demons better come to play or Georgetown was going to foam at the mouth and have its lunch.
If there ever was a team that exuded toughness and fear before the game even started, and matched those qualities with its in-game intensity, it was Georgetown.
I can vividly remember De Paul going to Washington, D.C., during either Kleinschmidt's sophomore or junior year and getting blown out by Georgetown.
De Paul bounced back the next year to beat Georgetown at home on a nationally-televised CBS game. What a big deal that victory was to me.
While I may not have experienced the Hoyas of the 1980s until years later via videotape and cable television, I knew back then what it meant to beat them.
No ifs, ands or buts, the Hoyas were the program of the 1980s, and that feeling was still looming in the early 1990s, even if it was clearly not the case anymore.
Of course, Georgetown had the big dogs.
- Ewing.
- Eric "Sleepy" Floyd.
- Fred Brown.
- David Wingate.
- Reggie Williams.
- Michael Jackson.
- Later Alonzo Mourning (and to a lesser extent in college Dikembe Mutombo).
- And the 1990s version of intimidation, albeit a smaller package, Allen Iverson.
Taking nothing away from these accomplished players, the Hoyas were the Hoyas because of Thompson, who was a hell of a basketball coach, someone who probably doesn’t get enough recognition nowadays.
Understanding Thompson’s Domination of the First Half of the Eighties
When I truly think about it, the above comparison of Thompson to Knight is a bit lazy on my part.
While both men were clearly intimidating figures with incredible coaching abilities, Thompson was not all about basketball like the maniacal Knight.
Thompson clearly stood for bigger social issues, whether people agreed with his opinions or not, and was widely admired as not only a coach but a man, especially among his players and opposing coaches.
With Knight, such admiration has always seemed to be exclusively about his coaching genius, and clearly a fear of his personality.
Thompson was a man who was feared but was well-respected, and showed not only such respect back but great humanity and perspective.
When I truly think about it, the above comparison of Thompson to Knight is a bit lazy on my part.
While both men were clearly intimidating figures with incredible coaching abilities, Thompson was not all about basketball like the maniacal Knight.
Thompson clearly stood for bigger social issues, whether people agreed with his opinions or not, and was widely admired as not only a coach but a man, especially among his players and opposing coaches.
With Knight, such admiration has always seemed to be exclusively about his coaching genius, and clearly a fear of his personality.
Thompson was a man who was feared but was well-respected, and showed not only such respect back but great humanity and perspective.
- While I was doing some research on North Carolina’s victory against Colorado in the 1997 Tournament, the game during which Dean Smith became the all-time winning coach in college basketball, I came across a CBS interview of Thompson, who basically said something along the lines that he wouldn’t be where he is today without Smith, a proponent of racial equality.
- How about the 1985 "Sweater Game" when #1 St. John's played #2 Georgetown at Madison Square Garden. Nowadays most coaches would be tensing up before such a game. Not Thompson, who famously and brilliantly played the role of the comedian and actor hamming it up for his audience, saluting St. John’s head coach Lou Carnesecca by wearing a facsimile sweater that Carnesecca famously wore each game. This funny moment was an incredible sign of respect, ultimately revealing Thompson as a human being beyond what he was seen as by too many, the big, black coach of the big, black team.
As for his coaching, just look at Thompson’s accomplishments in the 80s.
Thompson would get close again to the Final Four with Elite Eight appearances in 1987, 1989 and finally 1996, which leads into this 1997 NCAA Tournament game against UNC-Charlotte.
- The near title in 1982 against North Carolina, a game made famous by Jordan’s shot and Brown’s turnover.
- The ultimate triumph in Seattle in 1984, when Ewing came out on top against Olajuwon, who would be a foe later on in the NBA, with Thompson becoming the first African-American coach to win a major collegiate championship. Talk about resilience for Ewing, who faced racial taunts of being called a "gorilla" "who couldn't read" by opposing fans early in his college career, and Thompson, who in 1975 had to live with the embarrassment of a sign in his own gymnasium calling him "a nigger flop."
- The shocking loss to Villanova in the 1985 championship game, which would be Ewing’s last collegiate game and Thompson’s last Final Four, which at the time would have seemed incredulous.
Thompson would get close again to the Final Four with Elite Eight appearances in 1987, 1989 and finally 1996, which leads into this 1997 NCAA Tournament game against UNC-Charlotte.
Hoyas in Name but Not the Same
After getting trounced by UMASS in the Elite Eight in 1996, Georgetown lost Allen Iverson, Jerome Williams and Othella Harrington to that year’s draft.
Despite this attrition in star power, Thompson and the Hoyas returned to the Big Dance in 1997, the school’s 15th straight NCAA appearance.
With a record of 20-9 (11-7 in the Big East) entering the UNC Charlotte Game, Georgetown was a heavily flawed team, lacking much offensive firepower beyond sophomore Victor Page.
Consider this amazing statistic: 1996/1997 Georgetown had 102 more turnovers than assists. As announcer Billy Packer would say throughout this game, Georgetown had too much trouble scoring and was not as strong defensively in the past to make up for such flaws.
While Georgetown included players with memorable names like Ya-Ya Dia (who led the Big East in rebounding that year) and Boubacar Aw (who would be the Hoyas best player in this loss to UNC Charlotte), these players clearly were not on the level of the Ewings, Mournings or Iversons.
Quite honestly, it didn’t take long while watching this game last week to recognize that Georgetown wasn’t Georgetown anymore. In fact, this was rather apparent even back then in 1997.
After a sloppy first four minutes of this game, UNC Charlotte took control in the next eight minutes as the Hoyas couldn’t make a shot, turned the ball over and were ripped to shreds by the 49ers Versille Shaw, a reserve who was a last-minute insertion into the starting lineup and had the game of his life, scoring 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting after averaging a little more than 4 points in 19 minutes per game in the regular season.
It’s really hard to imagine an '80s Hoyas team letting a role player do that to them, but such was the case in 1997, though I’m not trying to take away from Shaw, who was phenomenal this game.
As for Thompson, he would try his hardest to get his team back in this game, using timeout to quell 49ers momentum in the first half and going to man-to-man and picking up full-court pressure in the second half. All the while, he did so with a steady calmness. Perhaps he secretly knew that there wasn't much more to get out of this overachieving Georgetown team.
The sign of a good coach, Thompson's Hoyas would respond with a spirited effort in the second half, especially Paige, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the game's final 20 minutes.
And yet on this day, UNC Charlotte was hardly an intimidated team.
In fact, the 49ers of Conference USA were clearly the better team.
The toughest baller on the court was not a Georgetown player but rather UNC Charlotte guard Sean Colson, who got wherever he wanted to go in the second half as the 49ers won 79-67, an outcome hardly surprising in the grand scheme of things.
However, what would be surprising in the aftermath of this game is that Thompson would never coach in the NCAA Tournament again.
In 1998, Thompson's Hoyas would reach the NIT, losing in the second round.
Shortly after the New Year 1999, Thompson would resign as the Hoyas head coach, citing personal problems.
So while the 1997 NCAA Tournament is often remembered for the coaching accomplishment of Smith, the last appearance of Thompson and his Hoyas should not be forgotten and must be recognized.
For years, the Hoyas were not just a mainstay but a force in the NCAA Tournament, with Thompson at the helm, one of the most powerful and important influences in the sport.
It didn't take a young me much to realize Thompson's presence back in the day, and an older me certainly recognizes and respects his accomplishments all these years later.
After getting trounced by UMASS in the Elite Eight in 1996, Georgetown lost Allen Iverson, Jerome Williams and Othella Harrington to that year’s draft.
Despite this attrition in star power, Thompson and the Hoyas returned to the Big Dance in 1997, the school’s 15th straight NCAA appearance.
With a record of 20-9 (11-7 in the Big East) entering the UNC Charlotte Game, Georgetown was a heavily flawed team, lacking much offensive firepower beyond sophomore Victor Page.
Consider this amazing statistic: 1996/1997 Georgetown had 102 more turnovers than assists. As announcer Billy Packer would say throughout this game, Georgetown had too much trouble scoring and was not as strong defensively in the past to make up for such flaws.
While Georgetown included players with memorable names like Ya-Ya Dia (who led the Big East in rebounding that year) and Boubacar Aw (who would be the Hoyas best player in this loss to UNC Charlotte), these players clearly were not on the level of the Ewings, Mournings or Iversons.
Quite honestly, it didn’t take long while watching this game last week to recognize that Georgetown wasn’t Georgetown anymore. In fact, this was rather apparent even back then in 1997.
After a sloppy first four minutes of this game, UNC Charlotte took control in the next eight minutes as the Hoyas couldn’t make a shot, turned the ball over and were ripped to shreds by the 49ers Versille Shaw, a reserve who was a last-minute insertion into the starting lineup and had the game of his life, scoring 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting after averaging a little more than 4 points in 19 minutes per game in the regular season.
It’s really hard to imagine an '80s Hoyas team letting a role player do that to them, but such was the case in 1997, though I’m not trying to take away from Shaw, who was phenomenal this game.
As for Thompson, he would try his hardest to get his team back in this game, using timeout to quell 49ers momentum in the first half and going to man-to-man and picking up full-court pressure in the second half. All the while, he did so with a steady calmness. Perhaps he secretly knew that there wasn't much more to get out of this overachieving Georgetown team.
The sign of a good coach, Thompson's Hoyas would respond with a spirited effort in the second half, especially Paige, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the game's final 20 minutes.
And yet on this day, UNC Charlotte was hardly an intimidated team.
In fact, the 49ers of Conference USA were clearly the better team.
The toughest baller on the court was not a Georgetown player but rather UNC Charlotte guard Sean Colson, who got wherever he wanted to go in the second half as the 49ers won 79-67, an outcome hardly surprising in the grand scheme of things.
However, what would be surprising in the aftermath of this game is that Thompson would never coach in the NCAA Tournament again.
In 1998, Thompson's Hoyas would reach the NIT, losing in the second round.
Shortly after the New Year 1999, Thompson would resign as the Hoyas head coach, citing personal problems.
So while the 1997 NCAA Tournament is often remembered for the coaching accomplishment of Smith, the last appearance of Thompson and his Hoyas should not be forgotten and must be recognized.
For years, the Hoyas were not just a mainstay but a force in the NCAA Tournament, with Thompson at the helm, one of the most powerful and important influences in the sport.
It didn't take a young me much to realize Thompson's presence back in the day, and an older me certainly recognizes and respects his accomplishments all these years later.
Quick Information on This Game
As I wanted to use today's entry to comment more on John Thompson's impact at Georgetown and on college basketball, I don't want to neglect the game play.
Here are some background and quick observations on this game.
In celebration of Thompson's accomplishments, here are the three title games that that Georgetown reached under him.
Enjoy!
As I wanted to use today's entry to comment more on John Thompson's impact at Georgetown and on college basketball, I don't want to neglect the game play.
Here are some background and quick observations on this game.
- This game took place at the University of Arizona's McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. Bob Carpenter and Billy Packer were the announcers, which is surprising as Jim Nantz was Packer's partner. However, Nantz was doing studio work for the first round. He would return to call second-round action from Tucson, including the UNC Charlotte-Utah game and Stanford-Wake Forest contest, both of which will be covered later in the week.
- Is there anything better for a fan of a program then having a role player step up and play huge in a big moment. For UNC Charlotte, Shaw was the man in the first half, playing with confidence and thriving in the mid-range game.
- As for the second half, Colson was the man who made just enough big plays to stave off rallies from Georgetown, which got a double-digit halftime deficit to six points at one point. One of my favorite mid-major players during the nineties, Colson was tough as nails, with highlight reel plays from roughly 1:29:08 to 1:29:55, 1:39:10 to 1:39:18 (a nasty crossover) and 1:42:15 to 1:42:20 that you would have to see to believe. While not surprised by Colson's game, I didn't realize that he originally played at Rhode Island before transferring to UNC Charlotte.
- For some reason, I thought UNC Charlotte was coached by Bobby Lutz, who was actually an assistant. The 49ers head coach was Melvin Watkins, who was in his first year after serving as a long-time assistant to the program and playing for the university in the 1977 Final Four.
- Aw is a player whom I gained a lot of respect for in this game. The kid played his heart out in the second half, but the Hoyas dug a hole that was too big to escape from.
- At the time UNC Charlotte's best player was DeMarco Johnson, a 6'8'' forward who could really ball. Johnson actually struggled this game, but Shaw and Colson stepped up when needed.
- Watching UNC Charlotte big man Alexander Kuehl (from Germany) battle Georgetown center Jahidi White was not a pretty affair, as Carpenter pointed out early in the game, but certainly physical.
- From 17:57 to 18:22, Packer offered some great insight about Georgetown's offensive problems.
- UNC Charlotte was actually a bubble team prior to the Conference USA Tournament. At the time the 49ers were 0-5 on the year against the RPI Top 50, including blowing 15-point and 20-point leads to South Carolina and Southern California early in the 1996/1997 season. In the Conference USA Tournament the 49ers secured a big victory against Louisville, which would make the Elite Eight in 1997, essentially earning a ticket to the dance.
- In previous tournament appearances UNC Charlotte had been close to victory, having lost its last three NCAA Tournaments games by a combined 10 points.
- As an interesting side note, Thompson's Hoyas began the 1996/1997 season at Cleveland State, coached by Rollie Massimino, whose Villanova team upset Georgetown in the 1985 title game.
In celebration of Thompson's accomplishments, here are the three title games that that Georgetown reached under him.
Enjoy!
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