Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Hoops - NCAA Bloopers & othe

Evidently Georgetown got a "whoops" reception by the PA announcer at the Metrodome when he welcomed the team from "Georgia Tech". They went on to lose to Florida........... Here's cool article where Paul Hewitt recalls his time in the Final Four. An interesting comment on recruiting:

I didn't really do anything recruiting-wise. We had a meeting when we got back Sunday night and we sent faxes and letters, but the only recruit I really did anything with was Randolph Morris. As it turns out, I don't think you get much bounce in recruiting the year after you go to the Final Four, anyway. It takes a couple years for it to pay dividends and I think it helped us with next year's class, which includes two McDonald's All-Americans — Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young.


..... and on his hopes for a follow-up championship run:

I actually thought that our team the next season had a better chance of winning it all, but we had a major injury to B.J. Elder, Isma'il Muhammad was hurt and Jeremis Smith dislocated his shoulder.


Here's Marvin Lewis on that team:

Every team that makes a run has an early round scare to overcome and a win to build on in March.

Former Georgia Tech guard Marvin Lewis said the 2004 national runners-up picked up momentum before the Big Dance with a 76-68 win at Duke in the final week of the regular season.


"That set the tone," Lewis said. "We knew we could play with anybody, anywhere, anytime and be in any game."


When leading scorer B.J. Elder sprained his ankle in the Sweet 16 against Nevada, Lewis responded with 23 points. Jarrett Jack had a career-high 29 points in the regional finals and back-up guard Will Bynum hit the game-winner against Oklahoma State in the Final Four.


Lewis said the Yellow Jackets couldn't have handled Elder's injury if they hadn't been a tightknit group.


"It comes down to team chemistry," Lewis said. "Everyone has to know their role, no one can be selfish. It has to be about the team."


Guess what George Mason head coach said the other day:

"Quite frankly, if the name on our jersey was not George Mason," Larranaga said, "if it was Georgia Tech from the ACC, everyone would look at this differently, what we've done in the tournament. ... There's a preconceived notion that because you were not able to do it before, you should not be able to do it now."