From the Archives...

Well, my being tired finally caught up with me, as actually fell asleep while watching the end of the Farleigh Dickenson-Wagner game last night. I had been watching, since ex-Marquette coach Mike Deane is now the coach at Wagner, and was fighting to take his fourth different school to the NCAA tournament. I didn’t see the end, but it looks like Deane will need another year. It’s too bad, because that guy really knows basketball. Except for an inability to recruit and some anger management issues, he was a good guy to have when he was at Marquette. Of course, those are some pretty big exceptions, so one can see why he’s at Wagner now.

I did, however, wake up in time for the end of the Rutgers-Notre Dame game, and while I didn’t see enough to give any type of full evaluation, I’d simply like to pass this observation on to the Notre Dame team: When there’s a minute left on the clock, you’re down by 3, and you have the ball, you don’t need to take a quick 3-pointer. Is Chris Thomas from beyond NBA range really a good option at this juncture of the game? Is an off-balance follow-up 3-pointer off of the rebound of said Chris Thomas shot a good choice? The answer to both, of course, is no. Let’s hope Notre Dame learns this lesson before their next game in whatever tournament they’re in.

I couldn’t get right to bed after that, so I went to my random box of video tapes and pulled out a tape of Marquette playing Duke in the 1994 NCAA tournament. I only watched the first 5 minutes of the game, but here’s a few reflections and fun facts on the starters for each team:

Marquette

Tony Miller: Was brought in the year after Marquette was so short-handed at point guard that Robb Logterman had to run the show. Of course, Kevin O’Neill overcompensated a bit, signing William Gates and Craig Aamot at the point as well, but at least one of them worked out resoundingly.

Robb Logterman: According to a friend of mine, Robb’s still tearing it up in the area rec leagues. His out-of-position play at point guard against Duke (not this game) the year before Tony Miller arrived still stands as one of the most painful performances that I’ve ever seen. It’s not really Robb’s fault, though, as no one ever indicated that he’d have to run the point.

Roney Eford: Only man I’ve ever seen spell his name “Roney.” Also the only man I’ve ever seen who would consistently bank in 3-pointers. He even did this on fast breaks from time to time.

Damon Key: Until my college roommate Andy, who had gone to Marquette High well after the Damon Key era had ended, I was unaware that in high school Key was often referred to as “‘Da Monkey”. I’m still not sure if this is a just a clever play on Key’s name, or the most offensive nickname ever.

Jim McIlvaine: Classic example of a fan favorite who was later one of the least beloved players by the fans while he was at Marquette. He was beloved when he was getting 10 minutes per game, and 8 blocks per game, but by his senior year when he had to play offense for 30+ minutes per night, much of the crowd had turned on him. The man is my hero for parlaying one good month of play in the NBA into lifetime financial security.

Duke

Jeff Capel: I think we covered him earlier this week, but has put on weight and has a bad goatee as coach of Virginia Commonwealth. I’m still sort of perplexed at how Jeff and his brother Jason, a North Carolina alum, could manage to choose to go to the two most bitter rivals in all of college basketball.

Chris Collins: According to my college friend Adam, who had started school at Collins’ high school when Collins was a senior, Chris’s high school yearbook quote was “There are only three things in life that are certain: death, taxes and my jumpshot.” Apparently there were some in Illinois that thought Collins was a tad to cocky.

Grant Hill: What do I need to say about the man with the ankle made almost entirely out of metal?

Antonio Lang: I always thought this guy would have a nice NBA career. Did I mention that I had blind love for Duke when I was a kid?

Cherokee Parks: I saw this guy in the Capitol Classic All-Star game after his senior year in high school. The way he outplayed Chris Weber in that game had me convinced that he would be a force like we had seldom seen in college basketball. Now he’s just a dude with a lot of tattoos. Guess I was wrong.