Saturday, February 28, 2004
The Amazing Kreskin is no Matt B
If you look down to last friday's post, I predicted the recent downfall of Lafayette, and got all the game results right for the week. Just FYI.
Lafayette hosts AU this afternoon, and my scar is still itching so LC is still fading. AU by 7.
Army plays Navy as well, in front of the smallest audience CBS can provide, and I think the Black Knights will rattle this one off. Nice win by the Midshipmen Thursday, but I have a feeling it was really more LC being cursed as of late than the USNA being good.
Holy Cross hosts Lehigh tomorrow, and I wouldn't be suprised to see an upset. That drive from CU to Woo-stuh is not a fun one, and LU looked uninspired to say the least against Colgate last night.
Speaking of which, I got to watch both of last nights' PL games on DirecTV last night, which was almost surreal. Rebecca Lobo, in addition to being a great ballplayer and a babe, is also a pretty good color commentator for the YES Network. They are also broadcasting tomorrow's game, with Bucknell visiting the Ice Cube (this is now the official nickname of Colgate's court, please start using it). Bucknell will probably win that one with their better transition game--should be fun to watch though.
The Cross looked good last night, as did Colgate's passing game. Mark Linebaugh is awesome.
Next: A regular season wrapup, including the first annual Patriot League Blog awards. F the Oscars, stay tuned to see who wins themselves a Bloggie. @ 1:39 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
If you look down to last friday's post, I predicted the recent downfall of Lafayette, and got all the game results right for the week. Just FYI.
Lafayette hosts AU this afternoon, and my scar is still itching so LC is still fading. AU by 7.
Army plays Navy as well, in front of the smallest audience CBS can provide, and I think the Black Knights will rattle this one off. Nice win by the Midshipmen Thursday, but I have a feeling it was really more LC being cursed as of late than the USNA being good.
Holy Cross hosts Lehigh tomorrow, and I wouldn't be suprised to see an upset. That drive from CU to Woo-stuh is not a fun one, and LU looked uninspired to say the least against Colgate last night.
Speaking of which, I got to watch both of last nights' PL games on DirecTV last night, which was almost surreal. Rebecca Lobo, in addition to being a great ballplayer and a babe, is also a pretty good color commentator for the YES Network. They are also broadcasting tomorrow's game, with Bucknell visiting the Ice Cube (this is now the official nickname of Colgate's court, please start using it). Bucknell will probably win that one with their better transition game--should be fun to watch though.
The Cross looked good last night, as did Colgate's passing game. Mark Linebaugh is awesome.
Next: A regular season wrapup, including the first annual Patriot League Blog awards. F the Oscars, stay tuned to see who wins themselves a Bloggie. @ 1:39 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
DeVoe Declines Classier Route Out, Says Stupid Stuff
Let's start this right: Don DeVoe has an excellent coaching legacy, fixed a Navy program in disarry when he came there, and is a shoo in for whatever honors Navy can give him.
But he said so many lousy things lately
(an example) about the program he is still employed by that if I was in charge at the USNA I'd give him some demerits.
Let's start with this gem from the above article: "I look at the Sagarin Ratings, which I use because they're the only ones I know how to find, and in the bottom 10 there are four military schools," DeVoe said. "I don't think military schools are attractive to student-athletes in basketball."
There's a few problems here. First, he only knows how to look at the Saragin ratings, probably because they're printed in the newspaper right under the box scores. This is the coach of a DIVISION ONE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PROGRAM and he's giving me the impression I'm looking at more stats than he is. Which is scary.
It's true, VMI, The Citadel, Army and Navy are all lousy, lousy programs right now. But VMI and the Citadel (as far as I know) aren't military schools in the sense Army and Navy are-- There's no compulsory service afterwards, and they're not official branches of the Armed Services. VMI and the Citadel are also lousy, terrible, no good programs with about one tenth of the history and prominence of the Army and Navy programs. Selling a kid on playing where David Robinson played is different than selling him on moving to Lexington and getting beaten by UNC-Wilmington twice every year.
The real problem is this -- the idea that basketball players are some weird beast which are much different than football players, baseball players or any other kind of high school kids is just plain dumb. Navy had great success last year in football. They have a baseball program that made it to the tournament last year. Army's girls basketball team is consistently solid. DeVoe is basically saying that kids have changed and it's not his fault his team sucks, it's just that no one wants to go to one of the nation's most respected and hallowed institutions. Somehow, 18 year olds are supposed to be different than they were 7 or 8 years ago. I'm not buying it.
Navy was the dominant program in this league not so long ago. They fell off track, and that doesn't make Don DeVoe a bad coach, because the talent obiviously hasn't been there. But it does make one question his recruiting ability. Maybe kids didn't change--maybe Don DeVoe did.
Oh, and there was also this snarky bit:
About the only good news was the postgame ceremony honoring the three seniors. DeVoe told the crowd the class had started with nine recruits.
"I'll forget their names, but I'll never forget yours," he said.
"They're dead to me," said DeVoe. "It's not my fault they left, it's just kids today are assholes."
I guess the part that bothers me most is that he STILL WORKS FOR NAVY. He's saying shitty things about the place that pays his bills. If I was telling reporters that clients just aren't interested in hiring a consulting firm like the one that pays my bills, I'd get more than demerits. Talk all you want after you leave, that's your perogative. But while you are still at Navy, and the season isn't over, there's no need to talk trash about the program. Can you imagine what that does if a potential recruit sees it? "Well, the coach says no one wants to play there, so it must be a lousy place to play." Ugh.
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Let's start this right: Don DeVoe has an excellent coaching legacy, fixed a Navy program in disarry when he came there, and is a shoo in for whatever honors Navy can give him.
But he said so many lousy things lately
(an example) about the program he is still employed by that if I was in charge at the USNA I'd give him some demerits.
Let's start with this gem from the above article: "I look at the Sagarin Ratings, which I use because they're the only ones I know how to find, and in the bottom 10 there are four military schools," DeVoe said. "I don't think military schools are attractive to student-athletes in basketball."
There's a few problems here. First, he only knows how to look at the Saragin ratings, probably because they're printed in the newspaper right under the box scores. This is the coach of a DIVISION ONE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PROGRAM and he's giving me the impression I'm looking at more stats than he is. Which is scary.
It's true, VMI, The Citadel, Army and Navy are all lousy, lousy programs right now. But VMI and the Citadel (as far as I know) aren't military schools in the sense Army and Navy are-- There's no compulsory service afterwards, and they're not official branches of the Armed Services. VMI and the Citadel are also lousy, terrible, no good programs with about one tenth of the history and prominence of the Army and Navy programs. Selling a kid on playing where David Robinson played is different than selling him on moving to Lexington and getting beaten by UNC-Wilmington twice every year.
The real problem is this -- the idea that basketball players are some weird beast which are much different than football players, baseball players or any other kind of high school kids is just plain dumb. Navy had great success last year in football. They have a baseball program that made it to the tournament last year. Army's girls basketball team is consistently solid. DeVoe is basically saying that kids have changed and it's not his fault his team sucks, it's just that no one wants to go to one of the nation's most respected and hallowed institutions. Somehow, 18 year olds are supposed to be different than they were 7 or 8 years ago. I'm not buying it.
Navy was the dominant program in this league not so long ago. They fell off track, and that doesn't make Don DeVoe a bad coach, because the talent obiviously hasn't been there. But it does make one question his recruiting ability. Maybe kids didn't change--maybe Don DeVoe did.
Oh, and there was also this snarky bit:
About the only good news was the postgame ceremony honoring the three seniors. DeVoe told the crowd the class had started with nine recruits.
"I'll forget their names, but I'll never forget yours," he said.
"They're dead to me," said DeVoe. "It's not my fault they left, it's just kids today are assholes."
I guess the part that bothers me most is that he STILL WORKS FOR NAVY. He's saying shitty things about the place that pays his bills. If I was telling reporters that clients just aren't interested in hiring a consulting firm like the one that pays my bills, I'd get more than demerits. Talk all you want after you leave, that's your perogative. But while you are still at Navy, and the season isn't over, there's no need to talk trash about the program. Can you imagine what that does if a potential recruit sees it? "Well, the coach says no one wants to play there, so it must be a lousy place to play." Ugh.
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Top Candidate Wojcik Passes Up Navy Job, Saves Me Trouble of Perpetually Misspelling His Name
Wojcik Passes Up Navy (washingtonpost.com) @ 12:46 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Wojcik Passes Up Navy (washingtonpost.com) @ 12:46 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, February 20, 2004
PL sabbatical (did i misspell that?)
I'm out for a week, doing my best Endless Summer impression in Central America. That's right, I'm missing the finale of Beat Holy Cross Week 2004. Missing that game and Sunday's contest at Colgate means I'll miss twice as many games this week as I have in the last two years.
Check back next Friday for my thoughts on this weekend's contests. Here's my predictions for this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Army @ Lehigh: Lehigh is much too fast. Olivero may surpass Ingram as Rookie of the Year. Lehigh by 15.
Colgate @ Navy: Making predictions about Colgate is impossible, because they're consistent about inconsistency. But they're playing Navy, so they oughta win. Howard Blue is back.
Lafayette @ Bucknell: The BU kids oughta come out big for this one. It's a weird arena to play in (it's gigantic), so LC is at a disadvantage that they're usually not at on the road. I think BU can pull it off, but in a squeaker.
Holy Cross @ American: HC and AU will both be up for this game, since both have been embarassed at Bender before. HC almost ruined my Spring Break 2 years ago by beating AU for the PL title in DC. AU blew out HC in Tenleytown last year in their only league loss. I think AU will pull this off, given they won @ HC and the Cross has yet to show they are any kind of a road team. AU by 10.
SUNDAY:
Colgate @ American: AU will win, if they hit their frigging free throws.
Army @ Bucknell: It sure would be nifty if Army played the spoiler and beat Bucknell, but they're not going to do it at Sojka. BU by 15.
Lafayette @ Lehigh: A quick aside-- Lots of people can tell if it's going to rain, or get cold or whatnot based on their various scars, injuries, or bum knees. I have a scar on my stomach that itches when someone is going to fade down the stretch of a season. I itched when I watched the Vikings this year, I itch when I watch the Grizzlies in the NBA this year. It's a gift, I don't question it. What does this have to do with the big LU/LC game (probably the biggest league game so far this season)? My scar is acting up, and I can feel LC fading. I don't see these guys going to the final of the tournament. I might be wrong, but the scar never lies. Anyway, LU by 6. The easy prediction is that Austen Rowland will have his homeless-chic look going and act like a jackass on nat'l TV.
Holy Cross @ Navy: Believe it or not, Navy will lose.
See you in a week. I'll probably be at the AU/LC game next Saturday, anyone have any good places I can get a beer before or after the game? @ 1:22 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
I'm out for a week, doing my best Endless Summer impression in Central America. That's right, I'm missing the finale of Beat Holy Cross Week 2004. Missing that game and Sunday's contest at Colgate means I'll miss twice as many games this week as I have in the last two years.
Check back next Friday for my thoughts on this weekend's contests. Here's my predictions for this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Army @ Lehigh: Lehigh is much too fast. Olivero may surpass Ingram as Rookie of the Year. Lehigh by 15.
Colgate @ Navy: Making predictions about Colgate is impossible, because they're consistent about inconsistency. But they're playing Navy, so they oughta win. Howard Blue is back.
Lafayette @ Bucknell: The BU kids oughta come out big for this one. It's a weird arena to play in (it's gigantic), so LC is at a disadvantage that they're usually not at on the road. I think BU can pull it off, but in a squeaker.
Holy Cross @ American: HC and AU will both be up for this game, since both have been embarassed at Bender before. HC almost ruined my Spring Break 2 years ago by beating AU for the PL title in DC. AU blew out HC in Tenleytown last year in their only league loss. I think AU will pull this off, given they won @ HC and the Cross has yet to show they are any kind of a road team. AU by 10.
SUNDAY:
Colgate @ American: AU will win, if they hit their frigging free throws.
Army @ Bucknell: It sure would be nifty if Army played the spoiler and beat Bucknell, but they're not going to do it at Sojka. BU by 15.
Lafayette @ Lehigh: A quick aside-- Lots of people can tell if it's going to rain, or get cold or whatnot based on their various scars, injuries, or bum knees. I have a scar on my stomach that itches when someone is going to fade down the stretch of a season. I itched when I watched the Vikings this year, I itch when I watch the Grizzlies in the NBA this year. It's a gift, I don't question it. What does this have to do with the big LU/LC game (probably the biggest league game so far this season)? My scar is acting up, and I can feel LC fading. I don't see these guys going to the final of the tournament. I might be wrong, but the scar never lies. Anyway, LU by 6. The easy prediction is that Austen Rowland will have his homeless-chic look going and act like a jackass on nat'l TV.
Holy Cross @ Navy: Believe it or not, Navy will lose.
See you in a week. I'll probably be at the AU/LC game next Saturday, anyone have any good places I can get a beer before or after the game? @ 1:22 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
This is a pretty weird release:
"The 3,418 fans that came out to Kirby Sports Center on Feb. 14 knew they were in for a treat. Lafayette's men's basketball team, alone in first place in the Patriot League and unbeaten at home, was hosting three-time defending league champ Holy Cross. On the day dedicated to lovers, the Leopards and Crusaders were set for the rematch of a heated contest"
On the day dedicated to lovers? Apparently this guy writes sonnets on the side. @ 1:02 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
"The 3,418 fans that came out to Kirby Sports Center on Feb. 14 knew they were in for a treat. Lafayette's men's basketball team, alone in first place in the Patriot League and unbeaten at home, was hosting three-time defending league champ Holy Cross. On the day dedicated to lovers, the Leopards and Crusaders were set for the rematch of a heated contest"
On the day dedicated to lovers? Apparently this guy writes sonnets on the side. @ 1:02 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Tourney Changes
The Patriot League has altered its tournament schedules, opting to avoid the excitment and drama of a poorly attended tournament in a horse barn outside D.C. for having the first two rounds of the tournament at the #1 and #2 seeds in the league.
I'm all for this. The teams that underperform during the regular season shouldn't be rewarded with a neutral site during the tournament. If Navy goes 0-14 in the league this year, is it really fair that we hold the tournament an hour away from Annapolis? I don't think so.
Rather, we ought to reward the teams that play well during the regular season-- as a one bid conference, it makes those games much more important. In the past, you could go 6-8 and hope to just get hot and win three in a row. Now, you have to hope to get hot during three consecutive away games, no easy task.
The Patriot League does not draw well enough to make a neutral site tournament viable. Hell, Colgate draws 300 to their home games--can we really expect anyone from CU to drive 4 hours to see them? The same can be said about half the teams in this league.
In sum, the changes are good. People who were willing to drive a distance to see their teams in the tournament can still do so, wherever the tournament is sited. Attendance will probably improve, as will enthusiam within the student body. @ 12:59 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
The Patriot League has altered its tournament schedules, opting to avoid the excitment and drama of a poorly attended tournament in a horse barn outside D.C. for having the first two rounds of the tournament at the #1 and #2 seeds in the league.
I'm all for this. The teams that underperform during the regular season shouldn't be rewarded with a neutral site during the tournament. If Navy goes 0-14 in the league this year, is it really fair that we hold the tournament an hour away from Annapolis? I don't think so.
Rather, we ought to reward the teams that play well during the regular season-- as a one bid conference, it makes those games much more important. In the past, you could go 6-8 and hope to just get hot and win three in a row. Now, you have to hope to get hot during three consecutive away games, no easy task.
The Patriot League does not draw well enough to make a neutral site tournament viable. Hell, Colgate draws 300 to their home games--can we really expect anyone from CU to drive 4 hours to see them? The same can be said about half the teams in this league.
In sum, the changes are good. People who were willing to drive a distance to see their teams in the tournament can still do so, wherever the tournament is sited. Attendance will probably improve, as will enthusiam within the student body. @ 12:59 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Yours truly makes some press
As goes The Eagle (AU's paper), so goes the world. My favorite quote: "The author of this site, Matt B., never really explains his connection to the Patriot League. But he's so knowledgeable about the teams and players in it that he might as well be the commissioner." @ 12:52 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
As goes The Eagle (AU's paper), so goes the world. My favorite quote: "The author of this site, Matt B., never really explains his connection to the Patriot League. But he's so knowledgeable about the teams and players in it that he might as well be the commissioner." @ 12:52 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, February 13, 2004
Thanks for the link
Very interesting news about changes for next year's PL tournament and regular season (this is formatted lousy, it's the newspaper's fault, not mine):
Tom Housenick on college basketball - February 13, 2004 @ 12:26 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Very interesting news about changes for next year's PL tournament and regular season (this is formatted lousy, it's the newspaper's fault, not mine):
Tom Housenick on college basketball - February 13, 2004 @ 12:26 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Monday, February 09, 2004
I'm still here
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Sunday, February 08, 2004
"I am really, really disappointed"
This weekend was probably more notable for the lousy performances put in by Army and Navy than for the upset wins by Colgate and Bucknell. Which is too bad, because both CU and BU put up some quality performances against good teams. But the service academies were just awful. Halfway through Saturday's games, Army had 10 points at the half, and Navy had 13. That's a combined 23.
TWENTY THREE. Church league teams could score 15 in a half. If you put me, two monkeys, a blind man, and a midget on the court, we could drop at least 15 in a half. I mean, the monkeys can probably jump pretty well, and I bet we could run a play where the midget does a decent backdoor cut.
The Washington Post article about the Navy game sums the year for both academies pretty well:
"Yesterday marked the fourth time in eight Patriot League games involving Navy that a record was established. Lehigh tied a record by making all 16 of its free throws in an 80-61 win on Jan. 10. The next game, American senior guard Andres Rodriguez had a league- and school-record 19 assists in an 80-58 win.
And Bucknell shot a school- and league-record 71.7 percent (33 of 46) in an 87-46 victory on Jan. 17."
Yikes.
I drove up to Lewisburg for the AU/Bucknell game this Saturday, a nice drive and a nicer facility. Having been to five of the eight Patriot League courts, Bucknell is the nicest I have been to. Almost too nice. I'm not sure what a place like the Sojka Pavillion is doing in Lewisburg. It's got to seat around 4000, so I'm sure they never sell out for basketball. The place was 2/3 empty for the AU game, with student attendance minimal at best (the BU football team was loud and annoying, and right on the floor--they committed the cardinal sin in annoying fandom for me by starting the wave). I don't know why you would build such a big facility for such a small school. Regardless, this place is ridiculously nice. It wouldn't be a bad place to hold the PL tournament.
As far as the game goes, AU was flat in the first half. Bucknell couldn't miss either, and Bettencourt simply outplayed Jason Thomas, who was essentially replaced by Lekavicius (whose name I may never spell right) and Caterina.
A quick aside here -- Jason Thomas has had a disappointing season thus far, as far as I'm concerned. I thought he would develop as much more of a shooter and team leader, but as a Junior he is still not getting through screens and is still doing dumb shit like trying to throw a dunk down to impress his friends (and missing) instead of just laying the ball up against Lafayette, or arguing with the captain of the team on the court.
AU's press simply destroyed BU in the second half. I'm curious as to where it was during the first half. Lekavicius was great on both ends of the court, as was fellow AU frosh Andre Ingram. Lekavicius' performance was certainly the highlight of the game for this AU fan-- his 9 steals set a new AU record for one game. He needs to hold off on shooting at times, but as this kid matures I think he's going to be the best player AU has.
Bettencourt and the rest of BU's youth movement handled AU's comeback well however, icing a win by hitting their free throws late in the game. AU hit all but 1 free throw, a nice change from a team that couldnt hit a free throw to save its life against LC at home last week.
There's a weird schedule this week for PL games a couple of Tuesday and Wednesday games, along with AU at Lehigh on friday, and another good game with HC at Lafayette Saturday. Colgate will also try to avenge their embarassing loss to Army. I'll have a preview before then. @ 10:39 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
This weekend was probably more notable for the lousy performances put in by Army and Navy than for the upset wins by Colgate and Bucknell. Which is too bad, because both CU and BU put up some quality performances against good teams. But the service academies were just awful. Halfway through Saturday's games, Army had 10 points at the half, and Navy had 13. That's a combined 23.
TWENTY THREE. Church league teams could score 15 in a half. If you put me, two monkeys, a blind man, and a midget on the court, we could drop at least 15 in a half. I mean, the monkeys can probably jump pretty well, and I bet we could run a play where the midget does a decent backdoor cut.
The Washington Post article about the Navy game sums the year for both academies pretty well:
"Yesterday marked the fourth time in eight Patriot League games involving Navy that a record was established. Lehigh tied a record by making all 16 of its free throws in an 80-61 win on Jan. 10. The next game, American senior guard Andres Rodriguez had a league- and school-record 19 assists in an 80-58 win.
And Bucknell shot a school- and league-record 71.7 percent (33 of 46) in an 87-46 victory on Jan. 17."
Yikes.
I drove up to Lewisburg for the AU/Bucknell game this Saturday, a nice drive and a nicer facility. Having been to five of the eight Patriot League courts, Bucknell is the nicest I have been to. Almost too nice. I'm not sure what a place like the Sojka Pavillion is doing in Lewisburg. It's got to seat around 4000, so I'm sure they never sell out for basketball. The place was 2/3 empty for the AU game, with student attendance minimal at best (the BU football team was loud and annoying, and right on the floor--they committed the cardinal sin in annoying fandom for me by starting the wave). I don't know why you would build such a big facility for such a small school. Regardless, this place is ridiculously nice. It wouldn't be a bad place to hold the PL tournament.
As far as the game goes, AU was flat in the first half. Bucknell couldn't miss either, and Bettencourt simply outplayed Jason Thomas, who was essentially replaced by Lekavicius (whose name I may never spell right) and Caterina.
A quick aside here -- Jason Thomas has had a disappointing season thus far, as far as I'm concerned. I thought he would develop as much more of a shooter and team leader, but as a Junior he is still not getting through screens and is still doing dumb shit like trying to throw a dunk down to impress his friends (and missing) instead of just laying the ball up against Lafayette, or arguing with the captain of the team on the court.
AU's press simply destroyed BU in the second half. I'm curious as to where it was during the first half. Lekavicius was great on both ends of the court, as was fellow AU frosh Andre Ingram. Lekavicius' performance was certainly the highlight of the game for this AU fan-- his 9 steals set a new AU record for one game. He needs to hold off on shooting at times, but as this kid matures I think he's going to be the best player AU has.
Bettencourt and the rest of BU's youth movement handled AU's comeback well however, icing a win by hitting their free throws late in the game. AU hit all but 1 free throw, a nice change from a team that couldnt hit a free throw to save its life against LC at home last week.
There's a weird schedule this week for PL games a couple of Tuesday and Wednesday games, along with AU at Lehigh on friday, and another good game with HC at Lafayette Saturday. Colgate will also try to avenge their embarassing loss to Army. I'll have a preview before then. @ 10:39 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Friday, February 06, 2004
Quick Weekend Preview
Well, the league is half over already! It seems just yesterday, Holy Cross was invincible and I made fun of some poor Lafayette recruit for saying his team was the one to beat. Shows what we know.
Tonight, on DirecTV (R) (c) TM, the thus far undefeated in league play Pards make the trip to exciting Hamilton, NY to play in front of a crowd of dozens against Colgate. I think Howard Blue is still hurt. This means Colgate could get run off the court by LC. If LC drops more than 70 points, you know they'll win. Kendall Chones is going to have to become an offensive force for CU to stay in this one.
Army is at Holy Cross, in a battle for 5th place. I wouldn't be suprised if the Black Knights pulled off the upset here, but Holy Cross is going to have to have a real lapse for it to happen.
Lehigh is at Navy, in the inaugural game of the Don DeVoe farewell tour. DeVoe will get a nice round of applause from the Navy crowd, and that oughta be the highlight of the night for the USNA. You never know, maybe the Navy kids will be inspired by their coach's departure and play better than usual. Navy fans, watch out for the Jose Olivero and Austen Rowland local contingent that is going to show up. They get excited when either of their boys does anything, but not about the rest of the team. Fun to watch.
I'll be heading up for the day to Lewisberg (Lewisburg?) PA to see AU take on Bucknell in the brand spankin new Sojka Pavillion. These two went to OT in DC last month, but hopefully AU can avoid such a fate and keep this one from getting close. Bucknell is going to be awful good in the next 3 years, as I believe they're now starting 2 Sophomores and 3 Freshmen. Looks like scholarships do make a difference in who you can recruit.
I'll have a full report from PA about the AU game, as well as a few pictures, hopefully.
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Well, the league is half over already! It seems just yesterday, Holy Cross was invincible and I made fun of some poor Lafayette recruit for saying his team was the one to beat. Shows what we know.
Tonight, on DirecTV (R) (c) TM, the thus far undefeated in league play Pards make the trip to exciting Hamilton, NY to play in front of a crowd of dozens against Colgate. I think Howard Blue is still hurt. This means Colgate could get run off the court by LC. If LC drops more than 70 points, you know they'll win. Kendall Chones is going to have to become an offensive force for CU to stay in this one.
Army is at Holy Cross, in a battle for 5th place. I wouldn't be suprised if the Black Knights pulled off the upset here, but Holy Cross is going to have to have a real lapse for it to happen.
Lehigh is at Navy, in the inaugural game of the Don DeVoe farewell tour. DeVoe will get a nice round of applause from the Navy crowd, and that oughta be the highlight of the night for the USNA. You never know, maybe the Navy kids will be inspired by their coach's departure and play better than usual. Navy fans, watch out for the Jose Olivero and Austen Rowland local contingent that is going to show up. They get excited when either of their boys does anything, but not about the rest of the team. Fun to watch.
I'll be heading up for the day to Lewisberg (Lewisburg?) PA to see AU take on Bucknell in the brand spankin new Sojka Pavillion. These two went to OT in DC last month, but hopefully AU can avoid such a fate and keep this one from getting close. Bucknell is going to be awful good in the next 3 years, as I believe they're now starting 2 Sophomores and 3 Freshmen. Looks like scholarships do make a difference in who you can recruit.
I'll have a full report from PA about the AU game, as well as a few pictures, hopefully.
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Great Feinstein Article About DeVoe
'One of Those Guys Everyone in the Profession Looks Up To -- as a Person and as a Coach' (washingtonpost.com) @ 10:09 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
'One of Those Guys Everyone in the Profession Looks Up To -- as a Person and as a Coach' (washingtonpost.com) @ 10:09 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
The International University Eagles
The post ran a similar article last year. But this is pretty nice for insight on the AU squad...
The Washington Times
February 3, 2004, Tuesday, Final Edition
SPORTS; Pg. C01
American dream; International Eagles shootfor NCAAs
By Jon Siegel, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The red, white and blue jerseys read American, but the names on the back are Petrauskas, Cresnik, Lekavicius and Eitutavicius.
The American University basketball team is near the top of the Patriot League, close enough that the Eastern European pipeline it tapped could deliver the American basketball dream - an NCAA tournament bid - for the first time. What are a few trans-Atlantic flights if it brings March Madness to AU?
"We started with an idea that we might want to recruit internationally," AU coach Jeff Jones said. "But it kind of took on a life on its own."
And how.
First there is Slovenian Matej Cresnik, a sharpshooting 6-foot-8 junior and sound big man. Then there are a trio of Lithuanians - Raimondas Petrauskas, Linas Lekavicius and Arvydas Eitutavicius.
And the Eastern Europeans aren't the only basketball imports at AU. Cameroon forward Patrick Opkwae and Canadian Ryan Graham make the Eagles a roundball version of the United Nations.
"When you get mad, you see a lot of different languages coming out of practices and games," Puerto Rican point guard Andres Rodriguez said. "Matej speaking Slovenian. The other ones speaking Lithuanian. I am speaking Spanish. Ryan and Pat are speaking French. It's funny."
The Eagles do have their share of American players, including leading rebounder Jernavis Draughn and freshman Andre Ingram. However, the international makeup is by design. Jones knew he couldn't recruit against the ACC and Big East for blue-chip players and saw AU as a perfect fit for foreign players. The school has an ethnically diverse student body and is located in one of the country's most diverse cities.
"This is just looking to increase the pool of perspective student-athletes and also see what fits us as a university," said Jones, the former Virginia coach who is in his fourth season at AU. "These guys aren't afraid of hard work. They aren't spoiled. They don't have these big expectations. They are happy to be getting an education and playing basketball, which they cannot do in their country at the same time. They are excellent students, and obviously they have done well in basketball."
The Eagles [11-10, 5-2 Patriot League] have won eight of their last 11 as Petrauskas, in his second season of basketball in the United States, has become a physical force with a shooter's touch. The 6-7 junior has been AU's most consistent player lately. He leads the team with 13 blocked shots and recorded a career-high 24 points in Sunday's win over Army.
Cresnik is a fluid big man who has hit 26 of 52 3-pointers. Freshman Lekavicius is a composed backup point guard, and Eitutavicius is a freshman who joined the team after the first semester.
Cresnik and Petrauskas came straight to AU from overseas, while the others came to the United States for high school before enrolling at AU.
The beginning of AU's international influence can be traced to South Carolina coach Dave Odom, who coached Lithuanian star Darius Songaila at Wake Forest. Songaila's success in the ACC prompted Odom's son Ryan, an assistant at AU from 2000 to 2003 before leaving for a similar position at Virginia Tech, to scout Lithuanian players. When Ryan Odom convinced Ricardas Patiejunas to come to AU, that opened the AU-Lithuania pipeline.
Jones never saw Patiejunas before he arrived on campus but took the advice of basketball people abroad. As Odom said, "You have to trust a lot more guys overseas because you can't go over on a Tuesday night and see a guy play."
When it came to Cresnik, Jones didn't have to go so much on blind faith. The coach saw tape of the Slovenian star and was so impressed he made a trip overseas intent on bringing the big man to AU.
"We can't afford - literally - to spend money and go on a wild goose chase," Jones said of his school's modest budget. "He was just very fundamentally sound and really knows the game. He's 6-8, 6-9 with those kind of fundamentals. Finding good big men that are advanced like that, you really don't get too much of a chance over here to get a player like that. There is such a premium on big guys."
Cresnik, 24, didn't start playing basketball until he was 17 but was a Slovenian junior national tennis champion. He was at a special school for athletes when two of his roommates who were on the basketball team got him interested in the game. One of those roommates was Bostjan Nachbar, a first-round pick by the Houston Rockets in 2002.
Cresnik, who played on the Slovenian national team in the European championships against NBA players Tony Parker [France] and Pau Gasol [Spain], had designs on playing professionally in Europe before a slipped disc in his back forced him to consider other options.
"That's really when I started thinking about going to college in the States," said Cresnik, who speaks six languages. "Here it is easier to do sports and school. I knew back home I wouldn't be able to do both. That's why my parents really encouraged me to come over. The coach of my club team had connections to Coach Odom, and Coach Jones came over to see me play."
Like Cresnik, Petrauskas picked up the game in his late teens. The 24-year old started playing after a growth spurt at 18 and was encouraged by friends and his mother, who played when she was younger. He has been encouraged by his teammates since he arrived at AU.
"Basketball is most popular in Lithuania," said Petrauskas, who followed the career of Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis in the NBA. "I didn't speak any English at all. When I came here, Rick [Patiejunas] was in his second year, and he helped me. Matej, who is from Slovenia, helped me with homework and studying."
Lekavicius and Eitutavicius came to U.S. high schools on the recommendation of college coaches, and the two followed their countrymen's footsteps to Washington.
While Cresnik has a typical European finesse game, Petrauskas shows aggressive and physical play - something atypical of Europeans. The coaches are trying get him to play less aggressively to cut down on his fouls.
All of AU's European players are fundamentally sound - they shoot and handle the ball well and play solid defense - which makes a pass-first point guard's job easier.
"It's really easy because they are all shooters," said Rodriguez, who is averaging 7.6 assists. "They don't think like Americans that if you are tall you go to the post and that's it. Over there, if you are tall or small, you get a ball and you shoot. That's good for us because we can keep the floor spread. Raimos can shoot from 17 feet. Matej is our best shooter. They are big guys, but they can come out and shoot."
The transition off the court hasn't been as easy, even with a built-in support system. Learning to speak English and adjusting to life in a new country is a challenge. Petrauskas calls home about twice a month and regularly e-mails his family and friends. The Lithuanians often visit their embassy and go to Lithuanian communities where they can get a home-cooked meal.
Obviously, the players still embrace their roots, but they have adopted the dream of American college basketball players. They understand March Madness and are eager to experience that part of Americana.
"That's why I came here - to be part of a winning team and go to the NCAA tournament," Cresnik said. "That's what it is all about."
Whether your name is Mike or Matej.
GRAPHIC: Practice is practice in any language as American University's Raimondas Petrauskas [left] and Linas Lekavicius retrieved balls. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] ; Linas Lekavicius attended high school in this country on the recommendation of college coaches. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] Matej Cresnik, of Slovenia, is a sharpshooting 6-foot-8 junior and a sound big man for American. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] ; Lithuanians Raimondas Petrauskas [left], Linas Lekavicius, and Arvydas Eitutavicius have helped each other adjust to this country. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times]
@ 2:43 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
The post ran a similar article last year. But this is pretty nice for insight on the AU squad...
The Washington Times
February 3, 2004, Tuesday, Final Edition
SPORTS; Pg. C01
American dream; International Eagles shootfor NCAAs
By Jon Siegel, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The red, white and blue jerseys read American, but the names on the back are Petrauskas, Cresnik, Lekavicius and Eitutavicius.
The American University basketball team is near the top of the Patriot League, close enough that the Eastern European pipeline it tapped could deliver the American basketball dream - an NCAA tournament bid - for the first time. What are a few trans-Atlantic flights if it brings March Madness to AU?
"We started with an idea that we might want to recruit internationally," AU coach Jeff Jones said. "But it kind of took on a life on its own."
And how.
First there is Slovenian Matej Cresnik, a sharpshooting 6-foot-8 junior and sound big man. Then there are a trio of Lithuanians - Raimondas Petrauskas, Linas Lekavicius and Arvydas Eitutavicius.
And the Eastern Europeans aren't the only basketball imports at AU. Cameroon forward Patrick Opkwae and Canadian Ryan Graham make the Eagles a roundball version of the United Nations.
"When you get mad, you see a lot of different languages coming out of practices and games," Puerto Rican point guard Andres Rodriguez said. "Matej speaking Slovenian. The other ones speaking Lithuanian. I am speaking Spanish. Ryan and Pat are speaking French. It's funny."
The Eagles do have their share of American players, including leading rebounder Jernavis Draughn and freshman Andre Ingram. However, the international makeup is by design. Jones knew he couldn't recruit against the ACC and Big East for blue-chip players and saw AU as a perfect fit for foreign players. The school has an ethnically diverse student body and is located in one of the country's most diverse cities.
"This is just looking to increase the pool of perspective student-athletes and also see what fits us as a university," said Jones, the former Virginia coach who is in his fourth season at AU. "These guys aren't afraid of hard work. They aren't spoiled. They don't have these big expectations. They are happy to be getting an education and playing basketball, which they cannot do in their country at the same time. They are excellent students, and obviously they have done well in basketball."
The Eagles [11-10, 5-2 Patriot League] have won eight of their last 11 as Petrauskas, in his second season of basketball in the United States, has become a physical force with a shooter's touch. The 6-7 junior has been AU's most consistent player lately. He leads the team with 13 blocked shots and recorded a career-high 24 points in Sunday's win over Army.
Cresnik is a fluid big man who has hit 26 of 52 3-pointers. Freshman Lekavicius is a composed backup point guard, and Eitutavicius is a freshman who joined the team after the first semester.
Cresnik and Petrauskas came straight to AU from overseas, while the others came to the United States for high school before enrolling at AU.
The beginning of AU's international influence can be traced to South Carolina coach Dave Odom, who coached Lithuanian star Darius Songaila at Wake Forest. Songaila's success in the ACC prompted Odom's son Ryan, an assistant at AU from 2000 to 2003 before leaving for a similar position at Virginia Tech, to scout Lithuanian players. When Ryan Odom convinced Ricardas Patiejunas to come to AU, that opened the AU-Lithuania pipeline.
Jones never saw Patiejunas before he arrived on campus but took the advice of basketball people abroad. As Odom said, "You have to trust a lot more guys overseas because you can't go over on a Tuesday night and see a guy play."
When it came to Cresnik, Jones didn't have to go so much on blind faith. The coach saw tape of the Slovenian star and was so impressed he made a trip overseas intent on bringing the big man to AU.
"We can't afford - literally - to spend money and go on a wild goose chase," Jones said of his school's modest budget. "He was just very fundamentally sound and really knows the game. He's 6-8, 6-9 with those kind of fundamentals. Finding good big men that are advanced like that, you really don't get too much of a chance over here to get a player like that. There is such a premium on big guys."
Cresnik, 24, didn't start playing basketball until he was 17 but was a Slovenian junior national tennis champion. He was at a special school for athletes when two of his roommates who were on the basketball team got him interested in the game. One of those roommates was Bostjan Nachbar, a first-round pick by the Houston Rockets in 2002.
Cresnik, who played on the Slovenian national team in the European championships against NBA players Tony Parker [France] and Pau Gasol [Spain], had designs on playing professionally in Europe before a slipped disc in his back forced him to consider other options.
"That's really when I started thinking about going to college in the States," said Cresnik, who speaks six languages. "Here it is easier to do sports and school. I knew back home I wouldn't be able to do both. That's why my parents really encouraged me to come over. The coach of my club team had connections to Coach Odom, and Coach Jones came over to see me play."
Like Cresnik, Petrauskas picked up the game in his late teens. The 24-year old started playing after a growth spurt at 18 and was encouraged by friends and his mother, who played when she was younger. He has been encouraged by his teammates since he arrived at AU.
"Basketball is most popular in Lithuania," said Petrauskas, who followed the career of Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis in the NBA. "I didn't speak any English at all. When I came here, Rick [Patiejunas] was in his second year, and he helped me. Matej, who is from Slovenia, helped me with homework and studying."
Lekavicius and Eitutavicius came to U.S. high schools on the recommendation of college coaches, and the two followed their countrymen's footsteps to Washington.
While Cresnik has a typical European finesse game, Petrauskas shows aggressive and physical play - something atypical of Europeans. The coaches are trying get him to play less aggressively to cut down on his fouls.
All of AU's European players are fundamentally sound - they shoot and handle the ball well and play solid defense - which makes a pass-first point guard's job easier.
"It's really easy because they are all shooters," said Rodriguez, who is averaging 7.6 assists. "They don't think like Americans that if you are tall you go to the post and that's it. Over there, if you are tall or small, you get a ball and you shoot. That's good for us because we can keep the floor spread. Raimos can shoot from 17 feet. Matej is our best shooter. They are big guys, but they can come out and shoot."
The transition off the court hasn't been as easy, even with a built-in support system. Learning to speak English and adjusting to life in a new country is a challenge. Petrauskas calls home about twice a month and regularly e-mails his family and friends. The Lithuanians often visit their embassy and go to Lithuanian communities where they can get a home-cooked meal.
Obviously, the players still embrace their roots, but they have adopted the dream of American college basketball players. They understand March Madness and are eager to experience that part of Americana.
"That's why I came here - to be part of a winning team and go to the NCAA tournament," Cresnik said. "That's what it is all about."
Whether your name is Mike or Matej.
GRAPHIC: Practice is practice in any language as American University's Raimondas Petrauskas [left] and Linas Lekavicius retrieved balls. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] ; Linas Lekavicius attended high school in this country on the recommendation of college coaches. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] Matej Cresnik, of Slovenia, is a sharpshooting 6-foot-8 junior and a sound big man for American. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times] ; Lithuanians Raimondas Petrauskas [left], Linas Lekavicius, and Arvydas Eitutavicius have helped each other adjust to this country. [Photo by Michael Connor/The Washington Times]
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From the Capital:
DeVoe said yesterday the traveling that takes place in the Patriot League has begun to wear on him. Navy recently took a two-game road trip to Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.) and Colgate (Hamilton, N.Y.).
"This Friday-Sunday schedule we are now playing in the Patriot League is very tough," DeVoe said. "After that last road trip, I seriously had to ask myself how much longer I wanted to do this."
****
I'm telling you, a trip to Hamilton sucks one's will to live, much less coach. @ 2:36 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
DeVoe said yesterday the traveling that takes place in the Patriot League has begun to wear on him. Navy recently took a two-game road trip to Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.) and Colgate (Hamilton, N.Y.).
"This Friday-Sunday schedule we are now playing in the Patriot League is very tough," DeVoe said. "After that last road trip, I seriously had to ask myself how much longer I wanted to do this."
****
I'm telling you, a trip to Hamilton sucks one's will to live, much less coach. @ 2:36 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Nice Article in Das Kapital about DeVoe
The Capital (Annapolis, MD)
February 3, 2004 Tuesday
Correction Appended
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. B3
LENGTH: 651 words
HEADLINE: Another distressing setback for Mids
BODY:
This was the wrong time for the Navy men's basketball program to take the phrase "Restoring the Glory" as its motto. This season has been anything but glorious.
In addition to the disappointing record, the program knows now it has lost one of the classiest coaches it has ever had.
Don DeVoe will step down when this distressing season is over. If DeVoe made that decision on his own, it had to be more painful than if he has actually been asked to retire. We may never know which of those things happened, but the fact is Navy will be without the man who 10 years ago did, in fact, restore the glory to Navy basketball.
As might be expected, most of the people calling for DeVoe's departure because of the agonizing season he's enduring, weren't around when he arrived on the scene. They might not be in such a rush to get rid of him.
After David Robinson graduated in 1987, Navy teams went through five consecutive losing seasons. In 1991-92, the Mids' first season in the Patriot League, they finished dead last with a 1-13 record. Overall, Navy battled through its fourth straight season with a single digit in the "win" column.
DeVoe replaced Pete Herrmann for the 1992-93 campaign and continued that string when the Mids went 5-9 in the Patriot League and 8-19 overall, which was the most wins in a conference and equaled the most overall wins in five years.
The next eight seasons were all winning seasons. Five times the Mids either won the Patriot League title outright or tied for it. Three times they went to the NCAA Tournament. Four times DeVoe's teams won 20 or more games and there were two other seasons when the Mids won 19 games.
All of that success spoiled the Navy fans, whose short memories have forgotten about years before DeVoe's arrival. They were also spoiled by the Robinson years, and many never understood that Robinson's era at the Naval Academy was an anomaly.
Before Robinson arrived in Annapolis no Navy team ever had a 20-win season. Aside from the 18-11 record the year prior to Robinson being a Midshipman, only one Navy team since the 1961-62 season recorded as many as three more wins than losses.
No Navy coach had any more than eight consecutive winning season since the legendary Ben Carnivale's squads had 11 in a row from 1946-47 until 1956-57. They are the only two streaks of eight or more consecutive winning seasons in Navy basketball history.
No Navy basketball coach has ever dominated Army as DeVoe's teams did prior to this season: 25-2. The Naval Academy won't find any coach who will come close to duplicating that record.
In the 30 years prior to DeVoe becoming the coach, Navy had only 11 winning seasons, which means that there was not really as much of a tradition of winning as some people would have you believe.
Although that's all in the past, Navy supporters must be reminded of all that DeVoe has done for the basketball program.
Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuck is starting his hunt for a replacement. He'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who will live up to DeVoe's standards as a coach, as a family man or as a gentleman.
In his years in Annapolis DeVoe has made a lot of friends and wowed a lot of fans by molding many good, yet less-than-sensational young men, into some good basketball teams. Navy was put at a disadvantage when several Patriot League schools chose to return to the use of scholarship athletes, though the league was formed on the foundation of high academic standards and no scholarships.
The advent of military action is reason for young men coming here largely for an athletic program to think twice about coming to a service academy.
At any rate, this may be a good time for DeVoe to retire, to relax and enjoy life with his wife Ana. He had a great run here in Annapolis, now Don DeVoe can watch someone else try to "restore the glory".
---
jgross@capitalgazette.com @ 2:34 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
The Capital (Annapolis, MD)
February 3, 2004 Tuesday
Correction Appended
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. B3
LENGTH: 651 words
HEADLINE: Another distressing setback for Mids
BODY:
This was the wrong time for the Navy men's basketball program to take the phrase "Restoring the Glory" as its motto. This season has been anything but glorious.
In addition to the disappointing record, the program knows now it has lost one of the classiest coaches it has ever had.
Don DeVoe will step down when this distressing season is over. If DeVoe made that decision on his own, it had to be more painful than if he has actually been asked to retire. We may never know which of those things happened, but the fact is Navy will be without the man who 10 years ago did, in fact, restore the glory to Navy basketball.
As might be expected, most of the people calling for DeVoe's departure because of the agonizing season he's enduring, weren't around when he arrived on the scene. They might not be in such a rush to get rid of him.
After David Robinson graduated in 1987, Navy teams went through five consecutive losing seasons. In 1991-92, the Mids' first season in the Patriot League, they finished dead last with a 1-13 record. Overall, Navy battled through its fourth straight season with a single digit in the "win" column.
DeVoe replaced Pete Herrmann for the 1992-93 campaign and continued that string when the Mids went 5-9 in the Patriot League and 8-19 overall, which was the most wins in a conference and equaled the most overall wins in five years.
The next eight seasons were all winning seasons. Five times the Mids either won the Patriot League title outright or tied for it. Three times they went to the NCAA Tournament. Four times DeVoe's teams won 20 or more games and there were two other seasons when the Mids won 19 games.
All of that success spoiled the Navy fans, whose short memories have forgotten about years before DeVoe's arrival. They were also spoiled by the Robinson years, and many never understood that Robinson's era at the Naval Academy was an anomaly.
Before Robinson arrived in Annapolis no Navy team ever had a 20-win season. Aside from the 18-11 record the year prior to Robinson being a Midshipman, only one Navy team since the 1961-62 season recorded as many as three more wins than losses.
No Navy coach had any more than eight consecutive winning season since the legendary Ben Carnivale's squads had 11 in a row from 1946-47 until 1956-57. They are the only two streaks of eight or more consecutive winning seasons in Navy basketball history.
No Navy basketball coach has ever dominated Army as DeVoe's teams did prior to this season: 25-2. The Naval Academy won't find any coach who will come close to duplicating that record.
In the 30 years prior to DeVoe becoming the coach, Navy had only 11 winning seasons, which means that there was not really as much of a tradition of winning as some people would have you believe.
Although that's all in the past, Navy supporters must be reminded of all that DeVoe has done for the basketball program.
Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuck is starting his hunt for a replacement. He'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who will live up to DeVoe's standards as a coach, as a family man or as a gentleman.
In his years in Annapolis DeVoe has made a lot of friends and wowed a lot of fans by molding many good, yet less-than-sensational young men, into some good basketball teams. Navy was put at a disadvantage when several Patriot League schools chose to return to the use of scholarship athletes, though the league was formed on the foundation of high academic standards and no scholarships.
The advent of military action is reason for young men coming here largely for an athletic program to think twice about coming to a service academy.
At any rate, this may be a good time for DeVoe to retire, to relax and enjoy life with his wife Ana. He had a great run here in Annapolis, now Don DeVoe can watch someone else try to "restore the glory".
---
jgross@capitalgazette.com @ 2:34 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
Monday, February 02, 2004
Don D. to Disappear
Don Devoe is retiring from Navy. @ 3:34 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard
