Big Baby, Glen Davis

The NY Times has an article about my Final Four favorite, Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

The Sooner They Come, The Sooner They Fall

Today, it is expected that Indiana University will name Oklahoma University Head Coach Kelvin Sampson their new men's basketball coach, replacing the pushed-out...ahem, resigned Mike Davis.

Let's start with the good. Over Sampson's 18 year career as a head coach, he has proven to be one of the game's best. With a career record of 435-248 (.637), Sampson, posted the highest winning percentage in Oklahoma University history (.721). He was named National Coach of the Year twice, in 1995 and 2002. He has won more games in Big 12 Conference tournament play, beating out Roy Williams, and took his OU teams to postseason play each year, including 10 NCAA Tournaments. He has certainly proven his worth.

The problem I have with this move is that Indiana had it in for Coach Davis as soon as Bobby Knight was fired because...well, he was not Coach Knight. Indiana kicked out Mike Davis basically for his lack of success in the postseason regardless of the fact that he made "The Dance" 4 of the 6 seasons.

Granted, other than his Final Four run in 2002, he had limited success in NCAA Tournament play, never making it past the second round again, and for schools steeped in tradition, such as Indiana, it is understandable that they have high standards.

However, will Sampson be the answer? During his 11 seasons as OU head coach, he has an NCAA record of 11-10, which does include one trip to the Final Four (2002) and the Elite Eight (2003). Take away those years, and that leaves a record of 4-8, including 6 tournaments where his Sooners were bounced in the first round (in all but two, they were the favorite.)

In contrast, Mike Davis only lost in the first round once, advancing to the second round twice not including his trip to the Championship game in 2002. Let's be real here for a moment - this is all number play because the trick is to get to the tourney first and if you can't do that, the argument is moot. And, with Davis missing the Big Dance 2 of his 6 seasons may stick out like a missing laptop in a UConn locker.

However, Mike Davis subscribes to the John Chaney school of schedule tough non-conference schedules every year, which provides a certain risk of not making the tourney. As I said before, with RPI and the selection committee, a loss to Duke is equal to a loss to Moorehead St. However, this scheduling philosophy does more to prepare your teams for postseason play, as witnessed by Davis losing 1 first round game (or as we call, a "one and done") in 4 tries, opposed to Sampson's Sooners losing 6 first round games in 10 trips.

My point is, while Indiana is hiring a top quality coach and expect better results than Mike Davis, will Sampson give his new bosses the results they expect? He better, because he will certainly be on the hot seat right out of the gate if he doesn't.

According to ESPN's Andy Katz, Indiana decided to go with a 'name' coach, approaching Gonzaga's Mark Few, Memphis' John Calipari and Louisville's Rick Pitino first, who "want no part of Indiana." At their schools, each coach are saviors, rebuilding (or building in the case of Gonzaga) big programs.

Mike Davis is a great coach, who understands the game and how to teach it. He has proven himself and will make a leader wherever he goes. Indiana administrators and alumni sent the message to Davis because it is tourney wins they want.

If so, maybe they should not have jumped 'sooner' rather than later.

(Ironically, it was Mike Davis' Indiana team who knocked off Sampson's Oklahoma team in the 2002 Final Four allowing the Hoosers to advance to the Championship game against eventual champion Maryland...but what to I know??)

Standings After Day 8

(Or, Go Patriots!)

Greg- 630 points
Pico- 610 points
neverecho- 610 points
Molly- 500 points (0/4 during the last two days. Not to be redundant, but ouch...)

So the entire pool comes down to one game: Florida vs. George Mason. If Florida wins, Pico picks up enough points to win. If George Mason's run continues, then I win.

Standings After Day 7

Greg- 630 points (apparently, I was the only one who had any faith in UCLA)
neverecho- 610 points
Pico- 530 points
Molly- 500 points

Standings After Day 6

neverecho- 610 points (went 3/4 last night)
Greg- 550 points (1/4)
Pico- 530 points (2/4)
Molly- 500 points (2/4)

And, now an NCAA Moment of Zen.

Duke Freshman Guard Greg Paulus shows his emotion at last night's loss to LSU.


*Sorry Echo! I couldn't resist. Go BC!

Standings After Day 5

Greg- 510 points (though I see my stay in 1st as temporary, 3/4 of my Final Four are out)
neverecho- 490 points
Pico- 450 points
Molly- 420 points (went 0/4 last night... ouch)

Meanwhile, in Austin...

Another big game, another trip 80 miles north to visit with friend and watch on television. I'm guessing I should start making a habit of this.

I swear, I haven't seen a basketball team live and die by the three like West Virginia did since the Houston Rockets in their championship* years. Yet, Mr. Barnes defensive scheme kept allowing the Mountaineers to have more 3-point attempts than Texas had made field goals (33 vs 28). It was a great game, though. Even when Kevin got hit in the Pittsnogle, he was able to get the (possibly) game-tying shot (on yet another screened three-pointer).

If you would have told me the line on the player of the man who had the game-winning shot would read 3/9 for 8 pts, 1 reb. and 1 assist in 30 minutes, I would have laughed in your face. Now I'm just laughing till Saturday, when the big rematch against Duke comes about.

Wait... what happened? Never mind then. I'm still worried, though. Apparently, according to every talking head I've seen today, the players from LSU are very "long."

Y'all knew it was going to happen. Duke lost to LSU last night and it was so, so, sad. LSU's defense was super tough, they basically had two men on JJ at all times (and yes, I'll admit, his shooting sucked), allowing him to get in just 11 points (two of which were free throws) last night. Shelden tried to pick up the slack, but there was only so much he could do. McRoberts also had two pretty awesome dunks towards the end of the game, and I can't wait for the day that he starts playing that well more consistently. Anyway...the guys whose last game it was, Sheldon, JJ, Lee, and Sean, started at Duke the same year I did, so I kind of feel like this was MY team, and now it's over.

Four days of ball and...

I've lost my voice.

I'm a fan of the Albany Great Danes.

We have spread the chant "We steal lap-tops!" which is appropriate at any U Conn game where Marcus Williams plays.

Villanova and Gonzaga are going to give us heart attacks.

The Bradley Braves are crisp (and in Peoria Illinois, not Indianapolis as I previosuly thought).

Jim is our favorite bartender.

Dora loves basketball.

Tennessee was obviously not that good.

Neither was Syracuse. Neither was Iowa.

West Virginia... sweet sixteen? Huh.

Can Washington knock off U Conn? Please?

Standings After Day 4

Neverecho- 450 points
Molly- 420 points
Greg- 390 points (though my pick for National Champion is out)
Pico- 370 points

Standings After Day 3

Neverecho- 350 points
Molly- 320 points
Greg- 310 points
Pico- 290 points

Standings After Day 2

Neverecho- 230 points
Molly- 220 points (though 2 of her Elite 8 are out)
Greg- 210 points
Pico- 190 points (with 1 of his Final 4 out)

Standings after Day 1

Neverecho- 120 pts.
Molly- 110 pts.
Greg and pico- 100 pts.

(seriously though... Nevada in the Elite 8?)

Think this stuff is easy?

Trying beating us bloggers at our own game!

I've set up a bracket pool over at ESPN's site to let all our dear readers face off against the writers to see who can really pick a winner or two (or sixty-four).

Search for group name "athletes in action" (original, huh?). There's no password that's needed, just sign up, fill out your bracket(s), and enjoy having your butt whupped by us writers.

Good luck, everyone.

Out like an Owl

After 34 years and 741 victories on the sidelines, longtime Temple coach John Chaney has announced his retirement pending the completion of his run in the NIT. Having, never reached the final four during his tenure, Chaney has done much more off the court teaching boys to be men. The game will miss his love and dedication to young people.

Lost now, the "play anyone, anywhere, anytime" attitude of non-conference scheduling that is sadly a thing of the past. So, will his patented match-up zone defense.

Last year, Chaney created controversy as he sent in a player to commit hard physical fouls resulting in a season ending injury for a St. Joe’s guard. Always classy, Chaney admitted his mistake, accepted responsibility and suspended himself for the remainder of the season. During that time many called for his resignation, and I wrote and editorial for my blog, The Junior Page. I quote from that post:

As an alum of an A-10 school, I followed the Temple program for the past fifteen years. In the early to mid-1990’s, the UMass/Temple rivalry was the story of the A-10. The games were nationally televised (on ABC, not ESPN,) we slept out in the cold for tickets. I was in attendance in 1992 for the first time UMass beat Temple...ever. We were silly. We screamed. We stomped on the bleachers seats of the ole' Curry Hicks Cage. The officials actually stopped the game momentarily as the paint was literally coming off the ceiling and falling onto the court. It is still one of the most exciting basketball games I ever witnessed.

As with any rival, I hated Temple. I hated Pepe Sanchez, Eddie Jones, Aaron McKay, Rick Brunson, and Johnny Miller. Most of all, I hated John Chaney. After all, he was the chief. I hated them, but like the Yankees to my beloved Red Sox, I loved when they came to my house. Its sports hatred, not personal hatred. I am a fan of the college game, and especially a fan of solid coaching, and there are not many coaches I respect more than John Chaney. I respect him as a coach, a person, and a teacher, not to mention how much he has done for the game of college basketball.


In 1994, John Chaney attacked then UMass Head Coach John Calipari during Caliari’s press conference following another UMass/Temple battle. I remember watching it on TV. I remember Temple leading the entire game. I remember the Minutemen clawing back. I remember the late minute shot from Mike Williams to win the game for us. I also remember John Chaney charging into the UMass press room and threatening Coach Cal yelling, “I’ll kill ya! Next time I see you, I’m gonna kick your ass!” The next day Chaney issued public apology to the his school, Calipari, our program and the fans, promptly suspending himself from coaching.

Coaching is a passionate profession. Without that passion, you will not succeed. I say that from personal experience. Sometimes that passion gets the better of you.

I am not excusing his actions, however sports offers a certain hypocrisy, in that, the violence in the arena has little repercussions. “Its just part of the game,” they say and responsibility is not taken most of the time. And, as fans we except (and accept) that.

Former Indiana legend, Bob Knight, one of the highest regarded coaches in college basketball has always been the center of controversy over the years; from his on-court temper tantrums, to throwing a chair across the court during a game, to choking a former player. Sadly, he has never once taken responsibility for his actions. He does not show remorse and would rather blame the media for his shortcomings and yet he seems to have a foul to give.

Regardless of intent, Coach Chaney’s behavior was inexcusable. His actions lead directly to the career ending injury of an opposing player. John Bryant will never have the chance to start on Senior day. He will never be able to play in the Big Dance again. He will never be able to play for his alma mater one last time, and that sadness he will feel as the last buzzer sounds will be felt on the bench and not on the court where it should be.

There is no question that Coach John Chaney is intense, but he loves his kids, his job and the game itself. The idea of Chaney even being fired for this action is ludicrous. He has given so much more to the game and his community that he has taken away. Despite his shortcomings, he has shown proper responsibility for his poor judgment and taken proper actions. In his statement, he said, "In view of all the circumstances, I believe the fair thing is for me not to coach during the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament in Cincinnati. John Bryant is unable to play in the Tournament because of the injury he sustained last week against Temple. Neither should I be able to coach."

That shows fantastic leadership and isn’t that what teaching is all about?

Live on, John. We will miss you. Thank you.

Tourney Season

Unfortunately, Oregon stopped winning. And the weekend was jammed with finals and tough games; Boston College and Duke was insanity, Florida is a good looking ball club. Selections were made, snubs were discussed, matchups set.

Your Six Star Writers and friends will spend the week telling you about some teams you should know, and some teams you should laugh at. It's what we do, and we love our jobs. For now, this correspondent has to put his nose in some spreadsheets and do his job; enjoy team capsules from fox sports while you wait and fill out brackets.

Once Again, Our West Coast Correspondent Molly

So I should have written about the game, like, when I got home last night, despite the absurd hour, because now all I can think about is the NEXT game. But here's what happened: J had a show. The show was in a bar with no TV. After the show, our friend P stuck his little radio headphones in his ears and reported that Oregon was down by 11 at the half.

Bunk, I say.

So J and I crossed the street to the bar with a TV, where we nicely asked to have the Ducks game on and the slightly surly bartender nicely complied with our request. The Ducks were down. Probably still by 11; I don't know, because I was too busy going, "What the fuck is Stelly doing in there?" Adrian Stelly, for those not in the know, is a walk-on who has played a total of 41 minutes this season, generally at times like the end of the WSU game when Oregon won by 30. P had mentioned that Aaron Brooks was out, and we figured it was because he was sick - he'd been held out of the second half of the previous game with "flulike symptoms."

And then we saw Ryan Appleby. With a piece of tissue sticking out his nose. J started to put things together, and the paper today confirmed it: Brooks got ejected for "fighting." Can't play tonight either. DAMMIT, BROOKS. The year before last, he put himself out with a broken hand when he punched the, uh, I don't know the technical term, the thingy what holds up the basket. That was Luke Jackson's last year, and though Brooks was a freshman, I like to think he would have made a difference. Now he's out the follow-up game for throwing an elbow at the Greatest American Hero's nose. Bummer. (Turns out Appleby needed six stitches in his upper lip. Ouch.)

But Stelly really came through. It was his three, early in the second half, that got things going - and then sophomore Chamberlain Oguchi took over again, after a scoreless first half, with a quick succession of wicked awesome (sorry, I had to say it) threes. One of them, off a hot steal, tied the game; another fantastic shot came off an assist from Stelly after Stelly had a fast break and a sweet pass backward to Oguchi. Another was contested by two Washington players and I do love the shots of Oguchi with Bobby Jones in his face, draining the three all the same. Johnson had some nice moments and Kent, of course, had a goofy dunk, which he followed with a panther-growl face that would have made Andre Joseph proud.

The really amazing thing was, though I got nervous, I never thought they were going to throw it away. I feared for those final minutes, but ultimately it wasn't even close (at least by my definition). It was a feisty, ferocious team coming out and playing like they meant it. Hairston astonished us with 7-of-8 free throw shooting in those last vital minutes; Oregon has lost games on missed free throws more than once before. At least three Washington players were bleeding and yet the refs were lettin' 'em play - at one point there was something that looked mighty like a foul that wasn't called, and J observed, "The refs are totally in their pocket."

That is NOT a normal situation for Oregon. If I had one wish, I would have liked to see Ray Schaefer in there for a few fiery blocks - the one thing Washington consistently got by the Ducks with was their inside shot (god, I hope I'm using basketball speak right. I'm never sure). But hey, if it ain't broke ... you know the rest. I like Schaefer and I like Leunen, but if the Hairston-Stelly-Oguchi-Johnson-Lincoln lineup works? USE THE FUCK OUT OF IT.

If Oregon can beat Washington, they can beat Cal. The only way they can get a .500 season is by winning the Pac-10 tournament; the only way that's gonna happen is if they beat Cal, who beat them twice, and Arizona beats UCLA - Oregon split the Arizona games, but UCLA trounced the Ducks both times.

Fingers crossed.

-Molly

From West Coast Correspondent Molly

It's much too hard to cover all the conference tournaments by ourselves, of course; and there is action all across the land. For example:

Oral Roberts got their conference's automatic bid! Heh, I said "Oral." Those young Christians and their wacky names.

The Southern Illinois Salukis are in, training another set of neophyte viewers on what a "saluki" is. I'm hoping the St Louis University Billikens get in next year, because the debate over what a "Billiken" is will always be curious.

The Temple Owls are making life hard for the Atlantic 10. Earlier this year, Coach John Chaney was assailed for scheduling too hard-- the NCAA tourney's selection process gives more credit to conference wins over teams with good overall records, and Temple always starts conference play with a relatively poor record, because they'd play pro teams if they could. Now it pays off with a win over the 6th ranked George "Gotta Have My Pops!" Washington Colonials.

And Gerry MacNamara doesn't want college to end, hitting big threes to send Cincinnati packing, and then to dispatch top-ranked U Conn.

But then, there is the Wack-10. Teams that roll over in the NCAA tournament, teams from places we all want to move to, teams with fun colors and adorable mascots and sun-kissed people. My dear friend Molly is an Oregon partisan-- she's new-ish to basketball, but the past few years have found her listening to games on the radio while her boyfriend plays amateur games, passing along updates.

That, people, is basketball fan street cred. Her note from last night (BEFORE the Oregon Ducks gave the Washington Huskies a good quacking):

Basketball.

Is eating.

My brain.

Glad to see Arizona beat Stanford; if that ends Stanford's many-year run of tournament appearances, well, the little part of me that irrationally hates Chris Hernandez will smile.

Arizona did it without Hassan Adams, too, which makes it all the better. Even my hatred for Lute Olson can't keep me from wanting the Wildcats to do better than most of the other Pac 10 teams. Not sure why that is. Maybe because it's fun to make dirty, rude jokes about what Olson will do when his players lose to teams like, oh, say, Oregon. (Oregon almost beat them AT Arizona, after winning at home. I laugh.)

Speaking of Oregon, I can't help but hope they have a chance tonight against UW. The last game was a three point loss; no surprise there as I believe it's eight games Oregon has lost by three or less points, which, while I know it's the W or L that really matters, seems to suggest that the games were winnable right up to the end, unlike a 30 point blowout. And Chamberlain Oguchi (spelled on the captions last night as 'Chamber Lynn,' 'Agucci,' 'Oguchically,' and about three other ways I forget) has really, seriously, truly been a force to be reckoned with, which he was not, earlier in
the season. Last night, Hairston scored the quietest 20 points I've ever seen an Oregon player score. Very interesting. Hope they keep it up.

I realize that no one else in the country gives a shit about the Pac 10. Thus my little
newbie fan self feels all the more compelled to comment. In the rest of the
world, nice that Syracuse beat Connecticut, just to see a #1 team lose. (I'm a
long-time underdog fan, what can I say.) I haven't seen many East Coast schools
play and tend to pick favorites as the tournament starts, often just by player,
but I will be rooting for Gonzaga, I can tell you that much. That Adam Morrison
is fucking crazy.

-Molly

(image thanks to http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/sports/)

Game 2: The Bad Day for the Red Birds.

As mjr says, Louisville should have never gotten off the bus. Thanks for the photograph, kind sir. And maybe the Louisville Cardinals got off the bus late; maybe Pitino was having a good time seeing old New York friends. Even the band couldn’t find its section, couldn’t set up, so the time between the two games was filled with Pitt’s band blasting and rocking, the Pitt dancers + cheerleaders jumping around and showing their stuff. Nothing from Louisville. Prohpetic.

And Louisville, the basketball team? Uh… uh…

They didn’t score until 11:15 left in the 20 minute half. Free throws. First field goal: 9:12 left in the half, hit by Taquan Dean. At 7:37 left, Louisville’s field goal percentage was 7%.

The Louisville band played Spinal Tap’s Big Bottom (thanks to Rob for identifying that). They’re pretty good. Their cheerleaders are spectacular; one guy is a hella good gymnast, the ladies fly in the air. Once they get on the court, the support section is pretty good. Also prophetic.

35-7 with 4:27 to go in the half. That’s a bad football score. “Jeff Brohm really needs to avoid those interceptions,” says Kirk Herbstreit. Louisville pulls out the ¾ court and full court press, and claw closer—39-16 at the half.

A commercial in the second half, shown on the monitors: Louisville implanted the first artificial heart. But first they tried implants on the players, obviously, and the heart transplant didn’t take.

But from planet HOLY CRAP, Louisville gets within 15. And within 10. And within 5? What? Pitt really is this bad. The final stats show almost even field goal percentage. Pitt outrebounded the Cardinals, but that’s because they simply cannot shoot. Too many New York players?

This game was really ugly, but it was good to be at the Garden. Out at night. Cracking wise with a wise ass. Good living.

Game 1: The Battle of New Jersey.

At the Garden (the most famous arena, next to the Parthenon):

Rob and I think this doesn’t bode well. The battle of New Jersey—Rutgers vs Seton Hall, first round of the Big East Conference Tournament—is tied at 9, 8:00 left in the first half. The Rutgers cheerleaders have that trashy look we all like. We can smell the hairspray up here, and the Bon Jovi style lives on.

But then, as wry Rob notes: Quincy Douby is smokin’! Once Rutgers gets him the ball, the kid can motor, he moves the ball well, hits some shots, has a nice touch at the free throw line.

On Seton Hall’s side, it would be nice if someone other than Coupland scored. We like Jared Nutter’s name better than his game. Grant Billmeier is a lump of goo. And a loss like this will NOT get Seton Hall into the tournament. I’d even wager that they don’t get in. I think Cincinnati has a better shot of making the 65-team field.

The Editor's Inbox

Sometimes during our day, we get to hear the friendly chime of the Inbox (in my case is it is the gavel - dun, dun - from Law & Order) from which we get to hear the masses (all 10 of you) speak to us for once. Hey, this is all about freedom of speech, right? So, please send us your thoughts an we just might post them. And, in the interest of lawsuits, my cute lawyer friends from Brooklyn tell me I need to say that any letters/emails to the editor posted on 'athletes in action' are not necessarily the view and opinions of the writers/creators of this blog, (unless you are slandering A-Rod.) Also, the editors of AIA have to right to refuse to post any letters/email they see fit. Hey, we love free speech, but we are the ones doing all the work here. Thank you.

Practice Makes Perfect,
mjunior, PhD - Bracketology

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 22:21:09 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Kirby Puckett

Ok, I need to vent somewhere. Why are they making Kirby Puckett out to be Mother Theresa just because he passed away. Obviously, I feel bad that he probably passed before his time, and yes he was a Great ballplayer and I always admired the way he approached the game. But lets not forget that this man had problems with violence, he was violent towards his wife and towards his mistress (lets not even go into the fact that he had a mistress, that's a whole other can of worms).

Here he is a hall of famer, and now all we hear is how great he was now that he is no longer with us. These are the same baseball writers that have condemned Pete Rose for gambling. Now I agree that Pete should not be in the Hall, but to my knowledge he never beat a women. And I can certainly say I am much more likely to forgive someone for gambling and tax evasion then I ever would for violence on women.

I guess it just makes me mad that there are so many great former ballplayers that were also great people too that don't get recognized, like lets say Jim Rice, Dale Murphy, Orel Hershiser and the list goes on and on. But I guess these guys didn't have the infectious smile of Puckett and the also didn't have the right hook he has either. For once I would just like the media to speak the truth about an athlete.

Ok I am done venting now. I hope you are doing well.

Take Care,
Chris

Chris, you make a fanstastic point. Let me say right up front that I don't have much of a feeling about Kirby Puckett either way, but it is fascinating how the media does build someone up, to rip them down again. However, when tragedy strikes, all will be forgotten. We see it in athletes, entertainers, polititians, etc. It will be amazing to hear what the media comes up with when Barry Bonds* is gone because if they center squarely around the numbers, will they remind us that they are tainted? Stay tuned.
-mjr

baa baa leemire goat

GOAT: Scapegoat; one that is made to bear the blame of others. Not the slang “Greatest Of All Time.”

The term "goat" is tossed about loosely in corporate and athletic circles, but it takes a lot to make a true goat. The kind of gaffe where everyone who hears the tale shakes their head and says “what an ass clown,” or, “I’m glad not to be him despite his good looks and riches.” For my definition, a goat is not the one who falls on his sword (see: Oliver North). It will be the person who thought they wouldn’t get caught, the person who thought they were doing right despite years of human history to inform them otherwise, the person who fails in the performance their life was geared towards.

It’s harsh. But it’s true.

Examples include Chris Webber’s “time-out” in the NCAA finals; Chris Webber having to apologize for recruiting/ monetary violations that wiped those Michigan basketball victories and losses from the official record books; Hugh Grant getting caught with a street hooker; the great Bill Buckner moment; the executives at Enron; et cetera.

Today, the definition refers to Leemire Goldwire, guard, UNC-Charlotte 49ers of the Atlantic 10 basketball conference.

The Niners, the second place team in the conference, were facing the George Washington Colonials (GW) in the league final, before the conference tournament. Some things to know:
• Charlotte had lost to George Washington earlier in the year.
• George Washington is the 6th ranked team in the country; a win over GW would give Charlotte (the 49ers or Niners) a better look at the NCAA tournament.
• GW hadn’t lost a conference game.

The Niners took the game into overtime with dogged play and determination and all the other things that make underdogs competitive in basketball. Like GW’s shots just not falling. With six seconds left, GW’s Maureece Rice takes a long three pointer from the elbow. Of course it falls short. Charlotte is up two points here, and once the Niners’ D’Angelo Alexander pull down the rebound, their player will be fouled, he’ll make a free throw or two, and George Washington may well lose their first conference game.

But, the goat moment.

Tangled in the throng of bodies, GW’s Mike Hall and Leemire Goldwire are wrestling for position. Trying to foul Alexander, Hall tries to disentangle from Goldwire. He does this violently, and is yanking a piece of Goldwire’s jersey. Goldwire takes exception and swings his arms, landing a blow.

In schoolyard fights, everyone knows: the kid who gets in trouble is the one who reacts to taunts and throws an obvious punch/ shove.

Goldwire’s first punch wasn’t the goat moment. It was looking back over his opponent while trying to get free and swinging that elbow again.

That goat move earned double technicals. The GW guy shot two free throws and made them. The Charlotte player shot two free throws and missed one. With four seconds, one point down, GW flies upcourt, Noel Wilmore takes a wild shot that catches nothing but air; only to find Carl Elliot on the other side of the basket to receive the “pass.” He’s in the air and just as the clock strikes zero, tips the ball in.

For the George Washington win.

GW may have made that play anyway. But if Goldwire doesn’t foul Hall, Charlotte is at least up two and most likely, up 4 points.

Good work, goat.

Articles: Washington Post, and Winston-Salem Journal.