It Was a Shell of a Game

It pains me to write it (and probably for you to read it), but the Maryland Terrapins 78-75 overtime defeat of the Duke Blue Devils in the women’s NCAA basketball final was–a “shell of a game.”

Down by 13 points in the second half, the Lady Terrapins fought their way back and tied the game with six seconds left in regulation on freshman Kristi Toliver’s tough-as-nails three pointer over the out-stretched finger tips of 6’7″ Duke center Alison Bales. They then went on to hit several crucial free throws in the overtime session to give Coach Brenda Frese her first national title as a Terrapin.

For Coach Gail Goestenkors and her she-Devils, this was their second time to come up dry in a title game and a disappointing end to the career of Monique Curry, who graduated last year and could have pursued a WNBA career, but chose instead to work on a masters degree in humanities while seeking the Holy Grail of NCAA Champion. For those who were disappointed by the anticlimatic men’s title game, this one contained all the drama and heartache that a final is supposed to deliver.

If you looked hard enough, you could even find a little romance as well. Eyegal watched the semifinals and finals with me and was fascinated with Duke’s 6’7″ Alison Bales–“that is the largest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” After I seconded that observation, she went on to muse, “I think she’s pretty. Do you think she has a boyfriend?” After I confessed my ignorance of and complete disinterest in Ms. Bales’ love life, Eyegal concluded, “Well, I hope she meets a nice 6’11” guy so they can get together and make 7’5″ babies!”

Why is it that women can’t watch a sporting event without turning it into another remake of “When Harry Met Sally?”

Congrats to the Twerps, er, I mean Terps on their championship run. I was hoping that Duke could salvage at least one national title, but short of that, I was glad to see another ACC team (besides the Tar Heels of course) win it all.
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In my blue funk over the outcome of the men’s tournament, I failed to give credit where credit was due and I must make amends. Joakin Noah’s performance for the Gators in their run to a national title was nothing short of extraordinary. His scoring, shot-blocking, passing and playmaking are a rare combination, the likes of which was reminiscent of a young Magic Johnson in his romp to a title for Michigan State in 1979.

Last year the Final Four MVP was a discouraged freshman biding his time riding the pine, but in a turnaround which should serve as an inspiration to overlooked bench players everywhere, this year he’s King of the Prom. Although he will always be associated with his famous tennis player father Yannick, he is well along in carving out his own path to a professional sports career which will most likely begin next year in the NBA.

Noah was also an unpretentious breath of fresh air, reminding us all to “chill out” lest we take this whole thing too seriously. He was the source of numerous Final Four soundbites and here are a few of my favorites:

When asked to describe how it feels to win a title: “You’re like on a cloud. Not only does it feel good, it smells good, it tastes good.”

When asked to compare himself to his father: “We have a saying in France, ‘A dog doesn’t make a cat.'”

On his father’s involvement in his basketball:”He’s always telling me, ‘Calm down. Take a deep breath. You’re not breathing enough.'”

Speaking as if to his Dad: “Dude, just chill out, man. Just drink a couple beers, watch the game and let me play. He stresses me out.”

As he stood on a table leading the Gator pep band in the school fight song:”The NBA can’t do this!”

On the NBA versus the college game: “You can buy a lot of hamburgers when you go to the NBA. But it’s not about that right now. It’s about enjoying the moment.”

Amen, Joakin, thanks for reminding us. May you enjoy your “one shining moment” in the sun.
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It’ll be a long summer for college basketball addicts like me. But if I ever need a fix, I’ll throw on my Duke shirt and head down to the Y to shoot a few buckets and maybe go back and read this nice tournament summary and tribute, The NCAA Tournament from A to Z, written by a real basketball pundit, Todd Holzman of NPR.
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Is this really it…no more college basketball? (sigh) Here’s one hoops junkie for whom October 15th (aka “Midnight Madness”) cannot come soon enough.