Time to exercise the demons (long)

[RoysRunts]

26 years ago I was so sure we were about to win our schools first national championship. It was our time. After watching year after year of teams cutting down the nets this was the year that the Syracuse Orangemen were going to be the ones cutting down the nets.

I was a high school junior (16 years old) and I still remember the excitement that we felt in school that day. Anxious, nervous, excited and just couldnt wait until the game tipped off. I went home, did some homework and went outside and shot hoops until my mother called me in for dinner that night. At the dinner table my father and I talked about the game that night. We talked about how it was our time and that we were going to finally celebrate a National Championship. We talked about going to the airport again after the team won to greet the team like we did after the North Carolina game.

After dinner I went back outside and shot more baskets playing in my mind how the game would go and pretending that I was on that team and how I would feel when we won. I came in and after a shower I went to my dresser and carefully picked out the clothes I would wear to school the next day. A brand new pair of Orange sweatpants (the ones that said SYRACUSE down one of the legs). A brand new Syracuse T-shirt. My lucky Syracuse hat. I had it all laid out and when I went to school the next day I would be one of the many students who would wear their gear and celebrate the city's first basketball championship.

I watched the game with my father on a 13 inch color TV in a small family room. Adjacent to the family room was a den that I had converted into a small nerf hoop court that when I would watch games would shoot. It helped me overcome my nervousness during timeouts, halftime, etc. I was never nervous during the game. I knew that this was our time and destiny would be on our side. We pulled ahead by 8 points with 13 minutes left and I couldnt believe how great of a feeling this actually was. With one minute left I couldnt believe that in a few short moments we would be watching our team celebrate in the middle of the Superdome floor as college basketballs champion.

When DC missed the FT I didnt even flinch. We would stop them and win this game. I still remember watching Keith Smart cutting to the corner and watching Howard Triche follow him. When the shot went up I remember my father yelling "miss it and its over". When the ball went in I still didnt flinch. I dont know if it was a shock of it actually going in or the fact that I still thought we were going to win. I still thought it was destiny and we would somehow pull out a miracle win.

Watching Keith Smart pick off the inbounds pass and hearing Brent Musberger say "Indiana wins the championship, Keith Smart's the hero" hurt more to me than hearing a family member had passed away. My father and I stood in silence while we watched Indiana celebrate in the middle of the floor. That was supposed to be us. That was our celebration. I quietly made my way up to my bedroom and immediately crawled into bed.

When I woke up the first thing I saw when I got out of bed was the clothes I had laid out for school. I still wore them to school that day although it wasnt the same. I still remember one kid in my HS had on a plain grey sweatshirt that in red magic marker on the front of it said "Ha-Ha...One Point."

People say that winning the championship in 2003 (in New Orleans) exorcised the 1987 demons. I say bullstuff. Not for me it didnt. Yes we finally won our title but that game in 1987 would always haunt me. I have waited 26 years to have a rematch with Indiana in the NCAA tournament.

This is our chance to exorcise those demons.

Kicked there tails in Maui Classic and N.I.T pre Season

 

[djdan]

Watching Keith Smart pick off the inbounds pass and hearing Brent Musberger say "

Sorry to nitpick a cool post, but Smart picked off the inbounds pass before the shot? That's not what happened, right? Maybe it's the trauma that's messing with your "recovered" memories?

 

[Marsh01]

Sorry to nitpick a cool post, but Smart picked off the inbounds pass before the shot? That's not what happened, right? Maybe it's the trauma that's messing with your "recovered" memories?

DC threw a football pass down the court that was picked off by Smart to end the game. This is after he scored and we called a timeout.

 

[mantonio]

My question is, why didn't anyone on Syracuse call an immediate timeout after the shot? We wasted at least 2 precious seconds on the clock which could have made all the difference.

Maybe we get to the rim & draw a foul and/or a bucket.

 

[swish7]

My question is, why didn't anyone on Syracuse call an immediate timeout after the shot? We wasted at least 2 precious seconds on the clock which could have made all the difference.

Maybe we get to the rim & draw a foul and/or a bucket.

That's the million dollar question.

As I recall, DC was holding the ball under the rim, looking shocked. JB had a similar dumbfounded look.

Nobody had their heads about them at that moment.

 

[Marsh01]

That's the million dollar question.

As I recall, DC was holding the ball under the rim, looking shocked. JB had a similar dumbfounded look.

Nobody had their heads about them at that moment.

I have said this many times and will say it again...

Watch the video again. The ball comes through the net. Rony has it and it looks like he is lifting his hands to call a timeout (with ball in hand). Alford then knocks the ball out of his hands. Rony then looks around like "someone going to call timeout?" Noone did. I am convinced that if Alford doesnt knock the ball out of his hands, he was calling a timeout.

 

[MGP]

I have said this many times and will say it again...

Watch the video again. The ball comes through the net. Rony has it and it looks like he is lifting his hands to call a timeout (with ball in hand). Smart then knocks the ball out of his hands. Rony then looks around like "someone going to call timeout?" Noone did. I am convinced that if Smart doesnt knock the ball out of his hands, he was calling a timeout.

Thriche made a half-hearted TO signal.

 

[CorduroyG]

if only Lawrence moten was on the '87 team...

 

[cuseguy]

AP story today says that this is first game between the schools since 1987.

Wow.

Must have been written by someone who wasn't alive at the time.