NYCSUGrad
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- Sep 1, 2011
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I just found out the forum moved so this will be more truncated than I like, since I'm still jet lagged (got home 7 yesterday morning, dropped my suitcase home and went straight to work). Maui was fantastic! Both the island and the tourney. My friend and I got passes for all the games, so we weren't in with the Syracuse fan section, but because we were in the fourth row center court we know the players heard us screaming like banshees as they passed. It was wonderful to be in such an intimate setting. I think the games have been rehashed adequately so I won't go into many details but the team looked great. Whoever said the team would play up to their competition was right.
The banquet was a lot of fun. Basically it turned into a big roast as Bilas and the coaches traded insults. Mike Montgomery of Cal got off the best zingers. As a stand up comic I'd say he has a bright future if he decided to switch careers. (And maybe he should cause I thought he did a piss poor job coaching the third place game. His team was struggling badly and he refused to take time outs to settle them down and strategize. He had three left at the end of the game. What??? Boeheim would never do that, nor would most coaches IMO). Boeheim spoke last at the roast and got off some good one liners, as one would expect.
We stayed at the Sheraton where the team was. Beautiful resort, and some of the players were in the same wing as us so I got a few photos. I literally swam up to Ennis, congratulated him on a great game and said I could prove I was an Orange fan, then showed him my orange fingernails and got a laugh. Cooney was also very gracious. Also ran into coaches Hopkins and Autry. Hopkins modestly said Autry had been a great player while he was a crappy one. I replied crappy is relative. That earned a laugh and a high five from Hop. I also talked to Julie Boeheim twice after games. The second time I asked for a picture of her and she insisted my friend take one of the two of us. She just might be the nicest person on the planet. I did not run into Boeheim himself but a fellow fan showed me a picture of the two of them and yes Jim was smiling! I don't know most people on the board buty chatted several times with Joyce.
Overall it was worth every penny, and I highly recommend you go next time the team is in Maui.
The banquet was a lot of fun. Basically it turned into a big roast as Bilas and the coaches traded insults. Mike Montgomery of Cal got off the best zingers. As a stand up comic I'd say he has a bright future if he decided to switch careers. (And maybe he should cause I thought he did a piss poor job coaching the third place game. His team was struggling badly and he refused to take time outs to settle them down and strategize. He had three left at the end of the game. What??? Boeheim would never do that, nor would most coaches IMO). Boeheim spoke last at the roast and got off some good one liners, as one would expect.
We stayed at the Sheraton where the team was. Beautiful resort, and some of the players were in the same wing as us so I got a few photos. I literally swam up to Ennis, congratulated him on a great game and said I could prove I was an Orange fan, then showed him my orange fingernails and got a laugh. Cooney was also very gracious. Also ran into coaches Hopkins and Autry. Hopkins modestly said Autry had been a great player while he was a crappy one. I replied crappy is relative. That earned a laugh and a high five from Hop. I also talked to Julie Boeheim twice after games. The second time I asked for a picture of her and she insisted my friend take one of the two of us. She just might be the nicest person on the planet. I did not run into Boeheim himself but a fellow fan showed me a picture of the two of them and yes Jim was smiling! I don't know most people on the board buty chatted several times with Joyce.
Overall it was worth every penny, and I highly recommend you go next time the team is in Maui.
