My Knees Hurt

My sister and I are basketball Five-Gamers. We buy the special ticket package and nab seats on the 50 yard line…the higher the better. In fact, I’d prefer being on the top row of Cassell at mid-court more than anywhere else in the building.

We chose the Syracuse game from the package for two reasons. It was against arch-NCAA coach villain, Jimmy Boeheim, and it was an actual Saturday home conference game, one of only two this year and the only one while the students are actually on campus. That’s horrific scheduling, and it’s something I bring up every year, seemingly. Part of it is due to the relatively late start to the spring semester. Other schools are back a week or so before VT students go back. Tech should change the academic schedule in the future so that students are in town for home games. I kid…sort of.

After the game last night, Jimmy Whine complained about the ACC scheduling. He lamented that Syracuse only had limited prep time for VT having played Thursday night while VT had five whole days. That sucks. Remember, it was just last Saturday when VT played Wake Forest and played again Monday against UNC. Buzz said after the UNC game that playing with short prep time was a blessing, something that his team needs to get used to doing. While the results weren’t what Buzz wanted and the tight schedule challenged his coaches and players, he took the high road.

There is nothing like watching a “sell-out” game in Cassell. Packed in my stark wooden seat high above mid-court with my head leaning forward to gain access to space with fresh air, I marveled at the beauty and perfection of the coliseum as a viewing shed. The steep sides allow unparalleled access to the floor. It feels as you can step right out of your seat and fall all the way down to the floor. Space for my aching knees? None. But I don’t care. When I’m in Cassell, I’m forty years younger. Able to bound up the steps to the highest seats in the distant corner; able to dart around the court like a minnow in current, I am. I was younger, fresher then. Those were some special years for VT basketball. Standing in Cassell reading my newspaper during the opponent player introductions like everyone else and feeling the crowd surge as our play accelerated, transporting me into the action.

I felt that way yesterday. I was young again. My knees briefly felt springy.

One thing I’ve learned over the past forty years regarding VT basketball is that one should never take success for granted. We’ve had our share of trying times since those days long ago. So I am determined to enjoy the moment, and what a moment in time last night was.

While watching pre-game warm-ups, it occurred to me just how fragile our potential success is. We are just one injury away from a season disaster. I saw all eight of our dressed out players dancing around and coolly dunking the ball while Syracuse had difficulty fitting all 16 of their dressed players on their side of the court. Later during the game when KJ twisted his ankle, I cringed. Thankfully he continued, but can you imagine the world of hurt we’d be in if KJ had been seriously hurt?

I’m so glad we played Washington earlier in the season. The Huskies, coached by long-time Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, runs the Boeheim Zone™. NAW, set in the high post - wheeling and dealing like Meadowlark Lemon, was a near-perfect machine operating against the Men of Orange. His little flip to Blackshear under the basket was jaw-dropping. A simple looking pass at first glance was much more complex. NAW simply confused all five defenders like a wizard with a hat full of rabbits before producing the bunny in Blackshear’s hands.

Without a doubt, the man who is known by his number, “5”, was unconscious on the court. His shooting was superb and his assists later in the game were beautiful. In fact, his assist that broke the all-time record where he no-looked a dart to a waiting Wilkins under the basket was poetry.

In basketball, confidence in combination with talent, intelligence, and work ethic are the keys to success. Confidence is such a key. The slightest slight, failure, or unusual life event can throw a person off his game. Robinson said that he spent some time quieting the voices inside his head since UNC. Interestingly, I’ve heard the same language about Hill comparing his effort last year to this and to Bede referring to eliminating distractions that impede his progress in becoming an all-around floor general-a work in-progress to be sure. However, I see Bede as an indispensable cog in our machine for the next couple of years if he can quell the voices.

As others have said, Med is playing at high level on both sides of the ball. Seeing him soar in for a jam will never get old. I especially enjoyed watching 5’s “no-look” break lob to him late in the game.

Outlaw. The man has heart, which is an especially meaningful thing for him. The way he has developed and refined his game and body this year is incredible. Always playing his role, he’s expanded it this year, partly due to necessity. Last night, he was flying around the court snaring rebounds, clogging the interior, and making his patented 3s. He even blocked a shot. My knees hurt watching him play.

So in summary, my knees may hurt, but I am satisfied. Basketball at this level is so competitive that fortunes turn on a dime. An injury here; a voice there. A hot unknown three point shooter here; a cursing, frustrated Boeheim there. When good fortune smiles on us, it’s incumbent on us to enjoy the moment. Times like these don’t come along that often.



[Post edited by Newt at 01/27/2019 7:40PM]