It was for me.


Last night's game was a pleasing tonic to smooth the rough edges imposed by today's tumultuous times. Here are some things I saw and felt from my catbird perch above mid-court across from the benches.


Jimmy and Teddy are endlessly entertaining. Jimmy's aggrieved, oppressed pleadings wafted up to my roost. "Oh God, Why? Why? Why? Why have you sent me once again to this bleak land of Blacksburg? Where's my milk and honey?" I actually heard these words, despite not being God. I didn't imagine them. Teddy announced himself to the crowd when he entered the arena (as @sdawg documented in a photo he shared with me). His arms outstretched. His eyes lifted to the adoring masses. The game started and his gaze never leveled, thus missing three brutally blatant out-of-bounds calls. Despite his ego-show persona, I love watching TV work a game. The flare. The dynamic calls. He's the Ric Flair of officials. Yet he has a soul that is true to the game. He carries on conversations with the players and uses his down time to teach the intricacies of the game to the young men and endlessly consult something mysterious at the scorer's table.


Justyn Mutts. Great guy. Hell of a game. He's the one we needed last night. He plays the game the way I would play the game if I was 40 years younger, 8 inches taller, and much more talented. Watching his play, you see his heart first before anything else. We've been blessed to have many young men on our basketball teams over the years with that same fierceness for the game about them. I could name some from my years and would understandably leave many out, but here goes: Robinson, Steppe, Al and Perry, Dell, Bimbo, Ace, Smitty, MD, Jamon Dowdell, …well you get the point.


Mutts in the middle reminded me of another with a similar first name that occupied the middle against the Syracuse zone, Justin Bibbs. That Justin like today's Justyn had vision, cleverness, and heart. That Justin had one other ingredient that really helped him, the soft interior standing jump-shot. There's a reason that Jimmy gives away that shot: it's damned hard to make. Most players today don't understand how to use the backboard and try to aim the ball through the rim. Predictably, most shots from that space are front or back-ironed. In the second half, Boeheim adjusted his zone to the perimeter to cover those open passing lanes. Mutts was challenged to take that soft standing jumper. At first he balked, then he shot tentatively. Then he relaxed and started making them. Kudos to him for challenging his inner Justin Bibbs.


Keve warrants attention from the opposition. His prowess with both hands around the basket is a testament to his work ethic. I can't remember a VT player improving as much as him. I'm so glad he came back to continue that growth. Two things I wish he would work on are developing a mental iron shield and a devil-may-care attack. He can't let bad calls and bullying contact get into his head. When he gets the ball inside the circle, he needs to immediately power to the rim and through any contact. He did both late in yesterday's game.


I loved the adjustment late in the middle of the second half when Buddy started heating up. Cattoor had been up in his grill the whole game. Suddenly, Hunter had reinforcements. Bigger, longer players started switching off on Mr. Buddy. That move, coupled with Syracuse's traditionally short bench, seemed to poop-out Buddy B. He clanked almost everything after that point, and we pulled away.


This 'Cuse team isn't your Daddy's 'Cuse team. They are currently lacking the athleticism and length in the zone. Entry passes are way too uncontested for the zone to be consistently effective. It's like the old dog has lost a fang or two.


I love games like last night where the students are in attendance in force and have the opportunity to see what an absolute pit Cassell can be for an opponent. This newt was fortunate to grow up in the days when the walls of Cassell melted from the sonic friction on a regular basis. It's good to have the walls dripping with the cacophony again.


Beat the Hoos.

Payback.





[Post edited by Newt at 02/14/2022 12:38PM]