JOHN ROWE
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
03-14-1991
THE ONLY ORDER TO THESE TIDBITS IS ALPHABETICAL
By JOHN ROWE
Date: 03-14-1991, Thursday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Four Star B, Three Star P, Two Star, One Star
From A to Z, the NCAA tournament is a sports smorgasbord.
'This has everything,' said Georgetown coach John Thompson. 'All
you could ask for in a sporting event.'
Consider these appetizers, from A to Z:
A is for Utah's Paul Afeaki. Talk about tough shots. The Utes'
6-foot-10 backup center from Nukalosa, Tonga, took the toughest last
month. He and his wife were returning from a game when another motorist
shot him in the shoulder. But Afeaki is playing again.
B is for Dick and Tony Bennett. Not the singer. Dick coaches
Wisconsin-Green Bay, and his son is his point guard. They'll have to hit
more than a couple of high notes to beat Michigan State.
C is for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers can't beat Indiana, but
any team with a nickname that means rooster deserves a tip of the cap.
D is for DePaul, a team given up for dead in January. Now the Blue
Devils are one of those feared ninth seeds.
E is for Ervin Johnson. No, not Earvin Johnson. This not-so-magical
version is the top scorer for the University of New Orleans.
F is for Fordham, which does its best to balance academics and
athletics. Its reward is having to settle for the National Invitation
Tournament despite 24 victories.
G is for Georgetown, which for some reason is earning too much
respect. Must be Paranoia about the Hoyas.
H is for the Hoosiers of Indiana. A lot of people think the only
way Nevada-Las Vegas won't win again is for the Runnin' Rebels to run
into Bobby Knight's team in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
I is for Mike Iuzzolino of St. Francis (Pa.) Forget his notable
on-the-court achievements. Other numbers mean more. His SAT score was
760, only 60 points better than Proposition 48 status. Now he's a
two-time first-team Academic All-American.
J is for Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State's dynamo guard, who
shoots 60 percent from three-point range. That should be worth a
nickname, but he already has one: 'Mister.'
K is for Kentucky, the best team that isn't in the tournament. The
Wildcats are paying for the sins of Eddie Sutton, who's in the
tournament as Oklahoma State's coach. Some justice.
L is for Loyola Marymount. The Lions aren't in this tournament, but
they provided us with many thrills last year after the death of Hank
Gathers. Let's hope somebody steps forward to take their place.
M is for Vanderbilt's Charles Mayes, a pre-med major. Or 'The
Swishin' Physician' to you and me.
N is for Nebraska and its coach, Danny Nee. The native New Yorker
contemplated suicide after serving in Vietnam. Now he's coaching a team
with an outside chance of making the Final Four.
O is for Arizona coach Lute Olson, who'll wish he had developed a
better relationship with Jerry Tarkanian if the second-seeded Wildcats
and top-seeded UNLV meet in the West Regional final.
P is for Pepperdine. What do the Waves care if Seton Hall sends
them home after one game? They're going home to a campus in Malibu that
overlooks the Pacific Ocean. That's a loser?
Q is for all the quizzical looks you'll get in the office if you
pick UNLV out of the hat and ask, 'Are they any good?'
R is for George Raveling, Southern Cal's classy coach, who has
endured a lot to make it to the NCAAs. With Harold Miner, a baby Michael
Jordan, the Trojans are a potential dark horse.
S is for St. Peter's. Whether or not the Peacocks beat Texas,
they're winners already. They've made Jersey City feel good about
itself.
T is for Dick Tarrant. Richmond's coach paid his dues, and then
some, in New Jersey high school coaching circles. Now he's back in the
NCAAs.
U is for Utah's overachievers and coach Rick Majerus. He's lost 50
pounds, to 270, after open-heart surgery last year. He's stopped eating
pizza and other late-night snacks. 'I had no choice, considering the
alternative,' Majerus said.
V is for Villanova, which might not be around after Friday.
W is for the Walker family of Jersey City. Nobody else has two sons
in the tournament -- Jasper, St. Peter's point guard, and Jerry, Seton
Hall's sixth man extraordinaire. They're two of four St. Anthony players
in the tournament. Duke's Bobby Hurley and Seton Hall's Terry Dehere are
the others.
X is for Xavier. Without the Muskateers, we would be missing a
letter.
Y is for all the young players. Let's not forget they're young. If
they miss a shot, mumble, don't curse. Let's not forget, they're not
pros.
Z is for the zebras, those referees who could make or break the
dreams of all these alphabet teams.
Keywords: BASKETBALL. COLLEGE
Copyright 1991 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
03-14-1991
THE ONLY ORDER TO THESE TIDBITS IS ALPHABETICAL
By JOHN ROWE
Date: 03-14-1991, Thursday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Four Star B, Three Star P, Two Star, One Star
From A to Z, the NCAA tournament is a sports smorgasbord.
'This has everything,' said Georgetown coach John Thompson. 'All
you could ask for in a sporting event.'
Consider these appetizers, from A to Z:
A is for Utah's Paul Afeaki. Talk about tough shots. The Utes'
6-foot-10 backup center from Nukalosa, Tonga, took the toughest last
month. He and his wife were returning from a game when another motorist
shot him in the shoulder. But Afeaki is playing again.
B is for Dick and Tony Bennett. Not the singer. Dick coaches
Wisconsin-Green Bay, and his son is his point guard. They'll have to hit
more than a couple of high notes to beat Michigan State.
C is for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers can't beat Indiana, but
any team with a nickname that means rooster deserves a tip of the cap.
D is for DePaul, a team given up for dead in January. Now the Blue
Devils are one of those feared ninth seeds.
E is for Ervin Johnson. No, not Earvin Johnson. This not-so-magical
version is the top scorer for the University of New Orleans.
F is for Fordham, which does its best to balance academics and
athletics. Its reward is having to settle for the National Invitation
Tournament despite 24 victories.
G is for Georgetown, which for some reason is earning too much
respect. Must be Paranoia about the Hoyas.
H is for the Hoosiers of Indiana. A lot of people think the only
way Nevada-Las Vegas won't win again is for the Runnin' Rebels to run
into Bobby Knight's team in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
I is for Mike Iuzzolino of St. Francis (Pa.) Forget his notable
on-the-court achievements. Other numbers mean more. His SAT score was
760, only 60 points better than Proposition 48 status. Now he's a
two-time first-team Academic All-American.
J is for Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State's dynamo guard, who
shoots 60 percent from three-point range. That should be worth a
nickname, but he already has one: 'Mister.'
K is for Kentucky, the best team that isn't in the tournament. The
Wildcats are paying for the sins of Eddie Sutton, who's in the
tournament as Oklahoma State's coach. Some justice.
L is for Loyola Marymount. The Lions aren't in this tournament, but
they provided us with many thrills last year after the death of Hank
Gathers. Let's hope somebody steps forward to take their place.
M is for Vanderbilt's Charles Mayes, a pre-med major. Or 'The
Swishin' Physician' to you and me.
N is for Nebraska and its coach, Danny Nee. The native New Yorker
contemplated suicide after serving in Vietnam. Now he's coaching a team
with an outside chance of making the Final Four.
O is for Arizona coach Lute Olson, who'll wish he had developed a
better relationship with Jerry Tarkanian if the second-seeded Wildcats
and top-seeded UNLV meet in the West Regional final.
P is for Pepperdine. What do the Waves care if Seton Hall sends
them home after one game? They're going home to a campus in Malibu that
overlooks the Pacific Ocean. That's a loser?
Q is for all the quizzical looks you'll get in the office if you
pick UNLV out of the hat and ask, 'Are they any good?'
R is for George Raveling, Southern Cal's classy coach, who has
endured a lot to make it to the NCAAs. With Harold Miner, a baby Michael
Jordan, the Trojans are a potential dark horse.
S is for St. Peter's. Whether or not the Peacocks beat Texas,
they're winners already. They've made Jersey City feel good about
itself.
T is for Dick Tarrant. Richmond's coach paid his dues, and then
some, in New Jersey high school coaching circles. Now he's back in the
NCAAs.
U is for Utah's overachievers and coach Rick Majerus. He's lost 50
pounds, to 270, after open-heart surgery last year. He's stopped eating
pizza and other late-night snacks. 'I had no choice, considering the
alternative,' Majerus said.
V is for Villanova, which might not be around after Friday.
W is for the Walker family of Jersey City. Nobody else has two sons
in the tournament -- Jasper, St. Peter's point guard, and Jerry, Seton
Hall's sixth man extraordinaire. They're two of four St. Anthony players
in the tournament. Duke's Bobby Hurley and Seton Hall's Terry Dehere are
the others.
X is for Xavier. Without the Muskateers, we would be missing a
letter.
Y is for all the young players. Let's not forget they're young. If
they miss a shot, mumble, don't curse. Let's not forget, they're not
pros.
Z is for the zebras, those referees who could make or break the
dreams of all these alphabet teams.
Keywords: BASKETBALL. COLLEGE
Copyright 1991 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
