Five Thoughts for Five Overtimes

You don't have to be a Notre Dame fan to understand that any basketball game that goes into 5 overtimes is special. Yes, the Irish defeated the Louisville Cardinals 104-101 in an epic duel that may have ended at 12:35 a.m. the following day, but has had many sports fans still talking. I am one of them. Here are my thoughts...one for each OT.

1.  28 Seconds of Jerian Grant: Many consider this to be the greatest clutch shooting display by one player ever. One Facebook posting said “This 12 points in 28 seconds by one guy is the stuff kids dream about and act out in their driveways and playgrounds. I’ve never seen it before.” And we might never see this again. It was just one of many components that made Saturday, February 9, 2013 an instant classic for Irish Hoops.

2. The Importance of Having Fun: In the article “March Madness” by Rev. Tino writes that “sports can teach us how to have fun. And the business of fun—of play, of laughter, of lightness—is important spiritual stuff. Just ask any of the resident clowns around here.” Every team has its resident clown, or should, but I also think it’s important to see leadership caught having fun. Enter Coach Mike Brey. Every single person who watched this game noticed how much fun he had coaching.  

I never take having fun for granted and many don’t, but enjoying the moment can be a tremendous challenge with the pressure of winning or not losing—choose your poison. However, Brey acknowledged that fun was a reason for their success. “We got over 100 (points) because we played an extra game,” Brey said on ESPN after the game. “We were having fun. It was awesome.”

3. Free Manti: When last cited at Purcell Pavilion, Manti Te’o was on top of the world. What fan didn’t love seeing #5 sweep the floor at halftime or leading the charge as students swarmed the court in 64-50 rout over Kentucky. In just a few months’ time, our vision of him may have changed, but he hasn’t. Met with mixed reactions, he came to support the Irish standing tall and his head held high. He has exercised that endearing humility more than anyone could have ever predicted. He is the butt of many jokes. People question his character. And, Forbes magazine recognized Te’o as one of the most hated American athletes. He shares the same approval rating as Lance Armstrong—15%. My rally cry was and is FREE MANTI! Seeing him be who he is at a great game says even though the world can’t imagine it, he already is free....

4. Never Miss a Free Throw: I grew up in a home that truly regards the foul shot as a “free throw.” “Free!” in our society is a good thing. We welcome free food, free drinks, free merchandise, etc. So why don’t we embrace the “free” throw. My dad watches players in the NBA miss free throws with an air of total disgust (and it happens often!). It’s almost a moral wrongdoing. Missing free throws affects the outcome of games. In this game, it didn’t determine the winner, but it could have. As noted by NCAAB.com “Both teams missed crucial free throws in the last minute. Atkins missed two with 37 seconds left and Montrezi Harrell did the same for Louisville with 24 seconds left. The lead changed hands 26 times and there were 16 ties.” A free throw made is a free point. Folks love to say “defense wins games.” It does, but so do free throws!

5. Why You Gotta Have a Deep Bench: I teach 7 of the 14 varsity basketball players at St. Ignatius, so this year I have paid much more attention to the role of every team member. Some of these boys are starters, others get subbed in frequently and others see no playing time. I know this is a reality in a sport that allows for 5 players on the court, yet I feel for the guys who suit up yet never get called into the game. I wonder how frustrating and disappointing it must be to “ride the pine” (and I hate that expression) or hear from your friends “good luck” knowing you won’t contribute. For those journeyman players, let Sherman Garrick serve as a shining example.  

Dan Martin writes Garrick came “in for Big East Player of the Year candidate Jack Cooley, who fouled out with 6:54 left in regulation. It appeared the Irish would be in trouble without Cooley for the rest of regulation, not even knowing yet that there would eventually be 30 minutes of game to be played.”

In the ten Big East games prior to No. 25 Notre Dame’s five-overtime thriller against No. 11 Louisville, Garrick Sherman had only appeared in six and averaged two points in just over 10 minutes per game. Saturday night, though, he was just what the Irish needed. His 7-of-10 from the floor was the most efficient mark of any Notre Dame player on the night. He will admit he had the game of his life. Not a bad game, one to serve as that distinction.
  
Coach Brey said, “we played an extra game tonight.” When you’re having fun, have great fan support, and get substantial contributions from many players, why not play two....!?  Thank you Irish. Thank you, Coach Brey. An awesome memory....by the way, do freshmen know how good they have it?!

Photo Credits
Garrick Sherman
Free Manti
Coach Brey

An Important Question for Sports Fans: Why Do I Care?

I have been walking around in a bit of a daze all day. A general malaise has colored my worldview. And why? Because the Notre Dame men’s basketball team—who just weeks ago were ranked as high as 4 in the country lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. An exciting season that turned many heads came to a halt as we were defeated by Florida State. As I read the break down and analysis of the game followed by one Facebook comment after another, I kept asking myself an important question. I hope it’s one you have asked of yourself before. Why do I care?

Basketball isn’t a matter of life or death; this match up wasn’t good vs. evil. No lives were at stake, no conflict created, no wars or derision, just disappointment to the “n”th degree. Again, why do I care?

I care because I am passionate about Notre Dame. I love my alma mater in the same way that I love the Catholic Church and the United States. I know its underbelly, its foibles and follies. But I also know its mission, its tradition and purpose. I love its community that is a family, it commitment to excellence and how it formed my mind and my heart.

I care because without being overly trite or simplistic--this 2011 team was special. I found myself believing in them and eventually defending them to those who think our success is limited to (past tense) football. They are a passionate bunch. Spend just a few minutes watching them play and you will understand what I mean. Seeing is believing.

All too often we forget that the root of the word “passion” is pathos—which means "to suffer." My mood today reflects the truth in the semantics. For the vast majority of the regular season however, the Irish and their fans didn’t suffer too much.

I delighted in the their first conference win over a #2 Pitt at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. I appreciated what they were able to do without a true big man this season. I must have shared New York Times article For Notre Dame's Hansbrough, Competitiveness Is a Family Trait with every person that inquired if Ben was related to Tyler. I loved his hustle, leadership and intensity. As an athlete, he is all that I am not. And Tim Abromaitis’ performance from behind the arc was majestic. I thanked him for continually following up on his rebounds.

The decorations these men earned are well deserved. Ben Hansborough was named Big East Player of the Year and Tim Abromaitis earned the Scholar-athlete award for the second straight year. When Sports Illustrated recognized Mike Brey as the National coach of the year, I knew this team was legit.

I reached out to my former students who are now studying at Notre Dame. I wanted to know about the mood on campus. In what creative ways was the student body backing this team? How difficult is it to get tickets? Were there pep rallies? I didn’t want my M-TV; no I wanted the beat on campus.

I also wanted a Big East Title. I was hopeful for a good run in the NCAA. I admit it, visions of the Final Four in Houston danced in my head. My desire for this team and its glory—putting Notre Dame men’s basketball back on the map—was very strong. My passion for the Irish had its focus; my desire for victory was palpable. And once I realized that, I suddenly began to understand why I care.

As stated by Ron Rolheiser in The Holy Longing

Desire gives no exemptions. It does however admit of different moods and faces. Sometimes it hits us as pain - dissatisfaction, frustration, and aching. At other times its grip is not felt as painful at all, but as a deep energy, as something beautiful, as an inexorable pull, more important than anything else inside us, toward love, beauty, creativity, and a future beyond our limited present. Desire can show itself as aching pain or delicious hope.

The delicious hope was obvious. They don’t call the NCAA Basketball Tournament “the big dance” for naught. Some all called and few are chosen. The road to the final four is always full of surprises and all too soon, the Irish and their fans were confronted with aching pain.

I am dissatisfied with how a good team played on Sunday night. I remain frustrated by our inability to get past the second round of the tournament. But more than those responses, what aches inside me today is that this particular group will not return to the hardwood again. Seniors will graduate, others will move on. A fine group of young athletes had their season. I am a fan, but I am also a witness.

What I saw, who I cheered for, why I care are because this team is precisely what we claim to be—the Fightin’ Irish.

Thank you to Mike Brey and the team for carrying my desire to Chicago. I hope you met a student body at the Main Circle today that despite the loss, greeted you with a whole lot of passion—aching pain aside. Delicious hope for 2012.

Photo Credits
Irish Exit
Beating Pitt
Coach Brey
Round 2 NCAA tourney