A Special Thanksgiving Note
by Andrew Flynn
Hoopville Managing Editor
Greetings, everyone. While everyone is recovering from Thanksgiving and the effects of Tryptophan, I thought I’d pass along a letter of thanks we received recently that really touches home, especially in this time of giving thanks. It’s in regards to the “Paying Tribute” article written by Jed Tai, on the one-year anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th. I’d like to share this with you, our loyal readers.
| Dear Mr. Tai,
Thank you for your beautiful tribute to our beloved son, Tyler, and all of those who were also lost on 9/11. At the new Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts (the city Ty was born) there is now an Inspirational Section in perpetuity which lists about 10 individuals with ties to the game. Tyler is honored here with the Sports Illustrated tribute, “Color This Perfect,” which Jeff Pearlman wrote about him. IN TRIBUTE TO TYLER UGOLYN “I Just Love Playing The Game” Our warmest regards and appreciation, |
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame hosts the Tip-Off Classic tonight. Phil Kasiecki will be providing an eyewitness acount of the matchup between Alabama and Ohio State.
The Morning Dish – November 29th, 2002
by Jonathan Gonzalez
Ahh, Thanksgiving. The Macy’s parade, turkey with stuffing and college basketball – ok, so maybe one doesn’t belong here. While Thanksgiving Day is not steeped in college basketball tradition, Turkey Day did offer up a couple of matchups, the most interesting of which was College of Charleston vs. Wyoming in the opening round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
Wyoming, an NCAA tournament team from a year ago, fell behind early to the Cougars and never really found a rhythm in an 81-72 loss. Wyoming pulled within six points with 2:25 left in the game, but could get no closer. The Cowboys were led by Marcus Bailey and Donta Richardson, who each scored 21 points.
College of Charleston (3-0) played a complete game in beating the Cowboys and was paced by Joe Weurding’s 14 points. Troy Wheless chipped in with 13 points as the Cougars improved to 3-0 under new head coach Tom Herrion. C of C advances to play Oklahoma State, who cruised by Alaska- Anchorage on Wednesday.
The loss was the kind of setback Wyoming (1-1) needs to avoid if the Cowboys plan on returning to NCAA’s. Last season, the Cowboys finished 22-9 but had to sweat it out on selection Sunday, barley making it in as an at-large bid. While it’s early, in the eyes of the selection committee, it’s never too early to garner some non-conference victories against mid to upper tier teams.
Side Dishes
More From Alaska: In other Great Alaska Shootout action, Villanova handled Loyola Marymount 87-71. Nova’s Jason Fraser led all scorers with 24 points. The win was Villanova’s second in a row after an opening game loss to Marquette. For LMU, the loss was further proof that the Lions haven’t been a good team since the late 1980’s. No.10 Michigan State vs. Montana was not a final at press time, but be assured that Hoopville.com will be on top of that one soon.
Rounding Out The Field: In other riveting action, it was Texas Pan American over Mississippi Valley State 73-68, Tulane over Maine 84-65 and Southeast Missouri State toppled Wisconsin Milwaukee 89-75.
Walton Not Down For Long: No.1 Arizona’s Luke Walton, who strained three ligaments in his right ankle on Wednesday against Northern Arizona, will be in the lineup Tuesday as the ‘Cats take on Saint Louis.
Tonight’s Menu
• All eyes will be on New York tonight as the upstart UNC Tar Heels take on another upstart, the Stanford Cardinal in an unlikely Preseason NIT final. The Heels advanced to the final by defeating No. 2 Kansas on Wednesday night by the score of 67-56, while Stanford slipped by Florida earlier that evening. A couple of seasons ago, this would have been a match-up of two top ten teams. Nowadays, both teams are hungry to return to the top. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m.
• Other notable games include No.2 Kansas vs. No.6 Florida in the Preseason NIT consolation game, and the Tip-Off Classic, mentioned above.
