It's a grief that needs to be exorcised. That's my message for this blog today.
Yesterday, Virginia Tech lost to The University of North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament 79-76. It was a spirited game with everything on the line for the Techmen. The game was decided with about ten seconds to go when an official blew his whistle as VT was making a play to take the lead in a one point game. The call was a held ball, thus awarding the ball to UNC and ending any realistic chance for VT to win. The call was, at the very least, contestable.
Here's how it went down. You can watch the video for yourself.
The fact is that The White Shadow (Tyler Hansbrough) and his (Ed)Davis bumped and hacked our (J.T.)Thompson with few seconds left in the game. Upon replaying the video on frame by frame setting, I noted that after our Thompson caught the ball and swung around, their Davis reached in and grabbed our Thompson's arm. Almost simultaneously, the White Shadow initiated physical contact much akin to the bumping and grinding lower body action seen on a Euro-Disco dance floor at 2:30am, although with less fluidity and grace. Immediately, he followed his initial pelvic thrust up with a clutching hand on our Thompson's back followed immediately by a raking left hand down our Thompson's face continuing down the front of his jersey on its way to the ball below. Along that path, the destructive left hand managed to visibly displace jersey fabric it encountered. As the hand momentarily became attached to our Thompson's hand and the ball, the White Shadow's continued thrusting action from his lower body forced our Thompson to move two feet closer to the sideline. At the exact moment of engagement with the ball, Coach Hess whistled a jump ball and immediately directed the action to move the other way.
That's what happened.
It was a moment that was fumbled on many accounts. Some say MD should have finished his drive and engaged his soft floater over stony still defenders. I think he was smart to try to pass away. Based on the same frame by frame replay, The White Shadow can be seen sliding into the traditional Duke position in the lane. At the very least, MD's shot would have been stressed. More likely, MD would have been fouled with Coach (the official) Hess waving off that call in favor of a charge.
Some say MD should have passed across the lane to a patient ADV, but I think that The White Shadow and his minions would have made such a pass too risky.
In my estimation, a pass back to the newly confident Hudson was a good move. MD's pass just needed to be more finely tuned.
Did that held ball cost us the game? Very possibly. VT was shooting at about a 50% clip for the game. Consistently throughout the game, the Techmen were able to exploit The Shadow's defenses and score.
How can you say that one call cost us the game when every player can most likely point to something they did during the course of the contest that cost us? Well, I can say it because basketball, like any other sport, is a reactive game. Things happen. Players must react and move forward. When disappointments occur during the course of the game, there's time to react and overcome. However, when the ball is in-bounded with 16.6 seconds left in the game and with the entire universe focused on that moment and that time, it is of paramount importance for proper calls to be made. For if not, there is little chance to react and overcome.
So what I'm saying is that Coach Hess' misguided held ball call robbed us of the opportunity to react and overcome....again.
Now I shall say three Hail Mary's (not shoot them like Duke and Xavier did) and light three candles; one for Coach Hess to bring him to our good graces, one for The White Shadow for strength to handle what will surely be the greatest challenge of his career-the NBA, and one for me to turn my darkened soul toward the light.
Yesterday, Virginia Tech lost to The University of North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament 79-76. It was a spirited game with everything on the line for the Techmen. The game was decided with about ten seconds to go when an official blew his whistle as VT was making a play to take the lead in a one point game. The call was a held ball, thus awarding the ball to UNC and ending any realistic chance for VT to win. The call was, at the very least, contestable.
Here's how it went down. You can watch the video for yourself.
The fact is that The White Shadow (Tyler Hansbrough) and his (Ed)Davis bumped and hacked our (J.T.)Thompson with few seconds left in the game. Upon replaying the video on frame by frame setting, I noted that after our Thompson caught the ball and swung around, their Davis reached in and grabbed our Thompson's arm. Almost simultaneously, the White Shadow initiated physical contact much akin to the bumping and grinding lower body action seen on a Euro-Disco dance floor at 2:30am, although with less fluidity and grace. Immediately, he followed his initial pelvic thrust up with a clutching hand on our Thompson's back followed immediately by a raking left hand down our Thompson's face continuing down the front of his jersey on its way to the ball below. Along that path, the destructive left hand managed to visibly displace jersey fabric it encountered. As the hand momentarily became attached to our Thompson's hand and the ball, the White Shadow's continued thrusting action from his lower body forced our Thompson to move two feet closer to the sideline. At the exact moment of engagement with the ball, Coach Hess whistled a jump ball and immediately directed the action to move the other way.
That's what happened.
It was a moment that was fumbled on many accounts. Some say MD should have finished his drive and engaged his soft floater over stony still defenders. I think he was smart to try to pass away. Based on the same frame by frame replay, The White Shadow can be seen sliding into the traditional Duke position in the lane. At the very least, MD's shot would have been stressed. More likely, MD would have been fouled with Coach (the official) Hess waving off that call in favor of a charge.
Some say MD should have passed across the lane to a patient ADV, but I think that The White Shadow and his minions would have made such a pass too risky.
In my estimation, a pass back to the newly confident Hudson was a good move. MD's pass just needed to be more finely tuned.
Did that held ball cost us the game? Very possibly. VT was shooting at about a 50% clip for the game. Consistently throughout the game, the Techmen were able to exploit The Shadow's defenses and score.
How can you say that one call cost us the game when every player can most likely point to something they did during the course of the contest that cost us? Well, I can say it because basketball, like any other sport, is a reactive game. Things happen. Players must react and move forward. When disappointments occur during the course of the game, there's time to react and overcome. However, when the ball is in-bounded with 16.6 seconds left in the game and with the entire universe focused on that moment and that time, it is of paramount importance for proper calls to be made. For if not, there is little chance to react and overcome.
So what I'm saying is that Coach Hess' misguided held ball call robbed us of the opportunity to react and overcome....again.
Now I shall say three Hail Mary's (not shoot them like Duke and Xavier did) and light three candles; one for Coach Hess to bring him to our good graces, one for The White Shadow for strength to handle what will surely be the greatest challenge of his career-the NBA, and one for me to turn my darkened soul toward the light.
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