AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > April > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMason’s magical journey splinters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Indianapolis — You knew the moment was coming. You knew, but you didn’t care to admit it. You wanted to see George Mason play for the national championship because a George Mason has never played for a national championship. But in that cold-blooded corner of your mind where pragmatism trumps fantasy, you knew there was a reason no George Mason had made it even this far.
The George Masons of the world have nice players.
The Floridas inhabit a rather different world.
Final score: Florida 73, GMU 58.
The Patriots led 2-0 and never again. Florida would give them hope and then snatch it back. They were close enough at halftime to believe they could do again what they’d done this last fortnight, but a minute into the second half Florida’s lead was 11 points and you were reduced to hoping this didn’t become an abject embarrassment for the plucky underdog.
And it didn’t. This never became Michigan State over Penn (a 34-point landslide in the 1979 Final Four) or even Kansas over Marquette (33 in 2003). This was just a case of a dream dying at the hands of a gifted and merciless opponent. “What they’ve done has been great for college basketball,” said Billy Donovan, the Florida coach who was himself the darling of the 1987 tournament as a Providence guard. “[But] whether it said ‘George Mason’ or ‘Cinderella’ on their jerseys, we had to go out and play.”
George Mason had managed to take down three of the nation’s proudest programs — Michigan State, North Carolina, Connecticut — in this NCAA tournament, and in each of those games the Patriots had overridden a talent gap. That seemed to suggest that all things were possible, but reality ultimately said: “Well, not all things.” Florida was quicker to offensive rebounds and much, much better from the perimeter, and that was your ballgame.
But never let it be said that this was an ordinary ballgame. The RCA Dome was charged in a way that Final Fours never are. The Mason pep band kept blaring its new theme — “Livin’ On A Prayer,” by Bon Jovi — and every neutral in the massive house sang along. It sounded like this:
“Oh-oh, we’re halfway there!” at turned-up-to-11-rock-concert volume. And then, louder still: “LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER!!!”
It felt so ridiculously good, this George Mason saga, that it was bound to feel lousy when it ended. Removed from the game in the final minute, forward Will Thomas covered his head with a white towel. Jai Lewis, the undersized center, wept beneath a purple one. They’d gone as far as they could, further than they ever should have, and now it was over.
“This is history,” said guard Lamar Butler. “We’re living it right now. Whenever people talk about the Final Four, they’ve got to talk about us being here. What we’ve done has changed the face of college basketball.”
Maybe it did. Certainly it changed the face of this tournament. Said Jim Larranaga, Mason’s coach: “Our guys showed you don’t have to have 7-footers on your roster or be the biggest and strongest to have a great basketball team… . I’m especially proud to represent, if we do, all those mid-majors who aspire to get here.”
And there’s your difference. Mid-majors aspire to reach the Final Four. Majors aim to win it. Florida will have that chance Monday night against UCLA, but it won’t be the Gators (or the Bruins) we remember most about this NCAA. Said Tony Skinn, the tough Mason guard: “I think we’ve done something tremendous for college basketball.”
And when the run was done, Lamar Butler wanted one last memento. On Friday he’d tried to take his name card from the mass interview room. Not yet, he was told. “When the tournament is over,” the moderator said.
On Saturday he asked again. Permission granted. Flashing a thin smile of resignation, Lamar Butler took his name card and exited stage right.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
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By Hoopy Head
April 2, 2006 04:09 AM | Link to this
Mark, are you nuts? Most teams that make the Final Four are just happy to be there. I’m not saying that they don’t want to win it all, but they (and their fans) accept that making the Final Four is a huge accomplishment. Teams like Kentucky, UNC, Duke, UConn, Kansas and UCLA (whenever they make it) are the teams that have to win it all to be a success in the minds of most of their fans.
Oh, and George Mason didn’t go farther than they should have. They outplayed every opponent in the tournament until Florida. UCLA went farther than they should have. Gonzaga rolled over and died for them. How about that analysis?
By gator-hater
April 2, 2006 10:09 AM | Link to this
This is for gator-bait and all the rest of the (mainly obnoxious) gator fans: congrats. I hope that DF brings our BBall program to your level. Billy Donovan has now been to 2 national title games, and that is not something to be scoffed at. On a different subject: last year was the first time I’ve been to Jacksonville for the world’s greatest outdoor cocktail party, and even though my beloved dawgs lost, I was suprised at the level of mutual respect both sets of fans displayed for another. I’m looking forward to going again. Good luck gators- show the world the sec is not just a football conference.
By Andy
April 2, 2006 10:21 AM | Link to this
OK. Back-to-back articles about what a darling George Mason was…blah-blah-blah. You used words like “cuddly.” Gators are “hated” and “villains” and “might as well be from France.” “What we remember most won’t be the Gators…” and “it was bound to feel lousy when it ended (for GM).” And you go on and on… All of this is true … UNLESS YOU’RE A GATOR FAN!!! Good God man! Give some kudos to Florida who’s only been in one other final and has never won an NCAA basketball championship. We are as excited as ever. Let us enjoy it. Give the GM talk a rest and write about something else.
By northwestDAWG
April 2, 2006 12:12 PM | Link to this
Andy, I’ll bet that the majority of all SEC fans are pulling for you Monday night. You’ve represented our conferance in an outstanding way. So happens my family except for myself, are Gators and they fully understand why the people and the media have talked about this “Cinderalla” team from George Mason. It has been the story of this tournement. Now you’ve broken the “glass slipper” and ALL the attention will be focused on you Monday. Go, win, make our conference look good(Newspapers already this morning are talking about UCLA beating 2 Southern powerhouses so far) and be a champion with class.
By CLAY
April 2, 2006 03:18 PM | Link to this
All this horse puckey about GMU being the first “cinderella” team in the Final Four is just that — horse puckey. Jacksonville University, a little school on the shores of the St. Johns River, made it all the way to the final game against UCLA in 1970. The school was and is essentially a commuter school although they now have a few dorms for out of town students. They featured a front line that averaged 7 feet and was anchored by Artis Gilmore who played many years in the NBA. One of their guards was Rex Morgan who played as a reserve for the NBA’s Celtics for a few years. Their point guard (whose name I don’t recall at the moment) was a Hoosier in high school and has been in dental practice for many years. One of their forwards, Pembrook Burrows, has had a career as a Florida Highway Patrol officer for many years. How would you like to be stopped by a FHP officer who uncoiled a 7 ft. frame as he emerged from his vehicle? JU was, indeed, the first true cinderella story in the Final Four.
By northwestDAWG
April 2, 2006 04:09 PM | Link to this
Clay, growing up in J’ville I was there for that majical season. I remember walking around pinching myself because this couldn’t ever happen to JU. Problem is back then not much attention paid to small schools by the national media nor did the NCAA gave much credit to the Dolphins. It’s a different sports media world today and George Mason is the 1st mid level school to reach this level since then.