March 21, 2008
Birmingham, AL - Friday, 5:15 pm - The realization that this season has come to a close is beginning to set in. AU's season ended with a loss - the same fate that will befall 63 other college basketball teams who made it to the sport's summit - but this journey was anything but a failure. AU proved their mettle in December, when they defeated Maryland for the first time in more than 80 years, then thrilled fans by clinching their first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. That's a lot of very important firsts. Hopefully they've laid the foundation for many return trips to the dance, because as Eagles fans in Washington, Birmingham, and throughout the country can attest, the past seven days have been one helluva ride.
Thanks to everyone who checked out this blog. It was blast writing it, I hope you enjoyed reading it. We'll have to do it again next year. -Mike
Friday, 3 pm - The team watched the first half of the Butler-South Alabama game (all Bulldogs) from the stands, their viewing frequently disrupted by fans thanking and congratulating them. They boarded the bus minutes ago, and are headed to lunch then back to the hotel. The plan is to fly home tomorrow at 10, which would put us back on campus around 2. We all need a little time to decompress, so check back for one final blog entry later tonight.
Friday 2 pm - Comments from Jeff Jones' postgame press conference.
"We're disappointed with the outcome but I certainly couldn't be any more proud of the team. As they have all year long, they battled. It wasn't pretty, but we scrapped and pushed Tennessee pretty hard there for the most part of the game. Tennessee proved why they're such an outstanding team. Ultimately they wore us down. It was a great challenge for our team, I thought our guys stepped up to the challenge, but unfortunately we weren't quite up top it."
"I think it's been a great time. As I reflect back, it's not just the last couple weeks. I think that's when folks started noticing and we started reaping some of the rewards from the fruits of the players' labor. As I told them in the locker room after the game, I'm disappointed that we lost the game, but I'm more disappointed that the journey for this particular team is over. They've been a joy to coach, and to see them as well as the entire American University community get their moment in the sun has really been a great time and a special time."
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Garrison Carr
"When we were making our run I really felt like the crowd was behind us. At that moment we had an opportunity to control the game, but Tennessee came right back down and knocked a three down. They played like the No. 2 seed and the No. 1 team in the nation."
Brian Gilmore "We knew even if we did get a lead that Tennessee was a great team. They would be able to sustain any efforts we made. We had our opportunities, we missed some layups and some open shots, Tennessee's a great team and they capitalized on the other end."
Remarks from Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and two UT players.
Bruce Pearl
"Congratulations to American University, they represented themselves and the Patriot League extremely well. They made shots, particularly Carr, was just spectacular. They played with great energy, particularly on the offensive boards. They bothered us early with our offensive their offensive rebounding. I think we were able to turn them over. I thought without our pressure defense, we might have been in a similar position as Duke last night with Belmont."
"I thought they came in confident, knowing they could play with us. I think American came here to win the game. I think watching Belmont last night had to be encouraging for them."
"I think maybe in the last 10 minutes or so, American might have gotten a little tired. They might have gotten a little fatigued. We played a lot more guys than they did."
"They had great energy on the offensive boards. They do that all year long. They got a pretty good idea when Carr's going to shoot the ball. Because you have to have your bigs out there doubling him, when shots are taking place your inside guys are not inside their guys. It's really more of a race to the ball."
JaJuan Smith called AU "a great defensive team."
Tyler Smith on AU:
"Going against Carr was like going against another Chris [Lofton] out there. That was a great team, they came out and gave a great effort."
Friday 1:30 - This fantastic basketball game just ended with AU on the short side of a 72-57 decision that was much, much closer than the score indicates. The team left it all on the floor - you couldn't have asked anything more from them. With 30 seconds left, Coach Jones emptied the bench, even putting in Bryce Simon, who simply stood in front of the bench. When the final horn sounded, the AU crowd stood and delivered a heartfelt ovation, showing their appreciation for a magical season no one will soon forget. The players and coaches returned the favor, saluting a fan base that never stopped believing. I'll post postgame comments as soon as I get them.
Friday 1 pm - This is what these guys have dreamed of their wholes lives. They've played an amazing game, and with 3:46 remaining, they trail by just six. The impossible suddenly doesn't seem so impossible.
Friday 12:40 pm - Absolute pandemonium! Garrison Carr just hit back to back threes to tie the game with 11 minutes left. The crowd is deafening; this is one great ballgame.
Friday, noon - UT leads 29-22 at the half, but overall, AU played very well. They were poised in breaking the press (for the most part), and Garrison Carr hit some big shots. UT asserted itself toward the end to build up the lead, but this game is anything but over.
The atmosphere inside the BJCC was electric even 45 minutes before tipoff. The students and the band arrived early and began chanting and cheering (Don't Stop Believing was a favorite) as if there was five minutes left in the game. Clawed and the cheerleaders did their thing, undeterred by the first playing of "Rocky Top" at 10:36 am. The arena, which looks about three quarters filled, is mostly orange, but AU's section (directly across from the AU bench) is loud and spirited. Most everyone has been standing the whole game. Overall it was a solid 20 minutes for AU.
Friday 9:45 am - It wasn't easy for Bill Mason to make it to Birmingham, but there was no way he was going to miss this. At a breakfast reception for alumni this morning at the Sheraton across the street from the BJCC, he mingled with generations of Eagles fans over eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Mason, 63, arrived last night after boarding a plane in his home of Tucson, Arizona, at 10 in the morning Pacific time.
"I flew from Tucson to Dallas, then to Huntsville [Alabama]. It was about a 90-minute drive from there. I got in at 8:30 last night."
Mason played ball for AU from 1962-1966, and his teams generally took quite a beating, he's really reveling in the current team's success.
As is Adam Hirschfield '99. The Clevelander flew to D.C. last week for the Colgate game, and hopped on a plane again yesterday.
"It's taking up all my time and money," he said of following the Eagles. Don't buy it - he's happy as a clam.
Less than two hours before tipoff, the streets outside the arena are starting to come alive. There's a guy out front reading the Bible out loud- to no one in particular - and ticket scalpers are starting to make their rounds. I'll try and check back in right before the tip, but if I can't, I'll be back after the game.
I'll leave you with Mason's thoughts on the game.
"Tennessee is one of the two or three best teams I've seen in the country. But anything can happen, and last night [in the Duke game] it almost did. Any team can beat any team. Let Tennessee come in fat, dumb, and happy, and let's see what happens."
Friday, 6:45 am - College kids aren't generally thought of as morning people, but right about now, I guarantee you each of the players is jumping right out of bed without even dreaming of hitting the snooze button or grabbing 10 more minutes of shut-eye. After a week of hype unlike any other this team has known, these guys are ready to get back out on the court.
Breakfast is scheduled for 7:15, and two hours later the bus will depart for the arena. I'll try to update the blog from the BJCC once before the game, possibly at halftime, and definitely after the game. A reminder: you can watch the Eagles for free at NCAAsports.com/mmod.
Taking you up to tipoff is a short story about Bryce Simon. I hope everyone enjoys what should be one heck of a Friday.
Yesterday afternoon, while his teammates prepared for the game of their lives, junior forward Bryce Simon was at the Y, a 10-minute walk from the team hotel, working on his upper body with strength and conditioning coach Jason Riddell. When the horn sounds in a few hours and his teammates take to the court to make history, Simon will be watching from the bench.
With about two minutes left in the Patriot League semifinals against Army, Simon felt a pain in his knee unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
 Bryce Simon won't play, but he will make a difference  |
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"It wasn't a sprained knee. I was kind of worried right away."
As Coach Jones announced at a news conference on Monday, Simon's ACL was torn, his season over. A key player this year, Simon missed the Patriot League final, and won't be available for the NCAA Tournament. The golden era of AU basketball goes on without him.
"It was tough. I've never had to watch a game from the sidelines like that before. I tried to support the guys as much as I could. We still have a lot to play for, and they're great teammates and great guys."
Simon has refused to pout or pity himself, and he called the win over Colgate "one of the best feelings I've ever felt, even though I wasn't out there."
He's taken it upon himself to personally tutor his replacement, freshman Nick Hendra.
"I just try to give whatever advice I can. Nick hasn't got a chance to play a whole lot this year, but now he's playing a big role and playing well, so any kind of tips I can give I try. Whatever I can do to give us a little edge."
"I tell him to stay calm. Play hard and not do too much. Play within himself and he'll be fine. He's a great player, he really is, he's probably one of, if not the most talented kid on the team. He's young right now and still learning. As long as he stays calm and doesn't try to do too much he can really help us out."
Even from the sideline, Simon's assists continue to be invaluable.
March 20, 2008
Thursday 8:30 p.m. - At about the same time the AU pep band and cheerleaders arrived at the hotel this evening, a boatload of fired up students piled into a bus back in Washington. Their destination: Birmingham. Roughly 12 hours later, around 9 a.m. tomorrow, they'll arrive. God knows how they'll smell, but no matter how rank, you can be sure they'll be ready to root on their Eagles.
The team just got back from another delicious and incredibly filling dinner (These boys can EAT. When assistant coach Jason Williford brought some extra onion rings to one of the players' tables last night, his fellow assistant Mike Brennan warned, "watch your hands"), this time lasagne, pizza, and chicken parm at a homey little Italian place, DeVinci's. On the bus back to the hotel, word of Duke's nail biter began spreading. AU's 15-seed brethren, Belmont, wasn't able to pull off the upset, but their oh-so-close one-point loss should show everyone that AU has a shot tomorrow to be David to Tennessee's Goliath. Believe.
That's it for tonight, folks. I'll post a little story early tomorrow morning about Bryce Simon, then check-in court-side before tip-off. Fifteen hours until game time. Get some sleep, big day for everyone tomorrow.
Thursday, 5 pm - Heading back from the arena this afternoon, Coach Jones described the Eagles' closed practice as "excellent."
"I had to cut some of our segments short because the guys were getting after each other so much. I didn't want to wear them out."
It'll be another early night for AU. Dinner's at 7, followed by a team meeting at 9. Lights out at 11 - and back on tomorrow morning at 6:45. Tip off is 11:20 am central time.
I got this email from a reader and thought I'd share it.
"I went to high school with Jeff Jones and was lucky enough to be a part of an incredible basketball experience his senior year-undefeated going into the state tournament. I'm sure that anyone who was around in Owensboro, KY at the time would describe that season as "magical".
I am so proud for him that he is taking his team to the NCAA tournament-I knew he would eventually. However, I noticed that ESPN is giving American University a 1% chance of beating Tenn. Hmmm........ So, I'm thinking the motto of the day should be "We're believing in the 1!"
Go Jeff!!!! Go Eagles!!!!!!!
Robin Woodall-Gani
Thursday, 2 pm - If tomorrow's game were to be decided by the number of managers, assistant coaches, and other general hangers-on each program has, Tennessee would win in a walk. During their practice, it appeared as if each Volunteer player had his own personal valet. Both benches were filled (AU's were virtually empty when the Eagles worked out) by.....people wearing orange. That aside, Tennessee is definitely an impressive looking bunch. They're fast, strong, and well coached. But they're not invincible.
Before their workout, the Tennessee players made available to the media and coach Bruce Pearl had a press conference during which they exhibited drastically different levels of knowledge about AU. Here's what senior guard Chris Lofton said when I asked him what he knew about the school and basketball team:
"I've heard of it before but I wasn't familiar with their program. I didn't realize how good they were until I saw them on film."
Senior guard JaJuan Smith added:
"I have never seen them play on TV but we know they're a great team because they're still playing in March, and we can't take any team lightly."
Now check out Coach Bruce Pearl's take on AU. Warning, Bruce can talk. A lot.
"Carr is in the top 15 in three categories in the NCAA. Three point percentage, three point makes, and free throw percentage. He's a great shooter, and you gotta cover him before the catch. Mercer will fear nothing, there's no match-up out there that he's concerned about. He's played against the best. He's slippery, he's a tough, physical guy that can break you down. He breaks everybody down to get those guys shots on that team. Lay is a guy that just plays so hard, gets every 50-50 ball. Nichols, the center, may be 6'5", but he has a 7'3" wingspan and plays so much bigger. Jeff Jones, there's nothing he's not seen. Their system, with staggers and ball-screens and handoffs puts Carr and Mercer in position to be successful. They don't have a lot of post game because that's not their strength. They'll run the shot clock down, they'll try and keep the score down in the 40s and 50s, we'll try to speed them up without hurting ourselves too much, and we'll take advantage of our size and try to go inside, where we have the ability and the advantage."
Thursday, 1 pm - Greetings AU fans, from the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. AU just finished its public practice and soon will be back on the bus headed to a closed workout at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Before they hit the court, Brian Gilmore, Garrison Carr, Derrick Mercer and Jeff Jones addressed members of the media (most of whom had thick Southern accents). The players fielded questions on Tennessee, how they each wound up at American, whether they derive confidence from past Patriot League successes in the tournament, how they beat Maryland, and their thoughts on Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl.
Here's a snippet of Carr's comments: "We have to make sure we play our style of basketball, we can't get caught up in Tennessee's style of play. We're going to have to match their intensity on the court,. They're unlike any other team that we've played this year."
"This is a great opportunity to put American on the map. People still ask, `American University, where is that?' I have to tell them it's in Washington, D.C. Hopefully tomorrow people all over the nation will watch us play and we can start to help build the program."
Among Coach Jones's remarks:
"There are so many deserving people at American who have been plugging away for so many years. It really is special to be a part of the team that has allowed all of those folks to realize the dream they've had. The media coverage has been pretty remarkable. It's not something that we're used to, and I'm sure it won't always be there. For American University to get its moment in the sun in the Washington D.C. media but also the national media is great for our school. It's a great place to work."
Jones was also asked, somewhat bizarrely, to talk about the differences higher and lower seeded teams face in the hotels they're assigned.
"Anybody that is a part of this tournament that is worried about is their hotel as nice as someone else's has got it way wrong. Our hotel is the Embassy Suites and it's been wonderful. It's just not something that I've ever paid a whole lot of attention to."
During the practice, I had a chance to chat with Bill Raftery, who will call the game for CBS. I asked him what AU had to do to win and how just getting to the tournament will affect the program.
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"Handle the pressure, use the clock a little bit. They're going to have to rebound and hit some [free throws] all the things that undermanned teams have to do."
"They'll step up their recruiting. Next spring's class should be better. They'll be in better athletic homes. I think the pride that goes with people knowing who you are a little bit. It's part of your resume now, it speaks for itself."
I'll post another entry shortly after Tennessee's press conference and practice.
Thursday, 10 am - Just how much exposure does AU gain from its presence in this little basketball tournament? An astronomical amount - based on the highly scientific results of some overheard conversations in the Birmingham Embassy Suites dining room. On three separate occasions this morning in line for breakfast, curious hotel guests asked someone from AU where the school is located. They all sounded as if they had never heard of it before. They have now.
After breakfast, Derrick Mercer, Nick Hendra, and Jordan Nichols were hanging out in the lobby surfing the Internet. I had a chance to ask them a few of the questions I posed in my first blog entry. Not that it matters - he's a fabulous player - but a couple of people wanted me to ask: Can Derrick dunk?
"Yeah," was his short answer. Nichols raised his eyebrow when Mercer said he'd dunked in a game, but Derrick assured everyone that he can indeed throw down with two hands.
Nick Hendra's father is an actor, writer, and comedian who appeared in the classic rock mocumentary "This is Spinal Tap." While Nick likes the film - and really, who couldn't? - his taste tends to run a little toward the Will Ferrell spectrum. His list of his favorite movies reads like Ferrell's IMDd page.
"Old School" "Anchorman" "Talladaga Nights" What can you say, the man has comedy in his blood.
Thursday, 8:15 am - Morning everyone. About 27 hours until tipoff. This morning I have a little nugget for you on Travis Lay. I'll also be checking in from practice and various news conferences. While you're watching the games on your computer at work (those of you not too "sick" to make it in), be sure to check the blog during the commercials.
During the course of the game Friday, the Tennessee pep band will play "Rocky Top" approximately 1,034 times. While many of the orange-clad fans in the arena undoubtedly will know all the words, there's only one AU player who could sing along if he chose.
Both of senior Travis Lay's parents went to the University of Tennessee, and he grew up an avid Volunteers football fan. Lay was in attendance when UT beat Florida State for the national title in 1998, and like the rest of Volunteer Nation, he died a slow death every time the boys from Knoxville faltered against hated Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators.
"I cried every year they'd lose to Florida," he said. "Peyton Manning never beat Florida. Amazing."
Lay has some relatives from Chattanooga who are coming to Birmingham for the game, and his parents will be in attendance as well. But where will their loyalties lie?
"If we weren't playing, I think they'd be wearing orange."
March 19, 2008
Wednesday, 8:30 - These guys clean up quite nicely. The fellas donned their Wednesday-night best for dinner at J. Alexander's. Steaks, chops, and
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Wednesday, 4:20 (central) - The Eagles have landed in Birmingham. After a long day of travel, the team touched down about 30 minutes ago, and everyone is now relaxing at the Embassy Suites.....somewhere past downtown.
The day started just after noon, when the sun peeked out to join hundreds of fans chanting "Let's go Eagles!" on the main quad. TV cameras and reporters jostled for position as the team emerged from the Mary Graydon Center for a short but spirited event.
"We hope to go down on Friday and make the AU community proud," Travis Lay told the crowd.
Is that all?
"And hopefully come back with a win." Pause. "My team's correcting me. Make that two wins."
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The team boarded the bus, which was parked right on the quad, and around 12:30 hit the road for Dulles. Seconds after the bus began creeping away from hundreds of cheering fans, assistant coach Mike Brennan quipped "Do we have Mercer and Garrison?"
When the laughter died down, everyone did a subtle double take toward the back of the bus to make triple sure that the back court duo were indeed on board. Check.
Right after we left, the skies opened up and it began pouring. Still, this was by far the least trafficy trip I've ever made to Dulles. Next time you have to go there, my advice is to leave at 1 on a Wednesday.
Sitting on the bus outside the tarmac (for a not-short amount of time), manager Ashley Scotland, whose video camera hasn't left his hand, led a short rendition of "End of the Road." Who knew Boys 2 Men had staying power?
The site of the smallish Embraer 145 charter jet caused a bit of trepidation, but overall the two-hour flight was smooth and almost everyone dozed off.
The team is settling into their rooms right now, and will reconvene later tonight. Tomorrow there's practice at the arena and an off-site venue, and I'll be able to update the blog much more frequently. Thanks to everyone who's emailed me, I'll try and get back to each and every one of you as soon as possible.
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - Morning everyone. Well, we're two and half days from game time, and two and half hours from the send-off rally on the steps of the Mary Graydon Center. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I'll try and get the blog updated at the airport this afternoon, but if there isn't enough time, I'll post a rally and travel recap when we arrive in Birmingham this evening.
In the meantime, here's a link to an editorial cartoon by AU alum Nate Beeler in today's print edition of the D.C. Examiner.
http://www.examiner.com/blogs/beeler?cid=foot-link
March 18, 2008
Tuesday 1 p.m. - Welcome Eagles fans, to a week 41 years in the making. It's NCAA Tournament time, and for the first time ever, AU is invited to the dance. My name is Mike Unger, I'm a staff writer in the university's publications department, which publishes (among other things) American Today (www.american.edu/today) and American magazine (www.american.edu/magazine). I'm also a contributing sports writer for Baltimore magazine, but for the next four days (and beyond?) I'll be covering all AU hoops, all the time. My plan is to update this blog several times daily beginning with tomorrow's sendoff rally on the main quad at noon, and not ending until AU's magical run does. If it does. You'll be able to access it by clicking on the "Birmingham Bound" button on the right side of AUEagles.com.
I'm hoping to bring you as many of the sights and sounds - both on the basketball court and away from it - from Birmingham as possible. This is a special time for the entire AU community, and we want everyone to feel a part of it even if you're not on campus or in Alabama. Throughout the course of the week, please feel free to email me any questions you'd like me to ask Coach Jeff Jones, the players, the fans who follow the Eagles down south, the media covering the team, Alabamians (is that what people from Alabama are called?) who may never have heard of AU, or anyone else you can think of. Anything from Jones's game plan to stop all-everything Tennessee guard Chris Lofton, to whether Derrick Mercer can dunk, to Nick Hendra's favorite movie (not involving his dad). Whatever crosses your mind, drop me a line at unger@american.edu. Just include your first name and where you're writing from, and I'll do my best to get your question answered and posted.
It's been quite the whirlwind week around here. In just five short days, AU has gone from afterthought to national darlings. Sunday's selection show party at Mary Graydon Center drew scores of students, alumni, and fans - and almost as much national and local media. Come Monday, the afterglow of victory still hadn't worn off.
After a press conference yesterday, Garrison Carr sheepishly admitted to being "a minute" late to his Spanish class. Hey, it's been a busy week, we'll cut the Patriot League Tournament MVP some slack. Instead of a glare from his professor, he was greeted with an ovation from the entire class.
"Every class I went to today, the teachers acknowledged me. All the students around campus have been telling us thanks and good luck. In terms of all the media and attention we've been receiving, I didn't expect all this, but now that I'm here I'm enjoying it. Everyone else is being interviewed in other programs, so we should be as well."
"There is definitely a buzz on campus," said Brian Gilmore. "Whether I heard people talking about trying to get tickets for the tournament or just the win [over Colgate]. Each class I walked into professors mentioned something to me, many of the students did the same. It's good to see that we have that kind of support."
Thanks for checking out the blog. To use a little Alabama parlance, y'all come back again, ya hear?
(Thanks to Amelia (Lay) Lovette, senior Travis Lay's sister, who wrote in to say "It is actually 'y'all come back now, ya hear!'" She's heading down to Birmingham from New York City to watch the game, and she's fired up)
