Feb. 9, 2010
Hoyas v. Providence Friars: A Journey Down Memory Lane in a Time Machine
Fresh from their 103-90 white-out, wipe-out of then-No. 2 Villanova on Saturday before 10,000 plus intrepid fans at the Phone Booth, the No. 7/8 Hoyas travel North this Tuesday to the Donut Shop to face the Providence Friars at 7:00 p.m. The Friars, 12-11, 4-7 in Big East, are coming off a 82-79 home loss to the Golden Eagles of Marquette, as a mad dash late Friar rally fell just short. The Friars are paced by sophomore Jamine Peterson, who notched his Conference-leading, 13th double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds against Marquette. The Hoyas will have to guard against a South Florida-style let-down against the Friars, whose victories include an 81-66 drubbing of UConn. With the recent memory of the South Florida defeat still fairly fresh in their minds, look for the Hoyas to prevail if they play Georgetown basketball.
Long-time followers of college basketball can well remember the time during the Sixties and early-to-mid-Seventies when the Providence Friars were the toast of Eastern College Basketball and consistently a national power. Names like Lennie Wilkens, John Thompson, Jr., (yes, that John Thompson), Jimmy Walker, Vinnie Ernst, Ernie DiGregorio, Kevin Stacom, and, of course, Marvin “Bad News” Barnes dotted the roster and Coaches Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt strode the sidelines for the Friars. With the founding of the Big East in the late Seventies, Providence became the headquarters of the Big East and has remained so ever since. In fact, all three Big East Commissioners, Gavitt, Mike Tranghese, and John Marinatto have come from Providence College. Competitively, the Friars have not ruled the roost as they once did but they did reach the Final Four in 1987 under a young Coach Rick Pitino and his three-point shooting point guard Billy “the Kid” Donovan, (current Coach of the Florida Gators). Along the way, little Rickie and Billy the Kid defeated the Reggie Williams led-“Reggie and the Miracles” Hoyas team in the Regional Final by the score of 80-73 in Louisville. And in 1994, the Friars, led by Coach Rick Barnes (current Coach of the Texas Longhorns) and DC native Michael Smith, captured their only Big East Tournament Championship when they knocked off the Hoyas, led by Othella Harrington and George Butler, 74-64 in the Championship game. Smith, the winner of the Dave Gavitt Tournament MVP trophy, was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Rob Phelps and Dickey Simpkins, together with Harrington and Butler.
While many outstanding players have donned the Friars black-and-white, the most memorable Friar was Marvin “Bad News” Barnes, who, together with Ernie DiGregorio, led the Friars to the Final Four in 1973 against Memphis. Stories about Barnes abound, including his hitting his Friar teammate Larry Ketviritis with a tire iron in 1972 for which he subsequently pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and paid Ketviritis $10,000 in damages. My personal favorite Barnes story is recounted by Bob Costas, former radio voice of the St. Louis Spirit in the American Basketball Association, in Terry Pluto’s Loose Balls, an informal history of the ABA. Barnes was notorious for missing flights and Costas had to explain to Spirit fans why Barnes had missed the one-hour team flight from eastern time zone Louisville to central time zone St. Louis. According to Costas, Barnes did not make the 8:00 a.m. eastern time flight from Louisville to St. Louis that was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis at 7:59 a.m. central time. Costas quoted Barnes as saying, “I ain’t goin’ on no time machine. I ain’t takin’ no flight that takes me back in time.” Ah, yes, Marvin Barnes, what an extraordinary basketball talent and goofball!
Hoya fans in DC, come on over to BlackFinn at 1601 I Street, NW for a game watch against the Friars. BlackFinn game watches have been hugely successful this year, so join in the fun at these gatherings put on by the D.C. Alumni Club and the Hoya Hoop Club. And while you are at it, if you are not already members, be sure to join both the D.C. Alumni Club and the Hoya Hoop Club. The D.C. Club offers a wide variety of programs and offerings for alumni of all ages and generations. And the Hoya Hoop Club is the only way to truly follow the Hoyas!! BE THERE!! BE THERE!!
WE ARE GEORGETOWN!!
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Karam, F’72, L’76, L’82
Proud Member of Generation Laughna
