Return of the HOYAS

My Hoyas!! Man, ya'll just don't know. Today I had to pull out some blue and grey - for real! Couldn't find the grey sweats, so had to settle for blue sweats and grey undies (smile)! Yesterday I watched Georgetown soundly silence Pitt and all naysayers to resume their position as Big East Champions. My heart skipped a beat, watching John Thompson cheer his son on from the side. I got to admit, John Thompson is the only hero of mine that I hid from when given the opportunity to meet him. Actually walked in the other direction, with him standing ten steps from me, alone. I was nervous as hell. Scared. Cause that man means the world to me, and there is no way to explain to a stranger how much they changed your path/direction, just by coaching a team.

Let me backup (yep, this is going to be a long post). I grew up in what I call the Artic Circle, Rochester, NY. Syracuse and Orangemen (now Orange). That's all there was, that's who Rochester supported. The Big East was the beginning and end of basketball. I don't even recall noticing the other leagues until I entered college. Now, Rochester was not the most diverse place then and opportunities for blacks seemed bland at best. But every week, I could flick on the tube and watch this huge African American man coach the best team in the country, unapologetic and raw. True to himself and what he believed. To hell with every one else and what they had to say.

Like my first taste of hip hop, John Thompson was the embodiment of what I thought black men could be. So I became a die hard fan. Did my research, learned about him, about the team. Sported the Grey and Blue. Paid attention to D.C., which had been no more than another place on a geography quiz until then. Fell in and out of love, in true teenage fashion, with at least one player a season, Alonzo Mourning holding my infatuation the longest, of course (smile).

But, I developed a different respect for Coach Thompson my Sophomore year of college at Hampton University. There was this high school kid there, playing his senior year. Big time recruit. We had even heard of him on Hampton's campus, which is rare because the University and the Community were not intertwined then. I remember seeing him at Hampton games, meeting him when my girlfriend tried to get with him - them hookin up later, me grossed out that she was messin with a high school youngun (who was only 2 years younger actually). Of course, I am talking about AI, Mr Iverson. Allen Iverson. Now, my favorite basketball player of all time. Then, a kid trying to make it out. There was big time pressure for him to go to a state school. Then the bowling alley brawl happened. AI was shuttled outside during the fight. Had nothing to do with it. He was arrested, cited with inciting a riot/civic unrest. They sat that brotha in a jail cell. (I wrote a 200 pg thesis analyzing it and other travesty's while in law school).

Now please study your history and know that he is not the only player who went through this. Randy Moss. Jailed over nonsense once he didn't commit to stay home for college. There are others, I just can't remember off the top of my head. It happens all the time. They are labeled criminals, outside schools fall away, leaving the local university their only option after all. (How do you think Marshall got Moss. Come on now) So, that was the tactic that they used with AI. Destroyed him in the media, painted him all types of criminals, waited for all his offers to disappear. Enter John Thompson.

Now, I don't know that whose or whats, but I do know John got the boy out of there, brought him to G'town, and literally saved his life. The media tried to fire John up and ya'll know how raw he is. Nuff said.

So Jeff Green, MVP for Georgetown, says this championship is not about the past. I politely disagree. This championship is about much more than the here and now. It's about a legacy - a clear decision to not give in, to not sell out, to not stand by and look the other way once sucess had been achieved. It's about taking a nonspeaking brotha (some of you know who I am referring to) and creating NBA phenom/NBA representative, outspoken man of character whose son can carry on the torch. Its about creating the only empire that extends to ivy league graduate sons who stand on their own, believe strongly in their principals, live life in an exemplary fashion. Its about an idea and a dream that one inner city little girl tapped into and believed in and subsequently obtained her law degree from the very school that served as pride's platform.

Let me brag for just a second - G'Town law accepts/graduates the most African American lawyers in the nation, yes, more than Howard Law. Professors' Elizabeth Patterson and Anthony Cook are the beginning and end of unbelievable mind boggling intelligence and professionalism. Classmates included Div I athletes, a Washington Redskins Superbowl Champion D-Back, innumerable scholars, judges sons and daughters, politicians kids - oh, that's just among the African American population, not Gtown as a whole. Unbelievable diverse, unbelievably supportive. Entertainment Law class, by Professor Gordon a name and entity unto himself, I met one of the Wachowski bros (the matrix), every major sports agent in town, literary agents, etc...some connections helped land my intership with Washington Wizards/Mystics (Washington Sports and Entertainment) and at graduation: Colin Powell was the speaker - his son (former HUD administrator) is a G'town grad. He made it his business to interact with students - special "I see my folks" acknowledgment to the black students. Don't hate! it's really like that. Georgetown alum continuously change the world/always look out for each other.

So anyway, the championship has meaning, and touches many. Because of the history and the tradition. BTW- I have seen Georgetown's future, ya'll, and all I can say is it only gets better from here....

Hoya for Life!