Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Good Gracious Terrapin Nation, We Have a National Championship

Whenever students in College Park take to partying on Route One, I feel compelled to sound off in some fashion, so here are some random thoughts and comments in appreciation of the women's national championship:

It is ALWAYS fun to beat Duke. I don't quite have the same level of distaste for Coach G. as I do for Coach K., that would not be possible, because I can actually can spell krzwesyschbdski (was that right?) and I can't even remeber what the G stands for, but don't you just love watching Dukies sulk and Terps celebrate? That's like chocolate and peanut butter in my book people, two great tastes that taste great together.

How about that three-pointer
to send the game in OT? That was just SICK! Toliver (oh, we're going straight to last names now), pulled off a step-back three in the face of that huge behemoth of a center for Duke and it was all net. Wow. On second thought, WOW!!During halftime, ESPN ran what it called the #1 shot in the women's basketball tournament of all time. They selected Charlotte Smith's buzzer-beater for North Carolina to beat Louisiana Tech in the 1993 national championship game. That was a great shot, but I think there's a new #1 in town and it's Toliver's shot from last night. Here's why: For some reason, UNC's Smith was WIDE OPEN. The Lady Techsters (note women's hoop jargon) completely forgot to guard her. She was squared up, had no defender in her face and made a set shot. It was a great shot, and it was at the buzzer to win a national championship, but it wasn't a fadeaway, off the dribble, true jumper with a female Mark Eaton flying at her.

Speaking of Duke's monster truck of a center, I am simply happy for that girl that college basketball exists and she has an outlet for her huge-osity. Anyone else notice that she never smiled? All business, all the time. She's 6-7 and shot 80 percent from the free throw line. She was better than Tahj Holden.

Wonder what Gary
thinks about all this success? I didn't see any crowd shots of our favorite sideline lunatic, perhaps he bellied up at Bentley's for the occassion and then set something on fire. Perhaps not.

Women's basketball played at a high level is actually a great game. The players are very skilled, they make shots, share the ball and run a nice, fluid offense, lots of layups and back-door cuts.

Since I don't have a history of hostility toward the Duke women's team, it wasn't as if I really hated them while watching the game; then that big power forward Chastity Bono or whatever her name, is body-slammed our Israeli fireplug Shay Doron and it was on people, it was on.

You think people will actually go to women's games in College Park next year?

Whose attendance will change more dramatically, George Mason's men's team (averaged 4500 in a 10k arena, with less than 1,000 students on average) or Maryland women, who averaged Lamont Jordan and his posse?

Anyone else notice that the assistant sitting next to Coach G. on the Duke bench was kind of hot? At the very least she was quite stylish.

How about that Lamont Jordan by the way. Big Terps women booster, who knew?

OK, that's the best I can do on limited knowledge of a team I've seen play one full game. I hope you enjoyed that as much as me. Seriously, amazing college game last night, that was incredible.