Thoughts

This past weekend the NCAA Tournament narrowed its field to the Final Four teams. Congratulations to LSU, UCLA, George Mason and Florida for their success. During some games, the analysts providing play-by-play give a player's background. It is a heart-warming, humanizing addition to the action on the court. There were two stories, from separate games, that were presented in the same fashion, yet were nearly polar opposites.

The first was a story of Villanova Wildcat senior guard Randy Foye. Foye's father, they said, left when Randy was of a very young age (3-and-a-half years old I believe) and his mother disappeared after he completed kindergarten. Her whereabouts are still unknown. Randy was raised in Newark, New Jersey by his two grandmothers, one of which had never been on an airplane, but agreed to fly to Indianapolis to see Randy play in the Final Four if his team made it. Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright said of Foye that he has a God-given ability to listen to the right people. When asked about his future in the sport of basketball, Wright commented that above success on the basketball court, Randy Foye would be a great man.

The second story featured George Mason senior guard Tony Skinn. The George Mason Patriots (GMU) were seconds away from completing the upset of top-seeded Connecticut as Skinn walked to the free-throw line. GMU was ahead by two points and Skinn had the opportunity to make it a two-possession game if he made both attempts. While he walked the length of the court the commentator mentioned how remarkable Tony Skinn's story was. He elaborated that Tony Skinn lost himself for a moment with about a minute remaining in a game against Hofstra and punched an opposing player in the groin in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. He had been immediately pulled from the game by his coach and suspended by his team from the first round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State. The team managed to hold on against the Spartans without him and now here he was with a chance to put the game out of reach. And to think he had overcome this adversity to now find himself with the opp...

:Missed the first free throw, the front-end of a one and one. Rebound to Uconn.:

Well he had the opportunity to "ice" the game for George Mason, he said.

Call it my Villanova bias, but I think Randy Foye's story was a little more vivid and appropriate considering the circumstances. They were both presented the same way. When they launched into story about Tony Skinn it was in a way where you expected to hear of tragedy and triumph over adversity. And you find out he overcame a one-game suspension he received because he punched a guy below the belt.

George Mason, an 11 seed in the tournament, was a controversial invite to the 65-team tournament. Many critics felt that other teams, Hofstra for one (who beat GMU twice head-to-head), should have been asked to the tournament instead. Since the brackets were announced, GMU has beaten 6th seed Michigan State, 3rd seed North Carolina and 1st seed Connecticut. The last two games were wins over the past two winners of the NCAA Tournament. The team's story has been and continues to be a remarkable one. Tony Skinn's story is about nothing but him losing his cool.