“I’ll be back next year.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J – Those were Ty Lawson’s words after UNC’s loss to Georgetown here Sunday evening, as the Tar Heels mourned the end of their season and talked about the future. Keep in mind, of course, that Sean May said the same thing after the 2005 national championship, but strong words from Lawson on a night when everyone else was pretty non-committal. Check out Tuesday’s DTH for a brilliant story about the NBA prospects on the team, but for now you just need to know that most of the talk was about people making decisions in the next couple of weeks.
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Some other odds and ends from the solemn UNC locker room:
Deon Thompson, on the mood on the bench during the epic collapse: “It was just quiet. It was like it was unreal, like the ball couldn’t go to the basket. I couldn’t believe it was happening.” Thompson’s game, especially in the first half, also was unreal. It will be overlooked with all the other drama of the game, but he came off the bench to post 14 points and six rebounds, as well as solid defense on superstar Jeff Green.
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Think it was odd for Roy Williams to call a timeout with four minutes to go? Me too. The guy usually hoards them until the final seconds (if at all). But Williams revealed the reason was not to stop the bleeding on the Hoyas’ game-closing run, but to spell Ty Lawson, who was pretty gassed. “Bobby (Frasor) couldn’t play in the second half today. Hurt his foot in the first half and he couldn’t play. So I called a timeout once just to let Ty rest.” This is kind of interesting, considering that during the USC game with about four minutes left, Lawson put up the tired signal and Williams told him to “suck it up.”
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The crowd was very pro-Georgetown as the “Hoya Saxa” chants filled the air for most of the game. They explained what the chant means in the media guide, but I’m still kind of confused. Here’s the official explanation: “Many years ago, when all Georgetown students were required to study Greek and Latin, the University’s teams were nicknamed ‘The Stonewalls.’ It is suggested that a student, using Greek and Latin terms, started the cheer ‘Hoya Saxa!’ which translates into ‘What Rocks!’ The name proved popular and the term ‘Hoyas’ was eventually adopted for all Georgetown teams.”
So a Hoya isn’t a bulldog, it’s a rock? Too weird.
Well that’s all from the gang here in scenic North Jersey. Thanks for reading (or at least skimming until you found the picture of the USC Song Girl). Take it easy.
-Daniel Malloy