Jan. 20, 2000
by Jon Gust, Media Relations Coordinator
Q: What is the one aspect you miss the most about playing college basketball at Villanova?
A: There is no question. It is the camaraderie and togetherness that we shared as a team, and the relationship among the players and coaches. It was truly a big family atmosphere. That was one of the highlights for me. Probably the biggest highlight. While we had our moments, everybody was very positive and upbeat. This had a lot to do with our success.
Q: What was it like playing for head coach Rollie Massimino?
A: Coach Mass was a tremendous motivator. He was a real master in molding a team out of individuals with different talents. That was one of the things he did the best. He used everyone's talents to the best of there abilities. Coach Massimino was very dynamic, but he was also a warm person. I had a great relationship with him personally. Everyone had a great deal of respect for him.
Q: Who was the best player you have ever played against and why do you consider his game to be so effective? With?
A: From a match up standpoint, Chris Mullen. I covered him a little bit over my career. As far as opponents, it was definitely Patrick Ewing. He was an awesome presence. He had it all. He was athletic, aggressive, determined. Probably not nearly as good in college because of the way the game was played as he is in the pros. The best all-around player I ever played with was probably Harold Pressley. He had one of the best senior years I've ever seen. Harold was absolutely awesome. He was the player that carried the team that year. He could handle the ball, shoot, rebound and always covered the best player on the other team.
Q: Perfect shooting games are few and far between even in regular season contests. How were you able to do it in the NCAA Championship game, especially coming off the bench?
A: If you would have told me with a minute left that we were shooting as well as we were, almost 80 percent, I wouldn't have believed you. I would have guessed about 50 percent. We just executed our offense, and were patient. No shots were taken that were out of character or out of our ability level. Personally, I didn't force anything. I took shots in the flow of our offense.
Q: What is your greatest memory of the 1985 National title game against Georgetown?
A: I would have to say the end of the game, when we has to take the ball out of bounds. One of my responsibilities was to inbound the ball to Dwayne McClain. He collided with a Georgetown player and fell to the floor. I knew that if I got it in his hands, that he could hold it for the final two seconds. My other greatest moment was the euphoria of the moment when the clock hit zero. Realizing what we had done, the relentless effort we had put in all year long and that every bit of it was worth it, was a feeling I will never forget.
Q: How was Villanova able to defeat the Hoyas when nearly everybody in America thought they couldn't be beat?
A: There were a couple things that were key. Number one was knowing the opponent as well as we did. The seniors had battled those guys for four years. The coaches did a tremendous job of scouting them. Playing them before, we knew what their pressure looked like and what it was like to fall behind to them. We knew we had to control the tempo, get on the backboard and rebound, and be patient on the offensive end. We knew them inside and out and because of that, we felt comfortable.
Q: What do you consider your greatest success on the basketball court?
A: From a team standpoint, I couldn't have been as good without the players I had playing around me. Individually, the UNC game and the National Championship game really stand out. Against North Carolina to get into the final four, I made something like five shots in the second half that brought us back from down five in the first half to beat Dean Smith and the Tarheels. Nothing could beat the title game though.
Q: What are your feelings about the resurrection of the Big Five?
A: I like it. There are a lot of days when you say to yourself, geez, we have to play St. Joseph's or Penn. But it's great. The toughest thing about playing Big Five games is that from the outside, people don't realize how competitive the Big Five is. You can throw out the records. It's going to be a battle. I am glad to see it back. It's great for the city and great for Villanova. Philadelphia has tremendous basketball and the Palestra is a great place to play.
Q: Current Wildcat head coach Steve Lappas was an assistant under Rollie Massimino during your years on the Main Line. Were there certain qualities you saw from him then that led you to believe he would be a successful head coach?
A: He was a very likeable guy. Someone you respected. Everyone knew that he knew the game. Coach Lappas had a great rapport with the players. As an assistant coach, you have an opportunity to get a little closer to the guys than a head coach. He did that. Everyone wanted to listen to him and play for him. That type of quality could only help him in his development into a head coach.
Q: What was it like playing in Jake Nevin Field House versus the Pavilion?
A: If I had to compare it to something, I would compare it to playing in the Palestra versus the First Union Center. The Jake made us feel so confident, almost like going back to high school. I don't think we lost in there, or as least that's what it felt like. It was a special feeling being in there. There's so much tradition and history. The Pavilion was a different feeling, but it is a great court and a great building.
Q: What did you do following your graduation from Villanova?
A: Immediately following graduation, I played in the USBL for the Philadelphia Aces during the summer of 1987. In the fall, I got drafted by Cleveland and had the opportunity to try out for the Cavaliers. When I was let go by Cleveland, I decided to jump into the working world. I worked with a dear friend that I met at Villanova at a small marketing company in Bucks County, Pa. I worked there for one and a half years, from the end of 1987 to the spring of 1989.
Q: What is your current profession and what brought you to the point you're currently at?
A: After being in the business I was in for those one and a half years, my partner Dave Sudgian and I, decided to get into business for ourselves. We felt like it was a good time to get into the field we were in, which was trade show exhibits and marketing and events. In August 1989, we started a company called Showtime Enterprises. We design and build trade show exhibits, and we do corporate events, displays, and museums. Showtime is a three-dimensional marketing and communications company. We just reached our 10 year anniversary not long ago. Showtime currently has 125 people, five locations in the U.S., and partners in Europe, the Far East and South America.
Q: What do you think is tougher, the basketball world or the professional world and why? A: There's nothing easy about either one. There are pluses and minuses in both. In basketball, especially as the professional level, players have an unbelievable travel schedule. They don't have a normal life. In the professional world, it is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It never stops. So I guess I'd flip a coin. But I would definitely take the money that professional athletes make.
Q: How did playing college basketball at Villanova University prepare you for the professional world and life after basketball?
A: A couple of ways. The preparation for one. One thing that we did while playing was we prepared relentlessly for every game. In games where we played well, and even games where we didn't, we were always prepared. I tried to apply that to the business world, from meeting with clients to meeting with potential new customers. You have to try to look ahead, so a situation doesn't pop up that catches you off-guard. The second thing is the team aspect. We wanted our company to be very team oriented. We all win and lose together. This helps to carry us through to produce a good product for our customers. When someone drops the ball, there had better be someone there to pick it up
