April 14, 2006
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears on Fridays from September through February and monthly from April through in August. In our April installment, we recount the visit of Wildcat guard Allan Ray and head coach Jay Wright to Indianapolis during Final Four weekend.
Thursday, March 30
Indianapolis, Ind.
For so many Villanova fans, there are countless ways to ponder what a uniquely splendid basketball season 2005-06 was. On a morning that begins with a 5:00 a.m. wakeup call, senior guard Allan Ray takes note of another.
"We didn't have any early flights this season," he says with a weary chuckle.
No such luck this morning. The flight Ray boards today leaves the gate at Philadelphia International Airport at 6:30 a.m. It will take him to Atlanta to reach a connecting flight that will bring him to the site of the 2006 Final Four. Given that he is only three days removed from the end of a long season, Ray takes the opportunity to recoup some of the sleep sacrificed over the previous five months.
When he awakes on the final approach into Indianapolis, it is with an unmistakable sense of melancholy. Even from 10,000 feet, it is impossible not to contemplate the possibility of having arrived here with his teammates and coaching staff in tow. In glancing out the window, the specter of the RCA Dome looms large and it's hard not to miss all the signs of activity that accompany college basketball's biggest weekend.
Ray simply shakes his head.
"I really thought," he says, "we would be here."
Yet it doesn't take long to understand that the 28-5 season that Ray and his teammates crafted impacted folks far beyond the Main Line. Fellow passengers and other travelers make it a point to approach Ray. Some ask for autographs. Others simply congratulate him on an outstanding season. It is a pattern that will be repeated throughout his four day stay here, often times from opposing coaches.
"It definitely helps to hear that," says Ray.
3:00 p.m.
RCA Dome
It is a role for which I have been given no formal training. No seminars were attended or, as best I can tell, offered. It is an assignment inherited by many a successful media relations director over the course of time and one for which I will always stand ready to serve.
"I, Michael Sheridan, do solemnly swear to uphold the office of `Trophy Boy'."
Great seasons bring their share of perks and this was one of mine. Each time a member of the Villanova basketball family earned a plaque or trophy, it soon became my task to see to it that it wasn't lost or damaged while the winner accepted congratulations. Cynics might refer to this as `trophy-sitting.' Only the true professionals understand that it is so much more.
Upon entering the small room that serves as a temporary television studio for the presentation of the CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year award today, the alarms immediately sound for the seasoned trophy caretaker. Located on the set immediately behind Wright is an award that appears to stand taller than any of Villanova's four starting guards. While Wright graciously accepts the honor from CBS' Lesley Visser, the caretaker begins sweating profusely.
"Yes, I'd like to check this trophy the size of Yao Ming through to Philadelphia." Finally, it is Wright who relieves the tension.
"That is going back UPS," he says.
Seldom have I been happier to hear what brown can do for you.
8:45 p.m.
St. Elmo's Steakhouse
The four finalists for the Naismith Award as college player of the year have been invited to an informal dinner at one of Indianapolis' premiere eateries. Ray joins Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, Morrison's father (John) and officials for a delicious evening of food and basketball conversation.
During the evening, a group of people are amazed to look at Ray's right eye and see no visible evidence of the awful accident that nearly cost him his sight at the Big East Tournament in March. Several of the guests mention that they have watched the video of the incident when Ray collided with Pittsburgh's Carl Krauser as the two lunged for a loose ball.
"Our trainer (Jeff Pierce) told me not to watch it," says Ray. "I haven't and I don't plan to."
Near the end of dinner, Ray asks the caretaker of trophies his plans for later in the evening. When told there were none, he graciously extends an offer.
"Jermaine O'Neal is having a party, Mike, and he wanted me to invite you," he quips.
Despite the caretaker's obvious affection for Jermaine and his Indiana Pacer teammates, he declines. No time for frivolity when there are trophies to be monitored and the prospect of more to come.
Friday, March 31
Indianapolis
3:00 p.m.
The Westin Hotel, two blocks from the RCA Dome, is home to `Radio Row' in 2006. What began as a few radio stations electing to broadcast from the site of the Final Four in the early 1990s, now includes 25 stations from cities across America in a giant banquet room. Ray joins fellow Naismith finalist Rudy Gay of Connecticut from 3-4 p.m. on a host of different shows from coast to coast. Among the hosts in the room are former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian and ex-Georgetown coach John Thompson. Current Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt and Wright arrive midway through the hour to make appearances on several of the shows as well.
After completing the interviews, the Villanova contingent, including Ray, Jay Wright and Patty Wright, heads to the Convention Center where Wright is scheduled to sign autographs as part of a National Association of Basketball Coaches event. Wright brings Ray up to the podium with him and a line extends for 100 feet as the two sign hats, basketball's and assorted other hoops memorabilia.
Next, it's on to Conseco Fieldhouse for a Naimsith press conference featuring the four finalists for player and coach of the year. Villanova is the only school with representatives in both categories. When the photos are taken and questions answered, the entire group takes an elevator to the club level to a box with food and refreshments. An NABC All-Star team is set to take on the Harlem Globetrotters. After visiting with several of the finalists, which also included George Washington coach Karl Hobbs and North Carolina coach Roy Williams, the Villanova group heads back to its car so that it can make it for the start of a function at the Ice Lounge.
This event is a special one, organized by the Wildcat coaching staff each year. Among the guests are those with ties to Villanova Basketball and Wright's staffs at Hofstra. Those in the house include former VU aides Joe Jones, Billy Lange, and Fred Hill, director of athletics Vince Nicastro and his wife Liz, current staff members Brett Gunning, Patrick Chambers and Fred Hill along with Hofstra coach Tom Pecora, former VU head coach Rollie Massimino and USA Basketball's Craig Miller and Sean Ford. The Lounge is packed from 7-9.
By 9:30, the group has dispersed to a series of other events in town.
A comment Ray made to his coach earlier in the day helped put the whirlwind into perspective.
"I've never been to a Final Four before," he said. "I didn't realize the way it takes over a city and how big it is. I'm going to tell the young guys (at Villanova) all about this when I get back. This is something that every player wants to be a part of. It didn't happen for us but it still can happen for the young guys."
Saturday, April 11, 2006
Indianapolis Convention Center
Wright is scheduled to conduct a morning clinic for the NABC. He elects to bring Ray along to help him. The senior gives a short presentation in front of a large group of coaches that catches the attention of the man who brought him to Villanova in 2002.
"ARay was amazing," Wright says. "He got up in front of a group of coaches and gave a great presentation. It was something to see. I was really proud of him."
When the two national semifinal games are complete at the RCA Dome, Wright receives a call. It will be announced the following afternoon that he is the recipient of the Naismith national coach of the year award.
Trophy Boy rests uneasily, knowing a new challenge awaits.
Sunday, April 2
3:15 p.m.
Indianapolis
A positively surreal weekend adds a new chapter this afternoon. Wright and his wife join six Naismith representatives in the lobby of the Westin Hotel. They climb into a van that is parked behind a police cruiser. The official escort helps whisk Wright to Monument Square, where he is to be introduced as the Naismith Award winner before a crowd estimated at 50,000.
As Wright is led near the stage, the rest of the group stands off to the side. Out front is a sea of people that extends through the center of Indianapolis. It is a view typically reserved for rock stars like John Mellencamp, who will perform here later in the evening. When Collective Soul completes an energetic set, Wright is brought out in front of the crowd. After appearing momentarily puzzled at the appearance of a basketball coach, the audience receives him warmly as he accepts the honor.
Most encouraging of all for this observer is that the plaque should fit neatly in a carry-on bag.
After a few photos are taken, it's back to the hotel where the group disperses for several hours. It will reconvene at the Murat Theater, where the NABC hosts its annual `Guardians of the Game' event. Ray joins Jay and Patty Wright near the front of the theater for the 2-hour show. Among the luminaries in attendance are the surviving members of the Milan High School team immortalized in the motion picture "Hoosiers" and many of the sport's most prominent head coaches.
It is a special evening. Ray is introduced as a Naismith finalist before Duke's J.J. Redick is announced as the winner. Wright then receives the NABC Division I Coach of the Year award.
Following the event, Ray joins the rest of the players for a return drive to the hotel. Wright and Co., though, have more socializing to do. Massimino is among those awaiting his arrival at a party in another part of the theater. While Dick Vitale ruminates on a stage at the front of the room, the Villanova contingent mulls how to transport the latest addition to the trophy collection, an attractive piece that nonetheless could serve as an anchor for a light speedboat.
Wright asks one of the wait staff if it would be all right to store the trophy behind the bar. She happily agrees. So, for a few hours at least, the "Guardian of the Game" icon is tucked snuggly between the club soda and beer tap.
Finally, it is time to adjourn for the evening. The Wrights climb into a cab with the trophy in the middle of the back seat. The cab stops and deposits the caretaker in front of his hotel. Patty Wright will see to it that it makes its safe return to Villanova.
As he enters the elevator, the caretaker takes note of a lanky fellow hotel guest. By the time the elevator reaches his floor, the other guest is the only one remaining on board. In departing the caretaker offers a simple "good night."
"You have a good night too," comes the reply from one Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. One just never knows where you will encounter a basketball great on this most marvelous of hoops weekends.
Monday, April 3
6:00 p.m.
Philadelphia
Ray arrives back at his room on campus in the early evening. He is unsure whether he will tune into the championship game on television that evening. As for the visit to Indy, although it began with a feeling of loss, in the end there was a positive feel to it all.
"There were a lot of people who wished me and our team well," he says. "People took notice of what we did."
Not long after walking into the Jake Nevin Field House, a message reaches me that there is a large box in my name at the front desk. The return address is marked Indianapolis and the size of the box can mean only one thing - Yao is in the house. With the assistance of assistant media relations director David Berman and a hand truck, we deliver the box to the basketball office.
As we set it down, we notice a message handwritten on the side.
"Great season" read the words in marker.
Indeed, it was.
