Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - No one knew it a few weeks ago, but the road to this year's Final Four actually began in Texas. At least for Oklahoma State, Connecticut and Duke.
All three have key players from the state: Junior point guard John Lucas and senior forward Ivan McFarlin (OSU); junior center Emeka Okafor (UConn) and junior guard Daniel Ewing (Duke). Lucas and Okafor were, in fact, high school teammates in Houston.
"You always hear about East Coast basketball, West Coast basketball," said Lucas, the co-Big 12 Player of the Year and the most outstanding player of the East Rutherford region. "We have a lot of hoopers in Houston."
Ewing calls in coincidental, but nonetheless appreciates the positive publicity and the realization that for this Final Four, it's a misnomer to call Texas the Lone Star State.
"I just think it's real good for the state of Texas to see some local guys here representing their teams, trying to win a national championship," he said.
FASHION STATEMENT: Around the Georgia Tech campus, T-shirts with junior center Luke Schenscher's face have become all the rage.
"I'm pretty happy about it," said Schenscher, unable to mask his surprise. "I do have one of those. I'm sending it back home to my mom so hopefully she can sport it back home in Australia."
NOT SUPERSTITIOUS: UConn's last trip here was for last year's region tournament. They lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual Final Four participant, Texas. Defying any superstitions, they took the same locker room for this weekend.
FACES FROM THE PAST: Former Georgia Tech stars were out en masse Saturday, including Mark Price, John Salley and Dennis Scott and ex-coach Bobby Cremins.
MYLES WHO?: As he entered the Alamodome about an hour before the first semifinal, Myles Brand was stopped by a security officer. He didn't have a media credential, just his badge, and the officer didn't realize he was the NCAA president.
KEADY STAYS AT PURDUE: Gene Keady decided to return to the Boilermakers for a 25th season out of loyalty.
The school announced late Friday that Keady declined an offer to coach San Francisco after interviewing for that position last week.
"This was a tough decision for me and my family," Keady said Saturday on Purdue's Web site. "In the end, it was about the Purdue basketball family and all that we've accomplished in West Lafayette. The past players and coaches were on my mind, and I didn't want to walk away from all of that."