Columns

Noah's passion always evident

By JOHN ROMANO
Published April 3, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Brian Cassella] Joakim Noah celebrates after the Gators clinched their national title.

ATLANTA - Years from now, it will be his face you recall. The grimaces and the laughs. The kisses he blew, and the ponytail he wore.

Years from now, his accomplishments will follow him. The back-to-back Final Fours and the individual honors that came as a result.

Yet years from now, they will have stopped talking about the one thing that made him more special than the rest.

In the end, it was his heart that made Joakim Noah roar. It was his heart that transformed him from just another long body running the floor into the most recognizable player in college basketball.

And as he walked off the Georgia Dome court late Monday night after another national championship game, I realized it was his heart I will miss the most.

This is assuming, of course, we have just witnessed the end. It is possible, I suppose, that Noah may shock us again by announcing he will return to the University of Florida for his senior season. But this moment had a sense of finality to it and a sense of sadness, too.

Say what you will about his oversized personality, and many have. Criticize his offensive repertoire, and it is difficult to argue.

But, please, never forget the ideals that Noah has come to represent.

At a time when money seems to rule all our games, Noah chose to temporarily ignore the riches. In an era when selfishness has become the norm, Noah was the best of teammates. In a day when others are afraid to step away from the crowd, Noah was proud to march to his own peculiar beat.

Yes, he had a special opportunity because he stands nearly 7 feet tall, but Noah also made more of his talents than many of his peers.

And like a handful of others who likely wore Gators uniforms for the final time Monday night, he put the goals of the team ahead of his own.

"I don't know that Al Horford and I would be best friends if we weren't teammates. We don't have a lot in common," Noah said. "It's basketball that has made us close. It's all about sacrificing for winning.

"That's what we have in common."

You could argue no one lost as much in making that happen. By coming back, Horford improved his NBA stock. Corey Brewer, too. Billy Donovan turned himself into the most marketable coaching commodity in college basketball, and maybe the NBA.

Professionally speaking, only Noah took a step back.

He went from the potential No. 1 pick, to residing in a less glamorous position in the first round. He will still, most likely, be one of the first 10 names called, but Noah will never recoup the money lost.

So instead, he has earned memories. He has collected life lessons. He has enriched himself by enjoying his life away from basketball and enduring the hassles of being the NCAA's most notorious personality.

He talked the other day of not being able to sleep once the Tournament began. Of getting out of bed at 3 a.m. and walking around the UF campus, where he ran into football player Tony Joiner. The two sat talking until 6 a.m.

It is snapshots like that, Noah said, that he will take with him.

"I'll never regret coming back. Never," Noah said. "This is going to help me in the long run. Not a lot of college players have experienced what I've gone through. The entire circus I've lived this year.

"It hasn't always been fun. There were times this year where I was drained. It wasn't about basketball, it was people judging and criticizing. Always telling you what you have to do with your life.

"All I've done is followed my heart."

Last year, he was a revelation. A gangly package of elbows and emotions who played so far above expectations, people wondered how much better he would get.

This season, he was a target. He had been seen at his best in a handful of games in the NCAA Tournament and then failed to duplicate that run in the regular season. Everything about him became fodder for taunts and insults.

The absurdity is that Noah has not changed, only the world's perception of him. He is still the same fun-loving, peace-talking, hippie-channeling goof that captivated the college basketball world last March.

He still runs the court amazingly well, he still plays defense with a high RPM and he still struggles to find shots away from the basket.

Most of all, he still lives and plays with passion.

It is the quality that has made him unique.

And it is what we will miss the most.

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified April 3, 2007, 00:06:22]