Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Ten Days In March

So what's the TigerBlog record for most consecutive days on the same subject?

This might be it, another day on the 25th anniversary of the men's basketball team's run through the 1996 postseason, beginning with the win over Penn in the Ivy League playoff game and then through the win over UCLA five days later.

TigerBlog might have been done with it yesterday were it not for the three-part video series his colleague Cody Chrusciel put together in conjunction with the anniversary.

It's a great series. 

Cody tracked down interviews with some of the key people involved - including current head coach Mitch Henderson, Sydney Johnson, Gabe Lewullis, Joe Scott, Gary Walters. Even TB was interviewed (it actually dawned on TB that of all the people who were part of the team that year, he's the only one who has been at Princeton ever since).

That notwithstanding, hopefully you got a chance to see it. 

If not, take a little time and watch. It's definitely worth it:

That's Part 1. 

Here's Part 2:

 

And here's Part 3 (you can binge watch it):

See? TB told you it was great. It was certainly fun for TB to watch and to hear what the others had to say.

One thing TB mentions in the video was that pretty much everyone thought Princeton would beat Mississippi State in the second round. Instead, the final was 63-41 Bulldogs in what was Carril's final game.

When TB says "everyone," he means the media people he was talking to the day in between UCLA and Mississippi State. It was that same day when TB saw Mississippi State's Erick Dampier walking into the interview room. It was sort of like when Roy Scheider first saw the shark and said "we're going to need a bigger boat."

TB has heard from quite a few people about the anniversary. One question he was asked actually stands out more than any other: Was this the greatest moment in Princeton Athletics history? 

The answer is: It's up to you to decide.

It's certainly way up there. 

Does it beat the 1965 trip to the Final Four? Does it beat NCAA championships in lacrosse and field hockey, things that are rarities in the Ivy League?

Does it beat the 1922 football team? Hobey Baker? The Heisman Trophy for Dick Kazmaier? The 1973 women's swimming and diving team that finished third nationally with just six competitors? 

That's part of the beauty of Princeton. There's no shortage of great moments to choose from, and you'll get no consensus on what the greatest of those moments is.

Anyway, the 1996 men's basketball postseason was an amazing time, and TB loves the video that Cody did. 

There was a sad moment to it, though. It came at the end, when there was notation that said "in memory of Kevin Gillett, 1976-2021."

Gillett was a member of the men's basketball team and part of the team that beat Penn and UCLA in 1996. He was the tallest member of the team, at just around seven-feet tall. 

He was a very nice kid, one who loved being a part of the program. He never had anything but a smile on his face, and he always seemed happy.

TB found Gillett's obituary. You can read more about him HERE.

He left behind a wife and two children. TB was so sorry to hear about his passing, and he sends his deepest condolences to his family, friends and former teammates.

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1 comment:

D '82 said...

I was staying at The Mirage casino with about 15 friends, none of whom had gone to Princeton. Everybody gathered in the packed sports book to watch the game on the giant screen but, after a few minutes, I had to go upstairs to my hotel room alone so that I could hear the audio. In those days before cell phones, when the game stayed reasonably close as the final minutes ticked down, guys called me on the landline in my room to wish me good luck.

When it was over, I rushed downstairs to the still crowded sports book where my friends swarmed around me, jumping up and down and yelling as if we were Tiger bench players after Toby Bailey missed his last second shot. The tense emotion built up over the entire second half of the game suddenly released and I burst into tears and then, instead of Princeton basketball reserves, we looked like Miss America receiving the crown from last year's winner.

There are other universities where one can get a good education, but there is no place where it is more fun to be an alumnus than Princeton.

March 16, 2021 at 12:54 PM

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