Very good John Feinstein article on the Tribe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/co...story.html

2008, 2010, 2014, 2015 ... four CAA finals in last eight years. C'mon John! :-)

Wonderful article! Glad he reached out to Barry for a quote.

Driscoll indicating that Tribe turned down Patriot, and John putting it in the article, was interesting.

Bobby ... I remember every friggin step from my seat to the car ... my daughter does too! :-). She also whispers the name "Carl Baptiste" in my ear every so often just to get a reaction from me.

Finally, the quotes lead me to believe that this team wants it, and is thinking about it .... going to be an interesting time for the next several weeks.

The 2nd most heartbreaking moment for me as a Tribe fan...that UD final. 2 rows back ready to hop the barrier and storm the court. Dammit.

My heartache started with that 1983 loss to JMU. Ugh.
I'm more than ready for the door busting. Nice article by John.

(02-08-2016 07:46 AM)nj alum Wrote:  2008, 2010, 2014, 2015 ... four CAA finals in last eight years. C'mon John! :-)

Wonderful article! Glad he reached out to Barry for a quote.

Driscoll indicating that Tribe turned down Patriot, and John putting it in the article, was interesting.

Bobby ... I remember every friggin step from my seat to the car ... my daughter does too! :-). She also whispers the name "Carl Baptiste" in my ear every so often just to get a reaction from me.

Finally, the quotes lead me to believe that this team wants it, and is thinking about it .... going to be an interesting time for the next several weeks.

I just read the article. I hope no one walks into my office right now. Thank goodness I have my glasses on.

I do not remember the walk to the parking garage from the arena. I remember nothing about the five hour drive home to Chesapeake. With the exception of 1983 at the Robins Center, that is the saddest that I have ever been after a sporting list.

I am going to get a poster made up for this year's tourney that simply says, "$#@&^%$ THE LIST. Maybe a shirt also.

And I have Bobby beat by 10 years.

This was a nice article, but I'm really tired of the topic, just as all of you are. For the record aren't we 0-10 in conference finals?

All of them hurt, but it is better to be close than not at all. Four finals in the last 8 years is a statement to where Tony has brought the program. Along with Charlie and Bruce, he has been among the better W&M coaches who have gotten us close. Continue to win to keep the hope of an at large alive, but Kick the damn door down in Baltimore.

GO TRIBE!

Great article by John Finestein - thanks for posting.

I don't mean to mix sports, but:

1983 JMU loss in hoops finals
199? Randy Bracy injury vs. American in first round
199? Cook injury at VMI
2004 JMU loss in football semis
2009 Nova loss in football semis
2014 Delaware loss in hoops finals

Not even going to mention the Northern Iowa 35 point comeback and fumbled punt!

Remember each one like it was yesterday. Those were six teams that woulda, coulda, shoulda ... but for the sports gods!

Feinstein certainly got to the essence of our NCAA Tourney "curse". Hopefully, this special group of Tribe players will get it done; like some of you I really believe these guys can do it.

I felt just like Bobby did. I blamed myself for thinking we had it in the bag. I remember punching out an exit sign in the parking garage but nothing else about the ride home.

Decent article, but he needs some fact checking. He leaves out the 2010 trip to the finals.

The best way of describing the current state of Tribe hoops is that it won't be a fluke or an upset when we finally win the damn thing.

For a few decades this was not the case. I will never forget the 17-game personal Tribe hoops losing streak that I witnessed over a period of about 8 seasons. A loss at JMU and a loss in Richmond at the tournament, every year.

Just seeing the Tribe win a conference tournament game is still a wondrous thing for me.

I've seen us win two in a row, but never 3 ( I wasn't at the tourney in 2008 that Curry kid had me distracted).

This season I want three in Baltimore and at least one more wherever they send us.

Go Tribe!

(PS: I will be at a trade show for the First Four and the first Thursday of the tourney this season. That means this will be the year for the Tribe and they will be playing on Thursday, this is the way my life as a fan always works out. Take it to the bank.)

Painful memories but a well written article. I found myself believing and still think there were moments in the 2nd half as fine as any Tribe basketball. But all this is why I am so hopeful for at large consideration. If the Tribe can play well and win a bunch of games the next 3 weeks, there might be an option for a bid without a tournament title. Anything that reduces the pressure or burden increases the chance of a CAA title. This year's team is helped that they have been through it and can probably handle it together. I think the Delaware loss ranks just behind the Villanova loss in football for me. Hoping to beat Hofstra on Thursday. 5 CAA teams in the top 90.

Yeah, Tribe down one spot this week, to #37 (still 4 AHEAD of VCU). UNCW up to #76, Hofstra at #78, Charleston is #88 and JMU in at #90.

Richmond Times Dispatch columnist already says CAA gets only one bid. Like to prove him wrong. Still work to do.

(02-08-2016 12:19 PM)TribePride91 Wrote:  Painful memories but a well written article. I found myself believing and still think there were moments in the 2nd half as fine as any Tribe basketball. But all this is why I am so hopeful for at large consideration. If the Tribe can play well and win a bunch of games the next 3 weeks, there might be an option for a bid without a tournament title. Anything that reduces the pressure or burden increases the chance of a CAA title. This year's team is helped that they have been through it and can probably handle it together. I think the Delaware loss ranks just behind the Villanova loss in football for me. Hoping to beat Hofstra on Thursday. 5 CAA teams in the top 90.

The second half of that Delaware game, when we came from 10 or 12 back to 5 up is what I will always remember from that game - even more than the hurt. We physically outplayed Delaware and Prewitt & Dixon were a big part of that. To have to freshmen play the lead role in that comeback makes that stretch of about 15 minutes one of the most remarkable of W&M basketball history.

(FWIW - I did not see Prewitt's miss of the front end of the one-and-one. I intentionally turned my back because I couldn't handle it. When the W&M crowd at which I was looking moaned and sagged, I knew it was over, lead or no lead. Decades of conditioning at these games had taught me to give up hope then.)

This year I believe that the Tribe hoopsters are good enough and hungry enough to:

1). Finish the CAA season strongly enough to be considered for at at large bid;
2). Go to Baltimore and run the table in the tournament to make #1 irrelevant.

They have been on the cusp of this for the last 2 years. As they say, the third time is the charm (or 11th time if you're an old guy like me).

GO TRIBE!

The article says Thornton chose William & Mary in 2012, but he started playing in 2011.

Feinstein gets a lot of things wrong. I think he stopped fact checking long ago.

The second half of that Delaware game, when we came from 10 or 12 back to 5 up is what I will always remember from that game - even more than the hurt. We physically outplayed Delaware and Prewitt & Dixon were a big part of that. To have to freshmen play the lead role in that comeback makes that stretch of about 15 minutes one of the most remarkable of W&M basketball history.

(FWIW - I did not see Prewitt's miss of the front end of the one-and-one. I intentionally turned my back because I couldn't handle it. When the W&M crowd at which I was looking moaned and sagged, I knew it was over, lead or no lead. Decades of conditioning at these games had taught me to give up hope then.)
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It made the end even worse. I agree though, haven't forgotten the amazing 15 minutes within that 2nd half. I am with BillyMac, one game at a time. I would love for us to have a reason to have an at large discussion on 2/28. We need to win and have our RPI get to the low 20's to have a real chance. We need Charleston to keep winning. Lots of games to keep up with as long as we can get to 22 or 23 wins by the end of February. We might need all 6 to win the regular season title. UNCW is really pushing us which could be good.

Just enjoyed listening to Coach on the weekly radio show.

I'm just incredibly surprised and thrilled (but not Chris Matthews tingly... Yet) that UNCW has kept pace with such a strong WM team this year.

If it's not gonna be us, really hoping y'all shed the Buffalo Bills of the CAA thing y'all have going on.

(02-08-2016 07:34 PM)TribePride91 Wrote:  Feinstein gets a lot of things wrong. I think he stopped fact checking long ago.

He missed the boat completely on the Duke lacrosse mess, never apologized, and has no credibility in my mind.