I had forgotten how much the announcers coudn't stop drooling over Michigan that night. It was almost as if we were bystanders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g2KMpZHKe0

My favorite part is six minutes into the game, Billy Packer calls the game over with Michigan up 15-2.  How dare he.  Although you could tell throughout the game that we were essentially hanging on for dear life, and they made a lot of careless mistakes.  But that was the Fab Five, talented but completely undisciplined, and when things didn't go right, they reverted to a lot of 1-on-1 basketball.

At that  mark, 15-2 just as I remembered it, Packer went into his rap about what a long day it would be and how we were thorougly beaten. I've hated him since. He never remarked about how wrong he was when we came back.

  It was amazing to watch that ball movement when you look at the teams of recent  years. Like an NBA team compared to a bunch of unschooled third-graders when you go from that GW team facing Michigan to this one running the infamous wheel against Hampton.

What great heart on that team. Our own Antoine ripping down a rebound and getting credit by the announcers. Love to hear more about that game from Antoine.

Jimmy King woofing in someone's, I think, Holland's face after the huge early leaded, and him not even reacting to the idiot. Just showing what would happen. Jarvis, when he didn't sit there with his head in his hands, sure could coach, especially defense. He changed things up, a hint that could be taken today, when the big line-up wasn't working with Yinka ineffective.

  The Michigan team, not coached in any discernible way by Steve Fisher, just fell apart often in the face of our press. The fact that we were close much of the game or at times even leading, was testament to the heart and quality of that team that was stacked 11 deep. Sonni was playing great and Brigham really tough and superb, giving everything he could deliver. Don't know what happened to Yinka. But we still stayed in it. Vaughan Jones, Kwame Evans, Alvin, etc. all delivered and hung tough.

  Because the final score didn't reflect it, had forgotten (perhaps subconsciously) how close we came to pulling it off, down by three with about 43 seconds andI  even with the ball I believe. What a game and an atmosphere to recall as we struggle to try and even get back to Atlantic City..

To this day the most exciting GW game I have ever attended.  There was real electricity in the Kingdome during the second half and a palpable sense among what had started out as a mostly indifferent crowd that GW could pull off the upset.  At around the 5:00 minute mark many around me commented that they believed they were witnessing college basketball history.  When Webber missed that second free throw late in the game a loud gasp could be heard throughout the stadium and just as quickly all the air went out when Ray Jackson grabbed the rebound off the missed free throw.  At that point we all knew that the team had likely fallen just a little short.

I remember it pretty much the way Big Fan does:  down 2 with 2 minutes to go and with the ball.  I watched it with a UM alum who couldn't shut up the whole first half then had to listen to me the whole second.  Thanks for the great memory.

 Sorry guys, it is hard to get on the site sometimes, and I am sure I miss some good threads.

Memories of that game are incredible.  I remember the night before the team was loose, not nervous.  It was one of those years where we felt we could compete or beat anyone on a given night.

Stepping out on the court (even after practicing) was a bit surreal.  IT WAS HUGE!  It seemed bigger with a full crowd, cameras, fans, family, friends.  It was like the world was watching.

During the game, as mentioned, they jumped out early on us.  Really tried to take our heart & impose their will on us.  I remember reading later on in a book, or article on the FAB 5, that they had never heard of GWU, and wondered where we were from.  Later on I read that they spoke about the heart of the team, and how we just wouldn't go away.  How lucky they were to get the win.

Tight  and close after the 15-2 begining.  If I remember correctly Jarvis made some subs, and got the game rolling.  Keep in mind, Kwame was absent (not getting much time) leading into the tournament, and basically exploded in the NCAA's.  One of the best parts of having a team so deep was that in practice the 2nd team could beat the first team.  Not saying we did it often, but often enough that the practices might have been better than some games.  We didn't lose much by putting in the younger players (Nimbo, Vaughn, Kwame, can I mention myself??)  We were young enough that we didn't fear the competition, and good enough to compete.  

In game, Holland was leading, Brigham was fighting in the paint, we were running our offense (Alvin), controlling the tempo, and basically playing our game.  I remember guarding Webber, Riley, and Howard.  Webber is strong and naturally gifted.  Howard was not as athletic, but worked VERY hard.  He would out work you.  Riley, although losing his starting position to the younger guys was a very good player with good size and defensive abilities.  Jalen was the clearl floor general for them, and he came to play.  He did not want to lose.  He blocked my shot twice.  ;-)

I could go into more details, but the team at one point rallied together fully believeing we were going to win that game.  The missed free throw was a gift.  The eventualy rebound by Michigan was a nightmare.  Until the buzzer rang, we continued to believe we were going to win..and were prepared to take on Jamal MAshburn and KY.  We just knew it was our year to shock the world.  It was just not meant to be.

Fans were incredible, we became media favorites.  Maybe not as in being seen on TV, but everwhere we went media knew us by name, asked  to exchange gifts, inquired, and offered thanks for a great game, and an incredible run.  It was nice, for the moment, to be in the national spotlight, and not just some mid-major (a title we as a team never accepted).

I remember reading someplace that without Yinka we won the game by 9 pts.  I couldn't imagine being able to win many games without the presence of Yinka.  How could you ever keep him out of the game?  He is intimidating just being in the paint, a threat to block everything.  We needed every player we had to be alive and almost pull off one of the great upsets of my career.

It was a great run, and for those that are too young, or were not fans...I wish I good adequately put into words what that run meant to GWU basketball.  We had exxensially stepped across the line and set teh stage for many expectations we have today.  Call them the Golden Years, the moment in time that you can point to that is the begining of when GWU made a huge step forward onto the National Basketball Map.

Maybe I just have a bad memory.  ;-)

 FREAKIN' AWESOME POST ANTOINE HART!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Antoine, what a terrific recap.

I'd like to switch gears and ask you a question about Yinka.  One thing I noticed while Yinka played at GW is that he would be frequently taken out of games after 2-4 minute stints on the court only to be put back in within the next whistle or two.  Given the tragic circumstances that took his life, I can only assume that the frequent substitutions were made due to his heart condition.  My question is whether Yinka's health problem was known among his teammates and coaches?  I can't recall anything in the media that mentioned this at the time and was really shocked when he was drafted by the Nets where he was only because I'd have to assume that they had to know about his condition.

I'll let Antoine answer what he knows but I think you are making a very large assumption. I don't recall anyone at GW talking about about Yinka's heart condition at the time. If I recall correctly it was chalked up to exercise-induced asthma. Again, I'll stand corrected if Antoine says otherwise but I'm pretty sure the heart issue wasn't known or if it was known it had little to do with how he was played.

 I remember being shocked at him being hospitalized one time for a irregular heartbeat.  It was not thought to be anything serious.   Jarvis' subbing patterns were more to get an advantage, save fouls, or stop an advantage.  He would go small if needed (Nimbo or Vaughn at the power forward spot) or big if he needed.  Substitutions for Yinka were never a concern over anything heart related.  He was in shape, ran all drills in practice, etc.

I think the one good thing about the teams Yinka played on was that they went deep.  One (or two) years we had 15 players on the team.  We would run practice with 3 teams.  We could afford to give him a breather occasionally.

On a side note, boy did I play a horrible game against Michigan, if I had only hit my average of 40 pts per game, we might have won.  ;-)  (that is a joke for those who don't know)....

Antoine, thanks for the response.  I can definitely recall Yinka being put in and out of the lineup more frequently than most other regulars.  Again, he would often come out for 30 seconds or 1 whistle, that type of thing.  Probably was asthma related as Seneca suggests.

 I should also add that Athony Wise was once hospitalized for chest pains.  The players thought was a heart attack, turned out to be gas.  Daryl, and many other players were in and out for a variety of simple reasons.  Yinka was just another player being taken care of, and watched over carefully.  At no point did anyone think anything different.  Additionally, I forgot he did have Asthma.

Your posts are very enjoyable, Antoine. Interesting, and well written both.

On the heart issue (I'll leave the puns to others), I've had multiple heart attacks, all of them without obvious symptoms or any pain. ("Heartburn," which I have only recently experienced, in fact has been much more annoying.) I had an unusual symptom that resulted in my problem being caught just before I would have encountered The Killer. Unless you've had very sophisticated testing, though, you usually don't know that you have heart problems until it's too late, which is one reason why deaths like Yinka's seem so very tragic.

SI did a great story on heart problems among young athletes about 3 Falls ago. Any of you gents who have young sons or daughters who are competitive athletes would do well to look into it. Try to stay fit yourselves, too. Antoine, I'm hoping you've done your best to stay in shape. Thanks for your posts.

seneca, my recollection is same as yours asthma.

I was there. Ugh. This post has forced me to relive the agony.  We played our hearts out in that hideous concrete cave in Seattle and but for a couple of missed box-outs, I believe we would have won the game. It was a great run, though. Does everyone remember who we would have played in the Elite Eight if we had pulled it out against Michigan? Temple. Freakin' Temple. And I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that we had beaten them twice that year. We matched up very well against them and, holy crap, we would have had a very real shot at going to the Final Four. It was painful to watch Temple keep playing while we were left behind. I've never been so depressed. 

On the other hand, I was in Tucson for the previous round, too, and that was one of the great experiences of my sports-watching life. We did catch a break, though. You'll recall that Southern upset Georgia Tech in the first round so we got to play the 13 seed and not the 4 in the game that sent us to Seattle. Two great memories from Tucson were beating New Mexico and their obnoxious fans in what was essentially a home game for them, and the Southern University band, which was so good that one of the lesser teams in the other side of the bracket borrowed them for their game.

I was there. Ugh. This post has forced me to relive the agony.  We played our hearts out in that hideous concrete cave in Seattle and but for a couple of missed box-outs, I believe we would have won the game. It was a great run, though. Does everyone remember who we would have played in the Elite Eight if we had pulled it out against Michigan? Temple. Freakin' Temple. And I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that we had beaten them twice that year. We matched up very well against them and, holy crap, we would have had a very real shot at going to the Final Four. It was painful to watch Temple keep playing while we were left behind. I've never been so depressed. 

On the other hand, I was in Tucson for the previous round, too, and that was one of the great experiences of my sports-watching life. We did catch a break, though. You'll recall that Southern upset Georgia Tech in the first round so we got to play the 13 seed and not the 4 in the game that sent us to Seattle. Two great memories from Tucson were beating New Mexico and their obnoxious fans in what was essentially a home game for them, and the Southern University band, which was so good that one of the lesser teams in the other side of the bracket borrowed them for their game.

 I still remember Rodney Patterson getting into the final few minutes against Southern.

I see the current squad could become as deep the sweet 16 team with our new recruits.  2011-12 could be a great year.

This was one of the most thrilling games I ever saw, even though we lost. Just being on CBS Nationally in Prime Time (remember, at that point, we had never even had a Dick Vitale ESPN game or a CBS / ABC game yet), was such a big deal.

Yinka had a tough game against Michigan, but if you want to see what he could have been, watch the UConn GW 1994 tournament game. I still think that way by far his best game in his 2 years at GW- and probably what we would have seen night in and night out if he stayed until his senior year. Yes- GW lost that game to a very good UConn team (Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen et al), but Yinka was the best player on the court that day, and ran the floor time after time- Donyell wisely moved out of the way of a couple of huge dunks.

I came in as a freshman in Jarvis' first year - 1990, and stayed for grad school through 96. Really felt lucky to watch some great GW basketball. I really hope we can get back to that level.

Great post Antoine, with tremendous inisght.

Thanks. Keep the memories coming.

Thanks Antoine for the great post.

I watched the game along with hundreds of other students and alumni in the Marvin Center. I remember an alumnus who had to be in his 60s sitting on the floor in front of me joining the rest of us in screaming our lungs out at the big screens when GW took the lead. Though the final score was heartbreaking it was the beginning of some great moments -- beating UMass when they were #1 at the Smitty with President Clinton in the building, Shawnta's 3 to beat Xavier at the buzzer and win the A-10 West, etc. Still, nothing quite compares to beating Charlotte at the buzzer to go 16-0 in the A-10. It still is one of the happiest moments of my life and I was so glad to be in the building to watch the players, students and alumni go wild in celebration.

Think about it.  GW was leading a paid, NBA professional team!  What I remember:  Jones' getting tight and shooting a rotationless air ball short of the rim in the first few minutes, one of the Fab Fives turning to Holland and screaming in his face when they went up by about 12 or so points and seeing Holland grinning because he thought it was funny (talk about calm), freaking shithead Packer telling folks the game was over, and having a 5 point lead and the ball and Surles losing the ball during a behind the back dribble on a possible fast break.  I hate to play the "if" game but "if" that possesion resulted in a quick basket for GW, I think Michigan was toast - incredible athletes but clearly not a team.  I think they would have fallen apart.  Temple was next, but I thought that was the year we split with them including some huge come back victory.  I miss those days (although I did enjoy other moments such as Roger's game winner against Xavier, King's free throws against Xavier at the buzzer, Jones coast to coast lay-up against Xavier in OT, having UMASS' number, beating Syracuse there and while it was number 1, beating the Terps in the BB&T or whatever it was named then, beating Dayton on a great shot, beating Charlotte and watching with my son as students ran onto the court while others were so overcome with emotion they cried in the stands.  Oh well,  I guess I enjoyed paying $0.45 per gallon for gas too when I was 16.

Antoine -  How do you see your GW sweet 16 team competing with today's sweet 16 teams??  Has the game been diluted in your opinion due to one and done players, AAU, more teams, ...???

Notta, I thought our biggest lead was 3, 69-66, in the 2nd half.  I won't swear to this but that is what my fading memory remembers.

MV, you may be correct, I also thought we split with Temple that season (and I think lost to UMASS on a miracle shot by Williams).  It's all fuzzy now.  Rimhigh - Although I have been giving Bilas a hard time, I do agree with him that one and done is not the problem because folks could always leave after one season, and in those days, kids could skip college and go straight from HS to the NBA.  What he notes it's the combination of the one and dones (making the rosters younger), more teams entering the DI level, the upgrading of some mid-level programs and a rash of injuries at the upper tier programs (Michigan St., Purdue, Duke were among the teams that lost real studs this season).

What a great post, Antoine!  One of the best ever on this board. Please keep the recollections coming about this, or any other game.

And also thanks to MartiniBoy for that link. I haven't had time to watch the whole thing, but I clicked through it a little bit and it brough back great memories.