While I had my doubts with Pittsburgh (having last been there as a HS senior to test/interview for Pitts Honors Program in the 90s-thank god I didn't choose that), this turned out to be a great trip(heartbreaking result aside).
Hit the road from Jersey Thursday morning with Darryl(the non-posting PublicEnemy#1) and had a smooth ride out(loved the 70mph zones on the PA Turnpike, but not the $20 toll and ignorant tractor trailer drivers). Took a break at a rest stop a couple hours outside Pittsburgh and had the fortune of running into theV, mommyV, and babyV so we had some great company while enjoying some Popeyes for lunch. Completed the rest of the trip and checked in to the great suite at the hotel NovaNut hooked us up with just outside the city, before heading to the Renaissance for the pregame.
We just missed the team sendoff, but were able to catch up with many friends and scotches(ADP-thanks for the Glen Livet 18s). Made the walk over to the arena with a throng of alumni including my Nova elders Ace and EdMcM, as well as Father Peter, who loved my Nova Starter jacket that had arrived with perfect timing the day before departure. We met up with CMac who was able to hook us up with some lower level extras he had. Picked up another friend at the hotel party next door and headed in. Lack of alcohol was disappointing as always at the NCAA but our seats we great and we enjoyed the Nova thrashing. We made our first bad decision of the trip leaving when LSU was up 14 at half. Headed down to Carson St where we did some bar hopping and disappointingly watched the NC State comeback from the bar instead of in the building. We split after a while, with me heading to the Casino and my buddies to an "After-Hours" spot(in reflection, a responsible decision on my part as the place they ended up at was $20 cover for open bar and unclad entertainment, which probably would have cost me more than the couple hundred I lost getting bad beat at the poker tables a few hands after lucking into quads). Called it a night and met the crew back at the hotel to find out one of them had been thrown out of the after hours spot(definitely a good call on my part).
Friday was a nice relaxing day recovering and hanging out with Nova folks, first at the Nova event at Olive or Twist, then at Red Beard watching all the games with Ace, PeterN, EdMcM, NovaNut, TanMan, my crew and many others. My crew left around 9 to go get ready to hit the town, and when I got back to the hotel after the games they were passed out having slept thru their alarms after trying to catch a power nap (Amateurs-Its hard to find good help these days).
Finally Saturday arrived and we headed back to the Renaissance. After sending the team off, we had a few cocktails and PeterN was able to provide us with 2 tickets, and another alum assisted us in finding a third. An unnamed board member supplied us with coffee cups and Wild Turkey American Honey on ice for our travels over to the arena (not trying to throw anyone under the bus, but you know who you are and thank you). We headed over to the game and settled into our seats upstairs in the Nova section.
What happened has been thoroughly discussed, but here were my few takes.
1. Everyone around me can vouch that I had supreme confidence in this team, I was never nervous or unsettled until there was about a minute left in the game. This team had been in some tight spots(Michigan, Syracuse, Butler, Creighton, etc) and I had no doubt in my mind we would pull it out until we didn't.
2. Game analysis:
a. Came down to us missing a ton of shots inside and out that we had been making all season.
b. Hart's tick-tacky 2nd foul took him out of the flow of the game and hurt us both on offense and the boards. If he was more into the flow I think he knocks down that corner 3 as he rarely misses from the left corner.
c. The 4-pt play, no-call, buzzer beater sequence at the end of the half was a huge momentum swing.
d. I don't know if it wasn't as obvious on tv as I haven't watched the game yet, but the reason Ennis played more than Booth was that Booth kept getting lost on defense. They highlighted on the Jumbotron at least a couple times where he got shook off the dribble.
e. Hilliard and JVP refused to give up and kept us in the game.
f. Despite all of the downsides, we still had wide open 3 to take the lead but it wasn't to be.
3. I was stunned and in disbelief at the buzzer and watched in a daze as the team shook hands and left the court. I'm not sure if they showed it on tv, but the most heartbreaking thing to see was JVP distraught with his jersey pulled over his face as Father Rob guided him off the court.
I sat in shock thru the break and into the start of the ND-Butler game while I got a handle on my emotions and delayed the hunt for the bottom of a Jack bottle. With some prodding from Ace and EdMcM, we headed back to the team hotel. We arrived to a somber but supportive crowd of alumni and grabbed a drink. Welcoming the team back was emotional but everyone was ultra-supportive as they walked in, with Jay, JVP and Darrun getting the biggest ovations. Jay led the team upstairs then return to talk to us about owning the loss, the pride of the seniors, and the appreciation for all of Nova Nation. A few more cocktails and the team began to trickle down after finishing their meeting. I was able to chat with JVP for a few minutes to thank him and let him know proud I was of him and the team. I started to make my way over to Darrun, but saw he was still having an emotional moment with his family so I detoured back to the bar. That was the moment that almost broke me. I could deal with wins and losses, as I am fully accepting of the "Any Given Sunday" mentality, but seeing the devastation experienced by one of our leaders and favorite players brought a few tears to my eyes. Had a quick chat with Fannon before he hit the road. A few more drinks while catching up with more Alums and some staff members(Brook Sales' girlfriend is a 14 on a 1-to-10 scale by the way, a fellow board member recommended to him to put a ring on it), and the decision was made to hit the casino again. Luckily due to a broken lighter, I had time to hop back inside, and finally ran into Darrun. We talked for a few minutes about his journey, our chat in the Bahamas about us Nova lefties sticking together, and for me to thank him and wish him luck. I told him I would be shopping for that #4 jersey next year, whatever NBA team it might be(just please don't be the Celtics, I can't wear Boston shit). Finally caught a cab, by the time we got there last call had been reached(1 a.m. on a Saturday night in a casino, WTF?!?), and after some lackluster performance we decided to bail and hit up Primanti Bros. ADP, Darryl, and I ran into NovaNut there, and after destroying a giant corned-beef sandwich we called it a night...or so I thought.
As my head hit the pillow, my throat started to bother me(under the weather plus 10 days of screaming) and I started having coughing fits. After a while I headed down to the lobby to get a hot cup of tea, and as the manager got me some hot water, drama commenced. A white stretch limo pulled up and a young man got out followed by a young woman falling out onto the ground. They staggered into the hotel and started screaming because there was no one at the front desk. I was at the other side of the lobby and they couldn't see me, but I watched the manager come out and when he saw them he just shook his head. They verbally abused him and cursed him out for calling the cops on them the previous night. He tried to be courteous and assist them with a room key, but the room was not in their name. The female starts screaming about going to the bathroom and proceeds to go behind the front desk and start entering offices looking for one. When she didn't respond to the manager trying to stop her, he got on the phone and within 60 seconds the cops were there, as the police station was 3 doors down. He explained the situation, then asked if he could finish helping me, pointing me out across the lobby. They consented and he finally got me my water. He proceeded to tell me the same two had come in the previous night with the roles reversed and the guy basically crawling on all fours thru the lobby to the elevators. At this point the commotion started up again, as the girl refused to talk to the police and kept trying to get on the elevator. She was restrained and they had to carry her to the police car as she refused to get off the floor. The manager went back to speak to one of the officers and I finished making my tea. The man tried to get loud with the police and they threatened to arrest him as well so he calmed down. I then proceeded to walk through the cluster of people, thanked the manager for his help, wished the officers a good night and finally headed to bed.
Packed up in the morning and ran into NovaNut, Ace, and EdMcM in the lobby checking out and we stopped and had a delicious brunch before finally hitting the road. Had an uneventful trip back, other than being stuck behind a cop for about 100 miles on the turnpike, unable to go over the speed limit as he personally caused a traffic jam. I called in a warning to the Ace-mobile, but an hour in I thought they were going to get nabbed as they sped by, only to slow next to him and sneak by. Maybe he was out of his jurisdiction(I couldn't tell if he was a Statey) but the Worm plays no games with that. A stop for dinner and part of the late games, a side trip to Newark to drop Darryl off after missing the train near my house, and I was home, worn out, heartbroken, sick, and not looking forward to the return to the daily grind, canceling a couple long weekends off my upcoming work calendar.
My final thoughts on the trip are those of disappointment in the result, but a bunch of great experiences with the family that is both VUSports and Nova Nation. To those mentioned above, plus quality time with many other great people like NovaUSMC01, Beefer(and his gun to the head questions), Shananigans, and many more I am sure I am forgetting, thank you for a great time. "Any Given Sunday(or Saturday in this case)" can happen and did. But I have never been more proud of this team, my school, and everyone involved for the way we made it through this weekend. JVP and Darrun will be missed for the blood, sweat, and tears they shed for Nova, but they will continue to be great examples for Villanova as their lives move forward, and the next group will step up. As Ace said, 208 days until practice.
