2008 Woodie Awards
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Sports
Sideline Scholars...Stacked four teams make finals worth wait
By Justin Hall on 3/29/07
Although there are championships held in every NCAA sanctioned sport, from field hockey to water polo, the Division I Men's Basketball tournament is the most famous and most prestigious.
Ever since the first Final Four was held in 1939, players who have starred at the collegiate level have gone on to become some of the most famous players in the professional game.
From Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar) taking his UCLA Bruins to three NCAA titles during the team's dynasty run of the 1960s, to Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans squaring off against Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores in the classic 1979 title game, to Michael Jordan's game winning shot for UNC against Georgetown in 1982, NBA superstars often got their beginning shining on college's biggest stage.
As we look ahead at this year's crop of teams looking to gain their shot at a national championship, let's look at the impact players whose collegiate legacy could propel them to an NBA career.
Starting with the Georgetown Hoyas, the champions of the East Regional, the marquee names are Patrick Ewing, Jr., the son of NBA hall of famer Patrick Ewing, and coach John Thompson III, the son of legendary coach John Thompson. The last time there was an Ewing-Thompson combination at Georgetown; the team reached the 1985 Final Four.
However, the real impact players for the Hoyas are Jeff Green and Jonathan Wallace, who scored 22 and 19 points respectively in the regional final. Look for these two to continue their hot play over the final weekend of the season.
The defending champion Florida Gators are looking for the first back-to-back titles since Duke in the early nineties. The Gators are the first team ever to return all of its starters from the previous year.
Led by Joakim Noah and Taurean Green, the Gators will play UCLA in the semifinals, a rematch of last year's title game. If the Gators are going to win another ring this year, it will be these two leading the way again.
Ever since the first Final Four was held in 1939, players who have starred at the collegiate level have gone on to become some of the most famous players in the professional game.
From Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar) taking his UCLA Bruins to three NCAA titles during the team's dynasty run of the 1960s, to Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans squaring off against Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores in the classic 1979 title game, to Michael Jordan's game winning shot for UNC against Georgetown in 1982, NBA superstars often got their beginning shining on college's biggest stage.
As we look ahead at this year's crop of teams looking to gain their shot at a national championship, let's look at the impact players whose collegiate legacy could propel them to an NBA career.
Starting with the Georgetown Hoyas, the champions of the East Regional, the marquee names are Patrick Ewing, Jr., the son of NBA hall of famer Patrick Ewing, and coach John Thompson III, the son of legendary coach John Thompson. The last time there was an Ewing-Thompson combination at Georgetown; the team reached the 1985 Final Four.
However, the real impact players for the Hoyas are Jeff Green and Jonathan Wallace, who scored 22 and 19 points respectively in the regional final. Look for these two to continue their hot play over the final weekend of the season.
The defending champion Florida Gators are looking for the first back-to-back titles since Duke in the early nineties. The Gators are the first team ever to return all of its starters from the previous year.
Led by Joakim Noah and Taurean Green, the Gators will play UCLA in the semifinals, a rematch of last year's title game. If the Gators are going to win another ring this year, it will be these two leading the way again.
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