Gavitt Finale and Number 1's

IT WAS SENIOR NIGHT AT THE CIVIC CENTER, except this year the graduating class include Coach Gavitt who was going to leave to coach the US Olympic Team.  Gavitt was going out with his first losing season with Providence and was facing a newly revived Rhode Island program that had beaten them by 44 points early in the season.  There was bad blood between the teams because the source of URI's revival was Sly Williams who had originally pledged to Providence.  It was an emotional farewell for Gavitt and the team responded with a great performance capped by team star Rudy Williams's rebound and full court shot with two seconds left in the first half (which temporarily landed him a place in the Guiness Book of Records).  

I was there that night and my voice has not reached that high since.  During the entire halftime period most of the fans just stayed in their seats and cheered in amazement.  A fitting send out for a Friar legend.

Remarkably, even though the shot was broadcast repeatedly the following week across the nation, there is not even a hint of the video to be found. 

 THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FITTING CHOICES FOR THE LAST SPOT ON MY LIST OF TOP FRIAR WINS, and I have omitted some worthy choices such as Providence's 1997 Ellite 8 Team's second round win over Duke or even my first Civic Center game as the Friars beat 13th ranked Jacksonville.  But there is nothing like beating the number one team --- except when you do it more than once as Providence has on its own home court.

Michigan came to town as part of the inaugural InBank Holiday Classic (InBank became Fleet and which like many other banks became part of BofA).  Michigan, which lost to Indiana in the National Championship Game featured Phil Hubbard and Ricky Green.  Although Providence had already lost at home to Wolverine rival Purdue, it has a secret weapon - Sonar aka Joe Hasset, one of my favorite Friars who was named one of the NBA's Top 50 Pure Shooters.  

The game, which unfortunately was not televised, was a classic battle with center Bob Misevicius giving Providence the win with jump shot at the end of the second overtime.

Afterwards, Michigan Coach Orr said, We played hard, but Providence played like crazy."

Hasset would lead the team to a return to the NCAA that year, losing to Kansas State in the first round (thanks in part to a missed dunk by Bob Cooper).

Jump forward 30 years from the drama of Dave Gavitt's Senior Night farewell to Senior Night 2009 when the Tournament Bubble Friars dominated number one Pitt, leading by as much as 20 points early in the first half.  As the Providence Journal reported, "the first half was straight out of some PC fantasy as the Friars rode the emotion of the pre-game Senior Night festivities [where Seniors kissed the Friar logo at center court] and flew out to a 15-4 lead thanks to one big play after another."

Despite the win, the Friars did not get invited to the dance and ended up losing in the first round of the NIT to Miami.

While it does not fit in the category as a win, I would be remiss if I did not give the Friar mascot his due.  Let's see a Hoya Saxus shot from half court!