© the other press e Sports Jack Donohue, Coach Flash Gordon Sports Editor Ten or so years ago at a Harlem Globetrotters bas- ketball spectacle taking place in Ottawa's Civic Centre, I was a burgeoning young athlete enthralled by everything basketball. Unlike most young ballers my dreams weren't centred on playing in the NBA or being like Mike. As realistic as I could be, I imagined myself wearing a Team Canada basketball jersey. A Canadian university basketball player was a huge celebrity, though many never achieved stardom. Sitting in the upper bowl of a half-packed stadium, my father pointed out coach Jack Donohue. At the time Donohue was at the helm of Canada’s basket- ball program, where I wanted to be. I waited until he was up from his seat to rush over to him. A bold youngster, I introduced myself announcing I was a basketball player-he shook my hand and took the time to listen. Jack was as nice a stranger as I could ever have met but he didn’t sound like any Canadian I ever knew. Jack Donohue, born in Yonkers, New York, adopted Canada or rather we adopted him and his passion for basketball, his passion for people. At the time, I had no concept of the true volume of Donohue’s influence on Canadian basketball. He began with high school basketball setting aside a degree in Economics and his pursuit of a doctorate. His feel for the game won him 250 of less than 300 games with two different schools. Power Memorial High School will always remember him as Lew Alcindor’s basketball coach who put together a team that won 71 consecutive games over six years. At Holy Cross College, Massachusetts, Donohue twice won honours as Coach of the Year for his conference. Canadians know him for bringing respectability to the Canadian Olympic team. In his first year as coach, they reached eighth place in the 1972 Olympics. Four years later, in Montreal the Canadian boys shocked the world and came fourth. As coach of the Canadian University team, Donohue stunned the Americans and Yugoslavians with a Gold Medal victory in the 1983 University Games. Anyone involved in Canadian basketball during those years most likely has nothing but kind words to say of Jack Donohue, Coach. It was more than his bold coaching achievements, that people will remember him by. Above all, Donohue was a good man who brought his passion to us, and I am privi- leged to say that I ever shared a handshake with such an icon. Thank you Jack. Jack Donohue passed away April 16, 2003 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. His wife, Mary Jane, and their six children survive him. May 2003 Boeheim’s Orangemen Win NCAA Championship Syracuse 81 Flash Gordon Sports Editor I say, it’s about time. Growing up as a basketball fan in Ontario, I was the only kid in school wearing an orange Syracuse baseball cap. I had t- shirts, shorts, and a bumper sticker too, albeit minus a car to put it on. Around the same time, the Hoyas bulldog logo was the hype at my ele- mentary and junior high schools. Blue and grey bomber jackets, hats, and me with my proud orange. I doubt any of those kids knew where Georgetown is located. I, on the other hand, knew that Syracuse, NY, is about two and a half hours South of Ottawa. James Boeheim, aka Jim, has coached at the university for 27 years starting as a lowly assis- tant coach after his playing career ended. A number of great college players have been privi- leged to be a part of Boeheim’s basketball pro- gram at Syracuse, like NBA players Ron Seikaly, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, and probably even more than I can remember. Even CFL quarterback Donovan McNabb sat on Boeheim’s bench while doing double-duty between basket- ball and a stellar football career. On a more Canadian note, NBA commentator Leo Rautins played for Syracuse before his stint as a NBA whipping boy. April 6, 2003 marked Boeheim’s second trip to the final of the NCAA’s illustrious March Madness Final Four tournament. Boeheim rarely, if never, went without a 20-win season, but never captured a title bigger than the Big East Regional. The match was the Orangemen versus the Jayhawks and every Georgetown fan cheering against Syracuse. Neither coach has a NCAA championship. I haven't been more excited about a championship game in a long time. Other years, other sports have had more heralded matches but this is a big pill for Brian McLennon, and other Georgetown fans to swal- low. The number three seed Orange, freshmen powered giant killer taking down not one but two number one seeds in the tournament this year led by their All-American Freshman, Carmello Anthony, Kansas, emerged from the Western Conference defeating Arizona State, Rae Page 26 e http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca Kansas 78 JAYHAWKS Duke, powerhouse Arizona in the regional final then downing Marquette to be rewarded by a meeting with the upstart Orangemen. Carmello, Carmello, Carmello! Not only does his team make it to the final, Carmello Anthony was named the tournament’s most outstanding play- er. Only the third time a freshman has earned those honours. Enough history, the game began like no one expected. The Orange offered a lesson Kansas didn’t expect. Gerry McNamara can shoot any- time, anywhere. He had six three-pointers in the first half without a miss. Gerry made us all believe he could have lobbed full-sized pump- kins at the hoop and still kept sinking them. Just in case the NBA scouts were watching, the fresh- man gunner stepped behind the imaginary NBA three-pointer marker to show off a little. Anthony finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds. McNamara had 18 points all from the first half. From the tip-off it looked like the ‘Cuse were the runaway favourites. Everything seemed to go right. Kansas’ seniors Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich fought back against the athletic young Orangemen. In the second half, the lead evapo- rated. Collison battled the 2-3-zone defense to bring down 21 boards. I admit to being on the edge of my seat watching the Jayhawks climb back into the game and take a short lead. On a bad wheel, Hinrich scored 16 points by taking shots with a determined confidence. He might have made the crucial game-tying bucket if it weren't for Syracuse forward, Hakim Warrick’s outstretched arm. One could be criti- cal of Hinrich since he had two chances to make the shot. On his first opportunity, he hesitated, allowing the defense to close in. In the end, the Orangemen came out on top to earn the NCAA National Championship. Many will now acknowledge Syracuse as a big-time basketball school. They may not have as many champi- onships as North Carolina or Duke, but they have one, and in 2003 that is all that counts.