Jimcs50
03-18-2007, 09:29 AM
March 18, 2007, 12:25AM
Picture this: replay of 2006, only with a happy ending
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
LEXINGTON, KY. — Every day, before and after every practice, the Texas A&M Aggies would walk past forward Antanas Kavaliauskas' locker and see the picture.
There was LSU's Darrel Mitchell, with Kavaliauskas closing hard in the waning seconds of the Aggies' 2006 NCAA second-round game, knocking down the winning shot from deep behind the 3-point arc in Jacksonville, Fla.
Kavaliauskas taped the picture inside his locker before the Aggies even started practice for this season. It was a big picture, about the size of an 8-by-10.
They saw it when they dressed for practice. They saw it when they had team meetings. They saw it in their sleep.
"Motivation," Kavaliauskas said.
It was like a magnet to A&M eyes.
"We've looked at it all season," Dominique Kirk said. "It was just staring at us every day. We knew that to get to this point, we would have to do a better job."
And so there was Louisville guard Edgar Sosa, a wispy blur with a deadly shot, saying "cheese" Saturday evening from almost the exact same place on the floor, in almost the exact set of circumstances.
"I thought, 'Oh, no,' " A&M coach Billy Gillispie said of that moment when Sosa launched a 3-point attempt with less than 10 seconds remaining and the Aggies clinging to a 70-69 lead. "Here it is again."
Smile, Aggies.
Click.
A remarkable three-year trip from 0-16 in the Big 12 to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio came to a scintillating completion Saturday at Rupp Arena, not because of luck and the bounce of a ball, but a transformation of confidence and poise.
The pictures Saturday amid the noise of an overwhelmingly pro-Louisville crowd and the pressure of a gifted Cardinals team told the story of the difference between then and now. The difference between wanting it. And knowing it.
Crucial shot by Kirk
There was Kirk, whose only other scholarship offer was from Liberty University when Gillispie saw something in him three years ago.
"I doubt if anyone in the country, pound-for-pound, plays any harder than him," Gillispie said. "Everyone will tell you there's a lot of heart-and-soul guys on our team. But he's as big as anyone."
The things that have separated the Aggies from most opponents, even more talented and touted opponents like the blue-chip Cardinals, were all over. Down six points with less than six minutes remaining, with the crowd and defense bearing down, Kirk took a sideline inbounds pass, faked one way and pulled up for a 3-pointer that cut the lead in half.
Click.
"What can I say, (Kirk) has been huge," Aggies point guard Acie Law said. "The guys that normally don't get all the attention, all the credit, when the lights were brightest they stepped up huge for us."
There was A&M center Joseph Jones, the kid Gillispie followed from summer tournament to summer tournament after taking the head coaching job, telling the kid from little-known Normangee that big things were in store.
It was Jones who refused to let the Aggies buckle under a torrent of pressure in the first half, forging a 28-all tie at the break by controlling both ends of the floor and getting the Louisville big men in foul trouble. In the second half, when Law missed a driving shot with 4:29 remaining that would have cut the deficit, Jones knifed through the lane for the offensive rebound and put-back.
Click.
Defense never rests
There was the unrelenting A&M defense, limiting Louisville to just one field goal over the last 5 1/2 minutes. There was the cool of Law, controlling the ball and breaking the press, with big help from freshman Donald Sloan.
For the game, despite being pressed from tipoff to the final buzzer, the Aggies committed just 11 turnovers and scored more points off turnovers (17 to 11) than Louisville.
There were the Aggies, always attacking offensively, coolly knocking down 10 of 12 free throws in the final 3:45, including the eventual game-winners by Law.
Click, click, click.
And there was that image from a year ago, rolling around in everyone's mind's eye as the Aggies huddled in the final seconds, trying to devise a way to stop heartbreak.
Gillispie drew up Xs and Os. Law drew a picture.
"He stepped in and said, 'We're in the same position we were in last year,' " Gillispie said. " 'Let's get a stop and let's get a rebound and let's go home to San Antonio.' "
Sosa came off a screen. The Aggies switched everywhere, trying to keep a hand in the face of perimeter shooters. Sosa pulled up and in swooped Kirk, stretching like Kavaliauskas stretched a year ago in front of the shot.
Joy of winning
The shot banged off the rim, into the hands of Marlon Pompey, who three years ago was on that 0-16 team. He handed it to Law, who also suffered through the winless conference season three years ago.
Law made a pair of free throws, the buzzer sounded a second later and there was Kavaliauskas jumping into a teammate's arms.
There was Law, screaming with joy. Players jumped up and down. Gillispie walked toward the small contingent of A&M fans and gave two hearty thumbs up. Kirk and Sloan hugged. Jones nodded his head in an exaggerated way and slapped hands with the A&M band and members of the dance team.
Click, click, click. Sweet pictures for the Aggies.
Listen to John P. Lopez weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on 790 AM. [email protected]
Picture this: replay of 2006, only with a happy ending
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
LEXINGTON, KY. — Every day, before and after every practice, the Texas A&M Aggies would walk past forward Antanas Kavaliauskas' locker and see the picture.
There was LSU's Darrel Mitchell, with Kavaliauskas closing hard in the waning seconds of the Aggies' 2006 NCAA second-round game, knocking down the winning shot from deep behind the 3-point arc in Jacksonville, Fla.
Kavaliauskas taped the picture inside his locker before the Aggies even started practice for this season. It was a big picture, about the size of an 8-by-10.
They saw it when they dressed for practice. They saw it when they had team meetings. They saw it in their sleep.
"Motivation," Kavaliauskas said.
It was like a magnet to A&M eyes.
"We've looked at it all season," Dominique Kirk said. "It was just staring at us every day. We knew that to get to this point, we would have to do a better job."
And so there was Louisville guard Edgar Sosa, a wispy blur with a deadly shot, saying "cheese" Saturday evening from almost the exact same place on the floor, in almost the exact set of circumstances.
"I thought, 'Oh, no,' " A&M coach Billy Gillispie said of that moment when Sosa launched a 3-point attempt with less than 10 seconds remaining and the Aggies clinging to a 70-69 lead. "Here it is again."
Smile, Aggies.
Click.
A remarkable three-year trip from 0-16 in the Big 12 to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio came to a scintillating completion Saturday at Rupp Arena, not because of luck and the bounce of a ball, but a transformation of confidence and poise.
The pictures Saturday amid the noise of an overwhelmingly pro-Louisville crowd and the pressure of a gifted Cardinals team told the story of the difference between then and now. The difference between wanting it. And knowing it.
Crucial shot by Kirk
There was Kirk, whose only other scholarship offer was from Liberty University when Gillispie saw something in him three years ago.
"I doubt if anyone in the country, pound-for-pound, plays any harder than him," Gillispie said. "Everyone will tell you there's a lot of heart-and-soul guys on our team. But he's as big as anyone."
The things that have separated the Aggies from most opponents, even more talented and touted opponents like the blue-chip Cardinals, were all over. Down six points with less than six minutes remaining, with the crowd and defense bearing down, Kirk took a sideline inbounds pass, faked one way and pulled up for a 3-pointer that cut the lead in half.
Click.
"What can I say, (Kirk) has been huge," Aggies point guard Acie Law said. "The guys that normally don't get all the attention, all the credit, when the lights were brightest they stepped up huge for us."
There was A&M center Joseph Jones, the kid Gillispie followed from summer tournament to summer tournament after taking the head coaching job, telling the kid from little-known Normangee that big things were in store.
It was Jones who refused to let the Aggies buckle under a torrent of pressure in the first half, forging a 28-all tie at the break by controlling both ends of the floor and getting the Louisville big men in foul trouble. In the second half, when Law missed a driving shot with 4:29 remaining that would have cut the deficit, Jones knifed through the lane for the offensive rebound and put-back.
Click.
Defense never rests
There was the unrelenting A&M defense, limiting Louisville to just one field goal over the last 5 1/2 minutes. There was the cool of Law, controlling the ball and breaking the press, with big help from freshman Donald Sloan.
For the game, despite being pressed from tipoff to the final buzzer, the Aggies committed just 11 turnovers and scored more points off turnovers (17 to 11) than Louisville.
There were the Aggies, always attacking offensively, coolly knocking down 10 of 12 free throws in the final 3:45, including the eventual game-winners by Law.
Click, click, click.
And there was that image from a year ago, rolling around in everyone's mind's eye as the Aggies huddled in the final seconds, trying to devise a way to stop heartbreak.
Gillispie drew up Xs and Os. Law drew a picture.
"He stepped in and said, 'We're in the same position we were in last year,' " Gillispie said. " 'Let's get a stop and let's get a rebound and let's go home to San Antonio.' "
Sosa came off a screen. The Aggies switched everywhere, trying to keep a hand in the face of perimeter shooters. Sosa pulled up and in swooped Kirk, stretching like Kavaliauskas stretched a year ago in front of the shot.
Joy of winning
The shot banged off the rim, into the hands of Marlon Pompey, who three years ago was on that 0-16 team. He handed it to Law, who also suffered through the winless conference season three years ago.
Law made a pair of free throws, the buzzer sounded a second later and there was Kavaliauskas jumping into a teammate's arms.
There was Law, screaming with joy. Players jumped up and down. Gillispie walked toward the small contingent of A&M fans and gave two hearty thumbs up. Kirk and Sloan hugged. Jones nodded his head in an exaggerated way and slapped hands with the A&M band and members of the dance team.
Click, click, click. Sweet pictures for the Aggies.
Listen to John P. Lopez weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on 790 AM. [email protected]