Thank Jesus’s dad that it was a three-day weekend, because after Saturday night I was drained in every way. It began Friday night when Jesus and I pulled off a doubleheader between basketball and hockey and culminated Saturday evening at Northeastern University.
My suggestion to the BU athletics department is never to schedule basketball and hockey so close to each other on the same day ever again. It wasn’t fair.
Unfortunately, this won’t be the only time that such an intense evening occurs. Dec. 1, the one and only night “Newton University” visits Agganis Arena, follows a Terrier basketball game against Manhattan College. I don’t want to think about what my voice may sound like the morning of Dec. 2.
Obviously, I knew this weekend was going to be intense, and I really was hoping to walk out of Matthews Arena on Saturday having successfully seen two Terrier teams win three games. The only thing that can really be said about a 1-1-1 weekend record is, well, it could have been worse. Maybe. The Icedogs are the only team in Hockey East who did not receive one top-20 vote. Even Merrimack College got consideration.
I guess it might just be a hoops year. I am not surprised that the BU basketball team pretty much controlled the flow of the game from the tip at its home opener. The Terriers may have trailed for a large part of the first half, but that is only because St. Bonaventure shot a ridiculous percentage from beyond the arc. I knew that wouldn’t last, and sure enough, it didn’t.
The moment the game changed, and really my life as well, was when easily the greatest slam-dunk I have ever seen in person was thrown down. I’ve seen some special dunks. But nothing can compare to what I felt when Carlos Strong drove down the left side of the floor on a fast break, staring down two defenders.
What I thought Strong was going to do at that moment was attempt to split the defenders and go for a layup on the right side of the hoop, drawing a foul in the process. Carlos probably thought the same to himself, laughed a little and sarcastically said, “Yeah right.” He took the ball in one hand and cocked it behind his head, elevating from an insane distance to the hoop and threw it down right on two Bonnies. My goosebumps were so big I thought it was the second coming of chicken pox.
Never have I heard that high school-esque gymnasium so loud. From Strong’s dunk on, Case Gymnasium became the hostile atmosphere that I so desperately want at this school.
The Roof was magical Friday night. Jesus and I got there a good hour before the game and I watched as the fans in red just kept filing in. Despite the men’s hockey game, it was a basketball night. Section 2 was in full force, and for once Jesus and I weren’t the only ones standing during play.
The chants and cheers were deafening and translated to the Terriers’ second-half domination. I loved everything about Friday night’s game, and my only hope is that The Roof will continue to fill up as the team’s winning percentage continues to rise – for the first time in years it is poised to be the most difficult place for conference opponents to play. That’s a reputation that would be a dream come true.
The Terriers are one of two teams without a loss in America East after the first weekend. If the Athletics Department ever elects to schedule another doubleheader conflict with hockey, I’m convinced my place is at The Roof. It’s a hoops year, folks.
Brian Fadem, a sophomore in the College of Communication, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
