Great Night, Great Atmosphere, Great Game
And who should I meet in last night’s line for the pre-game media buffet than our good buddy Dave Odom. Actually Lenox and I and a couple of other writers saw him across the room and called him over. He had already had the fried chicken, wild rice and green beans. He was laughing about how many times he had given me a hard time for shoveling in the free food, and there he was eating some himself. It was great seeing him. As long as basketball is played in the ACC, Odom will remain one of the all-time favorites of the media. I’m glad they shone the spotlight and recognized him during the game. The man won 240 games in 12 years, or roughly 20 a year, his teams won the school’s only two conference championships since 1962 and he was three-time ACC Coach of the Year. Not a bad run.
During dinner I told the table the story of Alphonso Smith and Houston Nutt during the Wake-Ole Miss football game, and how Smith had told him if he keeps throwing the ball his way he wouldn’t be at Ole Miss very long. Guys were spitting their ice tea they were laughing so hard. And then I walk out into the corridor and, lo and behold, here comes Phonz himself. I got to shake his hand and wish him well. Then later, of course, I saw him shaking it real good with Naz T on the court during a timeout. Looked like a natural for Dancing With The Stars.
I’ve heard from time to time how Joel Coliseum is too cavernous for Wake Forest and that the real homecourt advantage is lost. But I’ve always liked the building myself. And on nights like last night, with the Tar Heels in town, it can be as revved up and rocking as pretty much any place anywhere. The tie-dye started by Skip Prosser and his assistant Chris Mack, is a wonderful touch for the students. As a Grateful Dead fan from way back, I can certainly appreciate it. And I’m really getting off on Dino the Dinosaur, the costume the students are taking turns wearing to games. I’ve always been partial to the wacky, the off-the-wall, the zany. As I understand it, these students saw the costume on E-Bay, took up a collection and bought it. The beauty of it is the spontaneity. There’s nothing contrived or manufactured about it, just fans adding to the atmosphere of the arena. And Dino always looks really cool when his purple head pops up in photos.
A great night, a great atmosphere and a great game. To me that’s what ACC basketball is all about.