WHILE SEATED

Detail, From Unphotographable, by Studio Artist Michael David Murphy. On display in the lobby. #atlarts twitter.com/ACAC/status/33…

— Atlanta Contemporary (@ACAC) May 10, 2013

My dad’s mad about college basketball, but apparently not as crazy as he used to be. Nearly everyone in the family is in the same bracket pool, and yesterday, The Cap’n had some insight about how March Madness used to be and what we might expect from the final eight:

“There are some interesting notes as we move into the field of eight. There are a number of Murphys in the pool as well as in the tournament. There is a Murphy on Florida and a Murphy on Duke. Their father, Jay Murphy, was interviewed on TNT at the last game. The interviewer did not realize who Jay Murphy was. He and Michael Adams led Boston College to a number of Big East (now the Big Least) wins in the early 80s. They challenged the Hoyas for Big East supremacy and both Murphy and Adams and another B.C. player made the Big East 2nd All Star Team in 83-84. Dom Perno or Dee Rowe were still coaching at UConn, with no sign of Calhoun, yet. I hope you all realize that the Big East put three teams in the Final Four in “85. That was Conference Success. The TNT interviewer seemed to have no idea with whom he was talking. TNT does not have a sports e-mail line that I could comment on.”

“The other interesting person was James McAdoo on UNC. His father was the second cousin of Bob McAdoo who did one year at UNC, after Vincennes Junior College, and then was the NBA rookie of the year in ‘83, followed by the NBA MVP in ‘85 for the Buffalo Braves. I know, you thought that the Buffalo teams were the Sabres and the Bills, but those are not basketball. When McAdoo was the MVP he led the league in scoring and Ernie D. lead the league in assists and was the rookie of the year. You remember Ernie D. I almost did not take my orders to Alaska because Ernie D. was going into his senior year at Providence. Claire and Dad (TPM) marveled at Ernie on TV leading Providence to the Final Four while I was in Alaska chasing Commies (and Koreans who were fishing where they shouldn’t have been). Ernie holds the Tournament record for most shots attempted in a Final Four game. Notice he does not have the record for most baskets made. It was a long night playing for third place, and it gets longer when you end up in fourth place because you missed so many shots. Maybe that is why there is no longer a third place game. Memphis St. beat Providence that night, by the way.”

“I have one more rambling. I found this week, buried under an old high school report card, a ticket stub from a basketball game that had the most electric crowd I have ever been in. It was Michael and I at the Springfield Civic Center for U. of Oklahoma vs. UMass. Billy Tubbs, an absolutely despicable character vs. John Calipari, who can be semi-dispicable at times as any coach can. The Minutemen prevailed and Michael and I had a grand time, January 4, 1992. I think that Will Herndon had a great night for the Minutemen, along with DK and Harper. What an electric crowd, one I will never forget !!!!!”