After twenty-five other games before this one were profiled, it's time to reveal the contest that holds the honor of being the greatest I have either called or covered in my five-year career up to this point. Before the top spot is officially announced, here is a full recap of every other game on the list:
26) St. John's vs. Howard - November 22, 2008, Carnesecca Arena
25) St. John's vs. Marist - December 28, 2007, Madison Square Garden (Holiday Festival)
24) Iona vs. Marist - February 12, 2012, Hynes Athletics Center
23) Iona vs. Fairfield - March 4, 2012, MassMutual Center (MAAC Tournament semifinal)
22) St. John's vs. West Virginia - March 8, 2008, Madison Square Garden
21) St. Francis (NY) vs. Robert Morris - December 4, 2010, Pope Physical Education Center
20) St. John's vs. Louisville - March 4, 2012, XL Center (Big East Tournament quarterfinal)
19) St. John's vs. Seton Hall - February 5, 2009, Prudential Center
18) St. John's vs. Notre Dame - February 25, 2012, Madison Square Garden
17) St. John's vs. Seton Hall - February 22, 2009, Carnesecca Arena
16) St. Francis (NY) vs. Seton Hall - November 12, 2011, Prudential Center
15) St. John's vs. Cincinnati - January 22, 2009, Carnesecca Arena
14) St. John's vs. Rutgers - February 2, 2011, Carnesecca Arena
13) St. John's vs. Providence - February 9, 2008, Carnesecca Arena
12) St. John's vs. Rutgers - March 9, 2012, Madison Square Garden (Big East Tournament second round)
11) Fordham vs. St. John's - December 11, 2010, Rose Hill Gym
10) St. John's vs. Connecticut - February 10, 2011, Madison Square Garden
9) St. John's vs. Villanova - February 26, 2011, Wells Fargo Center
8) St. Francis (NY) vs. LIU Brooklyn - February 8, 2012, Madison Square Garden
7) St. John's vs. Seton Hall - March 1, 2008, Carnesecca Arena
6) St. John's vs. Notre Dame - January 3, 2009, Madison Square Garden
5) St. Francis (NY) vs. Sacred Heart - February 18, 2012, Pope Physical Education Center
4) St. John's vs. Duke - January 30, 2011, Madison Square Garden
3) Manhattan vs. Iona - January 12, 2012, Hynes Athletics Center
2) St. John's vs. Pittsburgh - February 19, 2011, Madison Square Garden
And the winner is...
1) St. John's vs. Georgetown - March 10, 2009, Madison Square Garden (Big East Tournament first round)
Those who know me well have heard me tell the story of this contest more times than they can probably count, a 2pm Tuesday afternoon tipoff that has come to be known simply as the "Landline Game."
Originally, I was going to be leading a three-man booth for this broadcast on WSJU, with fellow sports directors Frank Qasim and David Berov to provide color commentary for the Red Storm's return to the Big East Tournament after missing the field in the previous season. However, extenuating circumstances kept my two partners away from the "World's Most Famous Arena," leading me to become a one-man band for what still ranks as one of my greatest performances and one of the rare instances in which I felt the broadcast truly was perfect. Those who have worked with me or know me well know of my excessively high standards, so such a feeling about a broadcast came few and very far between.
My original intention was to do a one-hour pregame show, being that it was a Big East Tournament game, highlighted by a preview of the St. John's game and tournament in general, with bonus coverage of the Cincinnati-DePaul matchup that preceded the Johnnies and Georgetown on the court to take the audience through the pregame. However, the mixer I would normally use to dial out to the studio was not working, (a semi-regular occurrence for WSJU Sports) which scrapped my pregame plans. Several minutes later, I dialed the studio on one of the press box telephones, and was relieved to get both a dial tone and signal. I had also struggled to get a producer for this game, as St. John's had conveniently scheduled their spring break during that week. Fortunately, WSJU program director Joe Lobosco agreed to come in and push the buttons in the studio, arriving shortly after 2pm, leaving me just a handful of minutes to go through what was initially designed to be an in-depth and detailed pregame before the contest started. Somehow or another, the magic began without a hitch.
At halftime, I had run down to the media room to get two bottles of water to get me through the final twenty minutes; something I was hesitant about doing since I literally did play-by-play over the phone for the opening half, and was obviously concerned about someone inadvertently hanging up while I was away. Thankfully, Sal; who works security in the north press box at the Garden, watched over my perch after I had asked for a favor, imploring him to "make sure no one hangs this up." When I returned to the press box, everything was exactly as I had left it, and I immediately had Joe Lobosco get me back on the air. After Paris Horne and D.J. Kennedy scored all but three points in the first half for St. John's, (Malik Boothe's three-pointer accounted for the rest of the Red Storm offense) Georgetown came out of the intermission intent on showing the fans in attendance that their standing as the No. 12 seed was a fluke. St. John's forward Sean Evans, who was held scoreless in the first twenty minutes, had other ideas. In a gritty performance that earned him Vincenzo's Pizza Player of the Game honors on my broadcast, Evans scored twelve points in the final stanza on his way to a double-double. Even with Evans' courageous showing, the game was far from over, prompting me to reference the response I received earlier that morning from Lenn Robbins of the New York Post when I asked for his thoughts on the game.
"It's going to be a war." - Lenn Robbins, New York PostGeorgetown lived up to the war billing from Robbins, as they fought back to take the lead midway through the second half after it looked like St. John's was going to put them away. With the Red Storm up 53-52, Malik Boothe drove inside on his way for what appeared to be a layup, but dished the ball to Paris Horne, who was standing behind the three-point arc on the left wing. Horne's triple gave St. John's a much-needed boost of momentum that put the Red Storm ahead by four in the final minutes, galvanizing the team for a thrilling stretch run.
"Horne...for three. GOOD!!! Paris Horne...injecting some life into the crowd! Johnnies up by four!" - Jaden Daly's call of Horne's three-pointer on WSJUGeorgetown eventually traded free throws with the Red Storm before getting the ball back inside the final thirty seconds, trailing 62-59. Logic seemed to dictate that head coach John Thompson III, who was playing without star freshman center Greg Monroe after the New Orleans native had fouled out with 1:34 remaining in regulation, would go for the tie and try to send the game into overtime. That was exactly what the Hoyas would try to do, as point guard Chris Wright brought the ball up. In the final ten seconds, shooting guard Austin Freeman appeared to have traveled, but the call was ignored by the officials. Freeman found an open Nikita Mescheriakov in the corner on the right side with four seconds remaining in regulation, setting the Belarus product up for what would be the game-tying shot if he were to hit it. Mescheriakov's attempt hit the backboard and sailed over, going out of bounds and handing possession to St. John's, who needed only to run the clock out to advance to the second round, where Marquette awaited the winner.
With three seconds remaining, Quincy Roberts was fouled shortly after receiving the inbounds pass. Roberts, a 77-percent free throw shooter in the regular season, had scored both of his prior two points at the foul line earlier in the game, and only needed one more to essentially seal the win for the Red Storm. Roberts calmly made both foul shots to give the Red Storm a 64-59 victory, prompting the following description of the final seconds on WSJU: (picked up after Roberts' first free throw)
"Roberts has one more free throw forthcoming. It is up, and IT...IS...GOOD. 64 to 59...ST. JOHN'S...WILL LIVE...TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!!!" - Jaden Daly's final call on WSJU(For the record, my final call was slightly influenced by having watched "The Mummy Returns" the night before, where there is a scene toward the end of the movie in which Brendan Fraser's main character Rick O'Connell is told "live to fight another day.")
Have you ever felt like you were on top of the world watching a sporting event, maybe after watching a particular favorite player hit a walkoff home run, or score a game-winning goal or touchdown? Well, that was what ran through me behind the microphone after the final buzzer inside Madison Square Garden on this day. Although I was never a die-hard St. John's fan, I vividly remember watching Lou Carnesecca's Redmen several times (St. John's was, in fact, the first collegiate team I ever saw) in the early 1990s; and I never embraced Georgetown, a feeling of dislike that intensified at Big East media day just a few months before the game, when John Thompson III essentially blew me off when I tried to ask him about his team, looking at me with a level of contempt that went beyond the social average. For St. John's coach Norm Roberts; a true class act that had yet to compete in a postseason game, this was a measure of vindication as well, as his six-year tenure in Queens was spent dealing with harsh criticism of his ability to win. Everything about this game was special: The actual on-court transpirings, the broadcast, the backstory. All of it blended together to give the privileged few who were able to listen a show unlike any other, and myself a magical moment which has yet to be replicated or even surpassed. You don't always need a clash of the titans to make a game great, because as Norm Roberts said after the game, you can "define the moment, or have the moment define you." Fortunately, the moment was defined by everyone involved.
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