Posted on 05/11/2008 4:43:07 AM PDT by abb
Collin Finnerty wanted Loyola to win in its NCAA Tournament assignment Saturday afternoon at Duke, where awkward moments could have superseded anything else.
The top-seeded Blue Devils defeated Loyola as expected in men's lacrosse, then took aside a former teammate and shared a special moment.
Finnerty posed for an impromptu photograph near midfield with his ex-teammates, capping a strange get-together on a splendid, yet windy, Saturday afternoon at nearly full Koskinen Stadium.
Duke players say Finnerty remains part of their group even though he wore the opposing uniform during the Blue Devils' 12-7 victory. He was one of the three falsely accused players in the highly publicized rape case stemming from 2006. His decision to transfer took him to Loyola.
In the tournament game, he scored. And again. And again.
Each time there was the same reaction: Hearty ovation from Duke fans.
"It was a great feeling to be back with the playoff atmosphere," Finnerty said. "It felt great to be scoring. I was happy to be stepping up for my team.
"It was a lot of emotion with the fans from Duke supporting me. I'm not surprised by their character."
Finnerty, an attackman from Garden City, N.Y., concentrated on the game knowing full well some onlookers were at the very least diverting their attention toward him. His face had been plastered across national newscasts during the heart of the misguided legal proceedings that eventually were halted in the face of a disgraced prosecutor.
The Blue Devils, who have national championship aspirations, couldn't be distracted by Finnerty. But they knew his presence was more than an opposing scoring threat.
"He played awesome," Duke defender Tony McDevitt said. "We would like him to not score so much."
Duke scored enough. And Finnerty, a sophomore in eligibility, didn't go away with empty feelings even though his season ended and his former team plays on.
While there were familiar surroundings for Finnerty, he didn't have to endure a total flashback. He was primarily defended by Duke freshman Mike Manley, who wasn't around when Finnerty played here. "I just know him from the field," Finnerty said.
Most of the other Blue Devils he knows on a much more personal basis. He appreciated the postgame gesture from his former teammates.
"They're great guys, all of them," he said. "There's nothing but good vibes between us."
Coach Charley Toomey of Loyola sensed that something good came out of the trip even though the Greyhounds couldn't pull off the upset.
"I hope it's a little bit of closure coming down here," Toomey said. "I think there's a piece of his heart that's still at Duke." And you had the sense that Finnerty left campus with a much better feeling than the last time he was here.
Bob Sutton is sports editor of the Times-News.
ping
Great photo. Send one to Mike Nifong.
Great story. The Duke lacrosse players and fans demonstrating the class that the Duke faculty and administration lacks.
Great picture and great story... Isn’t it comforting to know that probably 99% of the people who condemned and convicted the Duke lacrosse players of rape and wanted them thrown in the pen or crucified before any evidence of misdeeds were shown in court are among those who gave Obama his breakthrough victory last Tuesday?
That’s your constituency, Barack! Elite pseudo-intellectuals who don’t belong among the Duke faculty (except for their expertise in “women’s studies” and other politically correct pseudo-mish-mash) and the Raleigh-Durham African American community who jumped on board the trumped up charges.
Very nice post! So true!
Your screen name is very appropriate for a story about a Greyhound of Loyola - ex-Blue Devil.
bttt
It is nice to see that at least one of the victims of this persecution has been able to move on with his life.
Look at those smiles. That picture will hang on at least 11 walls for the next fifty years.
Elite (actually elitist) pseudo-intellectuals is a correct description. These people think with a part of their anatomies that is lower, darker, and smellier than their brains.
“That’s your constituency, Barack!”
...yep!...eggheads and african-americans....first group thinks they’re superior; second group thinks they’re entitled.
Bump!
1. Glad to see he’s landed on his feet but sorry to see him playing for one of the red orders. The cult of Arupe should be shut down until the communist “liberation theologians” are purged from the Church altogether.
2. As a sport, why is lacrosse not more popular than basketball? Lacrosse has strategy, teamwork, defense and dirt. Basketball just looks like a bunch of ants running back and forth a postage stamp. I can’t recognize much in the way of strategy, any serious attempt at defense is against the rules and it’s the most “Me” oriented sport I’ve ever seen. Lacrosse is a lot more fun to watch.
The Navy game last night was fantastic.
Duke has the highest scoring offense and can't wait to see it tested.
To your #2 I have a simple answer:
Dunks
A more complex answer is that the size of the court and more frequent scoring makes basketball more TV friendly.
I believe the others have too, Mike Pressler is coaching at Div. II Bryant U. in Smithfield RI. Bryant will be playing in the NCAA Semifinal on May 17th against LeMoyne. Pressler’s daughter is a junior at LaSalle Academy in Providence and was the MVP of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Girls Division I Volleyball tournament this past year. Reade Seligmann is also in Rhode Island, he is playing Lacrosse at Brown University in Providence.
The UNC goalie was Navy’s MVP yesterday.
>>As a sport, why is lacrosse not more popular than basketball?
Lacrosse is a Spring sport at the HS and college level.
The better question is, Why is lacrosse not more popular than soccer?
It has contact, scoring, and requires opposable thumbs.
And Ohio state's goalie running the entire field and scoring?
Some beautiful lacrosse was played yesterday.
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