Post by hoyajmw on Apr 24, 2014 10:41:04 GMT -5
Got a brief off my desk (yes, another lawyer here), so let me answer the queries about the Moses speech. He talked about how he and a friend in Nigeria first saw basketball played on a VHS tape of Georgetown vs. UCLA, and after that never "stepped on a pitch (soccer field) again" and just fell in love with basketball/it was all they wanted to do. To play, he and his friend would take a car an hour each way/play in an outdoor court, waiting out rainstorms and playing until they were too tired to play anymore. When he got the chance to come to the U.S., he knew he only wanted to play at Georgetown or UCLA because of that tape -- but when he went to UCLA he found out they had a center he'd have to play behind so didn't want to go there -and then Josh from UCLA transfers to Georgetown for him to play behind (a story told with great humor through a halting accent but that was the gist/delivered with wry warmth...) Concluded by saying to the effect not only has he cherished his time at Georgetown, but his friend back home feels like he's a Hoya too through Moses and how much that means to his friend (this said with a sincerity that just made you melt/lead to a big round of applause). I think he concluded he'll always consider himself a Hoya. JT III afterwards said he lost a bet, 'cause he was sure Moses couldn't give the speech without crying -- and I think Moses only just barely did. We all have our journey to Georgetown stories and what the place meant to us, but hearing this story was truly special
Epilogue: A good friend sitting with me went up to Moses after the banquet to shake his hand/thank him for his time here and congratulate him for the speech, and he gave her a big hug of thanks right back. Plainly a very emotional kid who has lived a dream -- and in these days where so many players are painted as mercenary and so many schools we all could name have an attitude of "just use them up for their hoops skills/throw them away/who cares if they graduate?", was just great reminder of the best of who the players who represent us are and what we as a program are.
Epilogue: A good friend sitting with me went up to Moses after the banquet to shake his hand/thank him for his time here and congratulate him for the speech, and he gave her a big hug of thanks right back. Plainly a very emotional kid who has lived a dream -- and in these days where so many players are painted as mercenary and so many schools we all could name have an attitude of "just use them up for their hoops skills/throw them away/who cares if they graduate?", was just great reminder of the best of who the players who represent us are and what we as a program are.
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