American Seeks Status Among the 'In' Crowd

"They only let 24 teams in the tournament when I played," said Washington, a tad rueful 35 years after AU's 1973 team gave Louisville a run in the National Invitation Tournament. Washington, plucked fourth in the NBA draft, was a day laborer in the pivot. He is still the last NCAA player to average 20 points and 20 rebounds per game -- notching 40 points and 26 rebounds his final game against John Thompson-coached Georgetown.

That's the thing about AU: Since its first year fielding a men's basketball team in 1926, someone else's coach or program was used to lend it credence. Over nearly a century, it got close to the tournament almost by association.

It's the school of coaching connections -- six degrees of sideline lifers. Gary Williams had no gray in his temples here. Tom Young coached at AU before he transformed Rutgers with the help of a big-time guard from Archbishop Carroll with a pick-combed 'fro: Eddie Jordan.

Jim Lynam. Tom Davis. Ed Tapscott, the accomplished NBA executive now on Jordan's Wizards' staff. If they had lost yesterday, the Eagles could always take solace in the fact that Army Coach Jim Crews was a member of Bob Knight's 1976 Indiana team -- the last Division I men's team to record a perfect season.

On it goes, each era coming close to college basketball nirvana.

Williams (1978-82) was right there, twice losing heartbreakers with 24- and 21-win teams in the East Coast Conference championship game.

The reason Jeff Jones wasn't gloating after AU stunned Maryland in December at Comcast Center was because he knew the drill: There is no Little Team That Could until the Big Team That Already Has deigns to schedule a small school.

"That was the eighth straight year he agreed to allow AU to compete with his program, so I have nothing but good things to say about Gary," Jones said. "He's been a friend."

If AU beats Colgate on Friday and kids storm the floor again for its first-ever bid, Jones will officially have been on both sides of the giant-killing business.

As a player, his Ralph Sampson-led Virginia teams were among the best in the nation. After Jones graduated, he served as a part-time Cavaliers assistant on the No. 1 Virginia team shocked by Chaminade in Hawaii -- though he didn't make that trip.

"I always tell Rick Carlisle [the former Virginia player and NBA coach], 'If I had been there, that wouldn't have happened,' " Jones said, snickering.

A few minutes earlier, a young team manager had walked by with a dozen pizza boxes, piled so high they nearly eclipsed her bangs. She placed them outside the locker room on a chair. One by one, each AU player carried their cheese pizzas out to share with their girlfriends and family, past the sign that said tickets were on sale now for Friday's 4:45 p.m. game.

"All $18," it read.

Reminders such as that are sure to tempt Jones's players right up until tip-off Friday. The moment they staved off Army and walked off the court, they were officially 40 minutes away.

"Making the tournament was one of my dreams when I first came here," Carr said. "I mean, if we could do it."

Eighteen dollars. For history 81 years in the making.

If AU can beat Colgate at home -- if the nation's greatest sporting event finally includes a university actually called American -- the booming noise coming from Bender Arena will seduce more than just the kids.