The brackets are out and the stats sheets are being studied, but in classic O’Connell fashion I’m about 40 years behind the times, engaged in a book now about the “old” Big East conference of Ewing, Thompson, Boeheim, et al. The book is Dana O’Neil’s The Big East: Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History. Official publication date is 2021, but somehow I missed it for a year and a half. I’m making up for it now.

On the cover is a young Patrick Ewing, Hoya Destroya from Georgetown’s glory days. Until recently he was back at his alma mater as head coach, and yeah, he was busy in between D.C. gigs too. Legendary center for my childhood team, the New York Knicks, discussed at length on last Friday’s podcast. Basically he brought Big East basketball to the NBA, and specifically the brawling Eastern Conference.

Perhaps former University of Connecticut coach (and three-time National Champion) Jim Calhoun said it best:

“It was Camelot. Camelot with bad language.”

Well said.