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Sunday, April 1
Sticking around for a shot at the title
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- Loren Woods and Shane Battier bucked the
trend and put their pro careers on hold, passing on the money for a
chance to make their college experiences complete.
For taking that risk, the Arizona center and Duke forward have
earned spots in the national championship game Monday -- a trip no
player has ever earned sitting on an NBA bench.
"The tournament is the best thing about college basketball,"
Battier said. "I'm on the cusp of a national championship. There's
no better feeling, aside from winning it. Those who forgo this
opportunity are missing out on a lot."
Last year, it was Mateen Cleaves who made the tough choice that
paid off.
The Michigan State star came back for his senior season simply
because he wanted to win a title. He cemented his place in the
annals of college basketball, returning from a nasty ankle injury
in the final to lift the Spartans to the championship.
"This is what I came back here for," Cleaves said after that
victory. The money is better but his life isn't nearly as rewarding
nowadays as he spends most of his time on the bench for the Detroit
Pistons.
Like Cleaves, Woods and Battier felt loyalty to their schools
and had a gnawing sense there was unfinished business to tend to.
Woods is the moody, unpredictable center who transferred from
Wake Forest after his sophomore season, when the pressure of trying
to become the next Tim Duncan became too much.
He's the one who said the Wildcats could be the "best team
ever" and also the one who nearly folded when Arizona's season
nearly deteriorated in January.
"It's more pride than anything," Woods said, explaining why he
and Battier stayed. "Just two competitors. You just want to win as
much as possible. You can't do it better, I don't think, than at
Duke or Arizona."
Battier has already received ample recognition, winning Player
of the Year honors from The Associated Press and a number of other
outlets.
Still, memories of the 1999 season linger. Duke was 37-1 going
into the final that year, the prohibitive choice to win it all,
before Connecticut took the title away.
"They were talking about us as one of the great teams of all
time," Battier said. "The game pressure that was on us was
unbelievable."
He doesn't feel the same way this time.
Maybe it's because Duke isn't such a prohibitive favorite, in
this, an exquisitely even matchup between the top two teams dating
to the preseason polls.
Or maybe it's because of the perspective gained from a full four
years in college, an experience more and more talented players pass
on.
"You earn throughout your life, and you should be prepared for
your life," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "If you just look at
the start of your race, it being so financially lucrative, then
maybe the end of the race isn't as much. Someone who takes care of
the whole race might have a chance to do it a whole lot better."
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