Monday, March 20, 2006

The Big Dance and a Guy Named Cha-Cha

We're back from something-less-than glorious Trenton, N.J., after watching the underdog Dartmouth women's basketball team take No. 9 Rutgers to the final 13 seconds of their opening-round NCAA Tournament game last night before a debatable offensive foul call essentially ended the Big Green's chances of being the first No. 14 or 15 seed in tournament history to win a game. Playing before what amounted to a home crowd, Rutgers used the two foul shots it was awarded on a "charge" well outside the arc to seal a 63-58 win. Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer freely admitted in the postgame press conference that if not for the help of the crowd that spurred her team on when Dartmouth came back from 13-0 and 26-10 deficits, the Ivy Leaguers would have pulled off the upset that would have shocked the women's college basketball world.

Time for the mandatory football content: Volunteering in media relations for host school Rider was former Dartmouth placekicker Carl Romero '89. After being tipped off that he was there and spotting him walking ahead of me in the bowels of Sovereign Arena, I had some fun by calling out, "Hey, Cha-Cha." When Carl turned with a curious smile, I reintroduced myself to someone I hadn't seen in a decade and a half and we laughed about how I remembered his nickname all these years later. Turns out he's the defensive coordinator for a high school football team in New Jersey where he teaches history. Don't ask me why this stuff sticks in your brain, but I said to him, "Englishtown, N.J., right?" He smiled and confirmed that I'd not only remembered his nickname, but also nailed down his hometown. ...

Among those who made the trip to Trenton to support the coaches who share their work space in Hanover were Dartmouth men's head basketball coach Terry Dunn and assistant Shay Berry. That's class. ... While the LA Avengers were posting a 60-57 win over the Colorado Crush of the Arena League yesterday, Brian Mann's successor as the starting quarterback had a second so-so game in a row. According to the team web site: "After blazing his way into L.A.’s record books the last few weeks, including the most touchdowns for an Avenger in his first three starts (17) and most TDs in a first start (7), QB Sonny Cumbie only managed 216 yards and three scores on 20-37 passing. "

The next installment of "10 Questions" will go up on the main Green Alert site later today.

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