Williams College Ephs*

The Marlin cheerleaders had rhythm as they went through a number of synchronized steps to bring excitement and a win for their basketball team Saturday night at Chandler Gym in Williamstown.

In the end, the cheerleaders, with their pom poms, were unable to help bring forth a win for the visiting team from Virginia – it failed.

The Williams College men’s basketball team (26-4) out shot the Virginia Wesleyan (23-8) from Norfolk, Va., in a closely matched game in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 rematch.

This time the score was 84-75. There was much cheering for both teams from the gathered audience.

The win puts Williams on the road to the Division’s Elite Eight tomorrow night in Salem, Va.

There is an element of town and gown in Berkshire County for special events, plays and sports.

Sometimes it seems as if we don’t take advantage of college sport events, that we have become too passive with time. Yet, special events take place, and we as a community should participate and treat it as a night out and root for the team whether it be the home one or a visitor team.

Just think of all the “supporters” that went to a Red Sox game. Each person gathered was either for the home or visiting team, thus a Yankee/Red Sox game carried a lot of “fever” and excitement, which could benefit both men and women’s college teams.

When I last attended a series of basketball games, it was during the dream era of UMass Coach John Calipari, who coached the team from 1988 to 1996 to several NCAA playoffs. Coach Cal set the pace for college basketball as well as putting the University of Massachusetts on the national map.

Cal told television network ESPN he and his team would play any day and time. It didn’t matter. Coach Cal wanted the exposure for his team and himself. He not only helped the fledgling TV network, but brought a small state team to the public’s senses.

I remember when James A. Calhoun, the former head coach of the University of Connecticut‘s men’s basketball team, refused to play UMass. There are many stories from the era, including when UMass played Boston College.

This game was inviting because our sports writer Tim Davis was covering it, and it seemed like a good time to once again enjoy college basketball with all the accolades, along with the pomp and circumstance of Williams College.

A pre-game visit to Tunnel City Coffee in Williamtown got Tim and I hooked up with two writers, Bill and Betsy Densmore, former owners of The Advocate. After the game, there was a visit to the Purple Pub, with its pre-celebration of St. Patrick’s with a Pittsfield Irish band named J.P. Murphy. Manager Thierry Bereard was on hand to ensure locals and visitors had a good time.

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, the 1,300 turn-out of people was good and lively considering Williams’ students and faculty were on spring break. There seemed to be a divided crowd, with the visitors pulling in an equal number of people.

The game was close.

The audience was loud and supportive of their respective teams. The coaches were on top of their players.

It was classic basketball – the forerunner to the large NCAA tournament picks this week and March madness.

While the Wesleyan cheerleaders were on their feet for the whole game, they shook and grooved to the amplified beat music and, when play began, cheered their team onward.

In capturing the Williams team performance, they were 7-2 at the 18-minute mark of the first period, followed by a one-point lead at the half, 40-39.

With 5:35 left, Williams was losing by a point: 67-68.

At the four-minute signal, Taylor Epley for the Ephs hit a long shot and tied it at 72-72.

While Epley was good, center Michael Mayer connected on several shots, as did Nate Robertson.

The Marlins were led by three guards, Chris Teasley,  D.J. Woodmore and Tre’ Ford, and forward Chris Astorga, who was the high scorer with 20 points.

Williams, with more than a minute left, went 77-72; then, with 52.3 seconds on the clock, it was 80-74, and at 21.4, it was 81-75 before the final buzzer, with Williams winning 84-75.

*The school’s athletic teams are called the Ephs (rhymes with “chiefs”), a shortening of the first name of founder Ephraim Williams.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on March 21, 2013. Filed under Opinion,View from the Tower. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry