THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
THE LAST official ceremony was Mayor Nutter coming out to the Main Line yesterday to meet with Villanova coach Jay Wright and his Final Four-bound Wildcats.
And frankly, of all the trips 'Nova has made from campus, this last one hadn't come soon enough.
It's not that Wright and his players don't appreciate the adulation they have received around campus and the area since they beat Pittsburgh last Saturday, but there still is the matter of a huge national semifinal basketball game against North Carolina.
Getting away is just what the 'Cats needed.
"I think when we get on the road it'll be more like the season, more like a road game," said Wright, whose team left for Detroit and the Final Four shortly after meeting with the mayor. "It's really strange being around [Villanova] with all the media here and all the friends and family here.
"It's getting a little overwhelming, so I think we are ready to go."
There are a lot of things that go with making a Final Four for just the fourth time in school history and the first time in 24 years. But the increased attention the Wildcats have received has been somewhat of a distraction as they prepare for the Tar Heels.
This may be a time of celebration for Villanova fans, friends and family, but for the players and coaches, the idea is to treat it as just another game, with UNC just happening to be the opponent and Ford Field just happening to be the venue.
Some teams can't wait to get home. This team needed to get away.
"We're definitely looking forward to getting away," Villanova forward Corey Stokes said. "It's been hard to just think about basketball. Everyone has been coming up to us, asking us questions about this and that.
"We understand that a lot of people are happy for us, and we are happy about that. But now we have the chance to get away from all of this so we can really start to concentrate and focus on basketball."
Villanova is a big-time basketball program that has played in a lot of big games, including the NCAA Tournament. But what the Wildcats quickly found out is that reaching a Final Four pushes everything to an entirely different level. The excitement that is generated can become a detriment to being successful in the Final Four.
"We've talked about it, but I don't think any of us could imagine what it was going to be like until you go through it," Wright said. "I think we're starting to get a feel for that right now.
"And I think we're just ready to go. We're ready to get on the road."
People always talk about how it's important that teams enjoy the Final Four experience, but that is really the furthest thing from the players' minds.
"People who aren't playing in the Final Four really can't understand what the Final Four is," said guard Corey Fisher. "For us, we're just going out to play basketball. That's what we are here for.
"You're not going out there for any other reason than to compete. We've been doing that all season. That's where the enjoyment comes from."
Said Wright, who has done countless interviews since his team won the East Regional: "We need to get back to our normal routine. We don't normally come to practice every day and have a gym full of media waiting for us, or have students waiting outside or everybody on campus talking every day to us.
"It's just not normal here right now, so when we go on the road, we can control where the team is and who gets access to the team more. I think that is more of the routine."
As such, Wright is not likely to include an "enjoy-the-experience" aspect to his pregame preparations.
"Honestly, this is more of a business trip," Wright said. "You don't work all season to finally get to this point, and then go enjoy it.
"But you see, the players enjoy the game. They enjoy the practices. They enjoy the preparation.
"OK, I did say enjoy it, but what we enjoy is different probably than what the fans enjoy." *
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