Hubie White recalls Villanova's Elite 8 team of 1962

THE YEARS fall away easily for Hubie White when he talks about Villanova basketball.

Before long, the ageless 69-year-old morphs into the senior captain of the 'Nova team that came within one game of the NCAA Tournament's Final Four in 1962.

That was 23 years before Villanova shocked the nation with a national-championship victory over Georgetown. It was 47 years before the current team began its own NCAA journey, which continues with tomorrow night's Final Four game against North Carolina.

Some things were very different back then - gas, for example, was 31 cents a gallon.

Some things were very similar - a charismatic, energetic, president occupied the White House along with his beautiful wife and young children.

And some things were exactly the same - Villanova had an above-average basketball team that made some noise in the tournament.

The '62 Wildcats, who included Wali Jones, Jim McMonagle, Jim O'Brien and George Leftwich, were 21-7 under Jack Kraft. Only 25 teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament back then and 'Nova was among them.

White had 28 points and 10 rebounds in a first-round win over West Virginia and 31 points in a second-round victory over New York University. The very next day, Villanova lost to Wake Forest in the East Regional Final. White had 14 points and, while not making excuses, said the Wildcats may have fared a bit better if there were several days between games as there are today.

"We just ran out of gas," White said. "If we had a break, that would have helped us.

"Against NYU, we played against two of the best players in the region, Happy Hairston and Barry Kramer, both legitimate All-Americans. And we were hoping that St. Joe's beat Wake Forest [the Hawks lost, 96-85] because we had beaten them during the regular season. But Wake won, and they were just too much for us. They had guys 6-7, 6-8 and 6-9. Our biggest guys were 6-5 - O'Brien and McMonagle - and I was 6-3. After a while they just wore us down.

"Billy Packer was on that team. And Len Chappell, who was the best player I played against in the tournament."

Chappell finished with 22 points. Packer had 18. Wake Forest lost to Ohio State - led by Jerry Lucas - in the Final Four. And, the Buckeyes lost to Cincinnati in the national championship.

White, who starred at West Philadelphia High and lives in the city, was named to the all-tournament team along with Jones.

"I played good defense and I could rebound," White said. "I left the ballhandling to Wali."

White averaged more than 21 points as a junior and senior, and the school retired his No. 14 in 2001. He went on to play for the San Francisco Warriors (1962-63) and played one season on the very first Sixers team ('63-64). He also played two seasons in the ABA with Miami and Pittsburgh.

The bottom line is that he knows the game. Which is why his opinion about this year's Villanova team, although arguably biased, carries some weight.

"They are playing like a team," White said of coach Jay Wright's group. "They're very impressive. The way they attack every team is remarkable in itself. They're on a mission."

As for the outcome of tomorrow night's game?

"It'll be close, but I'll pick Villanova," White said. "I think if we play with the same intensity, we have a good shot. I think we'll beat them by four or five points." *