Sunshine State Hoops Classic

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

He was a 12-time All-Star, won a pair of NBA Championships, one Finals MVP in a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Pistons.

Isiah Thomas No.11 is retired at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He also owns an NCAA Championship with the Indiana Hoosiers and legendary Coach Bobby Knight.

But I wonder whether the guy, who has played on the biggest "Hoops Stages," could have felt more helpless as he did on Saturday Night, in Boca Raton, Florida at the FAU Arena.

Thomas was a victim of the old Yogi Berra adage that "It's not over until it's over" as his Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers lost to the FAU Owls 73-72. During this game, FIU led early by a 12-1 margin. The Golden Panthers led the entire contest except when it mattered the most. The end.

The outcome of the game was decided by pair of missed free throws by Phil Gary and FAU took the ball down the court on the fast break and won it with a layup by Brett Royster with 4.2 seconds left.

Basketball seems to be a simple game. You shoot the ball and put it in the basket. You rebound and play defense to create opportunities for the offense. A free throw is an uncontested shot that requires total concentration. Yet, over the years, the best players in both the college and pro levels miss free throws in key situations.

When the game was over, Thomas walked off the court slowly and dejected. During his post-game Press Conference, he told the media that his team has struggled at the free throw line and has trouble closing out games. His Golden Panthers are now 9-14 while FAU improved to 18-7.

Owls Coach Mike Jarvis earned his 400th career win in thrilling fashion as the sellout crowd of 2,961 stormed onto the court to celebrate.

I don't care how big the gym is whether it's 20,000 or 2,961, noise is noise!

As for Thomas, dressed in his suit, I'll bet on this night, he wished he had worn his No.11 jersey and shorts to make those last second free throws. A win in the Sun Belt Conference against an area rival would have been just as satisfying as an NBA game.

But the man has seen everything.

As I looked at his roster, Thomas hasn't forgotten his Pro Basketball Roots. Five of the 15 players are from Pistons Territory. He "Smiled" and said there will be more to come. There is a lot of basketball talent in Michigan.

It has to be an easy sell for a potential recruit that he's playing for his idol in a warm weather climate. These kids will have no problem investing into flip flops and sneakers while eliminating boots.

But whether anybody cares nationally about the FAU VS FIU Rivalry in any sport, these schools have high caliber coaches on the hard court with Thomas and Jarvis.

In Football, FAU won the Motor City Bowl a few years ago while FIU just won the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit this past December.

I can only hope that today's Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers provides as much excitement as Saturday Nights "Sunshine State Classic."

After the game, I told FAU Assistant Sports Information Director Justin Johnson to put me on the Credential List for the rematch in Miami on Saturday, February 19th. I have a feeling this will be another slug fest.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Great Memories With FIU's Isiah Thomas

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Whenever FAU and FIU meet in any sport, this is a nice intense rivalry between these two schools separated by an hour drive off the Florida Turnpike.

The Shula Bowl adds a nice ending to the football season while in baseball both universities have produced a lot of professional baseball prospects.

During the past two weeks, the basketball programs met and even though FAU defeated FIU both times, this series figures to get interesting in years to come.

On January 30, 2010, in Boca Raton, FIU Golden Panthers Coach Isiah Thomas made his first appearance in Palm Beach County.

For myself, it was an opportunity to be reunited with a guy that I worked with when I covered the Detroit Pistons for the Detroit Monitor during their Bad Boys era in the late 1980's and 1990's which won two NBA Championships.

Before the game, Thomas and I spent time talking about the good old days of how his team's defensive physical style of basketball changed how the game is being played today. We also talked about personalities like Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and the battles Detroit faced at the famed Boston Garden.

It was a great reunion for us and the crowds were much bigger than they were on this night. At the Palace of Auburn Hills, 21,454 fans jammed the building and the electricity was tremendous.

The FAU Arena was buzzing as well but the crowd was considerably smaller. FAU sold the game out as 2,916 turned out, in addition to filling the suites, media requests which increased the total to nearly 5,000.

Before the game, Thomas and I talked about the difference in the two arenas and we both agreed that basketball is basketball regardless of how big the building is.

On this night, FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos was gleaming because he knows that there aren't many occasions that an opposing coach will sign autograph posters to frame and exhibit in his athletic department.

Naturally, he was pleased with the attendance to watch an opposing coach who also won an NCAA National Championship at Indiana in 1981 for the legendary Bobby Knight.

As for the game, FAU won round one 106-88 and judging by the way the Golden Panthers were playing, I got the feeling that Thomas, the Hall of Fame point guard, was going to go to the FIU locker room and put on his No. 11 jersey to show his team how things needed to be done.

Oh well, it was nice to dream!

But it was evident that Thomas was out coached by FAU's high profile coach Mike Jarvis. Last year, Jarvis had to experience a difficult first season as the Owls finished the campaign 6-26.

While FAU has turned things around this season with a 14-13, 10-6 record and is 2-0 against Thomas, with the most recent win occurring in Miami on February 18, 77-74, despite Isiah's 7-22, 4-12 record, this rivalry figures to get better as both teams recruit better players.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Jarvis have found fresh starts in South Florida after their departures from New York.

Jarvis was fired by St. Johns University on December 19, 2003 due in part to a series of off-court incidents.

Thomas had an unsuccessful tenure with the New York Knicks from 2003-2009 as an executive and head coach.

Both have traded the limelight & subways for the sunshine to begin their challenges of turning mid major schools into regular NCAA Tournament participants. They've earned all of their millions and are now in the "Been There And Done That Club."

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be read at www.scottsports33.com.