The calendar turning from February to March stirs up excitement in every sports fan, because even if you don’t follow college basketball all year (Note: please do watch college basketball all year), there’s something special about witnessing March Madness every year. Sixty-eight college basketball teams duke it out in a single-elimination tournament that is, objectively, not always great at determining a champion while simultaneously being, objectively, the most fun thing in sports.
Before we get to the NCAA Tournament, though, college basketball’s 32 conferences have to determine champions. Conference tournaments kicked off last week, and while those were largely the always-entertaining mid-major conference tournaments, the high-majors got things underway this week.
Even among the lofty standard set by the sport’s other 31 conferences, there’s something extra special about the Big East descending on New York City every March and battling it out at Madison Square Garden. While the conference has gone through more turmoil than perhaps any other in the sport, seeing a number of the teams join and leave the conference, the gravity of the Big East Tournament is unmatched.
For years, Bill Raftery has been a part of the Big East, first as a coach at Seton Hall, then from his seat in the broadcast booth. This year, Raftery will be there once again, providing analysis and praising the players who display admirable “onions” for FS1 and Fox. He might not be as integral to the festivities as Madison Square Garden, but it’s awfully hard to imagine watching a Big East Tournament without Bill Raftery kicking games off and letting us know when a team is coming out in MANTOMAN.
To get prepared for this year’s go around, which kicks off with the 8-9 game between Butler and Providence on Wednesday at 7 p.m., we spoke to Raftery about the history of the Big East Tournament and some of his favorite moments from over the years.
Dime: My first question is, and this is a very broad one, but what is it about the Big East Tournament that makes it so special?
Bill Raftery: From its birth, or its inception, it’s always had this, I guess, mystique brought on by the Garden, the competitiveness. In the early days the first names of the players, the coaches, everybody was John, Rollie, Chris, etcetera, Pearl, Walter. You know the new recreation I guess you call it has … the idea of playing twice and that ended up maybe a third time in the tournament, it’s created some built in rivalries.
Now, some are geographical, but some started to creep up on people — Villanova and Marquette would be a good example. St John’s and Villanova, you know. St John’s and Seton Hall, just to name a few of them. And I think that the cherry on top is the Garden. Any NBA guy you talk to, or generally speaking, “what’s your favorite building in the NBA,” and they invariably say can’t wait to play at The Garden. I think that sort of adds to the total package.
The thing that I find so interesting is that as everything is changing in the world of sports, and especially in the world of college basketball, the Big East Tournament seems really happy to kind of stay true to itself, and stay true to its past and how rich and tradition filled it is. Is that something you’d agree with?
Yeah, I think there’s a pride and while each conference has changed, they’ve invested in basketball. When I say invested I’m not talking about money, it’s just belief and philosophy. They built up some fan base that’s … you know they love this tradition, although it’s not one that’s been built for centuries. It’s captivating. Villanova winning [the NCAA Tournament] the last couple years sorta let people know that these teams are pretty good, more than pretty good, obviously, but they’re viable, they’re competitive. This particular year, maybe because they’re so young, they didn’t have as many credentials as the previous year. They’ll be back next year in terms of impressing this NET, or the committee. So, they get back to having five or six teams in the tournament. I don’t think that’s going to happen this year. It’s in the Big East, but of course the Big Ten is gonna whack it real good. You know?
For sure. And, the other thing that I think makes it so special, I mean, you’re a Jersey guy, I’m a Jersey guy, but you could be from Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City, Missouri, Los Angeles, and the fact that it’s at Madison Square Garden, I think adds so much to it. What is it about Madison Square Garden in New York that makes it the Mecca?
It’s tradition. It’s been a place that’s alive and it’s built … it’s really a stage, in a sense, the way the lighting is, and the background is dark. The kids tend to play their best in those kind of circumstances.
Teams overachieve on occasion, which makes the Big East Tournament this year as wild as ever because once you get past Villanova and Marquette, you know, the middle of the road they’re all hovering around .500, 7 and 8 (conference wins). That kind of thing so it’s just, you can forget you’re whole year, and you can really resurrect your whole program in three days or four days, whichever. I think it’s just such a meaningful experience for kids. It’s a lifetime experience.
It’s so fascinating to me how it’s managed to keep this clout and keep this sense of being important despite all the turmoil that the Big East has gone through. Losing seven teams, or whatever, how many years ago. How is it managed in your estimation to do that?
That’s the basic concept is, it’s basketball. The teachers don’t like to hear this, but it’s a basketball conference. There’s pride in that, some rich traditions and people who just believe in their program and want it to do well and excel. I think, like anything, it starts at the top. All those other years it was Dave [Gavitt] and Mike [Aresco], and now its Val [Ackerman].
They believe in that rich tradition too. They’re always trying to better themselves and make sure the team’s schedule is representative of, you know, across the country, how competitive the conference is. Then again, you’re attracting really good players, and that’s just how young this conference is. Yet, they’ve been competitive. They just, I guess it dictates the belief is the existence of we want to be viable and we really want to support our basketball program.
It kinda goes hand in hand with that. I know Villanova has a football team. I think Georgetown has a football team, but this isn’t a football conference, so like you said, the lack of football, I would imagine, feeds into that, no?
The football … the other football programs are a Division II or III, I think at best. They play on campus and they’re not fighting to play Alabama, you know what I mean? I just think it’s just a cooperative effort to be as good as you can be and improve your program, and add to what’s a new tradition.
Looking back on the years, what do you think are kinda the moments and the players that you think best define the Big East Tournament?
Well, those names earlier, no question about it, you know, we mentioned Patrick [Ewing] and that crowd, and Chris [Mullin]. I think that gave it its foundation. The names of those incredible Hall of Fame coaches: [Rick] Pitino, Rollie [Massimino], [Jim] Boeheim. All of those guys gave it a belief, I think that continued. The names now are a little bit different obviously, but Villanova getting four kids to the NBA and Big Mac, Creighton really gave it a great push forward the first year in the league, is son playing so well.
I think it just continues. Different names stepping up at different times. The Ray Allens and Pearl Washingtons of the world, I think some of those kids we’ll see. They’ll be different names, obviously, but I think we’ll see kids making those kind of plays. The big thing, too, is the league has had a lot of guys stay four years and I think that’s really helped it too. So people can connect. Villanova lost a couple kids as undergrads, but that has not been a consistent thing in the conference. So people can relate.
Absolutely, and I imagine that when you’re a kid and you’re participating in it and you get the opportunity to get those comparisons to a Patrick Ewing or Chris Mullin or Alonzo Mourning or, you know, who else? Kemba Walker.
[Dikembe] Mutombo.
Yeah.
Kemba Walker is a good one too.
All these names, it just adds to the mystique, so to speak, that it kind of goes beyond just playing basketball for however many days in early March.
Yeah, there’s a connection. We had a kid years ago, Danny Callandrillo, Big East Player of the Year when I was at Seton Hall. I didn’t have him his senior year, but people still talk to me about him. It’s like crazy, you know, their memories are, and the connection that these kids have made with them.
I’m going to put you on the spot on this one. I’m gonna ask what’s that one game that you think best defines the Big East Tournament? Whether it’s one of those old knock-down, drag-out fights with St. John’s and Georgetown. Or that six overtime game, or Kemba Walker doing Kemba Walker stuff?
I think Sean [McDonough], Jay [Bilas], and I, we think the greatest moment was the six overtime. The Ray Allen layup, or a block here or there on Parone. There’s so many great moments, but to us, that was just an extraordinary evening that I don’t think will ever be surpassed, at least for me. Altogether, well the thing is, we’re not together anymore, but to me, that was the one thing. Two Hall of Fame Coaches and kids playing their butts off well into the morning. Nobody wanted to leave, I know we didn’t.
What was the following day … when you were meeting up with Boeheim, you were meeting up with Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris. Do you remember just them having this exasperated look on their face for what they did the day before?
No, I think it was a lot of pride being able to sustain it for both teams. You know, nothing really jumps out. Maybe the pride and the accomplishment for the winner, but I don’t think it was one of those … I’m sure they were exhausted. In retrospect, but other than that, that’s about it.
When you’re in production meetings with the Chris Mullins and the Patrick Ewings or you’re talking to coaching friends, and you’re talking to players, stuff like that. How frequently does kinda this old Big East come up, and what is it about that old Big E that you think draws these such powerful emotions from people?
I don’t think anything comes up, but there are memories. It’s the characters or specific players, but now it’s a different time and different place, and I think these guys are willing and able to resurrect those great memories and, or reflect on them.
Last question are you a predictions guy, or do you try and stay away from those?
Nah, I have no idea. My kids stopped asking me years ago to help them with their bracket. Useless, you know? [laughs]
Yeah, but it’s going to be a great one.
I hope so.
