Playing basketball in Madison Square Garden. Watching Dora the Explorer float by Broadway. Eating at Tavern on the Green. Waking up to the Empire State Building. It’s all part of “college basketball’s beginning” in the world’s greatest city each Thanksgiving when the NIT Season Tip-Off brings four finalists to the Big Apple…
Tuesday, November 20
11 a.m. It’s raining in New York, so street vendors are hawking umbrellas to soggy pedestrians, promising the luxury of dry hair in exchange for a couple of bucks. The walk from Penn Station to the Marriott Marquis is 12 blocks due north, but the storm clouds have forced our hand – it’s a train ride up to Times Square.
11:15 a.m. Umbrellas are great, but windshield washers for eyeglasses would be better. After a quick stop in the bathroom, we’re ready to start our week of fun with the NIT Season Tip-Off. The NCAA purchased the NIT in 2005 and since then, both the preseason and postseason entities have seen a variety of changes. This afternoon, the festivities begin as select players and coaches from Syracuse, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Washington join the media at a luncheon to answer questions about the tournament, the upcoming season and Thanksgiving in the Big Apple. The student-athletes may not realize it, but legends like C.M. Newton, Don DeVoe and Rudy Davalos are in the room. The coaches who make up the Selection Committee share war stories in the back, aware that they have played a role in providing the next generation with memories of a lifetime. “This is the one tournament that is an experience for student-athletes they’ll never forget,” Newton said. “We bring in four teams into this city where you can watch the Macy’s ThanksgivingDay Parade, yet play in a prestigious basketball event. It’s built around the student-athletes.”
2 p.m. Press conferences are over, and the four teams disperse throughout the city for practice. Syracuse treks 14 blocks north and three west to get to John Jay College, a Division III institution that specializes in criminal justice and law. The learning at this particular practice isn’t limited to the X’s and O’s disseminated by coach Jim Boeheim, as the diversity of intercollegiate athletics is front and center for all those in the gymnasium. Syracuse normally plays its home games in front of 30,000 fans, but on this day, the Orange share a 1,000-seat facility with the John Jay women’s basketball team. When discussing the New York experience, this has to be part of it. “The NIT has always taken good care of the players. You get two great games, but you also get a nice stay in New York City,” Boeheim said.
4:30 p.m. Syracuse wraps up practice and coach Boeheim and his staff herd the troops onto the charter bus for a quick ride back to the hotel before heading to a banquet at the famed Tavern on the Green. What quick ride? City traffic rears its ugly head and the Orange return to the hotel at 5:27, nearly a half-hour late for the function. Some players rap aloud on the bus, others stare out the windows as we head downtown.
The NIT Season Tip-Off is more than just the games. Representatives from the semifinal teams gather at Tavern on the Green. (Photos by Jaye Centor)
6 p.m. At its core, the NIT is about basketball, but the tip-off tournament is also about New York City. The four teams and select guests gather for one of the best meals of their lives at Tavern on the Green. Chandeliers hang from every part of the ceiling as we dine in the middle of Central Park. Newton reminds the players that they will never forget this week.
Wednesday, November 21
Teams from Ohio State, Syracuse, Texas A&M and Washington composed the field for the final rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.
6:30 p.m. They say the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the biggest party night of the year, but thousands forgo the libations served in Manhattan bars and instead spend the evening in the alcohol-free confines of Madison Square Garden. Each of the teams has won two games at campus sites to get to the Garden, and they are looking forward to winning two more. The action starts at 7 and doesn’t slow down until nearly midnight. Texas A&M beats Washington, 77-63, and Ohio State knocks off Syracuse, 79-65.
Thursday, November 22
9 a.m. The late game between Ohio State and Syracuse ended just before midnight, so the early wake-up call for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade isn’t welcome by all. Much of the Texas A&M team is huddled by windows on the ninth floor of the Marriott Marquis, watching Dora the Explorer and Scooby-Doo float by. Syracuse reserve Ryan Cahak did wake up for the historic parade after the team’s late loss to the Buckeyes. “I always watch it on television, so I thought I’d watch it in person,” Cahak said. “The amount of people and the whole parade experience was amazing.”
Friday, November 23
4:30 p.m. One of the changes instituted since the NCAA purchased the NIT was the starting time for Friday’s third-place and championship games. The early contest begins at 4:30, so fans are late arriving. By the start of the championship game between Texas A&M and Ohio State, thousands are in the arena.
9 p.m. Texas A&M wins the preseason tournament going away, beating Ohio State, 70-47, in the championship game. The Aggies are the victors on the court, but all four programs got a taste of turkey in New York City, something most of their 380,000 student-athlete counterparts will never get to experience.
Saturday, November 24
Noon Turkey has been eaten, sights have been seen and the college basketball season is officially underway. The four teams have left the Big Apple and are headed home, eager to use their November experiences to propel them toward greatness come March. Sure, the 80 minutes of basketball each team played in Madison Square Garden were important, but it’s a Thanksgiving week in New York that none of the student-athletes will ever forget.