“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”  ~John F. Kennedy

“Be the Match, they fund me to the tune of about half-a-million per year,” Talley noted. “My 32 teams, if you multiply 8,500 people by $100 [the cost of each test], that’s over half a million dollars [ed. note: it is a bit of an understatement to call that “about half-a-million.”]. Be The Match funded all that.

“I’m their biggest guy in terms of getting bone marrow testing done.  Nobody does more than me and that’s how I want it. I could take it across the country, but the problem is that they don’t have the money to support me. They held me at 32 teams.”

Talley's program now extends across 32 campuses

Talley’s marrow drives had been able to operate for years with just the backing of the marrow registry. He recruited coaches at other schools to join the effort, which is particularly effective because college students who register can stay on the registry for the next 40 years.

The only thing that has held Talley’s Get In The Game program back has been the cost of testing. The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation is designed to help with the program that tests thousands every year.

“They can pull out anytime and say, ‘funding has dried up we can’t do it anymore,’ so I want to make sure that it’s always being done at Villanova every year,” the coach said.

The foundation supports the Get In the Game program, as well as other bone marrow-related causes. Last year they sent a $2,500 check to a Pennsylvania woman who had to move to Seattle for a marrow transplant and treatment. The check will go toward covering her and her husband’s expenses. They have also supported other marrow drive efforts.

“One of our former players, Greg Bishop, he was a linebacker, he works for Cintas and he had a Bone Marrow drive at his plant. So we gave him some money to assist in that as well.”

The Foundation undertakes fundraising efforts, headlined by the spring “Bash,” to be held for the second time on March 3rd at Villanova. The Bash is a casual night of dinner and dancing that  also features a raffle and silent auction to help raise money.

“The Bash is a good way to help those three pieces of the deal that we do,” Talley said.

“It’s just a fun event, and it’s a fundraising event as well with a silent auction. Ours is fun. Its not business casual, just party-casual I guess; no ties. Last year we had 350 people, Brian Westbrook was there, it was our first year and we were really excited about it.”

It says a lot about the program that former players like Bishop and Westbrook have stayed involved. Especially because Talley hopes to have the program continue well beyond his tenure. Building a tradition and infrastructure to support the program is important.

“I just started my Bone Marrow foundation in the last year because, you know, I figured, when I go and I’m not here anymore, that there will be enough money for someone at Villanova –hopefully the football coach – to carry on that mission because it will become part of the fabric of what we do at Villanova.”

“I want to make sure that it goes on beyond me.”

Talley is proud of where his program has gone and he knows that he is doing important work when he is away from the football field.

“Right now we’re doing good stuff, helping people who need transplants, helping people who want to run their own bone marrow drive, and also encouraging colleges to be involved with us in the future.

“We’ve saved a lot of lives, no question. I think we’ve tested over 20,000 people in the last three years.”

URI lineman Matt Greenhalgh donating marrow.

The Get In the Game program has produced multiple donations, not just Matt Szczur. Two players from Penn donated marrow recently, Delaware had a player who gave marrow this year, West Chester University had three players who donated and players from Ursinus, Virginia and Rowan have all helped save someone’s life. Publicly, we only know about the athletes who donate because privacy laws prevent the foundation from obtaining information about other donors.

“God knows how many lives we’ve saved, because you know, people who come to our testing – we tested over 700 people last year at the Connolly Center in the spring — unless any of our actual players are called, I don’t know, there could be some students at Villanova. . .”

This Christmas give the gift of life.

For more information on the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, check out www.TalleyBoneMarrow.org. Donations to the foundation are accepted year-round. Talley also hopes to have VUhoops readers attend his Bash on March 3, 2012.

If you are healthy and between the ages of 18 and 60, please consider signing up to join the marrow registry. The process of registering is quick and easy.

]]> http://vuhoops.com/2011/12/24/giving-a-gift-of-life-on-christmas/feed/ 3 http://vuhoops.com/2011/04/24/happy-easter/ http://vuhoops.com/2011/04/24/happy-easter/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:48:49 +0000 Ed '77 http://vuhoops.com/?p=15907

YOUR FAB FIVE – THE NATION’S #2 RECRUITING CLASS IN 2009

Happy Easter from VUHoops’ Mike, Brian, Kevin and Ed’77

The interview took place before tip-off of the Villanova/Rutgers game, and I am sure Rece would love the opportunity to redact all of the nice things he said about ‘Nova. Well, too late, Mr. Davis: no backsies.

1. You have been doing CGD from the start. How has the show changed? Has it  grown?

I think that it’s gained a lot of traction with fans. I mean, it’s been incredibly well received wherever we go to different venues, you know. Kentucky sort of blew it out in true Kentucky fashion, putting nearly 23,000 in the seats for the morning show. I think they estimated about half of the people didn’t even have a ticket to the game. That’s a pretty amazing thing, very gratifying, you know. Kansas State turned out with a huge crowd last year, Kansas this year . . .  you know we’ve got great crowds at places we’ve gone, it’s very gratifying to see the people enjoy the show and want to come out and be a part of it.

I think that’s the biggest change we’ve seen. The response we get has really grown the last few years.

2. How difficult is it to do a GameDay broadcast? You start early in the morning and don’t finish until late, is there time for a nap?

You know what, I’ve been doing this show for seven years and last Saturday was the first time I’ve ever taken a nap. It was a long week, I’d done a 10-hour recruiting show . . .

Our usual routine is that you’ll try to sneak in a workout, you’ll try to go grab some lunch and watch a game, some guys like to go to the hotel . . . I usually wind up going to our bus every week and watching games there, to try and get  and get ready for the night show. It’s great to relax there too, it’s easy, you get to chill out a little bit.

You know, it is a long day, but it’s a labor of love, it’s a lot of fun.

3. Home teams have a winning record the last few years on College GameDay – is that just a function of normal home court advantage, or do you think the show affects the game?

I think it’s more the home court advantage – the teams that have the best home court advantage usually have the best teams. That’s not to say they can’t draw some energy from it. I felt like, I know that Michigan State has been struggling and Purdue would have played well anyway, but I thought that the Purdue fans a few weeks ago, really embraced having gameday, the players came out in the morning and they were a part of it…

So, I think all of those things can factor into having the right emotional edge, but when everything is decided, the guys on the court play the game, it’s not us. You know, we’re there to celebrate the atmosphere, not necessarily to effect it.

I wouldn’t suggest in any way, shape, form or fashion that we’ve ever had an impact on how a game came out. I think at times, if guys don’t handle it properly, having that much hoopla around one particular game can be a distraction. I think that most of the team’s that we’ve seen have dealt with it well, have played well, and their crowds have ended up enjoying the day rather than creating a distraction or anything like that.

4. Villanova has a relatively small on-campus arena compared to other notable basketball schools. Is that better or worse for a GameDay broadcast?

I wouldn’t say better or worse . . . it’s going to be unique and I think it’s going to be fun and loud. I said on our website last week, I’ve been wanting to come to Philadelphia for a number of years. Every year at the end of the season they ask where I’d like to take the show, and every year I say, “lets go to one of the Philly schools.”

I will admit that my suggestion has always been to do a day/night double-header at the Palestra. But I’m thrilled that we’re going to the Pavilion . . . I don’t know what all it took to make sure that game was scheduled for an on-campus thing for Villanova.

I think it’ll be a great venue for it, and I hope that the students are excited about the morning show and the game itself and we can have a great, intimate venue. One of the things that separates college basketball, from pro-sports is the proximity, in most cases, of the fans to the action, and when you get into the smaller, on-campus arenas, whether it’s a place like the Pavilion – which I am going to for the first time – or if you go to Cameron Indoor, or some other of the smaller places like that, it’s great. It almost feels like you take a little step back into the history of the game, and the fans are right on top of you, and it’s loud, and boisterous and we are looking forward to it. I think it will be a great venue for the morning show particularly.

For what it’s worth, I think ESPN is about the only way we could bring back a double-header at the Palestra.

[laughs] I’ve pushed for it! I wanted one at 12:00 and one at 8:00.

5. We saw the video where you expressed your excitement about doing the show in Philadelphia. You aren’t from Philly, so how did you get so excited about the Big 5?

You know, I just appreciate the history of the game and I understand how important basketball is to the fabric of the culture of Philadelphia. I have no connection whatsoever to Philly, other than, when I was a kid, I was a 76ers fan – loved Dr. J, hated Larry Bird. The Sixers were my team, you know, Doug Collins, Henry Bibby, World B. Free and George McGinnis and all those guys.

And like any basketball fan, you have a great appreciation for what Villanova did in 1985, and what John Chaney has meant to the game and what Phil Martelli at St. Joes has been able to accomplish over the years. All of those things are part of the history and the fabric of the game, so many great players have played there or come from there, that it’s a place we should go. We’re very excited about being there for the first time.

6. Villanova and Pitt were both picked to be at the top of the Big East in the preseason poll and both have been mentioned as Final Four contenders. Do you have either team in your Final Four?

I think it’s an exercise in futility to do one right now, simply because of the nature of this season and waiting for teams to take control.

But right now, I would say I think that both are contenders for the Final Four, and based on how match-ups would be, I think that I would probably have Pittsburgh as a Final Four team right now. I really like the chemistry with which they’ve played most of the season. I think they’re very resolute, dedicated to their system on defense, they don’t waver from it no matter what, and I think that will make them very tough to beat in March.

Now, the downside, is while they’re good offensively, I don’t think they have quite the offensive capabilities of a team like Villanova, that can, you know, shoot you through a bad night otherwise. You know, maybe things aren’t going well, but I don’t think they have those couple of guys who can just light things up and carry the team offensively, the way Villanova does.

I think Villanova is a contender too, but I really like the chemistry that Pittsburgh has shown us up to this point in the season.

7. For the first time in a while, Jay Wright has been starting three forwards. Do you think that the move to a bigger lineup is a good idea for a program that has been guard-oriented for so long?

Look, I’m going to tell you something, I think that Jay Wright is one of the elite coaches in the country and if he thinks that’s the best move for Villanova, I’m right there with it.

I think the guy has done a phenomenal job. He’s always been able to adjust, his teams are always tough-minded, and I think it just creates a different set of problems for teams that play them. It gives them a little bit different look from what they’re accustomed to seeing and you still have plenty of guys who can score from the perimeter. You know, I think there might be a school of thought that in some ways it helps Wayns a lot.

So I think that, I’m not going to be the guy who sits there in my broadcast chair and second-guesses a coach of his caliber.

8. Is the match-up between Pitt and Villanova diminished at all by Ashton Gibbs’ injury?

No, I think it’s still going to be a great game. I mean, Pittsburgh played very well earlier this week without Ashton. Obviously, he’s an important part of their team, but I still think they have an outstanding club and they have other guys who can score for them. I mean, they have to have other guys pick up the slack offensively when he’s not there, but I don’t think it diminishes the match-up at all.

9. What one-on-one player match-up are you most interested in seeing this weekend?

I think I’d like big Gary McGhee get inside and bang around with Yarou and some of the big fellas in there. I think that’ll be something interesting to see. Everybody always says the guards, but let’s pay attention to the big fellas every now and then too.

10. Every year people talk about how the Big East is the toughest conference. Is it?

I don’t think there is any question. It doesn’t mean I think they’ll win the National Championship, but they’ve got . . . you know, no other conference can go eleven or twelve deep the way the Big East can. There’s no comparison in my estimation.

11. With Jay Wright and Rick Pitino, is it the best-dressed conference? Or does Bob Huggins take away from that?

[laughs] It depends on whether you’re looking for lounge-wear or actual fine dress. I think I would name Jay, probably the best-dressed coach in college basketball, and I would name Huggy the most comfortable.

12. Villanova is mulling over Big East football. If they make the move, what are the chances of football GameDay at Villanova? Are they better or worse than Washington State?

[laughs]  Just get that flag. You need a Villanova flag and follow GameDay around every week like Wazzu’s done and then maybe you can make your pitch to try and get it there.

• Villanova holds steady at the #7 spot in both polls
• Corey Fisher was named Big 5 Player of the Week
• Fisher was also named to the Big East Honor Roll
• Villanova Football finished #3 in the Final Poll of the 2010 FCS Season

Of course, a highly rated defense doesn’t guarantee a Final Four — the ‘Cats were ranked 4th in 2005 and 17th in 2006 and fell short both times (though, you could argue that travel call in 2005).

That said, the Villanova defense has been hovering in the 20s all season so-far, occasionally dipping below 25th. The rankings change daily, because even if Villanova doesn’t play, their rating is affected by the stats compiled by other Division I schools.

To the point: Last night’s win over Monmouth caused a massive jump on KenPom, from 23rd or so to 11th, this morning for defensive efficiency. The ‘Cats still have room to grow on offense, but the defensive efficiency has been strong. It is a tempo-free statistic that is based on the effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, offensive rebounding percentage and free throw rate of team opponents.

KenPom.com ranks Villanova 13th as of today.

You may argue that Villanova achieved it’s lofty defensive rating by playing a weak opponent — and you wouldn’t be wrong — but this early in the season, almost all of the programs that the Wildcats are being ranked against are also playing soft opponents. Kansas opened the season against Longwood (rated 327th), Baylor has played both Grambling (339th) and San Diego (303rd), and almost every school in the top-10 for defensive efficiency currently has at least a few dogs on their schedule.

Monmouth also isn’t the lowest-ranked opponent that Villanova has faced so far, KenPom rates Monmouth 301st overall and Marist 320th.

While it is still very early and anything can change, these ratings can be used to determine how the team is developing and progressing in an objective manner. If the defensive efficiency stays at this level, or even improves, Villanova will be in excellent shape going forward.

Of key concern for me now, is offensive efficiency, which has been getting worse and worse as November and December progressed. Currently sitting at 34th in the country, the ‘Cats will need some help from the offense to be able to knock off some of the more offensively skilled teams in the Big East and the NCAA tournament.

In 2009, the Wildcats’ offense was ranked 22nd at the end of the season (defense 15th) and went to the Final Four. A similarly effective offense is likely the minimum they would need to return to those lofty heights this season.

With eight days off for the Holidays, Jay Wright and his team will hopefully spend at least a little bit of time figuring out how they will attack the 9th-rated Temple defense. While they will be statistically favored to defeat the Owls, facing a top-10 defense with an offense that is not firing on all cylinders just yet, seems like a recipe for an upset.

To celebrate our 25,000th comment VU Hoops is giving away a pair of tickets to the Villanova vs. Delaware men’s basketball game on December 18th.

All you have to do is…

1) LOG IN to VUhoops.com via Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, FriendFeed, or Blogger (see below)

2) Leave a Comment in this thread. Anything. Type something nice, always remember lady Karma…

To Login all you have to do is click on the face or the From drop down box, select the social media site, and log in. [Detailed Instructions]

That’s it!

Here’s some of the fine print – PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

• The winner will receive a pair of tickets to the Villanova vs. Delaware Men’s Basketball game on December 18, 2010
• 1 entry per social media account. For example, if you have a Twitter and Facebook account and place a comment from each, you are entered twice.
• You must be at least 18 years old to win.
• The winner will be announced on VUhoops.com, the VU Hoops Facebook page, and @VUhoops Twitter accounts, on December 12, 2010.
• This contest is void where prohibited by law. The contest is open to anyone, world wide as long as you live in a country where contests such as this one are legal. If you live in Quebec, Canada for instance, you may not participate since contests like this one are illegal there without payment of a bond. It’s your responsibility to ensure that contests like this one are not prohibited by your local law.
• To determine the winner, we will check the thread and all comments. We’ll assign all commenters a number, then throw all of the numbers at a random number generator and pick a winner.
• The winner will be contacted via email or social media.
• The winner must provide their mailing address by December13th to ensure delivery by the USPS.

If any part of this makes you uncomfortable, or if you don’t like the fact that we do these giveaways, please don’t participate.

Thanks for your support.
The VUhoops.com Team

Ed brought to my attention that VUHoops recently passed a very significant milestone.

With the words “I was about to comment on yet another guy less than 6’7,″ but after the shooting I saw last weekend [against Tennessee], we can use a swingman who can make a shot…,” in the Savon Goodman Pending Verbal article,  ChillCat recorded the 25,000th reader comment in the history of VUhoops.com.

While the casual reader might believe that VUHoops takes on the personality of its editorial staff, it’s actually the thoughtful perspective of our loyal readers that defines us. VUHoops has grown into a large family of ‘Nova basketball fans united by a shared passion for everything that is ‘Nova basketball, AND Villanova University. We’ve exchanged insights and constructive criticisms that have enhanced our experience as Villanova basketball fans. Together, we have celebrated our victories and lamented our defeats. We have done it with class, a positive outlook and the deepest respect for our coaches, players and one another.

Every reader brings something unique to the VUHoops experience.

Some of you add levity to the serious business of ‘Nova basketball. Who did not laugh out loud a couple of months back when Bosshoghazard suggested that any new Villanova football venue include “a BCS busting, in-your-face-Barney-Rubble, Environmentally Friendly, All Pipes go to SJU, Center for bowel relief, porcelain pristineness, no-hands-undefeated flush-center”?  Who has not been blown away by the breadth and depth of Barney Rubble’s research?  Who has not learned about the richness of the Villanova basketball tradition from the unique perspectives shared by our more seasoned readers, including Nervous Nelly and Old Timer (the original and #2)? Who has not been energized by the boundless optimism our student readers. It is little wonder that VUHoops has become the special place we visit each day with such great anticipation.

On behalf of Ed’77, Brian and Kevin, I thank each and every one of our loyal VUHoops readers for their contributions to our collective dialog over the years and look forward to continuing our journey together in pursuit of our next Villanova national championship.

Post Script – The History of VUHoops: On the occasion of this significant milestone, we felt it was appropriate to take a look back at the brief history of VUHoops so you can better appreciate the institution that you helped build. It all began on November 6, 2007 when Mike launched the site with the humble ambition of serving as an aggregator of ‘Nova basketball news. The first reader comment was posted a month later by an anonymous reader from Seattle, with these simple words written on the eve of the Cat’s game against Temple: “No more thrills please, let’s just have a good old fashioned ‘BLOWOUT.’

However, the watershed event for VUHoops came on June 15, 2008 with the post, “Terrell Vinson Inches Closer to ‘Nova.” That post inspired three comments, including the first comment by Ed’77. From there things truly took off.

Here are a few of our more memorable milestones, including the posts that generated the most reader comments over the past 30 months:

• July 23, 2008: “Guess the Date of the Georgetown Game” contest drew 23 comments from readers hoping to win a Villanova t-shirt
• August 28, 2008: “Mouphtaou Yarou Commits to Villanova” attracted 11 comments (an incredible development given that no Villanova t-shirt was at stake!)
• December 12, 2008: “Dominic Cheek to Announce Friday” garnered a record 142 comments, including the first post by Bosshoghazzard
• February 8, 2009: Ed’77 joins VUHoops staff with an initial post “Marquette Game Preview” inspiring 24 reader comments
• August 21, 2009: Brian joins VUHoops staff with an initial post of “Mr. Foye Goes to Washington” greeted by 5 reader comments
• November 27, 2009: “Closest to the Pin Round 2” attracted 105 reader comments
• December 26, 2009: “Reader Poll: Should Nova Jump to Big East Football? and the companion article, “GPrazl’s Argument for Joining the Big East Football Conference” inspired 572 votes and 141 reader comments, including the first posts by Barney Rubble ’87
• January 23, 2010: “Scottie Leads ‘Nova in Win over St. John’s” drew 116 comments
• February 2, 2010: “Villanova vs. West Virginia Game Discussion” attracted 120 comments
• February 21, 2010: “Villanova vs. Pitt Discussion Thread” pulled in 134 comments
• March 6, 2010: “West Virginia vs. Villanova Discussion” garnered 139 comments
• March 11, 2010: “Marquette Downs ‘Nova in BIG EAST Tourney” attracted a new record 160 comments
• March 18, 2010: “Villanova Slides by Robert Morris” drew a new record 162 comments
• March 20, 2010: “Villanova vs. St. Mary’s Discussion” attracted the all-time record 260 comments
• April 14, 2010: “Michael Gilchrist Selects Kentucky” drew 138 comments
• September 10, 2010: “Football Officially Invited to Big East” inspired 103 comments
• October 25, 2010: “Ryan Arcidiacono Keeps It In the Family” attracted 111 comments
• November 8, 2010: “JayVaughn in Trouble” drew 197 comments
• November 10, 2010: Closest to the Pin Contest Round 1: Bucknell garnered 198 comments
• November 17, 2010: Kevin joined editorial staff with  “The Morning After: Marist,” which attracted 56 comments

Cheers to the next 25,000 and a couple of National Championships along the way!