In November of 1990, Frank Beamer, in his fourth year, chalked up one of the first of his many signature victories by knocking off Virginia in front of a raucous Lane Stadium crowd and ESPN cameras. A little over 12 years later, a different Tech team has accomplished the same in Cassell Coliseum.

Frank had inherited a destitute Tech team and was struggling to compete with a limited budget, and had his program hovering around the .500 mark when he smashed the Hoos. The same can be said of Ricky Stokes. There are differences, to be sure: that 1990 Hoo football team had been ranked number one in the country, a fraudulent ranking, but nevertheless a team that was considered the real deal, while this is a flawed Hoo basketball team that looks to have left its season on Coach K Court following a tough loss to Duke. The results were the same, however, and one can�t help but wonder if this will be the start of something big.

It was a huge win for Stokes� embattled program, coming on the heels of the Providence pasting and demonstrating that Tech might finally be learning how to win. It also is the latest in a series of wins over the Hoos in an athletic year that has Tech playing SS Panzer Division to the Hoos� fleeing French villagers ("The Boche are coming"). How big this turns out to be in the overall scheme of things remains to be seen, but it is a victory that Ricky and the team can justifiably savor.

Ricky Stokes devised a terrific game plan that neutralized the Hoo strengths and played to Tech�s athleticism, and for once, Stokes saw his players actually carry it out. Hoo center Travis Watson, a Big East-type physical player who has been able to muscle his way around the finesse-oriented ACC to all-conference status, and who a week earlier had schooled the Duke freshman big men, found the going in the lane a little tougher against the equally-imposing Terry Taylor. The Hoos� second offensive option, Rutgers escapee Todd Billett, found himself abused by Carlos Dixon on both ends of the floor like a wingless fly in the hands of a young boy.

On defense, Gillen simply had no answer for Tech�s Bryant Matthews, who is improving by the leaps and bounds he showed the Hoo defense time and again. This Hoo team lacks the versatility to successfully adapt when both Watson and Billett are limited contributors, and the question became: whether Tech three-point gunners could drop enough shots; the team had the confidence, poise and maturity to close a tough game that they did not display at Villanova or UConn; Gillen�s usual habit of tossing away his times-out early in the game would bite him in the end when he did not have them to settle a rattled team; could Tech foul shooting that can charitably be described as mediocre hold the Hoos at bay; and would the Hoos mail in the game when Watson fouled out? The answers were yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

The win was notable also in that it was played in front of a recent Cassell rarity, a large and enthusiastic crowd. It was nice to see that quite a few students discovered that the arena is used for something other than the procurement of football tickets. Hopefully, they will return; this team deserves far better fan support than has been shown. Tech has facility problems in basketball, to be sure, but the layout of the aging Cassell that funnels crowd noise to the floor can be a strength and provide the team with the boost that was displayed against the Hoos. Let�s hope that the paying customers also find their way back, as Tech�s basketball budgetary problems are only likely to be solved through more tickets sold. The perpetual chicken and egg problem of basketball attendance and winning has now been served a French omelet.

The Tech team now moves back to the Big East schedule and the pursuit of another step in the construction of this program, making the Big East Tournament. It will be a challenge. This Tech team faces a talent gap relative to most of its competition; Pete Gillen fielded a far more highly recruited team than Ricky Stokes could deploy against it, and most coaches on the remaining schedule will, too. As was proved against the Hoos, however, talent deficiencies can sometimes be overcome. Participation in the BE Tournament is a reasonable goal.

The Tech basketball program remains a work in progress, and while the Hoo win was a huge one, it is a small step, and one of the first. Tremendous challenges remain. The contract situation of Ricky Stokes is up in the air, and this victory is unlikely to sway the Athletic Director one way or the other. Attention must be paid to the realization that any accomplishments of this year�s team are not likely to be repeated next year. One glance at the all-important point guard situation reveals that next year�s team is likely to get worse, perhaps a lot worse, than this one.

I will spare the reader another of my rants on the folly of recruiting JUCOs and only opine that it would certainly be nice to have a sophomore backing up Brian Chase, instead of a fellow senior. A repeat of the 1992 football season seems to be on tap before this program can hope to resume the improvement that the football one did. It was three years after that 1990 football victory over the Hoos before Frank Beamer got Tech into a bowl game, and I suspect that it will be at least that many before Tech can realistically entertain NCAA Tournament hopes. The next step up for Tech along the basketball food chain will be led by guys named Calloway, McCandies and Harris and hopefully, and finally, a quality point guard.

The future is the future, however, and now is the time to savor a terrific win. It was that most special of victories, one over the in-state rival, producing the usual gloating phone call to my Hoo lawyer buddy, who took this latest loss to Tech in his usual good humor, honed through much practice. He was able to look on the brighter side and say that all of those Hoo athletic departmental millions have produced a superior Lawn croquet team. And so they have, but this year I�ll take football and basketball.

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