Word: hickey
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Through the door of Locker Room No. 30 at Madison Square Garden, a head poked: "Three minutes to go, Mr. Hickey." The sawed-off evangelist in the brown pin stripe nodded and continued his spiel. "The ball belongs to the champion," he said. "Possession! Control! Don't go for the bucket. Wait until the bucket comes...
...door opened again. "One minute, Mr. Hickey." Ed Macauley, the string-bean (6 ft. 8 in.) center who is probably 1948's best college basketball player, nervously wiped his ashen face. "And remember," said the little man, "conserve your energies on offense. You can't rest on defense." The boys bounded up from the benches; clapping and shouting, they moved into a huddle. Hands piled on hands, players and coach recited a Hail Mary at abracadabra speed, ended it: "Mary, Queen of Victory, pray for us." Then Edgar Hickey and his St. Louis University Billikens were ready...
...first five minutes, St. Louis had the ball but didn't do much with it. With Ed Macauley at the "post" under the basket, forming the apex of two triangles that kept the ball moving, the Billikens teased the Violets silly. The crowd clapped for action. Even Coach Hickey shouted: "He's open! He's open!" when Macauley had a chance to shoot but passed it up. The score was 5-5. That was the last time N.Y.U. was in the ballgame...
...Blame Ed. At halftime, in the locker room, St. Louis sucked oranges, watched Coach Hickey-in shirtsleeves-play all five positions, chalk up their errors on the locker-room floor. He wanted four men, not just two or three, to get down fast under the basket after Macauley had snared a rebound ("I can't blame you, Ed. I've coached you to save your strength by coming up slow"). Then, after another Hail Mary huddle, they were back on the floor, and now their famed controlled fast break was really working...
With five minutes to go, Coach Hickey mercifully took Macauley out of the game, two minutes later put in his scrubs. Final score: 65-52. Then the Billikens joyfully broke training with banana cream pie a la mode', went off to an all-night bowling alley for a little exercise...