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John Thompson and the Beginning of a Hoops Love Affair

I wasn’t always a Friar fan. My love of college basketball started in Providence, but my initial obsession was with Georgetown.

It could have been different had 16th seeded Princeton pulled off the upset against John Thompson and the top seeded Hoyas in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament. My father and I had tickets to the second round in Providence that year.

It was my first time ever going to a Division I game, and what a doubleheader we had awaiting us. Georgetown with superstar freshman Alonzo Mourning taking on Notre Dame and their prized freshman LaPhonso Ellis, followed by what would be an incredible double overtime battle between NC State and Iowa.