NEW YORK (AP) – A few weeks back, Mike Lonergan’s buddy sent him a basketball net. The message was pure motivation: cut one down in March.
With a victory over Valparaiso in the National Invitation Tournament championship game Thursday night, the George Washington coach and his posse of international players can do just that. Smack in the middle of Madison Square Garden, no less.
“I haven’t cut down nets in a while, since I was at Vermont I think,” Lonergan said. “So it’s great to be in this situation.”
The gift has become something of a good-luck charm for the Colonials, who hung the net in their locker room and started taking it on the road as a reminder of the prize they pursue.
One more win would do the trick.