Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
Senior center has memorable last game at the RAC
BY KYLE FRANKO
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Even before the game between Rutgers and Seton Hall tipped-off Thursday night Hamady N'diaye knew this night was going to be about him.
N'diaye, the Scarlet Knights' lone senior, was honored before the game to a rousing ovation from the crowd of 6,517 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Rutgers passed out cutouts of N'diaye's face, Senegal t-shirts and headbands. Each time he made a shot, blocked a shot or grabbed a rebound, he was cheered.
"I was shocked," N'diaye said when asked if he knew about the cutouts. "I had a sneak peek about the shirts before the game. I saw my face and I was shocked and started laughing. But that's fun and I want to thank Tim Pernetti and everybody on the staff that really did this extra thing for my senior night. I loved it."
When he got into a scuffle with the Pirates' Jeff Robinson midway through the second half, the RAC was at its loudest. N'diaye, who was assessed a technical foul, walked to mid-court and waved the crowd on while the officials sorted out the punishment."This always happens between us and Seton Hall," N'diaye said. "It's like a basketball war and we just go at it. It's physical and it's a rivalry game. I just wish I would have kept my composure more."
Other than that slight indiscretion, the 7-footer was pretty composed for all the festivity surrounding him Thursday night. He was also playing in front of his mother for the first time is his career. Prior to Thursday night's game she had only seen her son play on Internet streams.
"It was big. I saw her cheering and getting up and everything," N'diaye said about playing in front of his mother. "It's one of those things where I've always wanted her to be here. It's one of my dreams to see her and my father sitting there and see what I do on the court and not just watch it on TV and the Internet. I want them to see where I'm at today and what I've gone through to get there."
Although Rutgers fell, 85-74, its fourth straight loss to Seton Hall, N'diaye didn't disappoint her, finishing with 12 points and five blocks in 38 minutes. He is now just four blocks shy of Roy Hinson's school-record 355 set from 1979-83. He has at least two more chances to break the record with a game at Pittsburgh Saturday and at least one in the Big East Tournament which begins Tuesday for the Scarlet Knights.
What's unfortunate for N'diaye is all the hard work he's put into the Rutgers program hasn't paid off in wins. His head coach Fred Hill understands that and credits N'diaye for helping to change the culture.
Much of that change came this season. Sure the Scarlet Knights' 15-15 mark and 5-12 record in the Big East is subpar but this was a team that was 0-8 in the league at one point. This was a season that had the marks of 0-16 or 1-15. N'diaye was the guy who bailed most of the water out of the boat.
"It was a special night for H," Hill said. "He's a special human being and a special player here at Rutgers. He's meant the world to this program. He's the one that changed the attitude and the culture. We certainly wanted to win it for H, but we came up a little bit short."
After it was all over and his team was defeated, N'diaye still walked over to the remaining students; the one's holding the flag of his native Senegal and saluted them. He was joined by teammate Mike Rosario who put his arms around N'diaye.
"I just wanted to get this win so bad for H tonight," Rosario said. "It was in my veins, but there's nothing you can do and life goes on. I thought my teammates held their composure and we all played hard tonight."
"This was probably the last time I'm going to get to look up at those fans," N'diaye added. "That's probably the most hurting thing not seeing those guys up there that have been up there for four years. They've been there for four years and have never gave up on me. This is one of those times where it hurts to walk out and say ‘it's over.'"
It was almost the perfect ending.
