Comments on: Joe Smith is the Revolution http://www.cavsnews.com/20080309-1028.php Your source for Cavalier news, rumors, Cavalier Girls and more. CavsNews.com Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:37:29 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Carolyn Hastings http://www.cavsnews.com/20080309-1028.php/comment-page-1#comment-22266 Carolyn Hastings Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:38:51 +0000 http://www.cavsnews.com/2008/03/09/joe-smith-is-the-revolution/#comment-22266 Senator: Thank you for the wonderful reminiscence. I'm so glad my story led me to your story. Carolyn Senator:

Thank you for the wonderful reminiscence. I’m so glad my story led me to your story.

Carolyn

]]> By: Senator http://www.cavsnews.com/20080309-1028.php/comment-page-1#comment-22157 Senator Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:18:38 +0000 http://www.cavsnews.com/2008/03/09/joe-smith-is-the-revolution/#comment-22157 I was at that game when the Terps beat North Carolina and closed R.J. Bentley's down that night in downtown College Park -- Gary Williams, hanging out in the back corner booth, did, too. Everyone made sure not to bug him, but at the end of the night, me and my friends couldn't help but ask him to make a speech as he tried to leave. The owner of the place, John Brown, scowled at us and Gary didn't seem too enthused, but he understood and talked about how hard the program was working to make us proud. Joe Smith came out of nowhere and he was something incredibly special. As a center, he wasn't dominating in the paint and he wasn't as big physically as the other big men he faced off against in the ACC but he was so *sweet." His footwork, his ability to sort of slide around players and get the rebound, to score points without being flashy, was really something to behold. And he was a nice guy off the court, too. I remember when we saw him waiting in line for the Vous (the one-time legendary bar in downtown College Park). It was hard not to spot him (he was what? 6'11?) in that line filled with the usual fraternity/sorority crowd. That was the only night I ever really met him. I had had a few beers by then, so I had the courage to tell him, "Joe...everyone knows your 19...you don't have to wait on this line...you have to get inside as quick as you can!" He didn't want to cut the line! That's the type of kid he was. Remember, at that time, Maryland was just coming off the NCAA death sentence in the wake of the Len Bias death. Joe Smith meant a lot to our program and he was just the type of player Gary Williams always seems to do so well with. Well, Joe left us, and we never got past the Sweet Sixteen with him. A few years later, Juan Dixon arrived, never missed a shot and we were the national champions. It's safe to say that Joe Smith helped make that happen, too. I was at that game when the Terps beat North Carolina and closed R.J. Bentley’s down that night in downtown College Park — Gary Williams, hanging out in the back corner booth, did, too. Everyone made sure not to bug him, but at the end of the night, me and my friends couldn’t help but ask him to make a speech as he tried to leave. The owner of the place, John Brown, scowled at us and Gary didn’t seem too enthused, but he understood and talked about how hard the program was working to make us proud.

Joe Smith came out of nowhere and he was something incredibly special. As a center, he wasn’t dominating in the paint and he wasn’t as big physically as the other big men he faced off against in the ACC but he was so *sweet.” His footwork, his ability to sort of slide around players and get the rebound, to score points without being flashy, was really something to behold.

And he was a nice guy off the court, too. I remember when we saw him waiting in line for the Vous (the one-time legendary bar in downtown College Park). It was hard not to spot him (he was what? 6′11?) in that line filled with the usual fraternity/sorority crowd. That was the only night I ever really met him. I had had a few beers by then, so I had the courage to tell him, “Joe…everyone knows your 19…you don’t have to wait on this line…you have to get inside as quick as you can!” He didn’t want to cut the line! That’s the type of kid he was.

Remember, at that time, Maryland was just coming off the NCAA death sentence in the wake of the Len Bias death. Joe Smith meant a lot to our program and he was just the type of player Gary Williams always seems to do so well with. Well, Joe left us, and we never got past the Sweet Sixteen with him. A few years later, Juan Dixon arrived, never missed a shot and we were the national champions. It’s safe to say that Joe Smith helped make that happen, too.

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