Pittsburgh News, Ray Mernagh, West Virginia News

WOODALL GETS TO THE POINT IN BACKYARD CLASSIC

by RAY MERNAGH

I went to the Peterson Events Center last night hoping to get a chance to talk one on one with Pittsburgh guard Travon Woodall. The reason, other than that Tra is always fun to talk to, was because of a package I received in the mail earlier in the day.

The Street Stops Here is a movie about the basketball program at Jersey City’s St. Anthony High School and it documents Woodall’s senior season. It’s told through the eyes of a cast of characters including coach Bob Hurley, the now-deceased Sister Alan — “she was a saint right here on earth,” says Woodall — and players Mike Rosario, Jio Fontan, and Woodall. St. Anthony’s is a refuge for inner city kids where the tuition is $4,000 dollars a year but the cost of educating each student is double that.

Hurley’s mission in life, his calling if you will, is two-fold — get the kids out of the inner city into college, while at the same time helping to raise enough money to keep the school open. He uses his basketball program, a 23-time state champion, to accomplish both. The film is excellent on so many different levels and does a really good job of telling the life stories that are common for kids in that environment across the country. Stories that so often go untold. Demanding is an understatement when describing Hurley’s expectations of his players and a lot of people will no doubt be shocked that a coach today can still communicate with high school kids in his acerbic manner.

Hurley’s had everyone of his kids except two go on to college in over 35 years of coaching. He doesn’t care what others think because he knows his way works. It’s what kids like Travon Woodall need to get out of home situations a lot of us can’t imagine. Woodall grew up watching the money meant for his household every month be spent on the street. Like clockwork, the money would get put on the card and the card would disappear for three or so days along with his mother, who was being swallowed up by her own demons. It got bad enough that Woodall just finally moved out and into the Fontan household.

All three of them are now in D-1 basketball programs (along with their three other classmates). It’s realistic to think that without Jorge Fontan (Jio’s father), St. Anthony’s and Bob Hurley, all three could be locked up or dead — like countless numbers of their peers. I knew kids who grew up like Woodall, without their basic needs being met they often do whatever it takes on their own. Jorge Fontan, who had his own history in the streets, saw that possibility in Travon and took him in.

In one scene, while driving the others to school, Woodall separates himself from his mates. While all the kids in the car harbor NBA dreams, Woodall articulates his — as the landscape of grim New York City turns into grimier Jersey City through the car windows — by stating he’d love to play in Europe. “Just to be able to see something different each day, something other than this.” Listening to it, I immediately thought of what some Pitt followers response might have been to Woodall’s dream.

He, like any other young guard, has struggled with figuring out what his coach needs from him. Jamie Dixon has been steadfast in his belief that Woodall will be a very good point guard for Pitt. The two of them have had a lot of talks recently, including an hour-long chat the day before the West Virginia game.

As I walked up the steps to the arena I couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the night when Woodall stepped up the way that none of the Panthers were able to in their last game against WVU.

Then the game started and followed the same pattern for the first 38 minutes or so. West Virginia would get a lead and look like they were ready to put it out of reach, but Pitt would hang around and linger, still it looked like Pitt would be putting this one in the “great effort but better team won tonight” category.

Especially when ‘Truck’ Bryant, who takes this Pitt rivalry more personally than any other Mountaineer, hit two foul shots with 34 seconds left. The kid from Brooklyn smiled wide at those still remaining in the crowd after putting the Mountaineers up 68-63. But just when it seemed like a WVU win was inevitable… all hell broke loose inside the Pete. With apologies to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the Backyard Brawl turned into complete and utter Bedlam.

Right in the middle of the chaos was another Brooklyn kid — Travon Woodall. Woodall gathered the inbounds roll off the floor, blew by Bryant at halfcourt, left Da’Sean Butler in his wake with a sweet hesitation move, and brought down rain from the heavens with a tear-drop that would’ve made Mark Jackson cry. No hesitation at all. Huge stage, national TV game, and the kid made the perfect play to close the gap to 68-65. All in only four seconds.

The inbounds pass went to Bryant who was immediately stripped by Pitt’s Nas Robinson. Brad Wanamaker scooped up the ball — played footsie with the sideline — and found Woodall up top. Woodall swung the ball to Ashton Gibbs on the wing who had Butler scrambling in front of him. Gibbs made an up fake, took a bounce to his right and drilled a three to knot things at 68 with 22.4 on the clock.

If Johnny Most were alive he would have started screaming, “Wanamaker stole the ball, Wanamaker stole the ball!” It would be the only time the score was tied in the second half. That fact didn’t much matter to the Panthers — and their fans that stayed with them — when Bryant’s shot with a few seconds left missed the mark.

68-68. Overtime.

Woodall’s second half line — 10 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and no turnovers against the long and athletic pressure WVU defends with.

There were three overtimes .

An extra fifteen minutes were played.

Eventually Woodall would foul out — with just under three minutes left in the third OT and Pitt up 93-91 — but not before showing the entire Pitt fanbase his stock by embracing the challenge of guarding the 6’9″ Ebanks throughout large stretches of the OT’s.

The funny thing is I, unlike some of the folks around me, had absolutely no problem with the decision. Woodall was the guy for the job. Just like he was the point guard in control of the game, finding Gibbs on that play at the end of regulation. Finding Gilbert Brown on the move against the 1-3-1 of WVU for a dunk with 42 seconds left in the first overtime.

Gilbert Brown made two free throws to put Pitt up 96-95 with 29 seconds left in the third OT. Ashton Gibbs then ripped the ball away from Gary McGhee — who was more than happy to get rid of it — following a WVU miss. Gibbs drained both to give Pitt a 98-95 lead with 10 seconds left.

‘Truck’ Bryant again went up with a three-pointer, trying to send the game into a fourth extra session, but it wasn’t meant to be. Gary McGhee grabbed the board and WWU allowed the last 2 seconds to run off.

68-68, 78-78 and 88-88 were the scores at the end of regulation, the first OT and the second. Had Bryant’s shot gone down the score going into the fourth would have been 98-98.

Da’Sean Butler was brilliant all night and finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and no miscues. The gritty Bryant finished with 20. Ebanks went for 17, 10, 4 and no turnovers as well. On the Pitt side Brown and Wanamaker combined for 40. “That’s 40 more than they had the last time,” said Jamie Dixon, before joking, “that must be good coaching.”

Gibbs was huge from deep hitting 6-13 to finish with 24 points. Wanamaker also had 10 assists and 5 boards. But they all knew, at least on this night, who the key player was.

“The guy that really stood out to me was Travon,” said Dixon, “he was key, we keep saying that he’s gonna make us so much better and he really played well, he really played within himself and he was big for us in so many ways.”

“Travon was the key to the win,” Gibbs told me afterwards, “he showed what he’s capable of.”

Dixon talked about a sit down with Woodall and his young guard telling him that, “he felt like he had to make a play to stay in the game, but I told him he doesn’t have to make a play he just has to play and let things come to him. I’m extremely proud of him because I’ve really been on him lately. You know we forget he’s a freshman point guard. He just made solid decisions today. Again, I’m very happy with how he played”

I caught up with Woodall afterwards as Tiquan Gwynn, his teammate from St. Anthony’s, was giving him a hug out on the floor. “It was a good feeling to come through for my team,” said Woodall, and I’m glad that coach had confidence in me. You know me and coach have been talking a lot about me just defending, playing hard, running the plays and everything else is eventually gonna come and that’s what happened tonight. It feels great for our team to get a huge win like this. My confidence just kept building all night because coach just kept encouraging me throughout the game.”

On the pass to Brown that led to the dunk Woodall said “I was just trying to probe the zone a little bit and Gil made a little cut and I got the ball to him on the move and he made a fantastic play.” Asked about the documentary Woodall’s eyes got wide (and maybe a little wet).

“It’s a great movie, a lot of those things, the struggles still continue, some things are better while other things are back to how they were before,” said Woodall. “It was just definitely an emotional journey that we’re all still on and I’ve got my teammate and best friend right here with me (pointing at Gwynn) and it’s something that we went through together. We’re family.” And with that the two friends, brothers really, walked through the hallway and through the doors leading to the Pitt locker room

Woodall finished the night with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and no turnovers in 31 minutes. I’d say he grew up last night but the truth is, with the things this young guy has had to endure, he’s been grown for a long time. Maybe he grew up as a Big East point guard, one that Pitt plans on having for three years after this season ends.

A point guard that Pitt fans should feel proud to have as a part of their family.

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