SI Story on Jermareo Davidson

Just read a great article in Sports Illustrated by Grant Wahl on Alabama forward Jermareo Davidson, who went through the incredible tragedy of having both his older brother and his long-term girlfriend die within days of each other back in November. There's no need to rehash how mind-bogglingly sad that is - that'd be gratuitous.

It is important though, to point out Davidson's strength of character and will, not to mention the indelible impression his two deceased loved ones made on him, for the fact that he's still playing this season with the Crimson Tide. It's so easy, when racked with difficulty and/or tragedy to let yourself wallow in the sadness and allow yourself to be too incapacitated to function. It's incredibly hard to make a step forward when you're in a pit of grief so deep.

But Davidson, to his credit, has been able to draw strength from loved ones, his faith, and the memory of his brother and girlfriend and step back on the court. He didn't have to continue the season, but he got back on the court after missing only a game, because he knew that's what his brother and girlfriend would have wanted him to do. Making the decision to move forward, while always keeping the memory of his loved ones close to him is really an act of determination to be praised.

Sports Illustrated Jinx Strikes Again

Well, at least it wasn't a devestating, season-ending injury. Just a week ago, when I saw that Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace of the Georgetown Hoyas were on the cover of Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview issue for the Mid-Atlantic region (the cover featuring the pair of Hoyas was one of five versions of SI's preview issue), my first reaction was excitement. Finally, after too many years of blending in with the crowd, my Hoyas were back in the national spotlight on the cover of the country's premier sports magazine.

After crowing about our glorious return to prominence for a bit, a co-worker reminded me to be cautious - if they're on the cover of SI, there's always the possibility of being struck with the infamous SI jinx. Kansas, one of the other teams featured on the cover in other parts of the country, had already been struck, being upset by Oral Roberts.

Last night, Georgetown, playing at McDonough Arena, the rarely-used on-campus arena where they hadn't lost in 24 years, was upset rather handily by little Old Dominion 75-62. Hopefully, any powers of the jinx stop here and we're not in for an extending losing streak or injury to a key player like Hibbert or Jeff Green. More importantly, this game may serve as a wake-up call early in the season for the Hoyas, who have looked surprisingly sluggish in their first three games.