Camby & Co. Obey Order: Enjoy the Minute, Men

“Bounce!” Massachusetts center Marcus Camby ordered his teammates, gathered together at midcourt, after their school had qualified for the NCAA tournament’s Final Four for the first time.

Up and down, Camby meant.

“Let’s go! Bounce!”

Not a basketball. Them.

And bounce they did. Camby spoke, they jumped. Thirteen college basketball players began hopping like Easter bunnies, in the middle of a 72,000-seat domed stadium.

Ross Burns bounced. He’s a freshman who kicks and punts for the Massachusetts football team, who scored the final points of Saturday’s 86-62 defeat of Georgetown in the only minute the Minutemen let him play.

Tyrone Weeks bounced. He’s the junior who rooms with Camby on campus, who saw his best friend collapse Dec. 29 during a game against USC, because of an injured leg, then collapse again Jan. 14 before a game with St. Bonaventure, for reasons doctors still haven’t figured out.

And bouncing there right along with them was Camby, probably college basketball’s player of the year.

He never felt better.

“Bounce!” Camby repeated, as the players linked arms.

UMass, en masse.

They looked like kindergartners in a Jungle Gym, or a circus act on a trampoline. One head bobbed above the rest, Camby being 6 feet 11 and all. He was doing not what the doctor ordered, but what the Massachusetts coach ordered. He was finally having a good time.

Only the previous day, John Calipari had pointedly made a comment that he wished Marcus would show more emotion, get more enjoyment out of basketball, not take everything so seriously.

“Have some fun, Marcus, doggone it!” were the coach’s exact words. “It’s basketball, for crying out loud.”

Of course, it was Calipari who disciplined Camby before the team’s East Regional game here Thursday, benching him at the beginning of both halves. Why? Because, superstar or no superstar, Camby was late for the team’s bus. And rules were rules.

But the coach did make a promise: “From now on, I don’t board that bus before Marcus Camby does.”

Camby was present for the opening tip against Georgetown. Nevertheless, he was still late getting started. He went scoreless for nearly 12 minutes. He didn’t make a basket for 12 1/2.

At halftime, Massachusetts led by only 38-34.

In full view of everybody, the coach pep-talked Camby before the second half. “Be aggressive!” Calipari appealed to him. “Play strong!”

Play resumed.

Camby tipped one in, 40-34. Camby again, with a turnaround in the paint, 42-34. Camby again, with a sweet touch from the baseline, 44-34.

Bounce.

Then he banked one, high off the glass. Suddenly, it was Massachusetts by 14 and the Hoyas were reeling.

“I took it upon myself to try to make things happen,” Camby said.

What also happened was his fourth foul, 12:34 remaining in the game. Camby trudged to the bench. But Calipari had a crazy plan. He began “platooning” Camby, using him on offense, pulling him on defense, stopping the clock whenever possible so Camby could come and go. By avoiding defense, Camby could avoid fouling out.

He never did.

By the 3:07 mark, Camby was dunking an alley-oop pass from Carmelo Travieso, then punctuating it with a thrust of his arm toward the Atlanta crowd that resembled a tomahawk chop. Camby had 22 points, seven rebounds and the regional’s outstanding player award in hand.

It was the end of Georgetown, a team that defeated Villanova by 38 points, Colgate by 49, Temple by 25, Georgia Tech by 22, Syracuse (twice) by 19. After losing this one by 24, the greatest compliment Hoya star Allen Iverson could give was: “Marcus is a great player, and he showed it.”

Marcus is also a junior.

“One more year!” chanted the Massachusetts fans, urging Camby not to turn pro.

Another year like this one might wear Marcus out. His roommate, Weeks, while relieved that Camby’s health and spirit seemed strong, said, “If we hadn’t made it to this Final Four, I know he’d come back to be a senior. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Camby took it seriously when his coach said not to take everything so seriously. He knew what Calipari meant. He knew that his teammates play follow-the-leader.

“When they see me get emotional, they get emotional,” Camby said.

And when he wants them to hop, they hop. Who can make an entire basketball team bounce? The Camby man can.