Halil Kanacevic of Saint Joseph’s throws a pass on Tuesday night. (Aaron Bracy/Philahoops)
Do you remember when you were 21 years old? Would you like to forget some of those years?
I think we all can admit to having done some stupid things when we were 21. For me, I can laugh about it today but I succumbed to the disappointment of ending my college golf career with a poor shot by breaking my lob wedge over my knee as my coach and teammates, who were waiting to congratulate me on a good, four-year career, watched in stunned silence.
It was stupid.
It was dumb.
It was regrettable.
Then, I cried about it, feeling as if I let myself and team down.
Today, I can laugh about it, though I still wish I hadn’t done it.
Luckily for me, it was on a much, much smaller scale than Halil Kanacevic’s “21-year-old” mistake.
Barely anyone outside of my family knew I was at Hog’s Neck in Easton, Md., that spring weekend in 1998.
Thousands at the Pavilion and many, many more watching on television saw Kanacevic, though, when the St. Joe’s junior forward gave the middle finger to the Villanova students. (Click for the image)
It was stupid.
It was dumb.
It was regrettable.
And it played a large role in Villanova going on to win, 65-61, on Tuesday night at the Pavilion.
Credit Kanacevic for not ducking away to the team bus. He agreed to talk to me outside of the Hawks’ locker room.
After a few general questions, I asked Kanacevic the following:
“What happened with the fans?”
There were several seconds of uncomfortable silence, but no response.
Referring to coach Phil Martelli’s comment about the team’s “immaturity” – “I just told the whole team we acted immaturely at times,” Martelli said in his press conference. – I asked Kanacevic the following:
“Phil thought the team would show, generally, more maturity, not speaking just about you only, coming in here. Was that a problem?”
“We didn’t play to our age on the court,” Kanacevic said in a one-on-one interview outside of St. Joe’s locker room. “Turnovers, offensive rebounds, we made mistakes. So that determined the game right there. It hurt us greatly.”
True, St. Joe’s 18 turnovers hurt. But the Hawks still had control of a typically tight Big 5 game when Kanacevic hit a 3-pointer to give St. Joe’s a 50-47 lead with 9:51 left. As he backpedaled into the defensive end of the court, he directed a middle finger at the Villanova student section as the teams were headed to a timeout.
The Wildcats, perhaps boosted by a more boisterous crowd, ran off six straight points to reclaim the advantage, 53-50 with 8:13 left. The Nova crowd, loud but not raucously to that point, suddenly were full-throated in their support of the Wildcats – and their booing of Kanacevic.
“It certainly wasn’t a raucous atmosphere up until that point,” Martelli said. “I don’t think it made us play faster or out of character. We just made some out-of-character plays and plays that were home runs instead of singles.”
It seemed to take Kanacevic a bit out of his game, no time more apparent than when he missed two crucial free throws with 45.5 seconds left and the Hawks clinging to a one-point lead.
In the end, Nova rallied with a big James Bell, go-ahead 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and the Hawks couldn’t get off a shot on their final possession.
In a sadly ironic ending, it was Kanacevic who committed the final turnover as he was trying to inbound the ball with three seconds left, lifting the Hawks’ turnover total to 18.
“If you turn the ball over that much against them, you’re going to lose the game,” Kanacevic said. “Eighteen times, you’ll lose a lot of games like that. That’s a big part about it.”
Yes, it was.
And so was Kanacevic’s blunder.
It was stupid.
It was dumb.
It was regrettable.
When you’re 21 years old, sometimes that happens.
I surely know.
And, I bet, so do you.
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-Aaron Bracy is the editor of Philahoops. Reach him at aaron@philahoops.com, follow on Twiter (@Aaron_Bracy) and like on Facebook: facebook.com/philahoops.
Aaron Bracy
No excuse. It wasn’t a dumb foul in the heat of the moment. It wasn’t even during ‘competition.’ The basket had gone in; just going back on defense. An embarrassment for himself, his family, his teammates, anyone who has ever been part of the program, his student peers, and the entire university and its fans.
After the technical at Harvard that turned that game around in my opinion this is not ok.
I go to the wall supporting the kids that play for St. Joe’s and recognize that Halil brings a lot of important intangibles and toughness to the Hawks. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and does a lot of smart things on the court.
But neither he nor anyone is bigger than the game; it is a mistake some learn the hard way. If it were my choice he wouldn’t dress for the next game.
I want him back. I want all he can be and I want him to have the best experience on Hawk Hill he can.
But actions require consequences.
You ask me for $171 a game for my three seats you d**n well better put educating our student athletes about how to represent my school ahead of any egos or short term agenda.
If Halil isn’t suspended for the next game I am not going (never happens) and hope I am not alone.
I hate not to see the rest of the Hawks just before Christmas and will let them know why I am not there.
There are certain things you can’t do. Anyone who was here when Goongate happened knows how strongly I feel about The Game first.
I like Halil. You can love your child and still not accept any given action as acceptable. No parent or coach likes disciplining a child or player.
Players are ‘harder’ in that their punishments are public but that is part of the privilege and accountability of representing an entire university.
I hate losing to nOVA. If this helps Halil never make the same mistake and we have a lot of fun going forward it will still be a Holy War moment that will live in infamy.
If we don’t I said two years ago what would happen.
THWND
The fact the Phil didn’t bench halil was almost as pathetic as Fran “1&” Dunphy not punishing khaliff Wyatt for sexual misconduct
Have to imagine Phil’s seat just got really hot.
The fact that you laugh about it tell me you don’t get it. This was not something done on a golf course where few could see [although even if some one is all by themselves it is unacceptable], this was done in front of an entire arena. Not only that, but in this world of 24/7 contact it it all over the internet. Last night an entire university was damaged. Damaged by a young man who thought more of himself than the team. Damaged by a head coach who allowed him to play, and sent a statement that he wanted the game more than the rep of his team and the university. Oh, please don’t tell me the head coach did not know. I know for a fact that press row informed the refs who informed the coaches.
That is not the Hawk philosophy I grew up with routing for.
Tonight, much like all nights when the Hawks lose to Villanova, I am sick to my stomach. However, tonight it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game. As a 2006 alum I have never been more embarrassed to call Saint Joseph’s University my Alma Mater and Phil Martelli our coach.
For the record, I am not a Phil Martelli basher. He has been an unbelievable representative of our University and the community. I have supported Coach Martelli through a rough couple of years that we have endured as Hawk fans. I was not in the “Fire Phil” group after a few bad seasons. I was in the opposite camp.
Tonight, that all changed. Halil Kanacevic flipped the middle finger to the Villanova student section. Phil Martelli cannot control spontaneous actions of young men on the court. However, he could have put his behind on the pine. Instead, Halil finished the rest of the game. It was heartbreaking. I almost found myself cheering for the evil empire up the road. Why? Because our coach missed the opportunity to teach a young man a valuable life lesson. Furthermore, he failed to show the entire country what SJU stands for. Live greater? Doing the right thing when nobody is looking? How about doing the right thing when EVERYONE is looking?
There were no consequences. Instead of benching him and telling him that he embarrassed the Crimson and Grey, he let him play. In the wake of the Penn State scandal, we’ve proven once again that the outcome of the game is more important than the integrity of the University. I know this event does not come close to the magnitude of the Penn State scandal but the same premise exists on a much smaller scale. What are you telling the 9 year old that was in the crowd and saw Halil act the way he did without repercussion?
If the Student Body cannot chant “Hey! You S*CK!” without being removed from the student section, how can we not remove the student athlete from the game when he does something far worse?
Tonight was an all-time low for me as an SJU basketball fan. I have purchased tickets to a good amount of games this year but I will not be attending until something is done about the current state of affairs. It is time for a change on Hawk Hill and not because the outcome of basketball games. Tonight Phil Martelli did not represent our University. He failed at understanding what was important for the “greater good” of the fans and young people watching.
Aaron- What happened with you at the Hog Neck. I used to play out there a lot a a kid and wonder if I witnessed you transgression.
The fact that Phil left HK in the game after that incident is absolutely inexcusable. Literally the most hypocritical thing that could have been done. Saint Joseph’s is a University with integrity, values, etc. There is a ‘Magis’ campaign going around campus encouraging students “to do the right thing when nobody is looking,” yet Martelli can’t do the right thing when everybody is looking! My goodness. As an SJU student, I couldn’t be more embarrassed. CJ’s NBA hopes are fading considering all Phil does it put him in the corner to shoot three pointers (it boggles my mind). If Phil would attempt to run some sort of HI/LO set with RR, HK and/or CJ, I think the Hawks would be much better off. You gotta feel for Langton as well, I mean the kid is an absolute stud and can play with any of those players from any of those schools from powerhouse conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, etc.). He would be getting national recognition if he played at a bigger school and there’s no doubt he would shine on a larger stage.
I think Halil blew the game for the Hawks. Not only is Phil a bad coach in that he cannot run plays to give a talented group of guys open looks and opportunites, he also has no character as he embarrassed sju by letting Halil play. Halil lost the game single handedly for sju and let down the entire student body and his teammates. Phil and Halil are both a disgrace.