I just came across these in the closet, one of my prized possessions—a pair of "Hoya Destroyas," the team shoes of the 1984 NCAA basketball champion Georgetown Hoyas. In the late eighties I did a job for Nike, and when I was at their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, they said I could have any pair of shoes I wanted. What I wanted was a pair of team shoes from my alma mater, blue-and-gray hightops similar to Nike's Air Jordans, with HOYAS printed on the heels. A few weeks later they arrived in the mail.

I remember walking around Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, in them and Spike Lee staring at me. Ah, these ancient kicks take me back to the days when college players stayed in school and competition in the NCAA was fierce. I fear we'll never see college hoops that good again, although I must say the college game is still a lot more fun and interesting to watch than the National Billionaires Association.

I remember the eighties with fondness. I could name the starting five of every team in the Big East. I think I remember the whole Hoya squad. Let's see… Patrick Ewing, David Wingate, Reggie Williams, Michael Graham, Bill Martin, Sleepy Floyd, Fred Brown, Michael Jackson. Horace Broadnax, and Ewing's backup, Ralph Dalton… I still see Ralph at Knicks games. I think he works on Wall Street. I wonder if he'll be back at the Garden this fall. I don't think I will. A guy can only take so much. I will be following the Hoyas this year under coach John Thompson III. They've got the class the Knicks lack and I love their sophomore big man Roy Hibbert. He could be the best since Ewing. "Let's go Ho-yas!"