Guru’s Gowdy Award Speech - The Director’s Cut

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

The fact that such an unanimously positive response was received to the Guru’s acceptance speech Friday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., upon receiving the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Gowdy Media Award for Print, becoming the first to do so solely for women’s basketball coverage, brings enormous joy that the combined remarks achieved the goals of reviewing the journey, offering as many thanks to groups and individuals, and, of course, spice it with Guru humor.

Several people were given inside access to the sign off version at this end to either make a suggestion or just send back a thumbs up or something else. 

Some others were purposely left out of the mix to cause surprise at the mention of their names. 

The words came back with “crushed it,’’ “little long, but honestly, where do you cut it,” “don’t change one word, it’s you.”

The sign off, by the way, was the 10th version, having written the initial version to make sure everything that had needed to be said was included.

The printer output was just three pages.

Then after the production meeting phone call before the sign off and the stated request of NBA-TV, saying 3 minutes, using the Guru’s skills from working the roundup desk, figuring it out as Jim Swan (still there) said l’d do on those shifts, tossing names of people who opted out, adding people who opted in, added a recall needed and jettisoning a quip (those outtakes are on one of the previous Guru Gowdy countdown posts) all holding to the three pages.

In crafting the original version, Hall historian Matt Zeysing early on suggested something that should be included, the Guru liked it, kept it around to be on hand when the actual writing would begin, decided it would be great at the close and as a tribute to our longtime friendship to make him feel part of it.

The reference to all the technology came later but thought it would be a neat turn, though during the rehearsal, TV asked to tighten the sentence.

I wanted to put more names from the Hall at the outset because they had been so helpful dealing on the ticketing, table seating, media confirmations for those waiting for acceptance, and guidance of the speech parameters, besides those the Guru has served under in various committees.

This was the Guru’s first use of the teleprompter, but like others who had a recent experience with their WBHOF speeches in Knoxville, the process was easy.

Plus, in reading the teleprompter, certain passages causing internal emotion to those of us who choke up on something like the reference to the day of the USBWA Pat Summitt presentation to the late Lauren Hill, the effort to get to the next line and keep going helps remove the onset of tears, though not always.

There was also the issue of last winter’s double cataract surgery - glasses, no glasses.  They enlarged the type, so it was no glasses.

Finally, last Tuesday, the test audience was given a look, then given their enthusiasm, the send button sent it on to Springfield (Mass.).

Upon arriving at Mohegan and running into the high command, they seemed to like the content and seemed to wink at the three-minute barrier, making the Guru’s confidence grow. 

Besides, the Guru’s media operative Temple senior broadcast major Lindsey Moppert was so engaging, drawing positive comments to the Guru from so many on the scene, that it was mindful of the time that President Kennedy opened a speech on a foreign affairs trip, “l am the man who has escorted Jackie Kennedy to Paris.”

Further, the director the Guru was going to work with was someone the Guru has conversed for years at WNBA and NCAA women’s press events.

However, (some of this which is covered online and in Monday’s Philadelphia Inquirer sports section) and the Guru was steeled for it, the request to work together to tighten it brought a 40-minute exchange  not unlike the paper days between editor and reporter.

The process itself was healthy and the Guru still felt good about it, even if it was less robust, though during the dinner when the Guru glanced over Lindsey’s shoulder at the printed program, he suddenly learned he would be the first recipient, not the fourth, though the upside was the TV crowd wouldn’t have to wait long.

But there were go-rounds to save names — Guru upon greeting Dick Weiss and Mike Flynn — “You boys should know how many people were cut down this morning to save your appearance in the speech.”

At one point, having successfully tested the opening quip (designed to put the crowd in a good frame and calm the Guru opening internal jitters), knowing the glass ceiling line might draw reaction, the Guru said, “lf l get a two-minute applause, whose time is that against - mine or yours.”

Finally, in running into the director early at the festivities, a line had come to add to the ending, and he received the green light to say, “lf l have been your champion, you have been mine.’’

Having given you the backstory, here is the Guru’s full-length sign off version.

Guru’s Gowdy Media Award Speech - Director’s Cut

Thank you.

 

First, thanks to those who made this weekend happen  - the boss, John Doleva, our den mother Fran Judkins, Matt Zeysing, Chelsea Johnson, Ashley Orozco, and thanks to the Springfield staff l’ve worked with on various women’s awards.

 

Special thanks to the Gowdy committee for allowing me to complete the list of basketball media majors.

 

Until tonite, the closest I got to a grand slam was on the menu at Denny’s.

 

Back in 1976, I said if l’m getting into this, it will be to make it easier for every future women’s media individual. 

 

How humbling to join the likes of my Temple classmate, Dickie “Hoops” Weiss, my USBWA leader Malcolm Moran, both here tonight, among the other Gowdy winners, including Jackie McMullan and Doris Burke, who I covered both as players.

 

Congrats to all of tonight’s honorees, and to the new Hall of Famers, especially my Philly home boy Villanova’s Jay Wright, and to the women’s inductees, LJ, Yolanda, Pearl and Val.

 

Years ago, someone quipped, Mel, one day they’re going to make you an honorary woman.

 

Soon enough, Immaculata put me in their hall of fame, joining such Mighty Mac legends as Theresa Grentz, who’s here.

 

So tonight on behalf of the gender, I’m pleased to break another glass ceiling.

 

George Washington may still have had more firsts– but l do know I’ve been across the Delaware to Trenton more times then him, because that’s the way to Princeton, Rider, and Rutgers.

 

Carol and Val, it’s amazing to share this weekend, considering how long we’ve worked together. And l’ve covered a chunk of Renee Montgomery’s career. 

 

By the way, Carol said I could use some of her speech time, but only if I use it to talk about her.

 

  Instead l wrote her bio along with Lauren Jackson’s in tomorrow’s printed program.

 

Several years ago, I had the honor of giving our USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award to the late Lauren Hill, a Division III freshman.

 

Though fatally ill with pediatric brain cancer, her love of the game carried her to a dream come true start that day in the season opener in which she scored in a matter of seconds.

 

Pat, herself, surprised, with one of her last public appearances before Xavier’s sellout crowd of 10,000.

 

In making the presentation, l noted there are times when we are not parceled into our own roles as media, players, coaches, referees, administrators, and fans, instead we’re just one big basketball family.

 

That’s true again tonight. 

 

Because this is actually a “we” award, even if only my name appears, let me offer the Cliff Notes version of the Guru’s timeline composed of working partners and great friends, some are here, who have made the Guru’s journey the joy it’s been.

 

And for those who keep saying this is a long time coming, if you’re checking your watches, if that’s true, l would have been off the podium ten minutes ago.

 

First, though, in case the music soon starts, my personal family who’s here – my sister Annette and brother-in-law Perry Swartz, my niece Neena Swartz, and my other niece Allison Greenfield and her husband Aaron.

 

To all of the nearly 50 Hall of Fame coaches, players, and contributors in women’s basketball l’ve covered — without you, there’s no me.

 

The ones here tonight are Sheryl Swoopes, Jody Conradt, Van Chancellor, Tina Thompson, Sylvia Hatchell and Barb Stevens while the locals who sent regrets are Cathy Rush, Geno, Muffet, C. Viv, and our gold medal olympic women’s coach Dawn Staley.

 

Being involved this long means l’ve covered some of your moms like Lauren Jackson’s Maree Bennie in 1977,  and now in the other direction — a growing number of daughters.  

 

 To the sports information directors – you have been my team – Rosa Gatti’s here – before ESPN, she was at Villanova and she was one of my three apostles along with the late Mary Jo Haverbeck and Joyce Aschenbrenner, who, at the 1976 CoSIDA convention, said .. we got this guy in Philly. 

 

My deep roots in all this began with a journalism course at Northeast High when I was a senior in the Class of 123.  

When this award became public, one alum said. “For someone who sucked in English and Math and never played sports, look how you turned out.”

 

Then it was on to Temple – attending one of the best journalism schools in the country and eventually becoming a basketball manager under Hall of Famer Harry Litwack and Don Casey.

 

Temple meant being in the Big Five and The Palestra. And we capped our 1969 senior year winning the NIT against coach Bob Cousy’s last Boston College team.

 

Noting the Big Five, retired Saint Joseph’s Athletic Director Don DiJulia is here and his successor Jill Bodensteiner, along with the retired women’s coaching dean, Villanova’s Harry Perretta, and his boss and former player Lynn Tighe..

 

From Temple, Jay, another bonus for you, Fran Dunphy —perhaps to see if l would reveal how l once beat him decades ago in a nerf ball shootout in a crowd of local celebrities at Shields Tavern.

 

The next stop was down Broad Street to The Inquirer – and though I arrived before him, which is 52 years ago yesterday, what a great and fun era in the newsroom of Gene Roberts. 

 

Eventually I migrated over to sports, filled with all star reporters and columnists, who owe their status to the backfield and copy editors who rescue us from ourselves.

 

One, who’s the current AP Sports Editors president, sent a recent congrats, saying, you made a huge difference in this industry.

 

My reply: you can thank me by giving me more coverage than Jay Wright this weekend.

 

To note some contemporaries here - two former sports editors – John Quinn and Jim Jenks — joined by the award-winning Claire Smith, ESPN executive Rob King, while Joe Juliano is on double coverage detail. 

 

Two who really wanted to be, are my Boswell, Mike Jensen, and Jonathan Tannenwald, known in the office as Little Mel when he was hired right out of Penn.

 

But it was back in 1975 when new sports editor, the late Jay Searcy, said to me, what do you think about a women’s poll, and l said, l think you’re nuts.

 

Besides, the AIAW leadership had proclaimed: women should not get involved in newspaper games like polls that will lead to the evils of men’s athletics.

 

Ultimately, Jay knew better.

 

 So did Dickie Hoops and his Blue Star Media colleague Mike Flynn, who’s also here, who, when I said, do you think l’m going to be doing this forever, they smiled, saying yes.

 

It really helped when Gene Foreman, the no. 2 editor in the newsroom, told me his daughter Sue was going to be the trainer on Debbie Ryan’s team at Virginia that had Dawn Staley.

 

As for technology, l’ve seen evolvement from typewriters to telecopiers, telerams, PSI’s with couplers,  thru Radio Shack TRS-80s to fax machines, desktops, laptops, smart phones and iPads into the internet, social media, and now zoom software.

 

Obviously, AP partnering with me was huge — the early days Terry Taylor, Chuck Schoffner and Paul Montella, and now for over a decade  – national women’s writer Doug Feinberg. He’s here.

 

To the NCAA, specific thanks to the vice presidents, the tournament committee folks, and the media reps such as Scotty Rodgers and currently Rick Nixon, and to the conference level staffs.

 

 To all in the USA Basketball staff, dealing primarily with Carol Callan and Caroline Williams and a mention to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

 

Thanks to all in the WNBA from day one, the league executives, all the media reps, Ron Howard is here,  and the team level general managers, coaches, and players.

 I know the league-leading Connecticut Sun and their president Jen Rizzotti have a table here.

 

I cant tell you how many times David Stern would grab me on enshrinement weekends to send a photo of us to Val and later Donna Orender.

 

Some other people here in a final group to be noted – Erin Semagin Damio, who was one of my original blogerettes, past CoSIDA president Rob Knox, former Rutgers media rep Stacey Hotchkiss, my USBWA photographer friend William Willbill Ewart from Tennessee, and a recent addition, my rising star media handler, temple senior broadcast major Lindsey Moppert, who is actually also a captain of the Owls cheerleaders, and her mom Jill.

 

So let me close by saying, I hope over my 50 plus years in this great game, that I helped propel the sport forward, made some sort of difference in the lives of those I have had the honor to cover, captured the game’s essence, and the essence of those in it. 

 

And if I have enriched your lives at even one percent of what you have given me, then I am by far the luckiest person here tonight. 

If I have been your champion you have been mine. 

Thank you.