Godfather gets his tributes

After Georgetown's victory, the players all trooped to greet the Big Man.

Some got high fives. Some got hugs. But they all paid their respect to John Thompson, father of their coach, John Thompson III, and Unofficial Godfather of Hoya basketball.

"The dude's a legend," declared Georgetown guard Jesse Sapp. "When you think of the whole Georgetown thing, you think John Jr. and John the Third. To have him still around is great, and it's an honor to see him at courtside."

Big John was here both officially and unofficially. He was part of the Westwood One national radio broadcast crew and he was here as both Father of the Coach and General Overseer of Georgetown basketball.

"He's always around and he gives us little tidbits of information to help us out," added center Roy Hibbert, Georgetown's 7-foot-2-inch gentle giant.

Georgetown enters the Final Four having won 18 of its last 19 games, the only setback a 72-58 loss at Syracuse Feb. 24 . . . This will mark Georgetown's fourth appearance in the Final Four and the first since the close of the Patrick Ewing Sr. Era, when the Hoyas went to the Final Four three times in four years, losing to North Carolina in the 1982 championship game, beating Houston to win it in 1984, and losing that memorable game to Villanova in 1985 . . . Carolina coach Roy Williams employed 12 players in the first half, with eight of them scoring and eight of them grabbing at least one rebound. Georgetown mentor Thompson on his vanquished foe: "We're extremely fortunate," he said. "That's not just a terrific basketball team; that's a terrific program. When you look at Carolina basketball, there is a lot to emulate and imitate." . . . It was a doubly painful loss for Tar Heel fans, because most expect both sophomore Tyler Hansbrough and graceful freshman Brandan Wright to declare for the NBA . . . Williams's voice quivered a few times during his postgame news conference. "The highs of coaching aren't really as high as the lows are low," Williams sighed. "Some of my detractors say it's always fun to see Roy cry in defeat, but none of those suckers say that to my face."

A loss in a basketball game is pretty trivial compared to the loss of a life. Reports last night indicated that injured North Carolina mascot Jason Ray, a senior from Concord, N.C., is in grave condition at the Hackensack (N.J.) Medical Center, where he was taken after being struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon while returning from a trip to a convenience store. At the Florida-Oregon game, the Oregon Duck had "Get well soon J" written on the bottom of his webbed right foot and "Mascot NC" on the left.

If Florida coach Billy Donovan is in the conversation for the Kentucky opening, it's news to him. Before the Midwest Regional, he gave his cellphone to his secretary to avoid distractions. "I do this all the time: The minute I get on the road I don't even look at my cellphone," Donovan said. It's natural for Donovan's name to enter the discussion, given he was an assistant under Rick Pitino at Kentucky from 1989-1994. That includes a 1993 trip to the Final Four. But he said there was no in-person lobbying for him to stay with the defending NCAA champions, either, during the tournament. Nor does he offer much in the way of an opening. "I go from practice to watching film, that's what I do," he said. Donovan, in his 11th season at Florida, said there's no need for the school to puff up his ego. "I've got an unbelievable relationship with our administration, with our coaches," Donovan said. "Love the University of Florida."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.