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Josh
Sankes '01 says goodbye
By
Larry Napolitano
On Nov. 20, 1999, the tallest player in Holy
Cross history made his regular season debut, leading the
Crusaders to their first win over a Big East team since the
1990-91 season. During the game, 7-foot-1 Josh Sankes recorded
his first "double-double" for the Purple with a 13-point,
11-rebound performance. His effort was a sign of things to
come and a big step in the rebirth of Holy Cross men's
basketball.
When Sankes arrived at Holy Cross after transferring from Rutgers, he was not
sure if he truly wanted to play basketball anymore. After a difficult stretch
at Rutgers he was eager to begin again, but Holy Cross had just experienced a
coaching change, and Sankes was not sure how he and the new
coach would interact.
"I was confused when I arrived at Holy Cross," says Sankes. "It took awhile for
me to adapt to the school. When I first met Coach Willard I was scared of him,
but I got to know him, and we became good friends."
Sankes' first year was a memorable one. He began to show flashes of how dominant
he could be in the middle of the floor. Under the direction of Head Coach Ralph
Willard, Holy Cross began to show flashes of returning to prominence. After the
season-opening win over Providence, the Crusaders were devastated by injuries
as four-of-the-five starters missed 10 or more games due to injury. The one constant
throughout it all was Sankes. He was the lone player on the roster to start all
28 games during the season.
Sankes posted 20 double-doubles in that first season, ranking second in the nation
in that category. He also ranked second in the nation in rebounding, averaging
11.9 boards per game. His impact on a 10-18 team was felt around the conference
as he earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors. Sankes set the Holy Cross
record for blocked shots in a season with 69, shattering the old mark of 51 set
by John Young in 1994. He also set a pair of Hart Center records, including most
rebounds in a game (19 vs. Army) and most blocks in a game (7 vs. Colgate). Sankes
led the Crusaders in scoring (14.1 points per game), rebounding (11.9 rebounds
per game), blocks (69) and field goal percentage (.467) and helped lay the groundwork
for the success
that the Crusaders would enjoy the next season.
"Last year, it started to become fun again," says Sankes. "I was the leading
rebounder, setting records, and starting to come into my own. This year it just
took off."
Despite battling a bad Achilles tendon for
much of the year, the second and final season of the Sankes
era resulted in the Crusaders' first trip back to the NCAA
Tournament since 1993. Along the way, Holy Cross captured both the regular season
and tournament crowns, becoming the first team
in the College's history to accomplish that feat.
"The injury was really frustrating," Sankes says. "Looking
back on it, I could not believe that I played with the pain that I was in, but
it was something that
I had to do. I had to step up and could not let the injury take
over and stop us from achieving our goals."
Sankes once again led the team in scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounding
(9.6 rebounds per game), blocks (66), and field goal percentage (.554). He notched
15 double-doubles on the season, including three in the Crusaders' last four
games of the year. One of his most remarkable performances came against Navy
in the Patriot League Championship game. Sankes was hurt and did not practice
for most of the week prior to the game. Unable to practice due to his injuries,
Sankes shocked the crowd with an outstanding performance, playing 40-of-the-45
possible minutes of the overtime game, scoring 15 points and notching an incredible
17 rebounds. In the end, he earned the
tournament's Most Valuable Player accolade for the 68-64 win.
"There was no way he should have been able to play
40 minutes," says Willard, "except that I know how big his
heart is and that he is a competitor."
"There was a point during the game in which coach pulled me
out to rest, and I remember sitting on the bench thinking that
we could lose this game if I did not get back in and contribute," says
Sankes. "I knew that this game was all or nothing. When I got
back in and we began to turn it around, I really believed that
we would win, and I could not even feel any pain. I had gone
from what was the worst situation (at Rutgers) to the best
one (at Holy Cross)."
Sankes' effort did not end there as he and the rest of his Crusader teammates
tried to orchestrate one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
The 15th seeded Holy Cross squad faced the 2nd seed Kentucky Wildcats in the
first game of the NCAA Tournament. The majority of analysts predicted a 20-point
Wildcat win, but the Crusaders had other ideas. After trailing by nine at the
half, Holy Cross charged back to tie the score at 58 with 6:29 left, when Sankes,
a career .490 percent free throw shooter, connected on two from the charity
stripe to send the entire crowd of 13,000 into a frenzy.
"When I was at the free throw line, I was so relaxed, and I was concentrating
so hard that I knew I would make them," says Sankes. "I really thought that after
all that has been said and talked about, this was my moment, and I had to make
the most of it. When the crowd stood up and cheered during the timeout after
I hit the second one, it was such an adrenaline rush. It was a great feeling."
Unfortunately, the season came to an end that day with
a 72-68 loss at the hands of the Wildcats. Sankes finished the game with 13 points
and 10 rebounds,
but his impact and personal experience of helping the team went well beyond
the boxscore.
"I think in any basketball player's life this is just the greatest feeling," says
Sankes. "I remember watching the tournament as a child. For me, I have come a
long way. Coming from Rutgers and what happened there, I never dreamed that anything
would happen like this."
Although Sankes only played two seasons on top of Mount St. James, he will
be remembered, not only as the tallest player in Holy Cross history, but also
for what he overcame to help bring the men's basketball program one step closer
to reestablishing its rich tradition.
One individual who will always remember his impact is Willard. "He's a great
kid," the head coach says. "He is a very sensitive young man. Every night he
goes out there and gets 10 or 15 rebounds. He has a lot of heart and a lot
of courage."
Holy Cross was a rebirth for Sankes, helping him remember
that basketball is fun and that he could have an influence on the sport he loved.
"This was just unbelievable. I thought Holy Cross might be a good place because
the education is so good, and I didn't know how the basketball would work out," says
Sankes. "This was better than I could have imagined. I just feel lucky and blessed."
Larry Napolitano is the coordinator of athletic media
relations at Holy Cross.
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