Fran Dunphy shakes hands with Billy Lange after Thursday's game. (Photo: Max Rottenecker/La Salle Athletics)
By AARON BRACY
March 14, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Game over.
There is a finality to those words that grabs you. People of my generation will remember the heartbreaking feeling of being in the arcade at the mall and seeing those words flashing on the screen, hurt by the ending of Space Invaders or Donkey Kong, hurt more by having to reach deep into your pocket for another quarter.
In sports, for the losing team anyway, those words have a deeper hurt. La Salle felt it on Thursday. So did Villanova. So did Temple. And when those words come to end one’s season, as they did for all three teams just mentioned, it hurts only that much more.
In life, those words have the ultimate hurt. Family and friends of John Feinstein, the greatest sportswriter of my generation, felt this immeasurable pain after the shocking news that Feinstein had passed away at the too-young age of 69.
Game over. Indeed, those words hurt.
For La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, Thursday’s 75-70 loss to Saint Joseph’s in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament here at Capital One Arena wasn’t just the end of a season but also the end of a career after Dunphy, the all-time winningest coach in Big 5 history, previously announced his retirement following this season. Fittingly for their coach, the Explorers fought to the final whistle, furiously chipping away at a 21-point deficit in the final 3 minutes, 46 seconds by hitting their final eight shots.
Corey McKeithan drained five three-pointers during that breathtaking final stretch, finishing with 29 points a day after scoring a career-high 30 in La Salle’s upset victory over UMass in the first round.
“It was a tremendous ride,” Dunphy said.
Asked what he learned most from Dunphy in his first season at La Salle after transferring from Rider, McKeithan said to be a “great person off the court.”
That’s the thing about Dunphy. Basketball coach was his title. But teaching the game of life was his mission.
“I like it; I like it, a lot,” Dunphy said of hearing McKeithan’s words. “When we’re on (the court), nothing is more important.”
And when the game is over?
“Be the best human we can,” Dunphy said.
He will carry that into the next chapter.
“I’ll live each day with as much enjoyment and helping others as I possibly can,” he said.
Yes, the games are over for Dunphy. But he still has more to give, through action and example continuing to coach the game of life.
The final buzzer was different on Thursday for Feinstein. Personally, the news hit here really hard. If I haven’t read every one of Feinstein’s books, I certainly have come close. As an aspiring sportswriter, I knew that to get better at writing, I had to learn from the best. I set out to read every book on the Top 100 Sports Illustrated list and Feinstein’s books took up much of it. His books take readers on a journey, transplanting them from wherever they are and putting them right smack in the middle of the story. It was a real thrill to get to meet Feinstein and talk to him on my podcast a few years back, us sharing a love of the Big 5 and Jack Scheuer. I had hoped to share a copy of my book with him. Sadly, that can’t happen now.
Game over has a mean finality here.
For Villanova, it is not nearly this serious. In basketball and sports lingo, though, it will be. The Wildcats had a promising start to their Big East quarterfinal game against UConn on Thursday night before a forgettable second half, in which they were held to just 20 points and 20.8 percent shooting (5 of 24), ended their season, losing 73-56 at Madison Square Garden. It is the third straight season outside of the NCAA tournament for Villanova and likely will result in a coaching change.
Game over also hit Temple down in Texas. A potentially promising season was derailed by the absence of several starters, including top scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr., who sat out for the 10th time in 11 games on Thursday night with a lower body injury. Quante Berry also was out of the Owls’ lineup, both watching a 75-71 loss to Tulsa that sent Temple packing.
If this were a video game at the mall, La Salle, Temple, and Villanova would reach into their pockets for a quarter for another chance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way in sports.
Not for the end of the game. Or the end of the season. Game over has a finality. And it hits hard.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.