A basketball story: A chronicle that will make Villanovans proud
Ed Hastings ‘73

The scene: Booker High School, Sarasota, Fla., Feb. 2, 2002.

The Booker High School Chorus sings Mariah Carey’s song “Hero.”

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don’t let anyone
Tear them away,
Hold on
There will be a tomorrow
In time
You’ll find the way

As the notes fade into silence, I look at the man the program describes as “Mr. Howard Porter, Class of ’67” and I am extremely happy and proud to be there, as I am sure that my teammates Mike Daly ’72 and Joe McDowell ’72 are. Sitting next to me, extremely proud, beaming and very responsible for Howard being there is Theresa Neal, his fiancée. We know as does Howard (known to us as “Geez” short for “geyser” because he could float high into the air like a geyser) that the dreams he had when he left Booker High in 1967 were torn away from him, but he somehow held on and found the way. I imagine what young Howard Porter must have been dreaming as the head coach and African-American George Raveling ‘60 came down to recruit him out of this segregated black high school (last one to be so in Florida) to attend this mostly white university in the north.

As one of the honorees of the “Leaving a Legacy” ceremony for this day, the program describes Howard in the following way: “As a Booker High senior in 1967, Mr. Porter helped the Tornadoes capture the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A state basketball championship. He was a three-time All-American at Villanova University, where he is considered the best player in the school’s history. In 1971, Mr. Porter led Villanova to the NCAA Championship game and was selected the Most Valuable Player of the Final Four.”

But that is not the whole story; there is so much more. What follows is my attempt to fill in some of the gaps, especially for the Villanovans who wonder what ever happened to Howard Porter. I won’t tell all that I know, but I will give the highlights of “Geez’s” journey that connects all of the Villanova team of 1970-71. It was a journey that took us from ecstasy to an asterisk. But, thank God, that is not the end of the story. No, the end (or the beginning?) of the story is here in Booker High School where they see Howard as the hero that he really is. I relate the following, borrowing (and changing slightly) from Ghandi, believing that, “Nothing is as powerful as a story whose time has come to be told.”

My earliest recollection at Villanova of Howard Porter is at one of our pre-season pick-up games in Alumni Gym in 1969. I was a young freshman playing in my first game with the team in early September. I have what I think is a breakaway lay-up. I see someone trailing me out of the corner of my eye, but I think there is no way any human being can prevent this shot from going in. I lay the ball up but it never reaches the basket. It travels back to half court, via a slam against the backboard by the arm of this guy named “Geez.” I say to myself, slowly and with awe, “Oh my God!” and try to run back on defense. I imagine the others guys just smiling to themselves and “Geez” thinking that he just taught this freshman an important lesson. That initial court-encounter with “the Geez” still amazes me to this day.

As many of you know, Howard’s ability to cause amazement continued through our Cinderella of a story through the Final Four to his being named Most Valuable Player. I’ll push fast forward and bring us to post-NBA draft of 1971 when it is reported on the news that the Pittsburgh Pipers of the ABA claim that Howard Porter signed a pro contract with them and hence, was not the property of the Chicago Bulls who just drafted him with their first pick. The denials and accusations went back and forth for awhile until the Pipers produced a contract signed by Howard earlier in the year. Thus, Howard legally and officially turned a pro in the middle of his senior year at Villanova. He was declared ineligible and our team was officially disqualified from the tournament. We became an asterisk in the NCAA record book.

All of the above is basically old news to any of you who have cared to know. What follows is what I believe could help you know a good bit of the rest of the story. The shame and guilt that he felt over this incident weighed heavily upon him for a long time. Years later he described what took place in this way: “I took a ride with the devil.”  Howard went on to have a good career in the NBA with XXXX, but somehow never really recovered psychologically from the scandal/tragedy of that year. Shamed and burdened, Howard moved from divorce to bankruptcy to cocaine addiction to time in jail.

It is in this condition in 1985 that Howard received a phone call from some Villanova alums. Richie Phillips ‘62 had hooked up with Jim Murray ‘60 to get Howard to fly from Florida to Lexington for the national championship game. Coach Rollie Massimino wanted Howard to meet and speak with the team in the locker room before the game. Everything was set and Jim told me they were going to pick up Howard at the airport. I recall telling Whitey Rigsby ‘78 during a pre-game radio interview that Howard would be coming to the game. Sadly, he never arrived; he never got on the plane and no one knew what happened. Weeks after the game I managed to get Howard’s address and write that I was disappointed that he didn’t make it and hoped that he was okay. I had a suspicion that he was still too ashamed of what happened and unsure about how he would be received by the Villanova people at the game.

We found out later what brought Howard back to his senses--his time in jail. What was especially helpful was a quote from scripture written to him by a friend, “The Lord hasn’t given up on you yet.” Once out of jail, he took advantage of an NBA-sponsored program that supports former players in need. He went to a treatment center in Minnesota, spent 28 days there and has been clean since. His work today involves counseling those who went through similar experiences. He even has the opportunity to support NBA players with addiction problems when they travel to play the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

Fast forward to 1996, the Pavilion, Villanova, Pa. Howard returns to witness his numbered being retired and to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of our Cinderella trip in the NCAA. Everyone was excited to see one another, but most especially Howard--most of us had not seen him in 20 years or so. Wondering if he would remember and recognize me, I introduce myself to him and he said that he certainly remembered and pulled me aside and apologized for not coming to Lexington to join us and not answering my letter to him back in ’85. I was struck that he remembered all of that. He told me that the reason that he did not come to the game and did not respond to my letter was because he was too ashamed. He assumed incorrectly that he would be resented, not only by Villanovans in general, but also by his teammates. This was completely untrue about his teammates. As a team, we always supported Howard and took his side. We knew that we would never have achieved what we did without him and we knew in our hearts that it would have been exceedingly difficult for any of us to have done anything differently than he did, given our maturity levels, the tough circumstances and the offered money.

Back to Howard sitting on the stage at Booker High School on February 2, 2002. Mariah Carey’s words ring true. The Lord does know that “dreams are hard to follow” and the Lord was there for Howard to help him find his way. I believe this is true for all of us.