Blogs
Good Will Hunter
The Pasco Curse strikes again
Zac Hunter chips in his two cents while bloggin' from Boston.
Ticket? Check. Black T-shirt? Check. Clever cheer calling Brandon Rush a dead-beat daddy? Check. Keys to Ford F-350 Super Duty? Check. Skoal Wintergreen Long Cut? Check. Win against archrival, ending 23 years of humiliation in Manhattan? Ouch. That one didn't really work out very well, did it?
For starters, I can't figure out why the Wildcats didn't break out the black jerseys. Why even have the option if you're not going to use it? It would have made the black out far more effective. And they would have set off Bob Huggins' satin vest nicely. Admittedly, I'm no Ralph Lauren when it comes to judging fashion, but I'm pretty sure the only time it's acceptable to wear a tuxedo vest is when you're actually wearing a tuxedo.
Monday night, the Wildcat fans tried so hard. The fans got there early. They were loud. The 'Cats were getting three points at a time from beyond the arc or the old-fashioned way. Rush was not his usual self, and was then relegated to the bench. Huggins was giving the best performance with the flu since Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals, and they even had the lead at halftime. This was the year.
And that's when it happened. No one saw it coming. Fans at Bramlage were heading for the concession stand for some popcorn and a drink. They had no clue the Curse of Pervis Pasco had just aired on ESPN.
Some of you may be unaware of this lesser known sports curse. It pales in comparison to the more accepted and well known curses of the sports world. Everyone knows of the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat in Chicago. But the Pasco curse is real, and equally potent.
The legend of the curse began with a near win in the 2003 Big 12 Tournament. Kansas State led Colorado by two points with a couple seconds left in the opening round game. A desperation full court pass was intercepted by Pasco which sealed the win for the Wildcats. Or did it?
Instead of dribbling out the clock Pasco attempted a victory lap, finger raised in celebration. Instead of advancing his team to the second round he was whistled for a traveling call. This gave Colorado new life and one last shot at the win. The Buffaloes took advantage and banked in a three-pointer for the miracle win. The Pasco curse was born.
It was said that no matter how well Kansas State was doing at a particular point in time something bad was always waiting around the corner. As was the case Monday night when it appeared Kansas State might break the streak, the Curse of Pasco unleashed Sherron Collins. Collins dominated the second half, finishing with 20 points, and helped keep alive a streak that started long before he was born. And the curse was satisfied, for now.
That’s the thing about curses. They are always out there, lurking, waiting. But take heed, Wildcat fans. The Red Sox managed their curse in just short of a century. You're already a quarter of the way there.
Enough gas in the Super Duty for the sad ride home? Check. 'Wait until next year' smack talk for all your KU friends? Check.
- When: Aug. 30
- Where: Memorial Stadium
- Football
- Schedules: KU | Florida Int'l
- Rosters: KU | Florida Int'l
- 2007 Stats: KU | Florida Int'l
- Last time: 2007: 55-3 KU win
- Series record: Kansas leads 1-0
- Nick Collison : C-F, Seattle Sonics
- Drew Gooden : F-C, Chicago Bulls
- Kirk Hinrich : G, Chicago Bulls
- Raef LaFrentz : F, Portland Trailblazers
- Paul Pierce : G-F, Boston Celtics
- Scot Pollard : C-F, Boston Celtics
- Billy Thomas : G, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jacque Vaughn : G, San Antonio Spurs Julian Wright : F, New Orleans Hornets
- All-time list of 'Hawks in the NBA
- N. Collison — 4 points in W 109-98
- D. Gooden — 2 points in L 61-79
- K. Hinrich — 23 points in L 96-113
- R. Lafrentz — 2 points in W 85-78
- A. Miles — DNP in L 89-99
- G. Ostertag — 0 points in W 105-102
- P. Pierce — 22 points in L 74-79
- S. Pollard — 0 points in L 88-97
- W. Simien — 0 points in W 111-89
- B. Thomas — 0 points in L 120-121
- J. Vaughn — 3 points in L 105-106
- Watch this space as we track recruits for the 2007-08 Jayhawks.
- » North Mesquite WR Daymond Patterson named all-state
- » Ransburg leads Harrisonville to third straight 3A Missouri title
- M. Chalmers — 28 points in W 64-44
- M. Downs — 15 points in W 32-30
- J. Wright — 9 points in W 56-26
2003, 2004, and 2007 EPpy Award Winner. 
2003 and 2005 Digital Edge Winner
Comments
You'll need a free KUsports.com user account (your LJWorld.com or lawrence.com account will also work).
Posted by kevbo (anonymous) on February 21, 2007 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nice
Posted by Mr_Sandman (anonymous) on February 21, 2007 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
K-State fans have actually attempted to talk smack to me by saying that we barely won. That is just very sad to me. They also are already starting the wait til next year talk. I think they believe that Michael Jordan is coming to play at K-State, not Michael Beasley.
Posted by Machawk (anonymous) on February 21, 2007 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great article on perhaps the most quintessential moment in K-State basketball history, the Pasco fiasco. Thanks for the hilarious memory of what could only happen at K-State for their dilusional fans.
Posted by bangaranggerg (anonymous) on February 22, 2007 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ha ha ha ha that was awesome. great stuff!
Posted by JayCeph (anonymous) on February 22, 2007 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder what has become of Pasco. Where is he now? What is he doing? Does it involve basketball? I remember when he made that bone-headed play and I actually felt bad for him after the 'Cats lost since I knew his name would now be synonymous with bad-luck.
I too, thought the 'Cats should've been wearing their 'road blacks' since that would've opened the door for the 'Hawks to wear their 'home whites'... as it should be anyway. Bramlage = Allen Annex West
Posted by Hutchihawk (anonymous) on February 22, 2007 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great read!!! Still rolling! Still think that an F350 Super Duty is still too nice a ride for most cat fans. A more appropriate choice would be a rusted out 73 Dodge Prospector!
Posted by FlaHawk (anonymous) on February 22, 2007 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I saw Purvis Pasco play in HS once (Clearwater, FL). He was only a Sophmore and was very raw and a lot clumsy. Never thought he would make it to Division I nor become the hex sign for KSU!
Go Hawls!
Posted by timboconqueso (anonymous) on March 9, 2007 at 6:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For those of you who are interested, Purvis Pasco is now playing professional basketball here in South Korea. In fact, his team just won tonight. He made this monster dunk off a teammates missed 3-point attempt....over the head of a defender. It was sick. Not sure why he ended up coming over here, but looks like he is doing well. No curses...
Furthermore, of all the professional players, Korean and foreign, he leads the league in rebounds this year.
Posted by reisewyn (anonymous) on April 13, 2007 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Check that, he WAS playing in South Korea. In last nights playoff game, he reacted to a hard foul by knocking down the offender with a shot to the neck. While this was enough for an ejection (and probably suspension), he got in the referees face who ejected him and pushed him to the floor as well. This morning I heard he was kicked off the team and out of the league. Funny how the Korean league didn't need to review it for a week and then make a decision like the NBA; you assault an official and you're out. We'll see where he goes next. He has the physical gifts to do well in most leagues, but his overall game and attitude need some work.