Noah grew up going to Hoyas basketball camp. He dreamed of going to Georgetown, but the feeling was not mutual. It worked out pretty well for Billy Donovan and the Gators.
''When they didn't recruit me, it was just extra motivation, extra reasons to wake up in the morning and shoot your extra jump shots, run that extra mile, lift a little harder,'' Noah said. ``I felt disrespected, because I remember taking my time and asking them to come and recruit me. We had a past relationship, and they still didn't come and even give me a chance. I thought that was kind of messed up.'' Noah was a Georgetown fan and collected memorabilia. ''Oh yeah, I was a big Hoya fan, but I'm not a Hoya fan anymore,'' he said. ``Patrick Ewing was my favorite player. Patrick Ewing, A.I.[Allen Iverson], all those guys. I'm from New York. We used to go to the Big East tournament all the time. Right now, it's all about those Gator boys. I'm not really worried about Georgetown. If we do the right things, we're going to be tough to beat.''