This awesome thing happened last night...
...but more on than later. First a word of advice. If anyone reading this is applying to college or deciding between schools, please, go to a school that has a decent athletic program.
“But such and such college has an amazing business/studio art/screenwriting program!”, you might say. And those things matter too. There were a lot of great programs and great people at my alma mater. But the athletics there were weak and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect my relationship with the school, particularly post-graduation. And by athletics I'll go ahead and say "basketball and/or football". We had a top 10 water polo program, but storming a pool for some reason hasn't caught on.
We passed by the gymnasium during my first tour of the campus. My guide said that although they didn’t have a football team, everyone really got up for basketball season. It was “our thing” he said.
“Our thing? Sure it is, guy.” I said to myself. As a livelong college basketball junkie and never having seen this team play once on TV, I was naturally skeptical, and wondered whether I could stand four years of mediocrity. But I was soon taken in by the palm trees that line the central mall, and the inconceivable ocean view. The campus more closely resembled a tropical vacation getaway than a place of learning, the female population notwithstanding. As yet another blonde bombshell glided by I thought to myself “Everything else seems to fit. If the team is at least competitive during my four years here I’d be satisfied. An NIT bid would be enough to justify a four year resort vacation. Just be decent”.
We weren't decent. My freshman year “our thing” won three games. We were among the worst teams in division one basketball. After the season mercifully ended our coach was promptly fired, and our best player (who would be drafted by the Indiana Pacers three years later) transferred to greener pastures. The team improved slightly over my time in school, but we never even sniffed an NIT bid, In hindsight it was naive of me to expect that much. I love the school, but I haven't returned for a game since.
But maybe I would have if I had experienced a moment like this. Or this. Whoa, this one looks like fun! Look at Tom Crean's face in this one. Is that too much to ask for, an eight second highlight in an ESPN Top 10 that didn't include the word "Not" ?
The answer to that question is, "probably". Like so many things, Court storming is only great because its rare (Or at least it ought to be, Maryland fans) . It is a result of something that was really, really not supposed to happen. It is the trump card the TCUs of the world hold over the Kansases. Although court storming exists across the spectrum of college basketball programs, it always a little sweeter the littler you are.
Ah! It's so great I had to post it again. To celebrate the greatness of this particular court storming let's break down the final moments with the shortest running diary in history.
0:00-0:08: As you can see from the score, the game wasn't all that close. Kansas has played like crap all game long, and true to form in trap games like this, the better team only starts hustling when they know it's all over. A Kansas player bricks a lay up, then another air balls a lay up, then a foul to delay the inevitable.
0:13- Taller Guy: "We're getting some tonight man..."
0:30- He smiles like a kid on Christmas, takes a breath as he approaches the line. These free throws mean very little but he's never been more nervous. Of course he misses the second.
1:04- Game over. We see a split second of the first wave of fans, then we cut to Bill Self getting the obligatory handshake out of the way. I don't know the name of the TCU coach.
1:08- If you're careful you can see several players with hands raised in triumph, but they are soon enveloped by the delirious fans.
1:26- Finally rid of the ungracious and condescending Kansas coaching staff, the TCU coach can finally celebrate. He's giving measured high fives and is nearly chest-bumped into oblivion by a large fan.
1:45- That's not "Fight On". The two arched fingers apparently is about Raptors. TCU's mascot is the Horned Frogs. I don't get it either. Mid-majors rock!
1:58- When there's a winner there's always a loser.
Even if you're not a sports fan and you think I'm crazy for suggesting a game dictate your life choices, how could you not want this?! Look at the fans. Look at the players. Look at their faces. Pure happiness. Utter disbelief. They're jumping and flailing and screaming at the top of their lungs not because they're drunk but because their brains don't know how to synthesize what has just happened. So the only thing left to do is meet where it happened, in the center of a basketball court, to see if it's real and hug somebody you've never met.
I would've hugged that blonde.
STORMING THE COURT> EVERYTHIN
No comments:
Post a Comment