Moohead Radio

March 9, 2007 9:52 am

How many times can I hear Dick Vitale scream about the Cameron Crazies, the Terps, Gary Williams, Tar Heels, Bruins or Big East and Big Ten? So Thad Matta had a great recruiting year? Bully for him. Nobody’s asking how he got these guys when Jim O’Brien couldn’t. Duke? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Give me Austin Peay, Mount St Mary’s, Eastern Kentucky. Let me see Akron or Wright State. Valpo or Alabama State.

For one time in the year, the oft forgotten get rewarded. His folks may not have gotten a new T-bird, but some kid at George Mason might score 30 on national TV. One of the elite teams is gonna get sucker punched by Oral Roberts. A sure fire NBA caliber guy is gonna call a timeout with none remaining. Oh yeah.

I watched Miami of Ohio beat defending champs Marquette in 1977. I was 19, and I did color commentary for the game in Indianapolis. The whole building turned on Jerome Whitehead, and started cheering for Miami. Unforgettable.

The big schools got the money and endorsements. They have the recruiting edge. But for one night, adrenaline levels the playing field. Someone will make the most of their 15 minutes of fame. It’s what makes sports truly heroic.

I grew up in blue collar Ohio, where we worked for a living. We got what we earned.  That’s how we liked our sports. Not the biggest or strongest. The most collective will. And somewhere in that final 65 will be a single team with an undeniable collective will for one night. That’s what will have me glued to the screen.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 9:52 am and is filed under Uncategorized, College Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.