I worked at the Final Four. You know all those mundane, arcane notes you would see in the newspaper, or on TV and wonder, "Who in their right mind finds these things?" That answer - me.
I grew up in the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood. Attended Butler baseball and basketball camps when I was younger. Applied to Butler and chose to go much further away for college than three blocks (closer to 950 miles). So Butler making the Final Four was a big deal to me.
And while they didn't win the title, their run was inspiring, especially as someone who works in the athletics department with an even smaller budget than the Bulldogs. Butler will be back; this program has been building to this over the last 20 years - I've seen the foundation laid with my own eyes, from the time Thad Matta was a young assistant pranking young camp goers, until now.
Gordon Hayward's final shot gets a little closer to going in every time I see it, but I try not to focus on it; instead, when you watch this video, watch Matt Howard's screen just before. It will bring a smile to your face every time.
In my basketball lifetime, I don't think I've ever wanted anything more than for that shot to drop. And I played D1 basketball.
ReplyDeleteGut-wrenching.
(But yeah -- Howard's de-cleater there is something to behold. I particularly like Singer's neck snapping back. It's a wee bit of solace.)
That pick is like the Zapruder Film, in a way. The pick is set. Singler goes back and to the left. Back and to the left.
ReplyDeleteThere may have been a total of four media members happy that the shot didn't drop.
D1 basketball? The legend of Roy Hobbson grows.