1. March Madness. When it is all said and done, I know who won it all. I don’t have to rely on what some writer in east New Hampshire thought of the Miami vs. Boston College game in the second week of the season. Strength of schedule is as important in the Big Dance as curlers to SLU coach Brad Soderberg. What matters is the score on the board. No imaginary match-ups or what-ifs, the simplicity that the best teams will play one another at some point. Win and move on, lose and go home.
2. John Wooden. The Wizard of Westwood brought 10 championships to UCLA in 12 years, and that isn’t even what he is best remembered for. He is not only the greatest coach of all time, but one of the greatest men to ever grace this Earth. His former players don’t talk about what a great coach he was, they remember how he changed their lives. He invented the pyramid to success and didn’t coin the phrase my door is always open–it just always was.
3. Cinderella. Kent State, Gonzaga and Southern Illinois. The team no one has ever heard of that ends up completely wrecking your chance at the office pool. They send home the top-ranked teams one after another on their path to glory. The beauty lies in the fact that the numbers don’t matter. You can be a 15 seed and upset a two because in college basketball the powerhouses have to play the little guys. It’s about North Carolina State topping Phi Slamma Jamma and hearing the late Jim Valvano remind us not to give up–not even to cancer.
4. Forty minutes of hell. A constant reminder from the Razorbacks of the mid-90’s that effort can win championships. It’s about running your tail off for an entire game and collapsing afterward because you’ve worked so hard. When your opponents board the bus after the game they are left wondering how they committed 30 turnovers and scored 45 points. When you can leave a coach seeing a blur of red flash before his eyes you know the full court press is working–just ask Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski.
5. Dick Vitale. Diaper dandies, the trifecta, the PTP’ers–it’s awesome baby! Forget caffeine, forget Red Bull, forget crack, when you see Dickie V you are energized. It doesn’t matter if it’s three in the morning and you’re passed out on the couch, when you hear the voice of Mr. College Basketball you are on your feet and ready to hit the court. It’s about hitting the half-court shot, winning free tuition and then having Dick Vitale throw in your books. What’s better than that? Nothing.
