By Ronak Patel
There are many things that make college basketball this time appealing: from the buzzer-beaters to the bracket filling by people across the country.
The three weekends that begin in mid to late March that filters into the first weekend of April can be exhilarating, joyous, heart-breaking, dramatic and so many words one can Google or look up on dictionary.com.
Bracket predictions and filling out a bracket has become a staple among US sports fans as Opening Day in baseball or watching Super Bowl commercials.
Within a matter of a few games, many toss aside their printed bracket into the trash if their “picks” do not work out. Others will be pumped and watch with keen interest as the rounds go forth and forth towards “One Shining Moment’ on that Magical Monday night.
And despite the latest negative news coming out pertaining to the drama playing out at Rutgers and the referee crisis in the PAC 12, college basketball at this time draws people in.
But….
There is a sense of “finality” when it comes to college basketball for these players that don these uniforms, particularly those that adore those of the mid to the lower majors.
In college football where your season can end with an “insert corporate sponsor” bowl game victory despite a putrid regular season; you can still celebrate when you walk off the football field that one last time.
But in other sports, like baseball, softball, lacrosse and many other fantastic collegiate sports, there is a sense of “finality”. But it’s not clearly seen on our TV sets as basketball.
So many times when a team is losing in its conference tournament and any of the numerous postseason tournaments out there and the game’s outcome is assured, the losing coach would call for a quick foul or a 30 second timeout to get their seniors out of the game for a well-deserved applause.
This happens across gyms and stadiums throughout the country. It happens in the ACC, the Big 10, SEC, etc.
But that sense of “finality” especially hits those that play in conferences like the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference or other one bid conferences just as hard or even in some cases — HARDER.
When it happens, you realize the hard work the players put forth throughout their careers and whatever they overcame during their journey, be it tragedy or an injury or something else, its finally OVER.
I haven’t covered as many tournaments as I’m sure 70 to 80 percent writers out there have, but I’m drawn to this scene. When a player strolls that one final time off the court to the bench, it’s a 10 to 20 second walk that encompasses four years of sweat and hard work.
And then it’s OVER.
It goes quickly, just like most things in life.
In early March, yet another one of these scenes played out when Fairfield senior star guard Derek Needham was taken out in the final seconds of his team’s 60-42 loss to Manhattan in the MAAC Semifinals. For Needham, this was his final stroll to the bench in a MAAC tournament game and a final chance at the NCAA Tournament (Fairfield did play in the CollegeInsider Tournament).
Normally, a coach would hug his/her players for a few seconds before letting them go towards the bench. But for Fairfield men’s basketball coach Sydney Johnson, one of the greatest players in Princeton history and one of the game’s classiest people, he couldn’t let go.
Here is the link to the video on YouTube (at the 3:11 mark to the 3:41 mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd761R5ECDU
Johnson held on to Needham for a good 30 seconds. I’m sure this has happened in other games but for me this reminds me of why I love the game.
This is why coaches like Johnson get into coaching after a successful playing career. This is why it’s easy to root for kids like Needham.
“Four years go quick,” Needham said. “We tell our younger guys, four years seem like a long time. I remember telling (one of my teammates my freshman year), yeah, ‘I won’t be a senior’ and now I’m sitting on the stage with ya’ll.”
For Needham, who couldn’t play in last year’s MAAC Tournament because of a broken bone in his left foot, having a chance to play this season was rewarding for him.
“I was so happy that I was a junior when I broke my foot,” Needham said with a smile. “I was praying surgery went well and after rehab, I wanted to give my team all.”
His team lost in the MAAC title game as a freshman in heartbreaking fashion. The Stags were up 15 against Siena in the first half only to lose 72-65 in overtime on Siena’s home court. His sophomore season, Fairfield was the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Tournament, playing on its home court but lost to No. 4 seed St. Peter’s in the semifinals. Then came the broken foot prior to the tournament in his junior season.
We oftentimes get lost in the bottom line, and it’s easy to do in a volatile business like college hoops.
We obsess over brackets, if our team wins or loses and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I don’t mind it because it brings this game I love the attention it deserves.
But I hope all who have watched the tournament — those who watch to fulfill their bracket obligations or the writers or the hard core fans that love the game like I do — will keep the image of Johnson and Needham in mind.
Despite the latest unsavory news permeating the college basketball universe, there is still something worth holding onto.
Fantastic article!!
Wonderful article and I’m thrilled someone else was just as moved by my video. I had tears in my eyes watching and filming this as it was happening. I was also moved at the final handshake and pep talk from the opposing coach, Steve Masiello, and Needham. Maybe it was the heartbreaking loss to Siena in overtime or the devastating loss at home to St. Peter’s and falling short to Loyola, MD in the championship that I really, really, really wanted to see Needham and Nickerson compete in the “Big Dance” and join the likeness of Greg Francis and Shannon Bowman from that ’97 team. Your article recaptured a lot of those emotions. Well done! Bravo!