Wednesday, April 2, 1997
NCAA:
Despite bad press, players prove they have bigger hearts than
egos
Now that the smoke has cleared from the 1997 NCAA Tournament
battles, we can sit back and once again reflect upon the beauty of
March Madness.
The basketball frenzy that took place this March featured such a
high level of competitiveness that it became clear that the
national championship trophy would be the medal of honor for an
elite group of athletes and coaches who staggered to their feet one
more time than the rest.
In the end, the Wildcats of Arizona withstood a torrent of
three-point bombs and knocked down crucial free throws down the
stretch to earn the first national title in school history.
Fittingly, it was the same team that had shocked the college
basketball world by ousting heavily favored Kansas from what was
supposed to be its tournament  its red carpet to the promised
land. Lute Olson’s squad then went on to firmly plant the word
"respect" alongside the Pacific 10 conference logo for years to
come by becoming the first team ever to knock off three No. 1
seeds.
The interesting thing is that a team that finished in the middle
of its conference’s standings was such a legitimate contender from
the start. This was no Cinderella story. Aside from the win over
the top-ranked Jayhawks, the young, quick Wildcat team was expected
to present a huge obstacle to anyone planning to travel to
Indianapolis. But a fifth-place team? A serious contender? You
better believe it.
As Bruin fans will remember, UCLA needed a couple of monstrous
performances to edge out the ‘Cats during the regular season,
taking them into overtime in Pauley and then stealing away a game
in Tucson. The Pac-10 champs were the pick of many experts to dance
all the way from the Midwest region to the Final Four but weren’t
looking forward to seeing Arizona again at the end of the road.
In retrospect, the most insightful statement leading up to this
year’s tournament may have come from Olson after losing to Stanford
and UC Berkeley toward the end of the Pac-10 season, when he said
that he felt that his team had played its best basketball of the
season in those two losses. With both Northern California teams
having advanced to the Sweet 16, it seems, then, that four teams
from the conference could realistically have found themselves as
the last four teams left.
The outcome of this year’s tournament is a perfect illustration
of everything that is right with college athletics. People in the
media often bash these 18- to 22-year-olds, but all these boys with
"big egos" have more heart than most of us can possibly fathom.
When I look back on the championship game of 1997, I’ll remember
watching Mike Bibby stepping to the free-throw line with ice water
running through his veins while his mom beamed down upon him from
the stands. I’ll remember Ray Mercer carrying his tired, cramping
legs around one more baseline screen for one more chance at
championship glory. I’ll remember Rick Pitino saying at the
postgame conference that he couldn’t possibly be prouder of his
team.
I also believe that Arizona’s triumph helps put UCLA’s season
into perspective. Steve Lavin talked about how bad he wanted his
players to experience the thrill of being in the Final Four. The
Bruins were so close, like so many other teams. But I hope this
year’s team doesn’t feel like they let anyone down.
Watching Cameron Dollar repeatedly doing his impression of a
fireman rushing into a burning house as he slashed his way to the
basket in the waning seconds of crucial games was enough to get the
heart of any sports fan pounding until next winter. And, most of
all, watching what Lavin called his "basketball family" fight
through a season filled with adversity gave all us something to
believe in.
Zucker, a former sports editor, is a columnist for The
Bruin.