Shades of Worthy, Farokhmanesh, Darling, & Mullin

Ah March…Leaves and flowers budding, a warmth returning to the air, a freshness in your step, and March Madness! Life is wonderful isn’t it? Here we are, ending the 2nd weekend of the NCAA Tourney, and what a week it has been. Bennett Stirtz, Dillon Darling, and now Braylon Mullins…all evoking images of James Worthy, Ali Farokhmanesh, Kris Jenkins, Lorenzo Charles, Christian Laettner, Jalen Suggs, others of NCAA buzzerbeater fame…What a fabulous tournament this is, this season.

And here’s the thing: Buzzerbeaters are not isolated incidents…You’ve got to have been ‘in the fight’: biting, clawing, workin’ your teams’ butt off to get back in the game. You’ve got to be battlin’, with heart and efforts in order to be on the same block, in the neighborhood…for the miracle to happen. If the fight has been whipped out of you, if you’re merely goin’ thru the motions, if you’ve given up…there’s no room for Glory! However, if the size of the fight , in your dog-your team, is large and unending – then providence, fate, God, ‘luck’, have an opportunity to find you -“on the same block”. If you’re battling, fighting…in the game and not quitting – Miracles have an opportunity to show up and show out. We’ve been witnesses to such miracles this tournament…and it’s oh so sweet!

Sporting News’ Bill Binders Top 5 All-time buzzerbeaters (published today).

Laettner, Duke – 1992
Jenkins, Villanova – 2016
Mullins, UConn – 2026
Suggs, Zags – 2021
Charles, NC St – 1983

Three of my personal all-time favorites (Creighton) are the buzzerbeaters by:

Rick Apke, Jays – 1978 (MVC Tourney championship over ISU & Larry Bird)
Terrell Taylor, Jays – 2002 (NCAA 1st Round win over Florida) TT carried team in 2nd half and 2OTs-for the Win.
Booker Woodfox, Jays 2009 (MVC Tourney championship over Wichita St.) World’s longest 2 seconds ever!

Bless the NCAA Basketball Tournament…the labratory of testament. Within its’ walls we see that there is still hope left in the world, that our efforts CAN pay off, that there are still ‘unkmowns’ in our regimented, segmented, well-defined order of Orwellian society. These tiny incidents of disorder amongst our orderly, proscribed, programmed existence, give rise to hope of larger freedoms, greater individualistic dreams and goals, and a more cooperative and growth-oriented society at large. However….It takes WORK folks!

Lesson:

Fight on…til the deed is done.
“Don’t ever give up” – Coach Valvano.
Stay in the game…workin’ hard, hustling, playing together as a team…Set the framework for good things to happen. They will.

What a great tourney thus far. Looking forward to an excellent Final Four!