UConn is in the Final Four.
Take a minute. Read that again. Revel in it. It’s almost hard to believe that we’re here right now. Despite what my bracket says, I picked UConn to go all the way more out of loyalty than out of a genuine belief that they were going to make the Final Four. I knew they could. I knew I had seen them beat the best team in the country. And anyone who has been unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one of my UConn diatribes knows that I’ve believed all season that when this team is on, they can beat anyone in the country.
But even my deep-seeded homerness didn’t prepare me for this reality. There were some truly ugly moments this season. The losses in Texas. The thumping from Louisville. And we’ve all had some things to say about Kevin Ollie this season. He got out-coached by Larry Brown and Rick Pitino. He doesn’t have enough set plays. His line-up management is at times truly puzzling. But then this week he out-coached Tom Izzo. Tom Izzo, you guys. He’s run some of the most perfect plays I’ve ever seen. And his line-up management has been spectacular. But, most importantly, he got this team to believe. In him, in themselves and in each other. They believe they can beat anyone. And then they do.
Ollie has got his team playing the best basketball they’ve played all season. The Steve Nash free-throw drill is paying off in spades. There’s no team in college basketball that hits free throws down the stretch like UConn. None. And that’s how you win in the NCAA Tournament: by making your damn free throws. The defense this team is playing right now is spectacular. The hurt they put on Michigan State down low is magical. Our guys, undersized and inexperienced in comparison, limited the Spartans to 6 points in the paint. Six. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, pundits.
DeAndre Daniels’ offense is finally (Finally!) at the level he achieved at the end of last season. His shot is silky smooth, and he can go off at any moment. Ryan Boatright’s on-ball defense is absolutely stifling. There’s no guard who is going to have a break out game with the Boat Show all up in his grill. Terrence Samuel, as Peter so eloquently tweeted a la Swingers, is all growns up. Those are some crucial minutes he’s giving off the bench, contributing with his aggression on defense and offense. Amida Brimah and Phil Nolan are actually starting to look like a couple of legitimate bigs. And, of course, we cannot leave out everyone’s favorite German, Neils Giffey, who has been rebounding like a man possessed.
And then there’s Shabazz Napier. What’s left to say that everyone hasn’t already said 100 times? I’m not going to compare him to Kemba Walker. Bazz has earned his place in UConn lore all by himself. We do him a disservice by comparing him to Kemba. Bazz is his own man. And what he’s done for this program – sticking around when everyone left, playing when there was nothing to play for but pride, and bringing together this team in this time for this coach – it’s maybe more significant than any contribution in the history of UConn basketball. No matter what happens this weekend, I will be forever grateful to the little point guard from Roxbury with the heart the size of Connecticut. He’s a credit to the program and to the university.
Kevin Ollie has led his team to Promised Land. He took them on a tour of the stadium in Dallas back in December, during our darkest hours. He showed them what could be. And he convinced them they could get there. That they had everything they needed, right there in Storrs. That they are enough. Ollie is a true believer, and he makes believers out of everyone around him. This program has weathered the storm: the loss of a Hall of Fame Coach, a post-season ban and an exodus. Ollie is our Noah. He built the Ark, one nail at a time. He brought faith and he spread it around. The floods came, and we survived. And now we’re here. The Final Four. And the world is a beautiful place again.
OMG I can’t bieve you wrote that. Thank up thank you thank you
Glad you enjoyed it.