![]() ![]() SMU received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that could end with a trip to the Final Four for yet another, “One Shining Moment”. Their shining moment came in front of a crowd that cheered so loud for UCONN and against SMU that you couldn’t even hear yourself speak. The Mustangs however, defeated all odds by winning the tournament. Nobody expected the 76ers to win anything and neither was SMU. As I watched the SMU Mustangs play in the American Athletic Conference tournament this week they were symbolic of the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers that went to the NBA Finals that year. He doesn’t have to coach another game but he choses to continue to coach and empower future generations of student athletes. ![]() Brown also won a World Championship in the NBA while serving as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Ironically, 1988 was the last time that SMU won a conference championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament. Brown is a person who was the coach at Kansas University when they won the National Championship in 1988. What legendary coach Larry Brown has done for the basketball program at Southern Methodist University is nothing short of incredible. Even though he was injured and unable to play, Weber was with the team every step of the way, and when they won the championship he was able to join in the celebration and helped them cut down the nets. The team however, caught its groove in its conference and went on to win the Atlantic-10 Tournament Championship for the first time since joining the conference. The team struggled to find its way the rest of the regular season, losing twice to its crosstown rival, the University of Richmond along the way. Virginia Commonwealth University lost its best player in Briante Weber to a devastating season ending injury this year. No they didn’t win the majority of their games during the regular season but they were able to go on an incredible run and win four straight games in the tournament to be named Champions of the MEAC and there was their shining moment. The team that they defeated in the semi-finals of the tournament was also Norfolk State University. In fact, the team lost its final home game of the regular season to its biggest rival Norfolk State University. When the tournament started all you could hear in Norfolk Scope was how coach Ed Joyner of HU would not return as the coach next season. Hampton University enters the NCAA tournament thanks to the automatic bid they received when by defeating Delaware State University in the MEAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday afternoon. ![]() ![]() When Kentucky defeated Arkansas in the SEC Conference Championship this past Sunday that was indeed a shining moment-34 and 0. Kentucky is the first Division 1 basketball team to go undefeated in the regular season and conference tournament, since the University of Indiana won it all with a 32-0 record in 1976. However, there will be many shining moments shared by many before we arrive to that one moment that usually takes place at the Final Four.įor instance, the University of Kentucky (UK), Hampton University (HU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) shared moments during their conference tournaments that I am sure that they will not soon forget. There’s an intangible and competitive spirit that leads to one shining moment that will last a lifetime in the hearts and minds of everyone involved. In many cases it also offers many moments of empowerment for those who participate. 68 teams from all over the country compete for the National Championship in Men and Women Basketball. This week marks the beginning of what is called, “March Madness”. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |