Final Four Reflections

With the Final Four quickly approaching I have started to reflect on final fours of years past. The first few final fours I ever watched are forever in my mind the golden age of college basketball. Nothing beats college basketball of the early 1990's. Particularly the tournament. I was only eleven or twelve years old back then. Just beginning to experience my first infection of March Madness. I became emotionally vested in teams I never heard of and rode an emotional roller coaster that has plagued my sports viewing experiences ever since.

Do you remember how cool it was when Michigan made the final four with 5 starting freshman who completely changed the look and feel of college basketball. Before the Fab Five, basketball players in the pros and college wore the infamous "nut hugger" shorts that are today relegated to the realm of the middle school gym teacher. No self respecting baller would be caught dead wearing a pair of John Stockton nut huggers today. The Fab Five wore the baggy shorts and the black socks pulled all the way up. They were a striking spectacle of style, rebellion, and youth. Many teams since have tried to emulate them, but none have succeeded. They were revolutionary. Because of them I still follow Michigan basketball today.

What about the Duke v. UK game with Laetner hitting the game winning shot over the Mashburn and the unforgettables. I have never been a really big UK fan, but always rooted for the state teams when in the tourney. I remember being so crushed when that shot went in that as soon as the game was over I walked out of the house and just walked the streets until I felt like I could cope. To this day I hate Duke and revel in every bit of misfortune that comes their way. Blue Devils. . . .Devils aren't even blue! I hate Laetner even more than I hate Duke. He was a douche bag. He stepped straight on a guys chest and rubbed it in there like the villain in a 1970's Kung Fu movie. The only thing he didn't have was the Fu Manchu moustache. Laetner should have been ejected and never had a chance to make that shot. Such a douche.

What about the infamous Chris Webber time out in the championship game verses UNC. That play was so bad Webber never played another college basketball game again. If he would have come back for his Junior season I think Michigan would have destroyed the competition and won a National title. But I guess that is what happens when a 19 year old sophomore is the leader of your team.

I guess part of what made the NCAA tournament so memorable back then was that the best players in the country went to college. Sure they only stayed for 2 or 3 years, but that is better than the no years of college that marked the mid 1990's through the mid 2000's and the one year of college that permeates todays college game. Would UK have even had a chance against Duke without a sophmore named Mashburn. If Webber, Rose, and Howard had went straight to the pros instead of joining the Fab Five would ballers still be wearing nut huggers? It was a special time for the college game. Once that I don't think will ever be duplicated, at least until players are forced to stay at least 2 years in college.

Think about this. How would March Madness have been with Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudamire, or Lebron James suited up in college gear? Would Kwame Brown have been such a disappointment or would he have developed into a stud. What would Memphis have looked like this year with Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans in the back court? The truth is we will never know. Worse, the eleven and twelve year old kids who are just now getting infected with March Madness won't really get a chance to see all of the best players play each other in the big dance like I did. I'm still watching though. Go Villanova!