Russell took a bite of his burger and looked at us without saying a word. We walked over to Russell’s table and my friend explained that we were huge basketball fans and would love to have his autograph. After all, how many 13-year-old kids were going up to Russell asking for his autograph when his playing career ended 23 years before I was born? He’d appreciate a young kid who was aware of what he’d done throughout his career, right? My friend Zak, who didn’t originally believe me that it was Bill Russell, had no reservations and convinced me to walk with him. It was Celtics legend Bill Russell, remembered for his 11 NBA titles and a presence on any short list of greatest players in the history of the game.Īs a shy teenager, I didn’t want to bother him or the man he was sitting with. The man had a few rings on the hand clutching his burger. My friends and I were scarfing down our burgers and shakes when I looked over and saw a tall older man in an old Boston Celtics hat with salt-and-pepper hair poking out of the side. One day during the weekend we went to the Steak ‘n Shake in downtown Indianapolis. It was decided that the line would have to be cut off somewhere. Walton was only signing for a limited time and it became clear that there’s no way he’d be able to sign for everyone within the time he was scheduled to be on stage. By the time we finished the game, we headed to the end of a long line for Walton’s signature. My friends and I were in line for a basketball game when there was an announcement that Walton would be signing autographs. There was an autograph session for UCLA legend Bill Walton. Other parts of the experience weren’t so great. My friend Zak, never one to be shy, went inside with me and asked Vitale if he could give us one of his signature catchphrases, “It’s awesome, baby!” Vitale, whose voice was hoarse, likely a result of his trademark yelling, made a point to never disappoint his fans and gave us a raspy version of the phrase we had asked to hear. One highlight was walking by Champps Sports Bar inside Circle Centre Mall and seeing ESPN sportscaster Dick Vitale. We spent hour upon hour inside the Convention Center doing the various activities - autograph sessions, basketball clinics, basketball trivia, and the chance to see faces that we had only seen on TV. I went with my two best friends, Chris and Zak. The Convention Center was the host to the Final Four Fan Fest. Most of my time spent at that Final Four came inside the Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, just blocks away from the now-demolished RCA Dome where the games were played. The Aztecs produced the most dramatic shot of the tournament with a buzzer-beater lifting them over FAU while the Huskies earned their trip to the title game with another blowout.Cameron Stewart at the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four 6 seed Creighton with a last-second free throw.Īnd so the Final Four was set. Meanwhile, UConn kept up their tear of double digit victories by knocking out Gonzaga and SDSU squeaked by No. The upsets continued as Miami took down No. 3 seed Kansas State to punch a ticket to the Final Four. 9 seed FAU established themselves as the biggest Cinderella when they beat No. Then San Diego State took down Alabama and No. The Sweet 16 brought us another instant classic between No. 7 Missouri only continued the party for the Tigers. In the second round, Kansas became the next No. 1 seed, besting Purdue in the East Region. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson became just the second to top a No. 13 seed Furman managed a miracle victory over No. 2 seed Arizona in the first round while No. The NCAA Tournament opened with a string of upsets that marked it as a special year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |