199 Victory in Virginia

Victory in Virginia

We were always avid basketball fans when we were teenagers and young adults. The excitement of the game was something we lived for and followed each week of the season. Our high school team during our senior year even won the state championship. Nothing as exciting as that!

Our love of the sport continued as we attended graduate school and raised our family. We attended college games as often as we could, and of course supported the high school games as our son played and our daughter cheered.

As time went on, we still loved the sport, but it seemed as if we got busy in other directions and never made it to the games anymore, especially at the collegiate level where the games were so exciting and intense.

The Ralph Sampson era at the University of Virginia was an amazing time at the ACC school in Charlottesville. My husband really was engaged at that time in the sport and got very upset over many of the games. We really didn’t want to be around him if UVA was losing.

Years seemed to pass so quickly and all of a sudden it had been years since we went to a game. This month brought back some of those exciting times as UVA won the men’s NCAA championship.

This win was meaningful as it was a first for the state school, and it redeemed last year’s loss so early in the tournament.

The semi-final and final games did not disappoint as both were a fight to the finish. Neither side gave in or gave up and kept the pressure on. Those three-pointers are so dynamic and a couple of those can change the game quickly in either direction. Free throws also played a prominent part and actually determined the end of the semi-final game. 

In addition, we watched the women’s championship game this month, but since we weren’t alumni of either school, we didn’t have a preference. Nevertheless, it was an exciting game that was also a fight to the end.

The skill, speed, and dexterity it takes to make those baskets and keep the ball in play are such a marvel. The game has evolved with the shot clock and some rule changes but no matter what, it is still fast paced and thrilling.

The game itself dates back to 1891 in Springfield, Mass. James Naismith was the founder who used peach baskets as the goal. Thirteen rules were established then, including “a player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.” Of course, these have been added to and revised.

And what team could go wrong with a coach named Tony Bennett! Every time his name was repeated, I of course thought of the crooner who has withstood the test of time with his melodious sound entertaining generations and generations. Coach Tony Bennett showed his tenacity with directing this championship team. 

I also am pleased for Charlottesville to have this positive event after the summer of 2017 with a White Nationalist rally that ended in death and destruction. So great to have celebrations instead of vigils for the loss of life. 

Way to go Hoos!!            

Frances