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| Cinderella basketball season coming
to end |
Brad Norman
Sports Beat
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The storybook ending to the Appalachian State University men’s
basketball season would have been a victory over Davidson College
within the friendly confines of the George M. Holmes Convocation
Center.
Appalachian may not have gotten their storybook ending, but they
certainly had a storybook season at home.
The Mountaineers, picked to finish dead last in the Southern Conference,
surpassed the critics’ expectations in early January after
claiming a win against East Tennessee State University. The win
put them in first place in the Northern Division, a place they would
not drop out of all year.
The shockwave of Mountaineer basketball was literally felt throughout
the entire sports nation, as ASU became a frequent visitor of the
“Cinderella Watch” on ESPN.com. The Web site went on to
label this season as one of the most surprising seasons from any
team this year in college basketball.
The 12-2 record at home, including the 12 straight victories to
start the year, was simply magical.
Some of the games were easy wins, others (see Gardner-Webb University
and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte) were absolute
thrillers, the ones where every fan left hoarse and white knuckled
from gripping the edge of their seat for too long.
The fact that ASU was No. 1 in the conference all year was only
one of the numerous memories us fans will hold of this year.
Many of the others include the players themselves.
One of the stories of the year was Shawn Hall.
Hall, who didn’t even average 10 points a game over the course
of last season, routinely put up 20 a night. But it wasn’t
just the fact that he would put up 20 a game, but rather the fashion
in which he scored them. Many of his points were absolute bombs,
shots taken from about 6 feet behind the three-point line. They
were shots that seemed to float up into the rafters and hang in
the air forever, shots that almost seemed like a practical illusion
until the ball finally dropped into the basket.
I have very vivid memories of Hall hitting three-pointer after three-pointer,
putting on a stunning display in the upset win over UNCC.
Just as stunning was the 37 points he piled on against ETSU, an
eye-opening victory that let every team in the Southern Conference
know that both Hall and the team were for real.
Many other moments stand out this season, but a few will linger
in the memory long after the season is over.
They include Chris McFarland’s block against UNCC. McFarland,
who looks like his arms can stretch from one end of the court to
the other, came from nowhere to preserve the win.
They include Josh Shehan standing at center court after McFarland’s
block, his hands in the air and beckoning the already rushing crowd
to come onto the court.
They include Jonathan Davis’ thundering, powerful blocks that
rattled not only the backboard but the other team as well.
And finally, they include the game against Davidson.
The entire team came together in hopes of clawing back from an early
19-point deficit and fell just short at the end.
Despite the loss the game was both memorable and melancholy. The
memorable aspect was the incredible comeback attempt, keyed by astonishing
lay-ups by Hall and Graham Bunn.
It was melancholy not only because it was the last game of the season,
but also because it was the last chance for us to see the seniors
play at home.
I was very proud of the crowd we drew for that game. Attendance
surpassed previous games of the season, and the crowd was rocking
for the entire game. Appalachian helped to remind us this year about
what college basketball is all about.
There were a couple commentaries in the paper urging more fans to
go to the game, and, whether or not that affected them, they came
in hoards against Davidson.
And, like I said before, despite the loss to Davidson, and regardless
of what happens in the Southern Conference and possibly the NCAA
Tournament, fans will look back on this season and appreciate it
for what it really was: A story about an improbable underdog and
their magical, enchanting season played out in the small town scene
of Boone. Perhaps this is a story of which Walt Disney himself would
have been jealous. |
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