By ANDRE MACK-ROBINSON – Variety Writer
As the month of March nears, the madness of college basketball grows.
The month of March is very special to me. In addition to my birthday on the fourth, the month brings alive a special time in the sports world, March Madness.
The month of March means much more to Andre Mack-Robinson than just basketball. Photo by Austin DeFoor
March Madness is approaching. College basketball teams are fighting for positions to the big dance, the NCAA Tournament. I hear the chant “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk, KU” in Allen Field house at the University of Kansas. I see the blue sea of the Cameron Crazies at Duke University. I smell the pine wood floor in Pauley Pavilion at University of California, Los Angeles. I feel the excitement of Madison Square Garden in New York, as the Big East Tournament gets closer.
March brings new heroes to the scene like Dwayne Wade from Marquette University in 2003, Gerry McNamara from Syracuse University in 2004, Stephen Curry from Davidson College in 2008 and Kemba Walker from University of Connecticut in 2011.
The emerging of Cinderella teams to reach the impossible heights like Butler University, George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) which makes you wonder who will be the next to fit the glass slipper?
The bubbles are busting and the markings on the personal brackets are the passion. March is college basketball’s spotlight, and they own it well.
Personally, March Madness took my heart in 2002. My father was a part of the staff at University of Maryland, so I was able to witness a running history. Seeing basketball giants such as Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Chris Wilcox and Lonny Baxter overwhelmed me. I remember traveling to Atlanta, Ga, the site for the 2002 NCAA Final Four.
The Maryland Terrapins won the National Championship that year. I didn’t understand the excitement but I certainly felt it. Unlike the professional player, they weren’t paid a huge bonus but only a sense of accomplishment for their love for the game.
“Bug boy” was a nickname Juan Dixon gave me; he helped me learn the game of basketball despite my obsession with catching fireflies at the time. He taught me some ball handling skills that are still evident in my game. I didn’t comprehend that he had just won a National Championship or that he was the MVP for the entire NCAA Tournament.
Former University of Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton holds the South Eastern Conference trophy after an eventfuImage courtesy of the Athens Banner-Herald/OnlineAthens.com
Another moment of March Madness that had an effect on me took place at Clemson University, where my father was also on staff. During the month of March, I would typically spend my spring break at an annual conference tournament. After the 2007 Atlantic Coastal Conference Tournament, Clemson did not make the NCAA Tournament but was invited to the National Invitational Tournament.
The atmosphere was inflicted with orange as traditional powerhouse Syracuse visited the Tigers in Littlejohn Coliseum, SC in the quarterfinals. The winner would earn a trip to the semi-finals in Madison Square Garden. At the time I never had been more enthusiastic at a game before.
Wearing my Clemson game uniform like the players, I felt the energy from the packed area which had me never standing the whole game. I felt alive and at my peak of elation when Clemson’s Raymond Sykes provided a thunderous dunk over a Syracuse defender. At that moment, I was shocked at what just happened. Clemson won that game and eventually lost to West Virginia University in the finals of the tournament.
Seeing teams go from last to first is magical. This is what I witnessed in 2008 as the University of Georgia rose to the top
Being led by seniors Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss, the Dream Dawgs defeated the odds with their backs to the wall.
Georgia came into the Southeastern Conference Tournament with a 13-16 overall and a 4-12 conference record. In the first round, Georgia was to play University of Mississippi, who had beaten the Bulldogs in the last game of the season. The game went into overtime. Bliss banked in the game-winner with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to defeat the Rebels.
In another overtime thriller, Georgia’s Zac Swansey, freshman, hit a turnaround three-point jumper with 1.4 seconds left to give the Bulldogs the team’s first ever win over Kentucky in SEC Tournament history.
Later that night, Georgia defeated Mississippi State with the final score, 64-60. I was so emotionally excited for the team’s success.
It felt like a dream because it was too good to be true.
Georgia defeated the University of Arkansas in the finals. The game was highlighted by two monstrous dunks by Billy Humphrey and Albert Jackson. They earned their ticket to the big dance. I was proud of the team and excited at the reality that they did something special. It was a miracle. Their rough season was the epitome of a Cinderella story.
March brings out magic and stories that will be in history forever. March features the blood, sweat and tears of College basketball. The competitive drive the student-athletes expose is remarkable and unbelievable so who will be the next hero? Who will be the next Cinderella team? Who will be the last standing, to cut the down nets and hear One Shining Moment? Anything can happen during March Madness.
