For Dear Old UVA

So, yeah, I'm a basketball fan. And I'm an alumna of the University of Virginia, which means that for as long as my life has been, I've been accustomed to "my team" losing. There have been periods of greatness (men's basketball in the early 80s with Ralph Samson, football in 1990-1991 when we actually ranked #1 for a whole week, baseball in the past 10 years) and I'm absolutely certain that people will tell me in comments about things I've missed. That's okay. I know I don't have a comprehensive knowledge of this. Because really, my focus has always been men's college basketball, particularly the annual tournament.

When I was little, I so desperately looked up to my sisters, and especially to Shannon. As the one closest in age to me, she was the most likely target of this adulation, and also the one whose actions I could copy fastest.  Shannon played basketball, so therefore, so did I. We were never similar players. She was taller, and tougher, and frequently fouled out at her games. I learned to keep the book at her basketball games as our father often handled that for the team and he made sure to teach me as he did it. She taught me how to dribble, how to pass and how to shoot. As a shorter and less aggressive player, I gravitated towards the point guard position and played it for 3 years. I think I made roughly 10 points in my storied CYO career. But I ran the floor, and I loved it. We went to basketball camp together (and when he was old enough, our brother joined us) every summer, but never played in the same leagues due to age difference. And every March, we watched as many games as we could get away with. It was at the beginning of this time that UVA Men's basketball had Ralph Samson, and led the NCAA Division 1 and went to the Final Four. I remember not liking NC State at all (they kept beating us!) but now, as an adult, I look back at that and all I remember is The Shot and Jimmy V. And I love Jim Valvano. Hindsight and all.

We live in different cities now, but we text during every game we can.

Fast forward a bunch...like about 30 years. Tony Bennett comes to UVA and starts building a program, and despite it looking like it won't succeed because it's defense focused and slower paced, it does. The recruitment team pulls more and more successful players in to UVA. The school and the alumni started to believe we could do it.

Here's the thing about UVA and sports. We never expect our teams to be tops. It's just not how we proceed. Many students choose UVA for the academic opportunities. I get teased constantly about our abysmal record against Virginia Tech in football, and my response is always that the quality of my degree is not impacted by the football team.  Our alumni ranks are always waiting for the other shoe to fall when it comes to athletics.

So a year ago (plus a few weeks) when the men's basketball team notched the first historic #1 seed loss to a #16 (in the men's tournament. It irritates me to no end that it had in fact happened years prior in the women's tournament, but because women did it first, no one gave a shit because we all know women don't count. But I digress.) I sat on the sofa aghast and crying. I wasn't sad for me. I was heartbroken for the team, for Kyle and Ty and De'Andre and Jack and Devon and Isaiah, and all the other players, and for Tony. To know that for the rest of their lives, they would have this attached to them, and be asked about it, and worse...it just broke my heart.  I cried again the next morning when I told my sons about the loss.

When the season started, I was nervous. We all were. How do you step back out on the court after that? We were at the game - my Dad got us tickets. UVA won. And then they kept winning, until full-strength Duke. But every game I was afraid we would lose, and I wasn't happy with a small lead. I needed the leads to be significant so I could remain calm. And many times, the leads were significant.

Then came March, and another #1 seed placement. That first game was TERROR. And you know I spent half if it in the car because they played better when I was not watching. As they advanced by each round, I spent three hours in thrall/angst/elation/horror, which has not been good for me. I've been clenching my jaw at night and I have stress hives. Because of a game.

And they won last night, and finished their "redemption season" as National Champions. And I sat on my sofa (and also paced around my sofa) crying, again for those boys. For Kyle and Ty and De'Andre, and Jack and Kihei and tournament-strong Mamadi. For Braxton and Jay, Austin and Grant, Francesco and Francisco, and Marco and Kody and Jayden. For the managers. For the coaching staff, especially Jason Williford, who played when I was a student and was team captain in 1995 when they made it to the Elite 8. Now he's helped his beloved Hoos go all the way. And that brings me so much joy.

I know that no place is perfect, and UVA is included in that. Like any other place, it has history which has minuses and pluses. To me, it has always been Dear Old UVA.

So if you see me and say congratulations and I tear up, don't mind me.  It's just my joy seeping out.