To be honest, there's not a ton of college basketball news to dive into when June turns into July. The NBA draft is over and done. The coaching carousel has ground to a halt. It'll be three-plus months before Midnight Madness even takes place. So, at this spot on the calendar, there's plenty of time to reflect.
I was thinking about doing a column regarding the ambiance of some of the older arenas in the sport, comparing them to the majesty of Fenway Park, Soldier Field, and Madison Square Garden. But then life (or, on a more accurate note, death) intervened. On Monday, former NC State forward Lorenzo Charles was killed after crashing the tour bus he was driving in Raleigh, NC.
The 50-plus hours since the news broke, many have shared their memories and condolences about the man who would become known for cementing one of the biggest upsets in NCAA championship history. I want to join in on what this circumstance means to me on the whole.
Everyone who is a fan of the sport remembers the night of April 4th, 1983. The Houston Cougars were a heavy favorite over NC State. Phi Slama Jama showed as much by jumping to a late lead in the second half before the Wolfpack pulled off a "Hoosiers"-esque comeback by ratcheting up the defense. With the last few seconds ticking off the clock, and the score tied at 52, Dereck Whittenburg hurled a 30-foot jumper toward the rim. One airball and one well-positioned teammate later, one of the most indelible moments of the tournament's history stood in Charles' sneakers.
I was three on the night of this fantastic finish. I was about eight years away from really starting to get into and understand college basketball as a whole. But as I grew in my love of the game, I remember watching CBS telecasts which started off with several magical moments of tournament lore. One of those, of course, showed Jim Valvano leaping around the court on the strength of Charles' dunk.
Now, closing in on the 30th anniversary of that championship, the key spark plug in the celebration is gone. It was the signature moment of the forward's career. He never really made a name for himself in his two years in the NBA. But for eternity, he's linked with the greatest moments in sports. Matter of fact, in my humble opinion, this is the best game-winning moment in my lifetime.
Hold up, you say. The best? Really? In all the nail-biting, heart-pounding, nerve-fraying moments in the lexicon of sports over the last 30 years, this is the one you choose?
Simply put ... nyes.
So what are some of the elements that help me arrive at that point? We'll work our way through all the bullet points.
The timing of the situation was impeccable. As with any buzzer-beater, the drama was intensified. Time plays a huge factor in building tension. Whether it's Phil Mickelson passing Ernie Els on the 18th hole of the 2004 Masters, the Lakers' Derek Fisher hitting a shot with 0.4 seconds against the Spurs that same year, or Adam Vinatieri splitting the uprights as time expires to give New England their first Super Bowl title in 2002, an instant flash of pressure can lead to a moment etched in memory.
Speaking of flash ... the brief brush with destiny made the story more alluring. As I said earlier, Charles did not have a bigger bucket in his career than that one at Albuquerque's Pit. After his two years in the Association with the Atlanta Hawks, Lorenzo became a journeyman in Europe. The fact that he was on the end of history might rank up there with Mike Jones, whose tackle on the one-yard line secured the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the St. Louis Rams in 2000.
Even though that bright light flashed on the Wolfpack forward, Charles wasn't the most likely hero. That honor basically belonged to Whittenburg, who led the team in scoring for the tourney. But on a team, everyone can play the winning role, just like Aaron Boone did with his walk-off homer to win the 2003 AL Pennant for the Yankees and Francisco Cabrera proved with a winning single that gave the Braves the 1992 NL Pennant.
In many cases, the best moments come from the "least" of teams. NC State needed to win the ACC tournament to even make the Big Dance. They did that, then ran with it to the NCAA Final as a six-seed. Houston's high-flying act of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler was supposed to run Charles and his teammates out of the gym. But the contrast in styles ended and turning State's way at the end, which led to the comeback. It was a comeback reminiscent of two impressive runs made by the Dallas Mavericks during this year's championship run.
And although this year's Mavs weren't the favorites to win the title. They weren't near the underdogs that NC State was. The Wolfpack is actually in the class of those 2002 Patriots, the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks who beat the Yankees on a Luis Gonzalez single in Game 7, and, of course, the 1985 Villanova squad that shocked Georgetown 66-64.
As far as a singular moment, that play separated itself from the rest of the game in "wow!" factor. The game itself seemed like a fantastic test of will, but it may not have been the best display of basketball. If you're looking for the best game in recent NCAA memory, that would have to be the 1992 East Regional Final between Duke and Kentucky. However, Christian Laettner's buzzer-beating jumper came in the Elite Eight.
You could also say that the 1982 Championship between Georgetown and North Carolina was a better game. However (again), the last play of the game wasn't Michael Jordan's make. Georgetown had a chance to win before Fred Brown threw the ball away to James Worthy. And this leads me to my next point...
... This was for the end-all, be-all. Like Vinatieri's kick at the gun in '02, a missed opportunity meant overtime. But any borrowed time might run out against the Greatest Show on Turf and Phi Slama Jama. So the importance of ending all hope was crucial. It lifts those games above Joe Carter's World Series walk-off home run in 1993 due to the fact the Carter hit his blast in Game 6. The 1983 NCAA title game had everything on the line that night. Heck, the only other moment I can compare it to would be Charlotte Smith hitting the winning three at the horn to lift the UNC Lady Tar Heels to their only women's basketball crown in 1994.
So, let's take all the shots, kicks, putts, hits, and rallies that have made big-time sports so enjoyable over the last 30-plus years. The reason we can push them all behind Lorenzo Charles' sensational play comes down to one simple fact.
It was a putback. That's right. It wasn't a shot. It was a rebound ... of an airball. It was basically the Immaculate Reception of collegiate dunks. To have the headiness to stay in the right position for the rebound, catch the ball with one second left, and then jam it home says a lot about the moment.
To the family of Mr. Charles, I send my condolences. To the fans of Mr. Charles, I send my heartfelt jealousy that I could not witness, as it happened, the greatest game winner of my lifetime. And to Mr. Charles himself, thanks for providing a memory that will last forever in the annals of sport.
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