There’s nothing like being on site for a historic sports happening and celebration. UMBC’s victory over Hartford in the America East Conference title game was a memorable occasion for the outpouring of joy on the court at the RAC at the completion of a resounding Retrievers victory. The explosion of excitement when the student body rushed the court took my breath away. 22 years of Division One basketball, and UMBC finally reached the NCAA tournament- the event the players have been watching on TV since they were kids, dreaming that some day maybe they could actually play in it.

Senior Brian Hodges was a freshman four years ago when Randy Monroe took over as coach and UMBC finished 10-and-18. Two more losing seasons before the breakout year: 24-8, a regular season and conference tourney title, and that coveted ticket to the NCAA “Big Dance.” They all danced on the court, joined by students, teachers, athletic director Charlie Brown and school president Freeman Hrabowski.

There were hugs, back slaps, tears of joy and looks of disbelief. Hodges couldn’t stop smiling. Why should he?

The following day, the euphoria continued with the nationally-televised NCAA pairings on CBS. The anticipation was electric. UMBC knew they’d be a low seed, it was just a matter of which big school they be matched up against. Then their school name popped up on the bracket along with Georgetown, and the place went wild. They slapped high fives, hugged and laughed- again, that unbridled joy. And talking to the players after the pairing was announced, I couldn’t help but notice how confident they were despite being a number-15 seed facing the number-2 seed powerhouse Hoyas. None of them blinked when speaking of their confidence. Few outside observers will give them a real chance to beat Georgetown, but those Retrievers are believers.

UMBC is not likely to beat Georgetown (don’t try to tell them that), but this season and the weekend of celebrating that first-ever NCAA tournament bid have already provided memories the players, coaches and fans will hold forever.

Posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 8:40 pm.
Categories: Opinion.
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