TarNation! – Well, the boys did. Redemption. Relief. Joy. However you want to describe it, the 2009 Tar Heels are the National Champions. After experiencing last year’s debacle against Kansas, this one certainly makes for a more enjoyable plane ride home. Last year I did a better job detailing the San Antonio experience on our Brinson family blog. I’m going to try to redeem myself and walk everyone through my week of joy, nervousness, a little work, bad weather, and a Carolina championship.
April 2 - Arrival into Detroit
I’m disappointed to see there is no Mariachi band to greet me off the airplane in Detroit. That and the 40 degree weather hammers home the fact that this is going to be different than San Antonio last year. Mike Morrell, my travel partner for the week, gets in and we head toward Ford Field – the home of the Detroit Lions. We get to Ford Field and set up with the CBS crew. We get done fairly quickly and head out.
April 3 – Open Practice
One of my favorite things to do at the Final Four is the open practice. Each team gets 50 minutes on the court to practice, and it’s open to the public. Michigan State is the first team out of the gate and I immediately notice there are twenty-thousand MSU fans in attendance. In my head I’m thinking, “please let Connecticut beat MSU because I don’t want to play the Spartans with this crowd.” Clearly, hindsight is 20-20.
The Tar Heels are the last to practice for the day and I wander out to my seat to check it out. Carolina takes it pretty easy during the practice, mainly focusing on shooting drills and dunking. By far the coolest activity du
ring the practice was a shooting contest between PG Ty Lawson and F William Graves. It was from half-court. And it wasn’t like they were struggling to get the ball to the rim, they were shooting as if they were free throws. Unbelievable. Lawson – swish, Graves – swish. Lawson – swish. Graves – swish. To give you an idea of how hard it is to shoot from that distance, I have to get a running start or throw a football-style pass to even get the ball to the rim, much less give it a chance to go in. Lawson misses his third and Graves makes his. The partisan MSU crowd enjoys the display and gives both players a big cheer. Coach Williams does something really cool... with 10 minutes left he sends the players into the crowd to sign autographs.
April 4 – Semifinal Saturday
By Saturday, I’ve worked myself into a good pre-game frenzy. Mike and I have to be at the stadium around 130 in the afternoon for 6pm games. This gives me way too much time to think about Villanova and the speedsters they have at the guard position. Luckily I’ve got the MSU/UConn game to distract me. My seat is directly behind the PA announcer, one row off the court. UConn just can’t seem to get in an offensive groove and MSU has the crowd behind them. The crowd goes crazy when MSU’s Durrell Summers lays a thunderous dunk over UConn’s Stanley Robinson. At this point it’s over. MSU wins and will play on Monday for the National Championship. Next up is the Heels, and I experience brief flashbacks to the ’08 game in San Antonio against Kansas. UNC quickly takes control of the game from the opening tip and cruises to a 13 point win.
April 5 – Sunday, Hoops on the Final Four court
The NCAA lets CBS use the court for a two-hour block on Sunday evening. After we’ve prepped for Monday’s championship game, we throw on our basketball gear and hoop it up. This makes for a great day; especially considering the Heels will be playing for the championship the next night. I wear UNC shorts, a UNC shirt, and even warm up in a UNC sweatshirt (I know I’m a dork). One of the guys on our crew is a Michigan State alum and is, appropriately, dressed in full Michigan State gear. I make a point of guarding him during the games. Fully believing that our MSU/UNC matchup will have some karmic effect on Monday’s game, I play harder in this pick-up game than anytime I’ve played ball in the last 10 years. I destroy him. To a point where another CBS guy tells me, “take it easy, nobody’s going to make a NBA roster.”
April 6 – Monday, Bad weather, Ford Museum and Championship Night
I wake up Monday morning to find 4 inches of snow on the ground. Beautiful Detroit. This is definitely not the 75 degree days and warm walks in San Antonio.
Our call is at 3pm so I decide to go, on Julianna’s recommendation, to the Henry Ford museum. It’s a massive complex, with an indoor and outdoor area. Because of the snow, the outdoor area is closed. I walk into the main building to buy a ticket and I’m greeted by a chorus of boos. Apparently Mr. Devida’s second grade class, decked out mostly in MSU gear, is not too fond of the Tar Heels (I am wearing a UNC jacket and hat). I spend the next four hours learning about old farm equipment, cars, airplanes, manufacturing, power generators, dymaxion homes, and Allegheny train engines.
After a great day at the museum, Mike and I head to the game. Mike gets a laugh at my over-dramatic sighs driving in. He also gets a kick out of me muttering “We’ve got to win this game” under my breath. The game finally kicks off, and I’m awestruck at the surgical efficiency of the Tar Heels as they dissect the Michigan State team. This game is over 7 minutes in. UNC takes a tournament record 21 point lead at half, and Michigan State never gets closer than 13 in the second half. UNC cruises to a 5th (some will say 6th) National Championship. I enjoy the moment by going on the court and snapping pictures of the guys cutting the nets down and hanging out watching One Shining Moment on the jumbotron. This is so much better than last year in San Antonio, bad weather and all.
Today is Amelia's last day of school... her last day in the fabulous MWF3's class, lead by Mrs. Grau and Mrs. Derby. We couldn't have asked for two more loving, creative, and enthusiastic teachers for our girl.
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