Inspiration for Years to Come

By Trey Cosby

If you were glued to your television sets like I was this past week, then you know the 2008 NCAA Tournament has been a wonderful success.  This is always the greatest time of the year for sports fans, and this year has done nothing to disappoint.  The match-ups have been great, the team spirit has been awesome and the turnouts have been fantastic.  The excitement levels have been off the charts because there has been so much parity with this year’s games.  If you haven’t watched the first two rounds of the Tournament, you need to do yourself some justice and catch The Sweet Sixteen.

There have been upsets galore, along with high seeds getting major scares, buzzer beaters and several strong blowouts mostly generated by the overall number one seed North Carolina Tar Heels.  The Tar Heels are averaging a whopping 113 points a game in their first two games!  They just got finished dismantling The Arkansas Razorbacks in the Second Round of the Tournament in Raleigh,!  Get this: They won the game by 41 points!

Among the high seeds favored to go far in the tournament, but did not advance are The Duke Blue Devils (No.2 seed), The University of Connecticut Huskies (No.4 seed), The Vanderbilt Commodores (No.4 seed), The Pittsburgh Panthers (No.4 seed), The Drake Bulldogs (No.5 seed) and The Clemson Tigers (No.5 seed).  All teams were placed with at least a No.5 seed or higher.

There have been two No.13 seeds beating No.4 seeds.  There have been two No.12 seeds beating No.5 seeds.  One No.11 seed has beaten a No.6 seed, and a very notable No.10 seed has beaten a No.7 seed and a very highly thought of No.2 seed!  All of the upsets have been incredible but the greatest story in the entire tournament has come from a school with an enrollment of 1,700 students.  That small Presbyterian school located in Davidson, NC is none other than Davidson College.

Where do I begin with these guys?  This is one of the most astonishing stories to come along in recent memory as it pertains to the world of amateur sports.  First of all, Davidson began the tournament as a No.10 seed like I said before.  They started out playing a vaunted team from Gonzaga, who has always been very well known for advancing in tournaments over the years.  They usually beat everyone they are supposed to beat when it comes to tournament play.  

However, that was not the case this time around, and the Wildcats from Davidson showed them the door.

In the first game against the ‘Zags, Davidson was deemed an underdog by four points.  They were led by the quality play of their shooting guard Stephen Curry.  Curry ended up scoring an unbelievable 30 points in the second half, which allowed the ‘Cats to win the game going away 82-76!

By beating the perennial tournament mainstay, the Wildcats were scheduled to play the winner of the Georgetown vs. UMBC game.  Georgetown won the game with a mild blowout.

The Hoyas were cast as a No.2 seed, and favored by some to win the National Championship, so the task was going to be even tougher for the ‘Cats the second time around.

I had the funny feeling (as some people did) that the Davidson Wildcats were going to shock the world, and that is exactly what they did!

Georgetown started the game by shooting a sizzling 72 percent from the field.  They built a lead of 17 points late in the second half, and it looked like the Wildcats were cooked.  Then the second anniversary edition of “The Stephen Curry Show” began and the Wildcats were able to make history.

Curry was once again making his mark by blowing the roof off the joint.  This time he lit up Georgetown by scoring 25 points in the second half!  By putting his team on his back, Curry was able to lead a monumental comeback that allowed the Wildcats to win the game 74-70 against a team that was obviously much larger than they were, and they came from the tournament’s strongest conference…The Big East!

By normal standards it was an improbable victory.  DAVID-SON SLAYED GOLIATH!

The tiny little school in North Carolina, with just barely 1,700 students has given the entire world of college basketball new hope.  For the first time in their history, the Wildcats have made The Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament!

There have already been reports of Davidson apparel sales skyrocketing because of their success.  If you look on the internet today, then you can find Davidson hats and t-shirts everywhere.  Before this week, you would have been hard pressed to find just about anything with the Davidson logo or team colors attached to it.

As a graphic designer myself, I have already began my own line of Davidson Tournament t-shirts.  They are very popular and growing.

This is the “Feel Good” story from this year’s NCAA Tournament, and it is great for everyone to see.  It reminds us that if we will stick to the plan, work hard, and keep pressing towards the mark, then we can all accomplish anything.  Take a lesson from Davidson:  Let this story inspire you to do anything that you ever set your mind to.  Now let’s watch the Wildcats shock the world once again.  Elite Eight here they come…