Personal connections make bracket picks more difficult
MICHAEL
It’s time to pick my NCAA tournament bracket, and I have different ways to choose. I usually go with teams I’ve heard of first. Then I pick the team with the best mascot.
When I get desperate, I choose the team with the best uniforms.
Remember Michigan’s Fab Five and their baggy shorts? Loved them.
But personal connections are factors too, and this year the bracket is making it difficult for me: I have ties to nine teams.
First off, I’ll be rooting for my alma mater: Ohio University.
The Bobcats, who were a fifth seed in the MAC tournament, beat Buffalo to secure a ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2012. That year, Ohio made an amazing run that included beating Michigan and South
Inside
NCAA men’s bracket,
Florida before losing to North Carolina in overtime in the Sweet 16.
Ohio also had a pretty good team when I was in Athens in 1985. That year, the Bobcats – led by future NBA players Paul “Snoopy” Graham and Dave Jamerson – lost to Kansas and Danny Manning in the first round.
This year, though, the Bobcats will play Virginia, where I have another
tie that I will mention later.
Then there’s Syracuse. I was born in Syracuse, was a Syracuse fan and actually covered the Orange for two seasons for a local radio station.
One of the players on the 1992 NCAA tournament team was Dave Siock, a 6-foot-10 center who is now the athletic director at Landstown High in Virginia Beach.
Small world.
“I was just talking to a friend this weekend about some of the experiences that we had,” Siock said.
Siock will never forget the run the Orange made in 1989, when No. 2 seed Syracuse reached the Elite Eight before losing to No. 1 Illinois 89-86.
“We were on the bus ride headed to practice, and there was someone on our bus sizing our fingers for Final Four rings,” he said. “It was cool. We were so close. We lost the game, which kind of stunk.”
One NCAA game he’d rather forget, however, happened in 1991.
“We lost to Richmond in the first round,” he said somberly.
“It was the first time a No. 2 seed lost, and it was us.”
What impresses Siock is the longevity of his former coach, Jim Boeheim, who is still getting it done at 76.
“He’s had some up and downs, but he’s successful just about every year,” Siock said about Boeheim, who this season has his son, Buddy, who is the team’s leading scorer. “His energy level and passion to me is amazing, and it’s pretty cool to watch.”
Thinking back on his own NCAA moment, Siock said it was special.
“It’s just a unique experience that I’ll never forget,” he said. “I was thankful to have had an experience to play in it.”
Purdue is next in line for me. I covered the Boilermakers and coach Gene Keady for four seasons. It was right after Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson played there. The stars then were Brad Miller and Brian Cardinal, who both played in the NBA. Also on that team was Mike Robinson, who as a coach led South County High to a Class 6 state title over Western Branch in 2018.
I also covered Norfolk State for three seasons, although the Spartans never went to a postseason tournament then. Still, I’m excited for our local team.
My connections include players I’ve covered over the years, notably brothers Matt III and Chase Coleman.
Matt is a senior guard for Texas. Chase is a sophomore guard for defending national champion Virginia.
Last year, I wrote a story about how they were both looking looking forward to the tournament as both of their teams were playing well late in the season.
But their dreams ended when the NCAA canceled the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments because of COVID-19.
This year, however, they will both be in Indianapolis for the tournament.
Matt, a third-team All-Big 12 Conference selection this season, will lead the Longhorns against Abilene Christian in the East Region, while Chase plays
... Ohio.
See why that’s going to be a tough game to pick?
Devona Coleman said she is “overjoyed” to be in Indianapolis to see her sons play.
“I couldn’t ask for a better situation,” she said. “It cancels out everything that happened last year, when I would have lost my mind hopping from state to state. Now my mind is set for U.Va. vs. UT in the championship.”
She added that Matt and Norfolk State guard Joe Bryant Jr. (Lake Taylor) played on the same AAU team coached by her husband, Clifford Jr.
Another tie.
The tournament also is special for Oscar Smith coach LaVar Griffin, who has three former players in Indianapolis with Nyzaiah Chambers (Norfolk State), Andre Bottoms (Norfolk State) and Cam Thomas (LSU) — all players I covered in high school.
“To see players that you coached fulfill a dream to play at this high level is a coach’s dream come true,” he said. “It’s a great feeling as a coach to be able to see my guys on national TV, and playing in front of millions of people. It’s something that they dreamed about as young guys.”
Other guys I covered who are in Indianapolis include Kansas forward David McCormack (Norfolk Academy), Norfolk State guard Kyonze Chavis (Norfolk Collegiate) and Florida’s Keyontae Johnson (Norview), although Johnson won’t play.
It’s great to see all of these guys take part in an experience that they will never forget.