6:04 am | March 13, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
The regular season has ended, and the NCAA tournament looms ahead, ready to dance with the best teams. But for many programs and coaches, it’s not guaranteed — and tension runs high through Selection Sunday.
Many talented programs sleep well, confident in their place among the chosen few. But for many deserving programs, whether they’re an upstart mid-major or a Power 5 team that found its stride late in the season, Selection Sunday is their own version of Insomniac Theater.
So, with that in mind, we asked three of our men’s basketball analysts — all former coaches — to recall a great Selection Sunday memory from years past, whether they were a player, an assistant coach or a head coach.
What was your most memorable Selection Sunday?
Fran Fraschilla: One of the most memorable moments of my coaching career was Selection Sunday 1995. After dominating the regular season in the MAAC, we came up short in double-overtime to Saint Peter’s. The next six days were the longest of my coaching career. I gathered the team Sunday night at Manhattan College and I allowed the local CBS crew to come in and film, with the understanding they would only use the film if we were an at-large selection. After a week of rooting for and against teams to get knocked out of the tournament, we sat and watched the show, hoping our name would be called but bracing for the likelihood of disappointment. No team from our conference had ever received an at-large bid. When the Jaspers popped up on the screen as a 13-seed, and we’re going to Memphis, Tennessee, to play Oklahoma, our players, coaches and families erupted. I still recall the delirium of people celebrating and tackling each other, laughing and crying and so many other emotions going into such a stressful few moments. While there was much consternation about a mid-major at-large team being selected, in the ensuing days, we vindicated the basketball committee selection with a solid 13 vs. 4 upset over a very good Sooners team.
Dan Dakich: In 1984, when I was a player [at Indiana], we were at coach [Bob] Knight’s house. When the selection was revealed, we were going to play either Charles Barkley and Auburn or Richmond. And if we won that first-round game, we were going to get to play against North Carolina — Dean Smith and Michael Jordan. Everyone was super fired up to play in that game and to play Barkley — we thought they’d beat Richmond. So fired up. Then Barkley’s team lost … and we played Richmond.
Seth Greenberg: I got an automatic bid twice in Long Beach, so that really didn’t count, because we knew we were in. So my best would be [2006-07] with Virginia Tech — just sitting with those guys and seeing their journey result in an NCAA tournament. Zabian Dowdell, Jamon Gordon, Coleman Collins … those guys bought into a vision. They committed to Virginia Tech when they were in the Big East; they were committed to Virginia Tech when they were the worst program in the Big East; they were committed when Virginia Tech moved into the ACC their sophomore year, were picked last and then came in fourth. Then, their senior year, they were fortunate enough to beat Duke and North Carolina on the road and were a top-25 team. To see their journey be rewarded with an opportunity to play in the tournament, and then for them to win a game in the tournament, was really … you know, it’s funny, it’s more about the players and less about the me, as a coach. It’s about seeing them and their shared successes and where they ended. And it’s the worst when you’ve sat with your team and the opposite happens.”
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