2007-08 highlights to remember
Some of the things I'll remember from the 2007-08 season:
• I'll remember how impressive Memphis was all season long, and how no team has had a national championship and immortality in its hands like the Tigers did and let it slip away. But I'll remember this Memphis team as a great one.
• I'll remember a great crop of freshmen that captivated my attention every time they played. From Kansas State's Michael Beasley to Indiana's Eric Gordon to Memphis' Derrick Rose to UCLA's Kevin Love to Arizona's Jerryd Bayless to Florida's Nick Calathes, it was a year filled with impact freshmen like few other years I can recall.
• I'll remember how I felt like I was punched in the stomach when I learned that Bob Knight had resigned at Texas Tech. I'll remember that I couldn't imagine the game without Knight in it.
• I'll remember how hard Kentucky played once the calendar turned to 2008. I'll remember that I thought the Wildcats were dead in the water, and that they battled their way into the NCAA tournament. I'll also remember the tenacity of coach Billy Gillispie and how he never made a single excuse.
• I'll remember the performance of Kentucky's Joe Crawford in the NCAA tournament, and the classy gesture that Marquette's Dominic James made by following Crawford to the Wildcats' bench to congratulate him on his effort and his career.
• I'll remember the Kelvin Sampson resignation from Indiana and the criticism he took. And I'll remember the effort his team gave him against Michigan State.
• I'll remember UCLA's Russell Westbrook dunking over Cal. I'll remember that for a long time.
• I'll remember the ending of the Villanova-Georgetown game. And I'll remember how a supervisor of officials defended the referee in part because the referee is a good guy, as if that mattered.
• I'll remember this as a tough year for officials, but I never doubted that the officials care and strive to get it right.
• I'll remember seeing Arizona State's James Harden play in Maui and how impressed I was with his game.
• I'll remember Alabama's Richard Hendrix dominating the glass every time I saw him play and how he never stopped competing.
• I'll remember the great coaching job that Jay Wright did at Villanova.
• I'll remember watching Louisville's David Padgett play and marveling at the maturity of his game.
• I'll remember feeling that Drake's personnel wasn't as good as its record. And I'll remember how good I thought Drake was when I saw the Bulldogs make shot after shot on tape and on television. I'll remember that Drake confirmed to me that a team can often be greater than the sum of its parts.
• I'll remember Western Kentucky's game against Drake and what a roller-coaster ride it was.
• I'll remember Rick Pitino in a white suit. I'll remember trying to forget Rick Pitino in a white suit.
• I'll remember admiring the defense of Kansas' Mario Chalmers, UCLA's Russell Westbrook, Kansas' Russell Robinson, Washington State's Kyle Weaver, UCLA's Darren Collison, Virginia Tech's Deron Washington, Xavier's Stanley Burrell and UConn's Hasheem Thabeet.
• I'll remember Allen Field House for the Kansas State game. I'll always remember Allen Field House.
• I'll remember Derrick Rose going coast-to-coast in Madison Square Garden and wondering if everyone else was in slow motion.
• I'll remember Michael Beasley being guarded really well by Kansas and finishing with 39 points.
• I'll remember how impressed I was that USC's O.J. Mayo was such a willing defender and how he improved his game throughout the season.
• I'll remember Lute Olson leaving the Arizona team and asking Kevin O'Neill to drive the bus while he was gone. And I'll remember how O'Neill was thrown under that bus when Olson returned. I'll remember how wrong I thought that was.
• I'll remember watching Davidson's Stephen Curry play in the preseason and thinking that he could score on anybody. And I'll remember that I never thought he could take it to such heights in the NCAA tournament, and what a joy it was to watch … a kid that may not be a great athlete but simply knows how to play.
• I'll remember watching Siena's Tay Fisher cry when his team earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. I'll remember how Fisher's Saints vanquished Vanderbilt once they got there.
• I'll remember Notre Dame's Luke Harangody going for 40 in Freedom Hall versus Louisville.
• I'll remember UCLA's defense, and how the Bruins battled through injuries all season and still won the Pac-10 and reached the Final Four.
• I'll remember UNC guard Wayne Ellington's game-winning shot against Clemson, giving him 36 points and another North Carolina escape.
• I'll remember Roy Williams and his Kansas sticker during the national championship game. And I'll remember the stink over it and how silly it was.
• I'll remember the tornado hitting Atlanta, and the run made by Georgia to win the SEC tournament title in Alexander Memorial Coliseum. I'll remember how empty the arena was and how tired the Bulldogs had to be.
• I'll remember Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes spraining his ankle the night before the game at Texas, and his team went out and and won without him. I'll remember Michael Flowers' shot and Brian Butch's great leadership in that game.
• I'll remember the Boston College-Providence game, and the wild swings in that game. I'll remember how victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat, twice, in that game.
• I'll remember CDR and what a great player he is.
• I'll remember Harvard beating Michigan and wondering how that could have happened.
• I'll remember what a good passer and leader Davidson's Jason Richards was all season long.
• I'll remember the balance of Xavier and what a great coaching job Sean Miller did.
• I'll remember how good Jason Thompson of Rider was and how he could play for any team in the nation and be all-league.
• I'll remember the versatility of Kent State's Haminn Quaintance and how he could fill a stat sheet.
• I'll remember Western Kentucky's Courtney Lee and what a great college player he is.
• I'll remember how passionately Maryland's Greivis Vasquez plays and what a joy he can be to watch.
• I'll remember being at the Creighton-Southern Illinois game and marveling at how disciplined those two teams are.
• I'll remember Texas' D.J. Augustin and how he could make any shot.
• I'll remember the versatility and skill of BYU's Lee Cummard.
• I'll remember Roy Hibbert's game-winning 3-point shot for Georgetown against UConn.
• I'll remember the great season that Indiana's D.J. White had and how he fought adversity every step of the way.
• I'll remember how stunned I was that Washington State held Notre Dame to 41 points in 40 minutes in the NCAA tournament second round.
• I'll remember the versatility of Cal's Ryan Anderson and wondering how he didn't get more attention.
• I'll remember how impressed I was with Purdue and how hard the Boilermakers play. And I'll remember Robbie Hummel as a kid who gets it.
• I'll remember Tennessee and the Vols' effort against Memphis. I'll remember a heck of a coaching job by Bruce Pearl.
• I'll remember John Calipari pulling a rabbit out of a hat at UAB, and I'll remember thinking that this was Memphis' year.
• I'll remember watching Butler's guards and how they kept their dribble as well or better than anyone.
• I'll remember Dick Vitale's face when he was interviewed upon being introduced as an inductee into the Hall of Fame. I'll remember thinking that Billy Packer needs to be in next.
• I'll remember the first time I saw UCLA's Kevin Love throw a chest pass from the out-of-bounds baseline and hit the opposite backboard with a frozen rope. I'll remember seeing Love make a 95-foot shot with a chest pass. Incredible.
• I'll remember how excited Mississippi Valley State was to be in the NCAA tournament. And I'll remember how UCLA didn't let the Delta Devils breathe once the game started.
• I'll remember Bill Self's face when Davidson's shot missed the mark. And I'll remember how I thought he couldn't catch a break when he had to play against North Carolina and Roy Williams in the Final Four. I'll remember the look of joy on his face when he cut the nets down.
• I'll remember T. Boone Pickens and how much money he's throwing around to influence the locker room at Oklahoma State. I'll remember that he's got a lot of money, but that money can't buy you what's really important.
• I'll remember San Francisco dumping its coach for Eddie Sutton.
• I'll remember how Kansas reminded me of Florida in 2006. And I'll remember how no team could score on the Jayhawks.
• I'll remember Minnesota freshman Blake Hoffarber's shot to beat Indiana in the Big Ten tournament, and I'll remember the look on Tubby Smith's face.
• I'll remember Jeff Jones' reaction when American University made the NCAA tournament. I'll remember Herb Sendek's reaction when Arizona State was left out.
• I'll remember what a man Washington's Jon Brockman was on the floor.
• I'll remember Indiana's game at Illinois and what a hard-fought game it was.
• I'll remember Pittsburgh fighting through injuries and still winning the Big East tournament and making the NCAA tournament. I'll remember DeJuan Blair grabbing 20 rebounds against Duke in Madison Square Garden with a huge smile on his face.
• I will remember West Virginia's Bob Huggins in a mustard yellow suit, and Joe Alexander turning into a star.
• I'll remember Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon showing great class when he took the Aggies' job, and how Turgeon led a team without a point guard to 25 wins and a near upset of UCLA.
• I'll remember that Texas A&M's Donald Sloan was fouled on the final shot of the NCAA tournament game against UCLA. And I will remember how silent the supervisors of officials were then.
• I'll remember how good of a coach I think Ben Howland is.
• I'll remember longtime Kentucky manager Bill Keightley and how much I will miss him whenever I go to Kentucky or watch the Wildcats play.
• I'll remember North Carolina with 12 points when Kansas had 40 in the national semifinal and how stunned I was at that.
• I'll remember that North Carolina had 50 points when Kansas had 54 and how stunned I was at that.
• I'll remember Memphis missing free throws down the stretch in the title game.
• I'll remember Sherron Collins' steal and 3 from the corner.
• I'll remember Mario Chalmers' shot. I'll remember Kansas and how resilient that team is. I'll remember the Jayhawks as champions.
Jay Bilas is a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
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