Xavier Ford remembers the moment.
“We were down 62-59,” said the St. John’s Edge forward, recalling the 2015 NCAA Tournament’s first-round game in Cleveland when he and the University of Buffalo Bulls were taking on the favoured West Virginia Mountaineers.
“They (the Mountaineers) had been busting us the first half, but we went on a big run. We get a stop and … (eventually), the ball is passed to me, and I drilled a corner three to tie the game for the first time since early in the first half.
“We had our fans in the building, but Maryland and Valparaiso (the other two teams in the section) had their fans there too and they were all for us, so when I hit the shot, the whole building was crazy.”
The 12th-seeded Bulls, playing their first-ever game in the tournament, ended up losing 68-62 in what was Ford’s last collegiate contest — he was a fourth-year senior.
“To a certain extent, but not to the magnitude that it was,” answered Ford when asked if he had any idea what March Madness was like before he actually became a part of it.
“The fact we had (former Duke Blue Devils star guard) Bobby Hurley Jr. as our head coach probably made it even more glorifying because of his resume in the NCAA tournament — four Final Four appearance, two national championships, upsetting UNLV which was undefeated … knocking off the Fab Five (Michigan).
“From having the President (Barack Obama in his famed bracket) pick us to win in a 12-vs 5 upset, to the police escorts throughout the gym. All of it made it even more special, but you don’t put it all together until afterwards, sometimes years afterwards.
“Anytime you see them making a big shot. Anytime you see the heartbreak and people crying, you’re thinking, ‘I’ve been there. I know the feeling.’
“You might not like it, but you remember it. But you also remember the euphoric feeling of just being there and making shots.”
Xavier Ford is one of 13 Edge players who have participated in the NCAA tournament. Here are some of the March Madness recollections of his teammates (school and tournament appearances in brackets):
Colton Ray (Coastal Carolina, 2014 and 2015)
“We had VA (Virginia) one year and Wisconsin the next. We brought Virginia to the wire, but Wisconsin was just too good for us.
“But they were the best experiences I’ve ever had as a basketball player.
“There’s the stuff. You have all the gear. The hats, the shirts, the gift bags, five-star hotels, your own private (chartered) plane. Just that alone made it special.
“But then you actually get to play in it. You could take away all the other things and just have that, and it would still be the best thing that’s happened to me in the game.”
Jarryn Skeete (Buffalo, 2015 and 2016)
“Before I played (in the tournament), maybe I thought I could get an idea of what it might be like by playing an NCAA tournament video game. I had no idea, because I found out the only way you can know what the tournament is like is to play in it.
“It might be tied with the Super Bowl, but as a total package — media, marketing, money — I think it’s the biggest show. I personally think it is the best.”
Carl English (Hawaii, 2001, 2002)
English and the Rainbow Warriors were knocked out in the first round of the tournament back-to-back years, but drew a lot of support and attention as underdogs.
“(The tournament) has become so much larger since that time, but even then, it was huge. I remember the size of the arenas, and they were jam-packed. And I remember our fans. You have the whole of Hawaii behind you and they travel in packs.
“It was a great experience. We weren’t a small school, we were a mid-major, and our conference (WAC) was good, but this was just another level.
“And then there was the whole publicity, the exposure that comes with. CBS did a story on me, came to Newfoundland for it and talked to my brothers and everybody.
“It was a special time.”
Desmond Lee (North Carolina State, 2015)
Lee and the Wolfpack got to the Sweet 16, edging LSU by a single point, then upsetting top seeded Villanova in the second round of the East Regional.
“Beating Villanova,” was Lee’s obvious answer when asked for a tourney highlight. “They were the No. 1 seed in our bracket at time. So, getting that win was fun, but what maybe it even better was that we dominated the whole game.”
NC State was eventually knocked out by Louisville, but Lee sees nothing but positives of having a role in what he calls, “the greatest show.
“Every kid grows up wanting to play at that level and I got to do it.”
Coron Williams (Robert Morris, 2010)
Williams and the Colonials almost pulled off the ultimate underdog dream: a 16th seed knocking off a first seed.
Almost.
“We were playing Villanova and were up the whole game. The last two minutes, they got a lot of fouls called for them and it went into overtime and they got us (73-70).
“But the buzz about that game afterwards was amazing. We were just a mid-major (school) nobody really knew about, but after that, everybody knew about us. People would come up to you say ‘Hey, you’re that team …’
“I wish I would have made it deeper. Maybe I would have got that greatest feeling about it. But the first round was crazy enough.
“It was exciting, so I can only imagine what it would have been like later on.”
Russell Byrd (Michigan State, 2012, 2013, 2014)
No Edge players have had more March Madness experience than Byrd, who went to the Sweet 16 twice with Tom Izzo’s Spartans, then to the Elite Eight in 2014 when he was one of the team’s captains
“I saw somewhere that said only one per cent of high school athletes who play basketball get to play at the Division One level and, of course, the number who get to play in the tournament is obviously much smaller than that.
“So you feel fortunate for the opportunity to get to live out a young kid’s dream.
“What do I remember? Having an NCAA ball and playing on a court with that NCAA logo, and knowing you are in a unique situation. You think at the time that you will always remember that feeling … and you do.”
Twitter: @telybrendan
