By Daniel Paiz

This is one of my absolute favorite times of the year, and it’s not just because of NaPoWriMo: it’s because of the amazing tournament of basketball teams competing for a national title. It’s the stories of upsets and the agony of brackets being demolished. It is March Madness, and the only time of the year sports-wise might be the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals.

If you haven’t learned by now, the writer before you is a basketball aficionado. Honestly, that’s putting it mildly. Ball is life for this one, and there are times when much bigger or more important things are occurring. Or so I’ve been told, there was likely a game on during that announcement. The first March Madness national title game I watched was UConn winning it all in 1999 against Duke. A young player known as Richard Hamilton led that team to glory. Tonight, Coach Hurley’s squad earned title number five.

Hurley’s Huskies

Starting out a basketball season 14-0

makes it seem already settled,

no matter the losing streak that followed,

and the lack of interest as the challenges were lamented.

A descendant of the game

continued to teach some guys in white and blue,

each possession, each shot, each effort

is what carries you through.

Adama Sanogo is a name still many didn’t know before tonight,

April 3rd, 2023 on a stage emblazoned by Houston’s bright lights,

big fella grabbed boards, scored some buckets and blocked a few shots,

owned the paint without a single brush,

determining who could enter and who could not,

plus that Hawkins going Jordan throughout the whole tourney,

made it difficult for opposition to pick their poison.

Throw in Newton, throw in Jackson Jr.,

and the impact of Karaban and Clingan too,

Never had a chance classy Diego,

but that’s something ballers already knew.

Shout out to San Diego State though,

still earned a ticket to the main event,

had a helluva run too,

Mountain West hadn’t ran like that

since the Rebels in Vegas’ U,

this squad did all they could to show and prove.

Unfortunately, these Huskies came howling,

giving another glimpse into how their blood runs blue.