As I posted in a thread before the game, my wife and I and two other couples made plans about six months ago to go to Napa and San Francisco for my birthday weekend. As fate would have it, our travel to SF coincided with the Gators being selected to play in the West bracket. After UF beat UMD, the reality that I and the Gators would be in the same city, so far away from Miami Beach, was exciting. I was going to this game!
I have a friend from growing up whose son is a walk on on the hoops team. So I get scoop here and there. And I knew he’d be out in SF for the game. He told me to buy a seat elsewhere in the arena and he’d try to slide me into the section where the families of the players sit if there was an open seat. We met up at halftime a bit concerned. He had identified a few seats nearby that were empty. So I sat there - a much lower and better sideline view seat - for the second half. I sat right behind Will Richard’s mom and dad and a young lady who I assume is his sister. In front of them was the family of Micah H. We chatted. All such nice and obviously invested people. Watching with and among the families was great and extra emotional when it looked like UF was going to lose and be bounced out of the tournament and their kids’ dreams ending then the elation and excitement as the game turned and UF got closer and made shots and it looked like Florida would win.
These families were seeing their kids’ dreams continuing on to the Final Four. One girl who looked like she was the girlfriend of one of the players was crying overcome with emotion. Mama Richard has a thing that she can’t watch Will shoot free throws so every time he was at the line shooting she’d turn around and let the crowd noise tell her if her baby had made the shot. (He was 4/4 from the line while I was sitting behind her).
To my left was the team student manager’s father and he was so excited for his son getting to cut down the net and go to the Final Four.
The game was very reminiscent of the two Tenn football games I was fortunate to attend when late TD to Tyree Cleveland and Calloway stole victory from the jaws of defeat.
Some have said to me that I may have witnessed the greatest basketball win in Gators history. It was an absolute pleasure to be there. I was sitting there a bit in shock over what I was able to witness in person.
Just a fun time with these little extra things. A great birthday gift! All I could text to my circle was “Holy F’n Moly, we won!!” It was a wild time indeed. Go Gators!
I have a friend from growing up whose son is a walk on on the hoops team. So I get scoop here and there. And I knew he’d be out in SF for the game. He told me to buy a seat elsewhere in the arena and he’d try to slide me into the section where the families of the players sit if there was an open seat. We met up at halftime a bit concerned. He had identified a few seats nearby that were empty. So I sat there - a much lower and better sideline view seat - for the second half. I sat right behind Will Richard’s mom and dad and a young lady who I assume is his sister. In front of them was the family of Micah H. We chatted. All such nice and obviously invested people. Watching with and among the families was great and extra emotional when it looked like UF was going to lose and be bounced out of the tournament and their kids’ dreams ending then the elation and excitement as the game turned and UF got closer and made shots and it looked like Florida would win.
These families were seeing their kids’ dreams continuing on to the Final Four. One girl who looked like she was the girlfriend of one of the players was crying overcome with emotion. Mama Richard has a thing that she can’t watch Will shoot free throws so every time he was at the line shooting she’d turn around and let the crowd noise tell her if her baby had made the shot. (He was 4/4 from the line while I was sitting behind her).
To my left was the team student manager’s father and he was so excited for his son getting to cut down the net and go to the Final Four.
The game was very reminiscent of the two Tenn football games I was fortunate to attend when late TD to Tyree Cleveland and Calloway stole victory from the jaws of defeat.
Some have said to me that I may have witnessed the greatest basketball win in Gators history. It was an absolute pleasure to be there. I was sitting there a bit in shock over what I was able to witness in person.
Just a fun time with these little extra things. A great birthday gift! All I could text to my circle was “Holy F’n Moly, we won!!” It was a wild time indeed. Go Gators!
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