St. Peters, the team that opened our hearts
As we all already know, March is the biggest month of the year for college sports. Every March 68 teams contest all with hopes of achieving the same goal, and every year the tournament has never failed to sweep us off our feet. So what was this year’s Cinderella story?
Within the first round of this year’s tournament, a number 15 seed school by the name of St. Peters went head to head with number 2 ranked Kentucky. Both teams put up an insane fight all game that led it into OT where ultimately St. Peters took it home with a 85 to 79 win. The game featured 16 ties as well as 13 lead changes. Peacocks own Daryl Banks II had a 27 point game essentially carrying his team to the win. Oscar Tshiebwe also put up a huge fight for Kentucky with 30 points and 16 rebounds.
‘’It was an amazing feeling,’’ Banks said. ‘’You grow up you watching March Madness, the tournament, so to let that sink in — knowing the game was over — it felt really good.’’
But what really makes St. Peters this year’s Cinderella story aside from the fact that they’re the 10th number 15th seed to make it past the first round? To put it into perspective, St. Peters basketball program budget is roughly $1.6 million. On the other hand, Kentucky’s budget is $18.3 million. On top of that, St. Peters has only made four tournament appearances ever which is half of Kentucky’s national titles.
“It’s huge,’’ Banks said. “We’re putting Jersey City on the map. We come from Jersey, a small school, probably a lot of people don’t even know who we are.’’
This game indeed did put St. Peters on the map. Fans all over the world became invested with the Peacocks and even though they made their brackets break through, they hoped that St.Peters continued far along in the tournament.
In the second round the Peacocks defeated №7 Murray State 70–60 with their very own KC Ndefo scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds. Ndefo led the team to the sweet 16 where they were once again able to come on top defeating №3 Purdue 67–64. Heading into the elite eight, being the first 15 seed to ever make it that far, the Peacocks had one thing on their mind.
Guard Doug Edert soon became the face of the team leaving the world stunned with how well he handled himself within the tournament.
“The whole environment, it was just unreal. I don’t think any of us were nervous or really cared about how many people were there watching us. We just went out there and did our thing. We’ve been doing what we’ve been doing all season, which was defending and playing as hard as we possibly can. And then the emotions at the end, again, we’re making history and we look forward to making more history.”
Unfortunately the Peacocks run came to an end after their loss in the elite eight to No. UNC 69–49. However while their tournament run may have ended, the impact they made for all athletes will last forever.
Sports are about something bigger than ourselves. They give us the chance to create everlasting friendships while doing the one thing we love the most. Sports have taught us that anybody can win on any given day regardless of rank. St. Peters showed us one the biggest stage in college sports that if you play with heart, you can beat anyone. Furthermore, they showed us that what we learn from sports extends past the court : it applies to our everyday lives. We can’t back down from the bigger things or people in life. This game called life is far from easy, but it’s filled with ups and downs that shape us who we are today. Heart will always take us farther than money or fame ever will. Wear your heart on your sleeve and brace what’s to come with open arms even if it means facing your fears.
