Why A Historic NCAA Loss Made Me a Prouder Fan
Let’s get this out of the way first: It would be an understatement to say that the Virginia Cavaliers did not play well in the historic upset staged by the UMBC Retrievers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They flat out didn’t play. But even despite the deficiencies of the traditionally disciplined Cavaliers, we must give credit where credit is due. UMBC deserved to win and advance to the round of 32 — the first #16 seed in NCAA Tournament history to do so (as I’m sure you’ve undoubtedly heard ad nauseam since the final seconds ticked away). The Retrievers outplayed the Cavaliers, shot terrifically from the field (12 made three pointers on 50% shooting from beyond the arc) and played staunch defense.
But instead of analyzing the game to see just what went so wrong for the Cavs and so right for the Retrievers, I wanted to write about something that will endure long after the clock expires, the celebration subsides and the pain of defeat eases. I want to talk about the character of those behind the teams we root so hard for.
For as a long as I can remember, I’ve been a University of Virginia sports fan. I grew up going to Charlottesville with my family to watch the Cavaliers play. I’ve witnessed incredible triumphs and heartbreaking losses in person, on TV, through box scores and in advanced metrics. I’ve endured long seasons of middling play and a few good ones too. I’ve weathered new coaches, new systems, near misses and close calls. All with the hope that one day, the Cavaliers would break through and win big.
When Tony Bennett, a former NCAA star in his own right and a proven coach at Washington State, was hired to lead UVA’s basketball team in 2009, he brought more to the school and the program than a strong defensive mentality and a unique system. He brought his principles, his faith and his “pillars” (ones he learned from his dad, former Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin coach, Dick Bennett): humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness.
Tony Bennett wasn’t just a coach. He was a leader. His approach to the game and to coaching was about more than basketball. He sought players that he believed in and who believed in his system. It was more than getting every talented player he could to win championships at any cost. It was about building a program that shaped boys into men - men who were mature and ready and prepared to take on life after basketball.
This sounded great on paper. But would it translate to wins and championships? At first, I was skeptical it could work at all in a league as star-studded as the ACC. How could a team built on pillars and principles ever compete against schools with five star recruits and future NBA stars? Surely losing would be in the Cavaliers’ immediate and long-term future. But as time went on, the program, as we know, did turn into a competitor. And a winner.
Funnily enough though, as I grew older, I started to understand more and more the value of the culture Tony Bennett created in Charlottesville. Don’t get me wrong. The wins and losses mattered to me. I still celebrated the victories and despaired in the defeats. I was still a fan, after all. But the other stuff, the pillars that Bennett projected on and off the court that good lives are built on, began to matter more to me as a fan. His players might not leave school with a National Championship but they would surely leave with a firm head on their shoulders and values they could take with them in their lives. And that made me proud to love the Cavaliers in a way I never had before.
Which brings us to the 2018 NCAA Tournament. “This was the year,” the pundits proclaimed. Virginia was a heavy favorite to march all the way to the Final Four and, by most metrics, had the best chance to win the whole thing.
There was no chance Virginia would be the first #1 seed in history to lose to a #16 seed. Until it happened. The walls fell and a historically great season turned into a historically unthinkable collapse in the span of 40 minutes.
I was shocked and disappointed as I’m sure all Virginia fans were. But then I remembered Coach Bennett and his pillars: humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness. I sought out his post-game comments. Unsurprisingly, these virtues were on full display. I felt a little better watching his calmness. “One game will not define your life,” he told his players. And I felt like he was speaking to the fans, too. “There is more to life than a basketball game,” he was telling us. It would be okay.
After I watched Coach Bennett’s comments following the unceremonious first round exit, I was reminded of the post-game interview he gave after his Cavaliers collapsed in the second half of their Elite 8 match-up with Syracuse in 2016 (they led by 14 at halftime) and missed out on their first trip to a Final Four in 32 years. Asked about the heartbreaking loss, Coach Bennett, poised and eloquent as ever, said “You have to give thanks in all circumstances. And then press on.” You might imagine that the man who had just minutes before gone through an unthinkable defeat in a game where they were heavily favored might be angry, make excuses and place blame. Instead, he was collected, peaceful and reflective. And he gave his players something in that locker room that a Final Four berth never would have given — wisdom that they will carry with them always.
And so, after the impossible actually happened and a #1 seed succumbed to a #16 seed, I return to Coach Bennett’s words: “Give thanks in all circumstances. And then press on.” So, thank you to the Cavaliers for another season. Thank you to the players (especially seniors Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins) for all they gave to the program and all they accomplished. Thank you to Coach Bennett for his example, leadership and perspective. And finally, thank you to the team for taking a thorough defeat squarely on the chin and somehow making at least one fan more honored than ever to root for the Cavaliers.
Now press on make us proud. Wahoowa!
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