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IN MY OPINION | BILL PITZER
WILDCATS WOWED HOOPS WORLD
Loss to Kansas can't diminish joy that terrific team gave us all season
Thanks for the joy.
That's what I'd like to say to Coach McKillop and the Davidson Wildcats.
It's been a season full of joy as we watched these 15 young men develop into the team that captured America's heart for two weeks in March.
The Final Four has rolled on, but the tournament's passion and wonder is gone. It evaporated into the rafters of Ford Field last Sunday night, carried aloft on the hopes and dreams of Wildcat fans old and new.
The town of Davidson came alive as a parade of automobiles filled the streets and people flowed along sidewalks shouting and waving the night of March 28. It was a spontaneous response in celebration of the Cats' victory over Wisconsin to move into the Elite Eight.
On campus, the regular weekend partying kicked up a couple of notches as students also filled sidewalks and balconies to celebrate their team's run on college basketball's grandest stage.
On most nights the sidewalks in Davidson are rolled up at sundown, but the Wildcats' win flooded the normally docile town and campus, immersing us in a sea of joy.
Two nights later that exuberance came crashing back to earth.
Stepping outside after watching Davidson's last-second loss to Kansas, I stood in my driveway and listened. It was quiet and cold, the streetlights glowing with mist from a light fog that encircled the town.
Davidson's joy drooped like the rain-sodden banners hanging from posts and porches all around town. But it's a joy that's muted, not lost, because this team and its improbable March Madness run will never be forgotten.
Last November, Davidson played the top-ranked UNC Tar Heels at Bobcats Arena, losing by a mere four points. At the game, my family and I sat behind famed former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer.
During a late-game timeout, one of the gentlemen sitting with Schottenheimer pointed toward the UNC bench and said, "That's a helluva team, isn't it?"
Schottenheimer responded by pointing down the court to the Davidson bench and saying emphatically, "There, is one helluva team!"
Yes, they are.
Thank you Davidson Wildcats -- for the joy.
In My Opinion | Bill Pitzer
Bill Pitzer, a resident of Davidson, is the Observer's news graphics editor. He and his wife, Jackie, a postal clerk at Davidson College, are season-ticket holders.
