everything dynamic and very positively…

Not to get off on a tangent, but I’m glad I’m not the only cat who finds the outcome of that game to be bogus.

As I look the landscape of how the game is revered and played, it pails in comparison to the best three teams of the modern era.

As you can see from my post, that’s the only reason I mentioned the UNC team.

If your emphasis was on the significance of teams to Black folk, you should have led with that. I absolutely agree that these are the 3 squads. I also think you should have mentioned the personal side of it as well.

For me, the Hoyas were such a big deal because of John Thompson. He was the first Black college basketball coach of my recollection whose “race pride” was evident. Guys like George Raveling and John Cheney had put serious time in, but when G’town rose to the top in 1982, Temple hadn’t had a signature national season yet. Terence Stansbury was still in grade school — and Mark Macon was probably in the womb. Raveling’s teams were decent, but never much better than Sweet 16 material. John redefined the role and he protected his players from the media. He took the weight and demonstrated the power of his practice: discipline, hard work, defense and intimidation.

Vegas won me over because of their style of play. This wasn’t the first Vegas team that was fun to watch, but it was their best defensive squad by far. The most intriguing part of their games was that Amoeba Defense and Stacey Augmon. LJ was clearly the best player, but Augmon seemed to be the key to those huge runs they’d go on (20-0, 15-1, 18-3, etc.). Once he got going, it was a wrap.

I was in Ann Arbor when the Fab Five first took the court. I won’t go into that, but their impact is clear.

Finally, I think a team that merits some consideration in this conversation with respect to Black folk is the Arkansas Razorback squad of Nolan Richardson. I wouldn’t put them in the top 3, but Nolan’s teams were a combination of the Hoyas and the Runnin’ Rebels. They brought 40 Minutes of Hell to the court every night — and they won a championship…and curiously (just like Vegas) were run out of the gym the year after winning it all. Arkansas had the 2nd Black coach to win it all and were no less than the 3rd or 4th team that played tenacious full-court defense — so they’re off the radar, but they were damned good. Scottie Thurman, Oliver Miller, Cory Beck, Clint McDaniel, Corliss Williamson. Nice squad.

The “three” represented more than basketball…it represented a pride that was needed, and it gave people hope that they too could go to college. When I was growing up…no one in my family had graduated from college, so watching college basketball was my first impression of higher education.

I don’t think there is ANY question that the 3 teams you highlighted had the greatest impact on the game. The Fear Factor of Ewing and Graham had Billy Packer’s panties as tight around his little nuts as they’ve ever been — before or since. Vegas’ squad was its best and it symbolized the ability of “outsiders” with serious inside connections to trump the Tobacco Road powerhouses — for a minute — until that second game vs. Duke was f-i-x-e-d. Michigan, of course, with its youth, swagger and competence was “revolutionary” for the game. Just as Michelle and Diallo highlighted — it’s simply amazing that 5 frosh ran this squad…of course the point guard Jalen Rose never, ever played “young.” His NBA pedigree was always apparent in his cool, heady play. I think these 3 teams definitely belong together in any conversation about transformational teams, but if you’re talking BEST teams — I think that Carolina squad has to be in the conversation — even if the list only has 2 teams.