By PJ Guippone | Temple University
Growing up in a city like Philadelphia, it was easy to fall in love with basketball at a very young age. With two parents that are alumni of Villanova, it was an obvious choice as to what team I would be expressing all that passion and love through. Ever since I knew where that orange ball was supposed to go, I was wearing those two beautiful shades of blue and cheering for the team led by the best-dressed coach in college basketball. With over 1700 all time wins, not including wins from the 1971 team that lost in the National Championship to Wooden’s Bruins, this is one of the most prolific programs in the history of college basketball. Here is a brief history through pictures.
Here it is. Here is the moment Villanova became Villanova. The legendary 1985 championship where the lowly 8 seed wildcats did the impossible and defeated the dominant Hoyas (still don’t know what the heck that is) in the conclusion of a Final Four that featured three Big East teams. This was absolutely not a fun game to watch, though. Nova, led by always charismatic coach Rollie Massimino, decided they would slow the game down and slop it up, which has always been the strategy for this big of an underdog, but even more so for an underdog that wasn’t under the pressure of the shot clock. The shot clock wasn’t instituted in college basketball until the following season, largely in part to this game. But a win is a win, and a program-altering win? That needs to be attained in any way possible. Thanks, Rollie, you beautiful Italian ball of basketball knowledge, for making V stand for both Villanova and Victory.
This is one of those shots that changes the life of a sports fan. I will never forget the moment number 0 sprinted down the court and weaved through defenders to get to the rim against Pitt the powerhouse. I was in a family room watching with 5 kids that attended the University of Pittsburgh, but as the youngest person in the room, I was not intimidated. Basketball was on, Villanova was playing, and that was all that mattered to me. When the shot went down, sending Villanova to its first Final Four since 1985, I had to run off my excitement with a few laps around the kitchen island. Then, laying on the couch, surrounded by despondent Panther fans, I realized that this is what I loved. I realized Villanova basketball would always be something that I could get behind and cheer for, even when they were getting the snot beaten out of them in the next game against the eventual national champion Tar Heels. This shot was the moment that I can pinpoint as to when I realized why sports are so beloved around the world. Anyone can be a hero, even if they will never make it past the D-League in their professional career. Any team has a chance to succeed. Any fan base has reason for hope, and that is why sports are beautiful.
There really is no photograph in the history of sports that so adequately expresses the thoughts of an entire sports fan community. Villanova has not always been the top 3 program it has been in very recent memory. The post-Scottie years were dark. Corey Fischer was not good for the team as the primary backcourt player. Maalik Wayns was worse. And just when it looked like Nova was finally back, their new road block appeared: the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. After the 2009 Final Four, the Cats were unable to make it too far in the greatest tournament in American sports. 2011 was a first round loss as a 9 seed, 2012 was an uncharacteristic losing season, 2013 was another loss in the first round as a 9 seed, 2014 was a loss to eventual national champion UConn as a 2 seed, but the Nova hopefuls became hopeful with the first number one seed in program history. That would prove to be empty hope as Nova endured a heartbreaking loss to number 8 seed NC State in the round of 32. Piccolo girl was the face of a heartbroken fan base for an entire year. The Wildcat faithful truly thought they would never see the Sweet 16 again.
“It’s going to happen again.” That was the thought running through the mind of every fan of Villanova basketball when this insane circus shot found nylon for Marcus Paige. It is simply never meant to be. This was the ultimate way to prove all the doubters wrong, win it all. This shot would have sent the National Championship to overtime, and everyone knew the way North Carolina came back, overtime would not have gone well for the Wildcats. They seemed tired by the end, and this shot is enough to deflate even the highest-flying hot air balloon. Of all the heartbreak of the last 5 years, somehow this shot would be the worst. But this shot was simply not meant to be. This incredible, ice-in-his-veins shot would be buried in the vaults of history by a simple one-two step.
We know that a picture can tell a thousand words, but can a picture fulfill all your hoops hopes and dreams? This picture makes that question a solid yes. After a lifetime of fandom and years of heartbreak, one beautifully drawn up play and a one-two step sent Nova Nation into a frenzy. “What can they say now” is right, Kris. Against a team that seemed to be the worst possible matchup, Nova did what no one thought they could do. Now, sitting at the top of college basketball on a nice cushy throne, they are once again one of the three best teams in the nation. Sometimes all it takes is one shot to change everything.