By Mike Williams | @MikeWritesSport Sports Capital Journalism Program SAN ANTONIO — Three years ago, the University of Michigan basketball team was watching the NCAA tournament at the end of a disappointing season. This weekend, fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson and senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman are poised to lead Michigan back to the national championship game for …
Read MoreForty minutes after turning on my recorder, Rebecca Lobo, ESPN analyst and star of the 1995 UConn championship team, stopped talking to reporters. Her answers to questions ranged from thoughts on UConn’s chances, specific players, such as Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson, and coach Geno Auriemma. She also rightfully disdained people who criticized UConn’s domination …
Read MoreI still remember the day fondly, sitting on my couch on one blazing Arizona summer day. Fall courses of the final semester of my undergrad career at Arizona State University were set to begin. I was coming to a crossroads, not sure where to go or what to do next. Grad school was a thought …
Read MoreAlthough the 2016 Final Four in Houston was my first experience as a member of the media during the event, it was not my first encounter at the Final Four. That was back in 2006, when I was a 13-year old basketball fanatic. The Final Four came to Indianapolis, and as a basketball-crazed boy in …
Read MoreBy Jay Smith |@_SmithJ_ Sports Capital Journalism Program HOUSTON – Thirteen and one-half seconds. Two miracle shots. One national champion. Those 13.5 seconds will forever live in college basketball folklore. As the buzzer sounded, Kris Jenkins’ 3-point shot sent the Villanova Wildcats into a frenzy, their 77-74 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels one …
Read MoreBy Cameron Stewart |@ThatManCam Sports Capital Journalism Program HOUSTON — When Phil Booth knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Villanova Wildcats ahead by 10 points over the North Carolina Tar Heels with 5:29 remaining in the national championship game, a title seemed secure. The Wildcats had made it to Monday night’s …
Read MoreSports Capital Journalism Program By Malcolm Moran |@malcolm_moran “Excuse me.” The voice behind me spoke softly. I was standing on the basketball floor at NRG Stadium, a few feet from the steps that led up to the newly-constructed victory stand for the Villanova Wildcats. From the moment Kris Jenkins launched the shot that won a …
Read MoreBy Jay Smith |@_SmithJ_ Sports Capital Journalism Program HOUSTON — The late Andrew Smith of Butler University and his widow Samantha were honored by the United States Basketball Writers Association with the organization’s Most Courageous Award on Monday. The presentation marked the first time that the award, which was created in 1978, has honored two …
Read MoreSports Capital Journalism Program By Jay Smith |@_SmithJ_ An NCAA champion will be crowned on Monday as Villanova is set to square off against North Carolina. The Tar Heels will be playing for the sixth national championship in their program’s storied history, while Villanova looks to earn its second title, and first since the historic …
Read MoreBy Cameron Stewart | @ThatManCam Sports Capital Journalism Program HOUSTON — When Villanova seniors Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu, Patrick Farrell and Henry Lowe arrived on Villanova’s campus as freshman, it seemed unlikely that they’d be ever be 40 minutes away from winning a national title. The season prior to their arrival was a dark spot in …
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