Since the age of 6 "March Madness" has always been my favorite time of year. Any basketball junkie thrives on 64 teams playing the opening rounds the first two days of the tournament. The Division I march to the Final Four this year has been filled with great stories and sad endings. I have become a big fan of the Butler Bulldogs (as you can see from the picture I took on my phone in September of Shelvin Mack shooting in Hinkle Field House) so they will be my pick for the weekend.
My "March Madness" the past three years has been filled not only with Division I basketball but Division II as well. As a member of the NCAA Division II men's basketball committee I have spent most of this march on the road. In fact as of today (the 29th of March), I have spent more nights (15) in Courtyard by Marriotts than I have in my own bed (14). The highways and airways have taken me to Pennslyvania, Tennessee, Georgia, and Massachusetts this month tracking NCAA Division II basketball. It has been a long month full of too much fast food, way too much evaluations of officials, and far too many moments away from my family. But I do know this about Division II college basketball- the players and coaches are just passionate as they are at D-I, the administrators at the schools are just as proud and the excitement of the games are just as high. The NCAA accepts much criticism from the general public about their methods of operation but most of that criticism comes from people who simply don't understand. I for one am a huge fan of the NCAA. They have afforded student-athletes at the Division II and Division III levels to compete for national championships that will be remembered forever. My lasting memory of this past month is how many times I heard student-athletes comment at regionals or nationals that they were having an experience which they would never forget. As long as you get to hear comments like that, all the time put in during this basketball season as a member of the national committee and all the nights (15) spent in Marriotts in March are well worth the effort. March Madness is about making memories that last. I am pulling for Shelvin Mack and the boys of Butler to burn their memories into history this weekend. As for me, I am going to be at home resting now that April is here and the madness of March is over. On second thought, it is April and Saturday is the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston. Hope they have a Courtyard by Marriott!
