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Full disclosure: I wasn't a UConn fan yet in 1999. That was simply the year I fell in love with UConn basketball and decided to head 2,000 miles east for college because I needed this program to be a part of the rest of my life.
But I was on campus in 2004 when we witnessed one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history. And I was on the Kemba hype train from the start in 2011 when The Stepback led to the greatest 11-game run in college hoops history. And I got on a plane to Dallas in 2014 because I wasn't going to miss Bazz and the Hungry Huskies cutting down the nets for anything in the world. And I got on a plane to Houston in 2023 because I needed to be in the building when we're back turned into WE'RE BACK once and for all.
And somehow this season has exceeded them all, at a place where exceeding them all should be impossible.
Maybe it's because of the way Donovan stayed home in high school then in college, and changed every game he stepped on the court for two championship seasons.
Maybe it's because of the way Alex felt like an honorary family member after listening to every new podcast episode as soon as it dropped and having conversations with my wife starting with "Did you hear what Karaban said this week?" while watching him play with the highest basketball IQ we've ever seen.
Maybe it's because of the way Tristen went from the weakest link to the straw that stirs the drink for the most dominant stretch in UConn history while bringing calm, cool and collected to a program full of fireballs.
Maybe it's because of the way my two-year-old runs around the house saying "I am Cam Spencer" ever since I showed him the highlights while Cam became as beloved as any four-year Husky in five short months.
Maybe it's because of the way Steph bought in at a level that no five-star one-and-done anywhere does and silenced every doubter by playing his part to perfection instead of playing for his draft stock.
Maybe it's because of the way Samson and Hass stuck around and become the best bench duo in the nation when it would have been so much easier to back down and look for more minutes somewhere else.
Maybe it's because of the way Jaylin Stewart went from unplayable in our system early on to dominating Big East Friday and Saturday night while letting us all know he'll be The Next One.
But above all, it's because of the way this team embodied UConn culture and elevated a program that it should be impossible to elevate. Because of the way this team embraced the challenge of repeating from Day 1 and never once flinched. Because of the way this team made unselfishness the most important trait in the sport by playing for each other and wearing out every opponent it faced in the process. Because of the way this team played the most beautiful offensive basketball we have ever seen and rewatching to see how they did it became as much fun as the actual game itself.
And because of the way that for 39 games, the first question that came to mind after the final buzzer was "When do we get to see these guys play again next?" and because of the way that as soon as the buzzer sounded last night the first two thoughts we had were "Holy #$$@* $@$ they did it!" and "What the heck are we gonna do now that we don't get to watch these guys play together again next week?"
Yes, we'll be back in the mix next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. But no matter when No. 7 comes -- and in the words of Dan Hurley: It's coming -- is there any way it can exceed this? It seems impossible.
But I was on campus in 2004 when we witnessed one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history. And I was on the Kemba hype train from the start in 2011 when The Stepback led to the greatest 11-game run in college hoops history. And I got on a plane to Dallas in 2014 because I wasn't going to miss Bazz and the Hungry Huskies cutting down the nets for anything in the world. And I got on a plane to Houston in 2023 because I needed to be in the building when we're back turned into WE'RE BACK once and for all.
And somehow this season has exceeded them all, at a place where exceeding them all should be impossible.
Maybe it's because of the way Donovan stayed home in high school then in college, and changed every game he stepped on the court for two championship seasons.
Maybe it's because of the way Alex felt like an honorary family member after listening to every new podcast episode as soon as it dropped and having conversations with my wife starting with "Did you hear what Karaban said this week?" while watching him play with the highest basketball IQ we've ever seen.
Maybe it's because of the way Tristen went from the weakest link to the straw that stirs the drink for the most dominant stretch in UConn history while bringing calm, cool and collected to a program full of fireballs.
Maybe it's because of the way my two-year-old runs around the house saying "I am Cam Spencer" ever since I showed him the highlights while Cam became as beloved as any four-year Husky in five short months.
Maybe it's because of the way Steph bought in at a level that no five-star one-and-done anywhere does and silenced every doubter by playing his part to perfection instead of playing for his draft stock.
Maybe it's because of the way Samson and Hass stuck around and become the best bench duo in the nation when it would have been so much easier to back down and look for more minutes somewhere else.
Maybe it's because of the way Jaylin Stewart went from unplayable in our system early on to dominating Big East Friday and Saturday night while letting us all know he'll be The Next One.
But above all, it's because of the way this team embodied UConn culture and elevated a program that it should be impossible to elevate. Because of the way this team embraced the challenge of repeating from Day 1 and never once flinched. Because of the way this team made unselfishness the most important trait in the sport by playing for each other and wearing out every opponent it faced in the process. Because of the way this team played the most beautiful offensive basketball we have ever seen and rewatching to see how they did it became as much fun as the actual game itself.
And because of the way that for 39 games, the first question that came to mind after the final buzzer was "When do we get to see these guys play again next?" and because of the way that as soon as the buzzer sounded last night the first two thoughts we had were "Holy #$$@* $@$ they did it!" and "What the heck are we gonna do now that we don't get to watch these guys play together again next week?"
Yes, we'll be back in the mix next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. But no matter when No. 7 comes -- and in the words of Dan Hurley: It's coming -- is there any way it can exceed this? It seems impossible.
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