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Message: [QUOTE="nyhuskies13, post: 2210085, member: 4134"] April 7, 2014 I didn't go to UConn but grew up religiously watching games with my dad. As a young kid in the early 90s, I remember anxiously awaiting the local newspaper to see if their ranking climbed. We were a blue collar family, and even when my dad starting working the graveyard shift at a factory, he'd call me during his lunch break to hear about the games. I was 11yrs old in '94 when Donyell missed 2 free throws against Florida and my dad couldn't believe it as I described the sequence of events. And that's how I remember growing up. My dad, who didn't speak great English and loved basketball, always found time to watch games and debate who was playing well. He loved Calhoun's passion, appreciated Ray Allen's stroke more than most, and found joy in El-Amin's bravado. I was a junior in college when they won in '04 and we spoke during every timeout of that Duke game. We both rejoiced and took pain in the wins and losses but more than anything, bonded always over our team. I'll never forget that Friday morning phone call in May 2013. I was planning on heading home that day to visit my parents when I found out my dad unexpectedly passed away at the age of 53. I was shattered and still think about him every hour of every day. When the 2014 season started, I had a hard time watching. It was difficult to accept that I wouldn't be having conversations with my dad during timeouts and halftime. But as the season progressed, I found more and more comfort. I started feeling like he was watching with me and there was a connection to an old sense of sharing the team with him. After cheering them on at MSG as they miraculously made the Final Four, I booked flights and tickets. I headed down to Dallas excited to see the Final Four and expecting them to fall short to Florida. After that win, I changed my flight and decided to stay by myself for the Championship on Monday night. The whole experience was incredible as the team fought to win Title #4 just 10 months after the biggest loss of my life. After the game, I walked into an empty bar at midnight in North Texas. The place was on the verge of closing but offered last call. I ordered two bottles of Coors Light (his faveorite) and enjoyed one more UConn win. I finished my drink and left his on the bar. I've never been overly spiritual, but I know he was with me that day. And I'll always be grateful for everything UConn gave us. [/QUOTE]

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