March 30, 2003

[Wally Pryor 5315]

Still the greatest day in Texas basketball history. 

 

I remember us driving down 35 that Sunday morning and you could see tons of orange in vehicles. 30,000 in the Alamodome. Not surprisingly, 27,000 - 28,000 were on the right side. Horns took the lead on a Sydmill 3-pointer about midway through the first half. Horns never looked back from that point. I don't think Sparty got closer than 5 or 6. Counting down the last seconds and seeing Ford and Barnes embrace at mid-court will always be etched in my mind. The next few days going into New Orleans were surreal hearing "Texas in the Final Four". Didn't seem possible but so it was. No reason is ever needed for a trip to New Orleans and it was an especially memorable one despite the Syracuse loss. Nothing was going to ruin the season. 

 

Seeing Ford in in the stands last Sunday in KC reminded me of his importance to that season and to the program as a whole, to this day. Before Durant and subsequent high-profile recruits, Ford made it cool to come to Texas. He was the first elite player we landed. Because of that and the (still) unmatched heights to which he took the program, Ford remains the most important player in Texas basketball history. 

 

 

 

[ztejas 43777]

[CashMcCoy 3258]

God dammit I should’ve been watching us cut down those nets on Sunday. Still in shambles four days later.

[SL Xpress 7518]

2 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

Still the greatest day in Texas basketball history. 

 

I remember us driving down 35 that Sunday morning and you could see tons of orange in vehicles. 30,000 in the Alamodome. Not surprisingly, 27,000 - 28,000 were on the right side. Horns took the lead on a Sydmill 3-pointer about midway through the first half. Horns never looked back from that point. I don't think Sparty got closer than 5 or 6. Counting down the last seconds and seeing Ford and Barnes embrace at mid-court will always be etched in my mind. The next few days going into New Orleans were surreal hearing "Texas in the Final Four". Didn't seem possible but so it was. No reason is ever needed for a trip to New Orleans and it was an especially memorable one despite the Syracuse loss. Nothing was going to ruin the season. 

 

Seeing Ford in in the stands last Sunday in KC reminded me of his importance to that season and to the program as a whole, to this day. Before Durant and subsequent high-profile recruits, Ford made it cool to come to Texas. He was the first elite player we landed. Because of that and the (still) unmatched heights to which he took the program, Ford remains the most important player in Texas basketball history. 

 

 

 

I don’t agree with your conclusion regarding TJ Ford being most importaht, but I do agree with the argument and feel like it has a great deal of merit. 

My big thing with TJ Ford is that he’s always going to be underrated as a player, IMO, because of his spinal stenosis and the impact that had on his NBA career. 

I feel quite confident he would have had an Allen Iverson type career if it weren’t for the risk of paralysis that playing in the NBA created for him. 

Fortunately he’s been an amazing steward of the money he earned professionally and so having his career cut short did not harm him financially in the way it would have with more profligate players. 

Nonetheless, I feel like the basketball world did not get to see TJ Ford in his final form basketball wise, and that makes me a little sad. 

I’ve said it before, but I was convinced that 2002-2008 was going to be how the rest of my life as a Texas basketball fan was going to be. What a run. And yes, making it to that Final Four was the apex, and I, too, was grateful for TJ’s contributions to it along with everyone else.

I’ll also say that I used to go watch high school players obsessively in both football and basketball. But the combination of watching that Willowridge team pretty much every game for two years along with Vince Young spoiled me in a way. 

[BigOrange1 6566]

#iwasthere

[KingBobo81 542]

That day was so awesome - it was my senior year at UT, and I was there for the regional games and the Final Four. I really thought it would be a regular occurrence at the time. 20 years later, we still haven't quite gotten there. Glad I got to go to Des Moines and KC this year, but I was really hoping to add a Houston trip this weekend.

[shadow_operative 15932]

full game ^^^

 

[JGrayDBU 348]

From a recent point of view, I can see your idea that TJ is the most important player.  From a bigger view, I think there was a predecessor, and that is the best big man in the history of Texas basketball, LaSalle Thompson, from Cincinnati Ohio.  I think LaSalle made it possible for the heroes of the Penders era to consider coming to Texas in the late 80s/early 90s.  

LaSalle was a nationally known, and extremely highly rated. He performed at an impressive level at Texas, leading the country in rebounds with 13.x the year that Wacker's knee and the horns season crumbled in Waco.   He played pro ball, not sure of results. 

14-0 and ranked #2?......It was 1982, and after the fiasco in Waco,  the season ended at 15-13, total devastation.  

Kind of like how I still feel now.