The Force of 'Nova Nation!

My expertise is certainly not in college basketball. But after witnessing my alma mater win a National Championship in Houston last Monday night, I'm compelled to share some thoughts as I bask in the afterglow of this breathtaking game.

Pictured above, an unknown Villanova super-fan, appeared as "Darth Nova" during this past weekend's Final Four. Seeing that picture made me wonder if maybe "The Force" - that legendary, undefined, mythical mental energy that the Star Wars movies introduced into pop culture - was really with this phenomenal Wildcat team??

My conclusion: It definitely was NOT.

No, it was no mythical "force" from any movie that powered this team through the gauntlet of college basketball royalty they defeated on their way to a title. However, this Villanova team indeed had several "forces" on their side that are too real to ignore:

1) The force of teamwork. No group was better prepared physically or mentally than Villanova to play a true team game. Evidenced both by their balanced scoring, and the fact that several players starred throughout their amazing NCAA tournament run. One night, Josh Hart shoots 10 for 12. The next, Arcidiacono leads the way. Another game would feature senior Daniel Ochefu scoring from the inside. Then Jenkins erupted. On Monday night it was reserve guard Phil Booth who scored a career high 20 points off the bench! That's right, a backup sophomore guard led this team in scoring in their most important game. Take a minute to let that sink in! No fewer than 5 players led them in scoring through their 6 wins to the title, capped off by Booth's clutch performance.

The ultimate act of teamwork, though, occurred in the game's final 1.5 seconds, when star senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono PASSED the ball to Kris Jenkins for the winning shot. Make no mistake, while everyone is talking about the amazing final shot (and well they should), the pass won the game as much as the shot. No one ever dreams as a kid about making "the winning pass" yet some special force made it happen: the self-sacrifice of Teamwork. 

2) The force of preparation. One of my favorite quotes on preparation comes from the football world, but so fits this 'Nova team: Emmett Smith, the NFL Hall of Fame running back for the Dallas Cowboys once said: 

"For me, winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream."

In a word, Smith speaks of PREPARATION. I don't believe there is a team or coach that had prepared for a championship like Jay Wright and his Villanova squad. They had been practicing "Nova" (the so-called end of game play that won the title game) at the end of practices since Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu were freshmen. Beyond those four years, Jay Wright has been coaching this same end of game drill at Villanova for 15 years, since his arrival at the school. The most impressive part of the preparation for that winning play, however, was from a player that even didn't touch the ball: senior center Daniel Ochefu. You may have noticed, Ochefu mopping up the floor before Villanova's last possession. What?? He knew Arcidiacono had a tendency to run that play they had practiced so many times, to his left. Daniel knew where he had to set that pick for him. He knew the floor had to be dry, in that very spot Ochefu himself had just fallen, for Arcidiacono to streak along the sideline with the ball. He knew that superior preparation wins championships. It gives me goose bumps just to think of it: North Carolina fans were hooting, hollering, and flinging their seat cushions through NRG Stadium as if the game was over. Yet Ochefu was quietly mopping the floor, cooking up a little surprise for them. If you didn't catch that critical preparatory detail here's a video link and picture of what Ochefu did: Ochefu Prepares to Mop Up The Game 

3) Finally the force of Faith. Anyone who has ever attended any Catholic school should be proud that Villanova became the first such institution to win a NCAA Basketball National Championship in 31 years, since, well... Villanova!

No doubt, the player's faith in each other, their faith in the coaching they've received from Jay Wright and their faith in God helped power this team to a win. The politically correct national sports media won't touch this topic with a 50-foot pole, but hey I'm just a fan, so I can speak my mind. If you think their adherence to reading passages from the Bible with Father Rob Hagan, Villanova's associate athletic director, who was on the bench on Monday evening played no part in this championship, you're missing some of the story. From Josh Hart's openness about his faith, to both Ochefu and Arcidiacono thanking God after the win, to Jay Wright's comments about how great Villanovans are at praying together (he added along with "drinking together and watching basketball together" to my delight), their faith was no small force in this victory.

Lastly, don't let anyone deceive you into thinking that the result of this championship game was any order of an upset. The national media were almost universally picking the boys in powder blue out of convention, ignoring the very strong troika of forces powering this Villanova team. In my opinion, it was closer to a minor miracle that North Carolina even almost made it alive to overtime. Keep in mind, they had shot a blistering, season-best, 11-17 (65%) from the three point line (including Marcus Paige's now-irrelevant acrobatic effort to tie the game in the final seconds) to even make it as close as it was.

In the final analysis, there were too many real "Forces" on Villanova's side: Teamwork, Preparation and Faith, for it to end any other way. Finally, as I wrap up my reflection on the greatest championship game in college basketball history, one word keeps echoing through my mind: BANG. (if you're not familiar with the reference, search: 'Jay Wright Bang' to witness his amazing Jedi-master reaction to the finish.) 

God bless Jay Wright, this Villanova team, and the Forces that drove them to a championship. I have a feeling "Darth Nova" is still rejoicing, somewhere out there...