10 Feet High

For whatever reason, I woke up today with a peculiar desire to watch old basketball videos on YouTube. You know what I mean right? Like all of a sudden - and you don't know why - you just have to watch sick hoop clips? Well, in my deranged state of mind full of oddities, here is what stood out.



My Memory:

Stanford was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. Arizona was still Arizona, and these two fought back and forth all game long. One of my best friends was a freshman at U of A, so I kind of adopted the Wildcats as a semi-favorite team capable of winning another title. A few years later, a friend of mine whom I later met, informed me he was at the game as a student of Stanford, sitting three or four rows behind Tiger Woods, who infamously stormed the court along with the rest of Cardinal nation. All of these elements combine to make this one I'll never forget.

USC comeback:



My Memory:

I couldn't have been more than 13 or 14, but I remember seeing these highlights on SportsCenter in my room, absolutely shellshocked. I know this because I specifically recall holding off on my Sega Dreamcast "Madden 2K" exploits for at least 15 minutes, which is something to be said at that stage of my life (later that year I actually held a birthday party in which I hosted a 12-man 2K tournament in my basement, complete with brackets and seeding. How in the hell we determined seeding for such a thing boggles me to this day). Needless to say, I didn't make it past the second round, not because of "stick skills," but rather because of sleep deprivation. Hey, 3 a.m. for a 14-year-old is pretty damn late! By the way, how about the announcer's call? "Oh, ohhh, ohhhhhh, a miracle!" Great stuff. Also, how badly were you hoping the camera would break to show that kid's cutthroat sign to the Ducks student section?

Kentucky dunk:



My Memory:

There is none. I wasn't alive yet, but when I came across this dunk, I had to share it with you. Also, and I hesitate to say this, but how talented was Dick Vitale's call? "Secretariat out of the gate!" Love that.

Okay, all for now, but more coming soon. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If not, then you're simply not as much a junkie loser as I am. Probably not a bad thing.