Why March Madness Means So Much to Me

I’m serious about three things: my faith in Jesus, my family and friends, and my basketball. The beginning of spring marks the most wonderful time of the year for me. My faith turns it up a notch at Easter, my family gets together for holidays and birthdays, and my basketball gets real with the greatest three weeks in sports.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Companies all over the United States will suffer from poor production on Thursday and Friday, kids at school will be begging their teachers to turn on CBS, and even Barack Obama will be hitting the refresh button on his BlackBerry to see if North Dakota State is keeping it close with Kansas.

Dreams will be formed, heroes will be born, and champions will emerge—and all of this in the name of basketball.

See, March Madness is a monster deal in my life. I’ve devoted my future to basketball. I’ve devoted my career, my time, my skills and abilities all to the game I love. It’s always been there for me. Whenever I needed an escape, whenever I needed a thrill, whenever I needed hope...it’s there.

I could tell you how Jim Valvano inspired me to be a coach or how George Mason’s run to the Final Four told me that anything was possible. I could tell you how Mario Chalmers hitting a three to tie it in last year’s championship tells me that nothing is ever over. I could go on and on about different stories and situations that have shaped my life, but this post would be 100 pages long.

The point is: Basketball matters. It does. It brings people together. It brings hope and faith and love. And it’s an amazing thing.

So the madness is a big deal to me. It’s more than just a sport; it’s a reflection of life. The mascots, the upsets, the buzzer beaters, the comebacks, the overtimes, the Tar Heels, Jayhawks, Tigers, oh my... It’ll be a good March, I promise.