Washington State vs. Arizona St. Basketball 2009: Senior Night

This is just for fun. I don't know what made me think of it. Maybe the fact that I'm a recent college grad, already yearning to stop growing up and go back to the glory days of school. Maybe I was thinking about those glory days and how much time I spent in line, camped out in a tent from Wal-Mart in six inches of snow to watch my Cougars play basketball. Or maybe I just felt as though a big school in a small town with a minuscule amount of media coverage needed a little press from a moment that nobody outside of our bubble ever saw.

If only a 2-minute video could do justice to the greatest sporting event I've ever attended. My sophomore year, 2009, and the last home game of Cougar favorites like Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes. Here's a little rundown of the clip: Down by 1 in OT, WSU blocks a shot to get possession with time winding down. Rochestie, the senior captain and by far the most beloved athlete on campus, took control from there, bringing the ball down court before hitting a deep three with just a couple seconds left on the clock.

What the video won't show is the true magnitude of the ZZU CRU rushing the court immediately after the buzzer and the mob of people that watched as Rochestie and his dad (holding the "Thank You Pullman" sign) tearfully celebrated. And yes...I was one of the first ones to rush the floor. It would be a travesty to celebrate my best sports moment any other way.

Now, Wazzu didn't go very far in the postseason that year, but the display of Coug Pride from a regular season Pac-10 game is what will forever stand out in my memory. For those of you who haven't been to Pullman, you might not understand; in the wheat fields of Eastern Washington, probably sub-freezing temperatures and the closest major "city" is Spokane? You just have to be there to understand what it's like to be a Coug. There is a reason our students are constantly praised by opposing coaches for creating a devastatingly intimidating atmosphere to play in. And there is a reason why those Huskies in Seattle quiver in their paws every time our basketball team comes to town (I couldn't resist)!

So sit back and enjoy this video (props to the timing on the music edit too), because with Klay Thompson gone to the NBA and DeAngelo Casto to Europe, this may be the last positive WSU basketball clip you see for quite some time.

Go Cougs.