The Highs and Lows of College Hoops-All in One Day

College basketball is supposed to be thrilling. It's supposed to make you jump out of your seat and scream and the tv. It isn't however supposed to make you shake your head and say, "What in the world just happened? How could a game of college basketball end like that? On those terms?" 

This is the reaction many fans across the nation probably had, (I know I did), to the actions of the Xavier and Cincinnati players with 9.4 seconds left in a tough rivalry game. What both teams did was completely unacceptable and I hope that the schools will take action against the players for their roles in what was a shocking display of unsportsmanlike conduct and pure stupidity of the players from both teams-particularly the Cincinnati players.

Watch: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Yancy-Gates-decks-Kenny-Frease-in-wild-Xavier-Ci?urn=ncaab-wp6817

Quote from the Cincinnati coach during the press Conference: "If my players don't act the right way, they will never play another game at Cincinnati," Cronin said. "I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school, what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be here let alone have a scholarship."

On the other hand, the game between previously ranked #1, undefeated Kentucky, vs undefeated, but unranked Indiana, shocked the sports world. Indiana claimed victory 73-72 on a game-winning, 3-pointer buzzer beater. They took out the ball with 5.6 second left with no timeouts on their own side of the basket and Watford made the three in the only appropriate way to hit a game-winning three. By making it a swish. The fans at Bloomington stormed the court and the players hopped up onto the scorers table in celebration. It was one of the most exhilarating games I have seen in college hoops I have seen in awhile. “I haven’t felt anything like that,” Watford said. “That’s probably the biggest moment of my life.”

College hoops. There's nothing else like it. 

High School Sports

High school sports. Are they really such a big deal? I mean, the athletes aren't as good as the professionals, you don't know every player by name and you don't know their stats by heart.... So the question is, why do high-school sports matter so much to some people?

Answer? It's just because they do. High school sports are exciting. Exhilarating. Breath-taking. Amazing. Shocking. Wondrous. Crazy. Heart-stopping. Even heart-breaking to watch and experience. High school is the time to try new things, to get the most out of your life before you go off and experience college. It is your chance to shine in your communities before you leave and leave it all behind because before you know it, high school will soon be a just another blurred memory.

Participating in a high school sport can be one the greatest things a student experiences in high school. You get to have that bond and connection with your teammates and show not only your school and friends how good you are, but you get to represent your school in state-wide competition and give it your all. You get to experience the drive, the pride and the heart that so many of your peers share.

Not only do the athletes themselves get to feel the thrill of the sport, but the whole student body gets to join and come along for the ride. The student body has that sense of pride that they are from a winning high school football team. They share the tears with the athletes on the field when they lose in a heart-breaker. The students are the school. It's their friends and classmates out on the field, court, or arena.
Students cheer them on not because they have to, they cheer because they want to.

An individual high school sports team may not matter to some random person across the country, but they sure do matter to the students at that high school and their communities. Appreciate high school sports, because without them, what else would students have to cheer about under the lights on a cold and rainy Friday night?