I had completely forgot about this, but back in 1996 tiny Western Carolina, a 16 seed, nearly knocked off 1-seed Purdue. They had a three at the end to win. It bounced off the back of rim. They got the rebound and put up one more shot for the tie. Off the back rim. So close.
Fast forward 11 years, the head coach of the ’96 Catamounts, Phil Hopkins is still a head coach. At a junior high.
His top assistant? A young Thad Matta who is now the head coach of 1 seed Ohio State.
Pretty incredible how things can change. If that shot had gone in, Hopkins would be legend. Instead, he’s forgotten.
It’s a great story.