One of our favorite things about collegiate athletics is its fleeting immediacy. The players we cheer for, those who don our colors, are there for a predetermined and brief period. We enjoy their services for, at most, four seasons and then its on to their next venture. It’s quick, gone in what feels like a flash, and we’re then left with a new crop of talents to cheer, critique, and enjoy a new group.
But it’s this brevity that magnifies the relationship.
We know all too well of its finality that we’re further drawn to irrational levels of fandom. I love it. And now the seniors have now wrapped up their final home games. They will never play on their home court again. For this, I’m sad.
Because these are the guys we’ve followed since before they got to school and watched improve and watched succeed and watched fail and watched grow. They’ve embodied a lifecycle we appreciate and now is the time to usher them on and out.
For such, I’ve reached out to some of my favorite writers, bloggers, and fans in an effort to try and capture the feelings of this time of year. Both the bitter and the sweet.
So coming today and beyond, you will see the following seniors celebrated by those who’ve followed them close:
- Solomon Hill by Ezra Amacher of PointGuardU
- Kevin Parrom by Brad Hill of Awesome
- Larry Drew II by Andrew Murawa of Rush the Court
- Jason Washburn by Jack Gardner of Jack Gardner’s Ghost
- Jio Fontan by Jacob Freedman of Galen Central
- Sabatino Chen by James Lucas of AllBuffs
- Joe Burton by Connor Pelton of Rush the Court
- Abdul Gaddy by Jack Follman of Pacific Takes
- EJ Singler by David Piper of Addicted to Quack
- Brock Motum by Jeff Nusser of Coug Center
- Carrick Felix by David Bowers of David’s Desert
It’s a good crop we’re saying farewell to and a terrific group who have pieced together some remarkable, exciting, and fun careers.
Stay tuned.