Everyone loves Cinderella, the underdog who makes the big time. The underdog story is just one archetype.
There are six or seven core stories. Some adapt easily for sport and basketball.
1. Overcoming the monster (NC State beats UCLA, Villanova beats Georgetown)
2. Rags to riches (Cinderella)
3. The quest (Rocky)
4. Voyage and return (Hoosiers)
5. Comedy (Champions)
6. Tragedy (Len Bias)
7. Rebirth (Wembanyama and the Spurs)
Coaches help players and teams write narratives.
I know the Cinderella story well. 51 years ago today, our 19-3 team went into Boston Garden an underdog fifth sectional seed against top seed St. John's Prep, 22-0, which supposedly averaged 89 points a game.
Trailing 26-12 in the second quarter, our team went on a 23-0 run and held the Prep scoreless for 8:35 en route to a 47-41 win.
Their star player, Dave Winey, went on to Minnesota, playing with Kevin McHale, and was himself a Celtics draft choice.
Lagniappe. More Cinderella stories...
