"It's my mentality to keep going at her. She's Brittney Griner, but I mean, I'm Shoni Schimmel, so I'm going to keep going at her, you know?"It's such a great quote.
To many fans, it was a foregone conclusion that Baylor, the tournament's No. 1 seed, would win another championship. Many had this belief largely because Baylor's not only a great team, but they have the talents of 6'8" star player, Griner, whom at least one NBA coach would offer the opportunity for a tryout. (Griner's Twitter response: "I would hold my own! Let's do it!")
What I love about Schimmel's quote is that it's not empty, foolish bravado. It's emblematic of confidence combined with actual ability to back it up - and it's a confidence that endured against an Expert Narrative telling her that she and her team didn't have a shot in hell.
I've enjoyed watching Griner and some experts think that Baylor losing will make the NCAA Finals less exciting to watch, but, well, I love an underdog story, so I'd love to see Louisville seal the deal. (Are these adequate sporty colloquialisms? I'm not sure. I just keep hearing Sportscaster Voice in my head, saying some of these things as I write this post.)
Nonetheless, best wishes to both players in the future!
No comments:
Post a Comment