I am dying. Although it was not a long life, I was born in 1986, all 24 of my years were full of action.
Legends such as Jerry Stackhouse, Antawn Jamison, and Vince Carter walked down my hallowed sky blue floors, not many other stadiums can make the same claim.
Of course, I wouldn’t have been known with the prestige I was without the leadership I experienced through the years.
I owe my entire life to Dean Smith, the man that is directly responsible for three of my five championship banners that hang in my exalted rafters.
The other two come from my friend Roy Williams, another excellent coach who I helped persuade to leave Kansas.
Through all the good times in my life, there were also the bad ones, remember Matt Doherty? He poured his heart into me and the team, but it wasn’t enough.
Hard times are something I’m unfamiliar with, but this year I was plagued with more than my fair share.
Thanks to the lack of senior leadership, and the unexpected late development of our incoming freshmen, all sorts of new records were set.
Only, these records will live in infamy, I have never witnessed losses as bad as those that went down under my roof this year.
Thanks to this, I witnessed fans that packed my seats with such dedication begin to leave early, or worse, not attending my games at all.
Attendance is only one of the things I’ll miss, another is the wins over my archrival, the Duke Blue Devils.
Man, nothing in my life has felt as good as that 75-73 come from behind victory, sealed by Marvin Williams free throws with merely seconds remaining on my clock. You should have been there.
Sadly, my passing is going to be a quiet, unexpected one. My faithful fans firmly believe that my illness is not terminal, and that Harrison Barnes will be able to cure my losing woes.
I can only hope this is true but if they’re wrong, it was one hell of a run.
Will Bennett is a remarkable staff writer who was recruited from his early days. In fact, before Bennett could even speak, the Mycenaean took serious interest in him. While many consider this practice to be unethical, the Leesville editors disagree. Alex Stewart claims that his contributions to the staff have been “Pullitzer Prize” worthy.
In addition to his writing, Bennett enjoys animals, Freshberry Frozen Yogurt, Hip-hop music, and long walks on the beach. He can often be found on his seaside estate composing original music, writing moving poetry, and balling with old basketball greats like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.