Someone needs to find me an application and quick. I want to join the Buzz Williams Fan Club, maybe take a seat on the board!
At the end of a long debut season in Blacksburg Williams found himself sitting in the Greensboro Coliseum press conference room in a strange position- as the winning head coach.
Williams followed former All-American and current Wake Forest coach Danny Manning to the podium after Virginia Tech’s dramatic 81-80 victory in the opening round of the 2015 ACC Tournament.
Manning did a commendable job handling the media and spoke with the same level of elegance he played with back at Kansas decades ago. After a short break Coach Buzz took a seat along with two of his Hokies.
Williams spoke from the heart, and while he didn’t say any one thing that ESPN would have played back in one of their clips, Buzz made a lasting impression on this journalist. Williams spoke about the family in the same manner that Coach K has for decades at Duke, but even took it to the next level by sharing his thoughts about their upbringing at home.
The 2014-2015 Hokie squad was put together on the fly to say the least. A late signee here, a transfer there and sprinkle in a walk-on or two. Factor in two coaching staffs, and it would be easy to find comparisons to the ageless sitcom the Brady Bunch. The average fan might not have a fair understanding of the struggles this Tech team went through over the past calendar year.
The close calls in Blacksburg against both Virginia and Duke gave fans a glimpse of what the future might hold for the Cassell Coliseum faithful. Taking the nation’s #2 and #3 ranked teams to the brink in front of packed houses showed how far the remodel had come for Buzz and Company.
But sadly we live in a world of what have you done for me lately, and the victory column had fallen short for the season. While the Duke and ‘Hoos defeats were thrilling to watch, there were a number of games against the middle of the pack ACC schools that carried no such drama.
Then it was time for the annual trip down to Tobacco Road for what most expected to be a quick Exit Stage Left for the Hokies. You might have to scratch your head to remember the last time VT left the court in the ACC postseason with a reason to smile.
Elevated from #15 seed up to #14 spot after Syracuse excused itself from the competition, Virginia Tech drew #11 seed and hometown foe Wake Forrest. The diehard fans made the trip South, but many in the group and in the media that covers Buzz and Company hadn’t even bothered to research when the second round game would be played.
Freshman Jalen Hudson made some of us think back to another young man that did okay on Tobacco Road while wearing the #23. Hudson decided he wanted his coach and his teammates play another game or two.
While watching Hudson play and Buzz coach was fun, it was the postgame press conference that sealed the deal for me. Buzz talked about all of his players with a great deal of pride and took the time to mention their parents and the awesome jobs they did raising their young men.
Buzz talked about Hudson in a true father & son manner, the same manner I have spoken of my own son Chris many a time over the years. The moment was priceless for all of the right reasons and one that will never see the light of day. The exchange was not Must See TV and won’t be played over and over for years but it was enough to convert me over to being a fan of The Buzz.
Now, back to needing to find that application.
– Column by Jerry Carter
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