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Sports

So many March memories to savor 

The Original

Eli Jabbe

The month of March has come and gone, and there have been many unforgettable moments in several different sports.

The most memorable event of this past month has been March Madness, and this year's version has been just as exciting as previous editions. All the ingredients have been there, including surprising losses (Texas' shocking 87-68 blowout loss to Southern California) and star players shining in the tournament (Texas freshman Kevin Durant and Ohio State freshman Greg Oden). 

Durant has won several player of the year awards and is expected to claim the Wooden and Naismith trophies as well. Oden, a skilled big man, has played a huge role in helping Ohio State reach the national championship game Monday night where it lost 84-75 to Florida.

Oddly, this was a rematch of the NCAA football championship game. These two programs met on the football field in January with Florida coming away victorious as well.

But that's enough talk about amateurs; let's talk about professional sports, particularly the NBA. The one player who had the nation's attention is Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant. 

Bryant became the second player in NBA history to record 50 or more points in four straight games. Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with seven straight games of 50 or more points.

Bryant averaged 40.4 points per game in March. Many still debate Bryant's place in NBA history in comparison to former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan's, but one thing is for certain: Kobe's scoring abilities are currently unmatched in the NBA.

Speaking of Los Angeles, history was made Monday with the induction of Lakers coach Phil Jackson into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Jackson has been involved in basketball as both a player and coach and has racked up a record nine NBA titles as a coach. 

A lot of credit for Jackson's rings are given to his teams. He had Jordan, who many view as the best basketball player ever, while coaching the Bulls to six titles, and Bryant and Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal as key players on his Lakers squad. 

Regardless of where you stand in this debate, it's clear that Jackson has found great success as a coach.

Joining Jackson in the Hall of Fame is college basketball coach Roy Williams. Williams spent 15 years coaching at Kansas but never tasted national championship glory with the Jayhawks. After switching to North Carolina, his alma mater, he claimed his first national title in 2004-05.

So that's it for March. It's time to move on to April and a new season of baseball. 

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