It's a Hooiser's kind of thing, but we weren't the Cinderella's this year, Bulter was, is and may they win the National Championship as my team was taken out by a more undeserving opponent. For the record, we had just as much riding on this game as Bulter did/does.
Hell, the State of North Carolina wasn't routing for Duke, I would venture to guess the majority of the state was routing against them because if you are a NC State fan or UNC fan you cannot route for Duke, ever!
But what was the climate like in West Virginia and in any other state that has WV transplants? The fans showed intense loyalty, extreme frustration at the sports media bias, and above all a pride in our coach, our players, and the class and talent they put on the floor each game.
This was more than a basketball game, this berth to the final four, the first time in 51 years, was a rite of passage for West Virginians. It put us on the map, it broke stereotypes, or we hoped it would. Unfortunately, many wanted the 'hillbillies' to go home, not to succeed and when we didn't win the media continued on the merry, righteous, 'told-you-so' way. But to the West Virginian followers, the players have become family, friends, and role models, a source of pride for our beautiful but down trodden state.
I know I speak for each Mountaineer fan when I say, the footage of Bulter and Coach Huggins on the floor together during Butler's injury was the highlight of the entire tournament. It proved that our coach loves his players. Coach Huggs, has made some mistakes but if West Virginians know one thing, it's that we are not perfect but we can take steps to make things right. Good step forward coach. I am very proud of the Mountaineers who fought so hard with such sportsmanship and such enthusiasm. Please say prayers for Da'Sean Bulter as he deals with a torn ACL. I wish him the best and speedy recovery so he may enter the NBA and start changing the face of Pro Ball. We need more good guys like him in the league!
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