Capítulo 93: From Today On, Butler Is Also a Legend
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As soon as they separated, the players rushed over together. Curry was the first to hug Liam:
"Boss, thank you! Without you, I would never have won the championship!"
Graves called after him:
"Coach, if possible, I'd like to play for you forever!"
"Coach, you are the greatest coach in Bulldog history!" another player chimed in.
The simple Butler, stuck at the back of the group, anxiously shouted:
"Boss, I'm willing to die for you!"
Liam laughed and said, "Not really, not really..."
The Bulldogs' half of the court was filled with joy. McCabe Shrewsbury was with the team, and he came to the sidelines with a big smile on his face, saying to everyone he met:
"Haha, I was the one who insisted on signing Coach Liam. I don't want anyone to say I have poor taste anymore..."
On the other side of the court, the Tigers were silent, the atmosphere terribly cold.
No one paid attention to their loss; they could only watch as their opponents celebrated their victory wildly.
Rose looked at Curry with unwilling eyes, then turned around and walked into the player tunnel, head down.
NCAA is over. I'll be waiting for you in the NBA.
After a moment of disappointment, Calipari calmed down. He had coached for many years, seen all kinds of storms, and experienced countless failures.
Losing the championship was tough, but it wouldn't unbalance him.
The old coach comforted his players one by one and quietly led them out of the stadium.
The stage belonged to the winners, and they were the losers.
Afterwards, the staff quickly built a platform at the center of the court to present the trophy. The Bulldogs players returned to the locker room to change into their championship T-shirts.
When they came back, the stage was set, and reporters and fans formed a circle below it.
Next, following NCAA championship tradition, the Bulldogs would cut a section of the net and take it as a souvenir.
Curry was the first to shout:
"Boss, you cut it!"
"That's right, boss! You led us to win the championship; only you deserve it!" Butler said.
Liam looked around and saw all the players smiling at him, so he simply said, "Okay, I'll do it."
He climbed the ladder, reached the basket, and cut off a section of the net with scissors, prompting cheers from the entire audience:
"Coach Liam! Coach Liam!"
The Tigers fans had long left, and the remaining crowd consisted of Bulldogs diehards.
Liam waved enthusiastically to the crowd and came down from the ladder. The players gathered around him, passing the net to each other, touching it curiously.
"I've grabbed the net a few times when I dunked, but I didn't feel anything back then. Why does it feel so exciting now?" Drew grinned.
"Because what you touched wasn't just the net, it was the championship," Julian Beko laughed.
After passing it around, McCabe Shrewsbury carefully handed the net to the staff, and then everyone stepped onto the podium with the Bulldogs' coaching staff.
Greg Gumbel stood nearby, holding the microphone and said:
"Butler University is a small school with only 4,500 students. Their best record in history was reaching the Sweet 16. Not many knew their name. But last year, in March Madness, Butler made it to the Sweet 16, tying their historical record, and lost to the eventual champion, the University of Florida, by just 2 points... This year, they fought through tough opponents, beat the University of Memphis, and won the final championship! They are the biggest dark horse in the NCAA in the past two years! Let's welcome this year's NCAA champions—the Butler University Bulldogs!"
He handed the trophy to Liam, and the fans surrounding the platform cheered loudly, expressing their excitement once again, though their voices were a bit hoarse from earlier celebrations.
Reporters frantically clicked their cameras, capturing the moment of the champions.
"The creator of this legend is standing beside me. He is the youngest head coach in NCAA history and the first Colombian head coach—Coach Liam Gonzalez! Many people have questioned your age, and now you've become the youngest head coach to win the NCAA championship. Do you have anything to say?" Greg Gumbel handed the microphone to Liam.
The crowd quieted down, all eyes on him.
Liam took the microphone, took a deep breath, and said slowly:
"Maybe no one believed we could stand here except ourselves... When I found Stephen, he had been rejected by many prestigious schools. Many head coaches didn't think he could play in the NCAA. But he personally defeated Virginia Tech, which had rejected him, and led us to turn the tables on North Carolina. Just now, he made that crucial three-pointer. Now, he's the most dazzling superstar in the NCAA."
"When I met Jimmy in a Houston bar, he was just a two-star high school student. No school wanted him. He was even planning to go to a junior college and play as a substitute... But now, he's the player I trust the most and the defensive backbone of the Bulldogs."
"As for me... When I took over as head coach of the Bulldogs, people thought I was a joke, convinced I'd leave in disgrace after a bad season. Although it doesn't seem likely now, for two straight years, I didn't win any awards except the Horizon League's Coach of the Year. Maybe there are just too many famous coaches in the NCAA..."
Laughter erupted from the crowd, while the chairman of the NCAA committee watching the ceremony blushed, smiling awkwardly.
The traditionalists had certainly overlooked Liam's achievements.
When the laughter faded, Liam's voice grew louder:
"Yes, we were a group of underdogs, but tonight, we are champions! In this league, Duke is a legend, North Carolina is a legend, UCLA is a legend, but from today on, Butler is also a legend!"
With that, Liam raised the trophy high, and dark blue confetti burst out from the sides of the podium, raining down on everyone.
Cheers filled the Alamodome, a bit empty by then, but Bulldog fans were enjoying a joy they had never dreamed of experiencing.
In a sports group chat, Liam's friend Diego wrote:
"This is a real comeback. Things can change quickly. Never look down on the young!"
"Nonsense, it's only been two years. This is karma. The Americans were too dismissive. Coach Liam led the Bulldogs brilliantly, and yet, no major awards," another added.
Diego continued: "Don't worry, the NCAA is nothing. I think the NBA is where Coach Liam belongs. No one will stop him from winning there!"
End of this chapter
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