time -- West Virginia trailed last-place Providence by as many as 15
points. With regulation's seconds down to a few, the Mountaineers
still found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
That's when Bryant experienced one of those moments when it felt like
he was back home in Brooklyn dominating pickup games and earning the
nickname "Truck" for his ability to bull-rush his way to the basket
like a runaway 18-wheeler.
With West Virginia down by two in the closing seconds, Bryant took the
inbounds pass and did what he does best. He raced it up the floor with
his eyes on the rim at the other end. As Bryant accelerated, so did
his mind -- you're a senior who wants to get back to the NCAA
tournament, he told himself, so hit the shot.
Bryant then dropped in a layup to force overtime. With the score tied
at the end of the extra session and the Mountaineers again with the
ball, it was going to be either Bryant or fellow senior Kevin Jones,
who has the inside track on Big East player of the year, who would
take the last shot.
"It's me or Kev," Bryant said. "If Kevin is feeling it, Coach (Bob
Huggins) will run a play for him. I was feeling it, so Coach ran a
play for me."
points. With regulation's seconds down to a few, the Mountaineers
still found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
That's when Bryant experienced one of those moments when it felt like
he was back home in Brooklyn dominating pickup games and earning the
nickname "Truck" for his ability to bull-rush his way to the basket
like a runaway 18-wheeler.
With West Virginia down by two in the closing seconds, Bryant took the
inbounds pass and did what he does best. He raced it up the floor with
his eyes on the rim at the other end. As Bryant accelerated, so did
his mind -- you're a senior who wants to get back to the NCAA
tournament, he told himself, so hit the shot.
Bryant then dropped in a layup to force overtime. With the score tied
at the end of the extra session and the Mountaineers again with the
ball, it was going to be either Bryant or fellow senior Kevin Jones,
who has the inside track on Big East player of the year, who would
take the last shot.
"It's me or Kev," Bryant said. "If Kevin is feeling it, Coach (Bob
Huggins) will run a play for him. I was feeling it, so Coach ran a
play for me."
