UNC 'by 10 points' Ruined by a Buzzer-Beater Shot

“Ten points on North Carolina,” he said, smiling during mid-afternoon, Monday, April 4, 2016.  

He stood beside a strengthen-your-back machine at the Gold’s Gym located seven minutes from my Southern Pines home. His large-wheeled walker (with 6-inch wheels) featuring a seat and a “ruby red finish” stood near the exercise machine. He moved his legs slowly, stiffly. His feet dragged. He appeared to be in his early 60s.

“What’d you say?” I asked, scooting off a nearby machine and moving three feet in order to stand beside the trim, graying African-American man who evidenced a serious physical handicap.  

“Ten points on North Carolina,” he repeated.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship basketball game was slated for that evening in Houston, Texas: the University of North Carolina vs. Villanova University.  

“I’m rooting for UNC, too,” I said. “They may win by more than ten points.”

“Yep,” the man said. “They might.”

“UNC has some really good big men,” I noted.

I’d met this man before but forgotten his name.

“I’m Steve,” I said, reaching for his right hand.

“I’m William,” he said.

I don’t know if he remembered me. I felt bad for not recalling his name. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” someone said. Many times I’ve vowed to remember a person’s name (either a moniker or a surname) and within an hour or two forgotten. I felt glad that William reached out to me with his comment about UNC. In the Gold’s Gym I frequent, people often pass within a few feet of each other and seem to pretend that the humans they’re near are invisible.

“They’re there [in Gold’s Gym] on business,” a friend told me. “They don’t have time to talk to strangers. They’re trying to maintain their spaces. That’s just the way it is.”  

“How about just a nod of a head or a meeting of eyes,” I’d thought, remembering that now-overused summation: “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”  

“I’ll be watching the game, tonight, while you are,” I told William.

“I think they’ll win,” he said.

“It’s good to see you in here,” I said, glancing at his walker.

“I have a spinal-disconnect injury,” he said. “I need to exercise. I feel better when I do, and then I can go home and sleep.”

“Great to see you,” I said.

“Yep,” he replied, as he moved on to another machine.

That night, as I watched the game via TV, I remembered William’s words: “Ten points on North Carolina.”

The Tar Heels led by five points (39-34) at halftime but shot poorly during the second half.

UNC came back from 10 points down with five-and-a-half minutes left and from six points down with 1:52 to play. UNC’s Marcus Paige bucketed an outstanding 3-point shot from long distance to tie the game at 74-74. With 4.7 seconds left, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono worked the ball upcourt and passed it off to teammate Kris Jenkins, who swished it from about two steps behind the 3-point line. Game over. The Villanova folk went wild.

I thought of William, probably sitting near his big-wheeled walker, watching the game end. I hoped he wasn’t too disappointed.

“Ten points on North Carolina,” he’d said, earlier that day.