YouTube Gold: 2017’s One Shining Moment

By 2017, UNC had paid something of a price for the immense academic fraud scandal: recruiting had been affected. We’re sure there was a lot of negative recruitment going on and Ol’ Roy Williams, who had complained about “the junk” of the NCAA investigation, had assembled a team of less-well regarded players than he normally had.

Turned out they played well together and it didn’t much matter. And since UNC had at least theoretically addressed the academic fraud the athletic department had so adroitly used, this title, unlike the ones in 2005 and 2009, was not tainted.

Theoretically.

So 2017’s One Shining Moment starts off with the Oregon Duck holding a high quality network video camera, then an Arizona band member dancing and then the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineer mascot somewhat overshadowing the Villanova Wildcat. Then we get a clean cut Gonzaga band and Notre Dame doing a Hoops Haka (a Haka is a Maori dance designed to intimidate opponents. It was introduced into sports by New Zealand. A Hoops Haka, as we call it, is different because typically one guy is inside a circle and the rest of the team dances around him).

Then we get another from Michigan State, some sideline dancing and a shot of a trumpet section.

After that we see a Cute Kid Shot (CKS) of a lil Xavier fan, a very excited drummer and another CKS. Then a huddle, a cheerleader shot, a Purdue Hoops Haka, followed by Michigan State. You have to get the Big Ten teams in early because they don’t stick around long. It may be the Duke band after that but we can’t be sure. The cheerleader after that though is definitely from Florida.

There are two jump balls as Luther Vandross starts to sing, then it’s on!

There’s a shot of a player we don’t recognize, followed by one of Amile Jefferson. Kent State’s Deon Edwin intercepts a UCLA pass and he’s running for his life. Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey gets the “shooting star” spot but a dismayed teammate thought he should have passed.

South Carolina’s Frank Martin hugs a player, possibly as the Gamecocks knock Florida out to reach the Final Four.

Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado share the “no one knows” spot with Miami’s Bruce Brown. Three lockeroom shots for “just how hard you worked” before we see a Michigan locker room with John Beilein spraying his team with a squirt bottle. That gives way to a four-panel celebration featuring the Wolverines, USC, Wisconsin and South Carolina. The workout stuff was done before but that was a new shot.

So was Baylor mussing up the hair of a delighted CBS announcer as Scott Drew leads the mussing.

Chris Collins leads Northwestern to its first-ever bid and win as dad Doug Collins looks on and then we get another celebrity shot as Wildcat fan Julia Louis-Dreyfuss cheers on her son, Charlie, who walked on at her alma mater.

Then Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, a member of the all-time All Interview team, hits a beautiful shot over Villanova’s Mikal Bridges.

Luke Kennard is in disbelief on the floor, appealing fruitlessly to the referee then South Carolina’s Rakym Felder gets a gleeful shot.

A distraught UCLA fan gets the “time is short” spot and then a young Northwestern fan gets an all-time fan shot for “the road is long.” His friends are probably still playing it on loop when he comes by.

There are three shots of sad players followed by a locker room speech by Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams. Bill Self’s kid Tyler drills a long shot which thrills his old man. Lonzo Ball gets a sweet basket for UCLA then Nevada’s Cameron Oliver hits one of his own and flexes. Iowa State’s Darrell Bowie mimes a phone call as Vandross sings “one shining moment.”

West Virginia’s Esa Ahmad gets a big dunk in a win over Notre Dame before De’Andre Fox picks off a lazy pass from UCLA’s Ball and takes it in for a dunk of his own.

In the last few versions of the video tradition, the announcers are getting a lot of air time incidentally, not that it matters. Just noting it.

A team comes off the bench to celebrate then FGCU’s Rayjon Tucker gets a minute of his own triumph.

Kansas Jayhawk Devonte Graham shares the “beating of your heart” spot with Michigan’s Mo Wagner.

Oregon’s Jordan Bell gets an impressive block at “the wind in your face” before a cheerleader shot, an agony shot, then Xavier teammates JP Makura and Trevon Blueitt enjoy a sideline moment. Cincinnati’s Kevin Johnson gets an extra heart shot before four dunks build up to Wisconsin’s Zak Showalter before Florida’s Chris Chiozza returns the favor.

Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins is on a breakaway next but the person sweeping the floor has to hustle to get out of the way and he skips the dunk, laying it in softly. Close call!

Kentucky’s Malik Monk hits a clutch shot over UNC before Luke Maye steps into Tar Heel lore. We’ll say it again: why is Billy Cunningham’s #32 not retired?

Then it’s on to the Final Four montage, starting with a shot of Gonzaga fandom. Zag Nigel Williams-Goss flexes after a shot.

UNC’s Justin Jackson hits a wonderful runner then Kennedy Meeks follows a shot up before sending Oregon home. Joel Berry hits a rainbow then Meeks blocks Nigel-Goss in the lane then Jackson gets the celebratory dunk. UNC celebrates and the video ends with essentially the same shot as the previous year, with the trophy being held up in a storm of confetti.

Next up - Villanova’s third title.