Notes

Down by four, 1:16 on the clock. National Championship on the line. This was the moment any young basketball player dreamt of the minute they step foot on a waxed, wooden court. This was basketball, simple basketball, at it’s finest. Even if you could call yourself the best basketball player to ever commit to UK.. there was no saying this moment would cross your path again. Unless, of course, you were someone like Lebron James or Kobe Bryant, who could get these moments almost every season. Although, this wasn’t Lebron or Kobe, this was Troy Bolton. Son of Ollie Bolton, the best shooting guard to ever come out of the University of Kentucky. Now Troy, in his final year apart of Kentucky basketball, had his career moment in hand. One timeout left for the Wildcats, and a 39-0 season behind them. The Pursuit of Perfection for UK was coming to be.. perfect.
*****
Troy was born for this moment, a championship game against their rivals, Duke University. Ball in his hands with 54 seconds left on the clock. Driving to the lane, he dishes a pass to his comrade, Chase McBain. Taking a shot, Chase hits the two-pointer with just :49 left in the game. 96-94, Duke. Ben Bell, Duke’s top prospect, dribbling the ball up the court. Troy guarding him with 42 seconds on the clock. Ben driving in, hitting a step-back teardrop, giving Duke the 4-point lead once again. Chase taking the ball up this time, calling for a pick-and-roll with their center, Nate Blackfield. Troy coming up to get the ball, taking a long jumper and.. swish! 98-96, Duke calling a timeout with 23 seconds left, just under the shot clock period. Troy looked into the stands as he walked over to his team and saw his father, smiling for his boy. That’s what lit his inner Mr. Clutch. Knowing this meant more for his father then himself, as Ollie Bolton ever did make it to the NBA. Coach Okafor called for an isolation play on both offense and defense, with Troy and Ben the main men in the moment. *tweet* Ref calling that the timeout is over, and Duke will start with the ball on their side. 15 seconds left. All Ben Bell had to do was dribble around and run down the clock.. but he didn’t. Ben, going on instinct, drove to the lane for a go-ahead layup, missing with just 12 seconds left. Nate Blackfield getting the rebound and throwing it to Troy, just as Coach Okafor used his last timeout of the game. Okafor reminding the team of the isolation play he wrote up for Troy and Ben, saying it was still in action. *tweet* Referee John Henderson calling that the last of the championship game has expired, and the game must resume with a period of 10 seconds left. Chase inbounding the ball to Troy, then quickly bursting to the other side to set up the Iso play. Troy slowly walking to the other side of the court, knowing that the clock was ticking away. Then, with 4 seconds left to tie or win the game, Troy Bolton lights up. Running straight for the right baseline, he turns and hits a three-pointer with