A look back at 1996 Final Four team
This comes from the Tennessean’s (Nashville) Joe Biddle:
”As we were going through it, here we were in Starkville, Miss., and the day we got back from the regional finals and practiced, the national media was all over the town. We had never seen that before,” [Richard] Williams said. ”We get to New York and here I am being interviewed by (CBS sportscaster) Jim Nantz at Radio City Music Hall on the same stage with Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim and John Calipari. I’m wondering what the heck I’m doing there.”
We were amazingly lucky to have that collection of athletes together at the same time - Wilson, the hustling, streaky shooter; Dampier, the man in the middle; Jones, the showman, pure scorer; Bullard, the tough guy running the point; and Walters, the linchpin, steady as rock. Next year will be the 10 year anniversary. Perhaps Monta Ellis will be that special player that can help State make a deep run in the NCAA’s. We can only hope.
[edit: Walters not Jay Walton]
