My alma mater, Illinois State University, beat Wichita State University in the Missouri Valley conference tournament. Yes that Wichita State the one who has now beaten the likes of the University of Kansas and Indiana in the Big Dance. For those of you outside the US, the most productivity draining event for American businesses is the NCAA Basketball tournament nicked named March Madness. Unlike World Cup madness, our March Madness is every year, not every 4 years.

ISU winning the current big game brought back a flood of memories. My Freshman year in college my school made it to the Final Four of the college division of the NCAA's Basketball tournament. We all listened on the radio (it was 1967 after all) as we won a double overtime thriller over San Diego State to make it to be one of the Final Four teams. All hopped up on adrenaline you can only get from your college, country or favorite pro team winning the big game. I had to go the Finals!

I called my Dad and some how (to this day no one knows how) convinced my conservative Dad to let me take the brand new family car to Evansville Indiana. We went. We were like real grown ups! The experience to follow your team to the biggest game in their history was fabulous. We didn't win but we were there cheering on our team, and that's what was important.

Great as this was this was, its not my biggest thrill in my school's athletic history.

A few years later the greatest athlete in ISU history, Doug Collins, was picked number one in the NBA draft. Amazing for a little school on the plains of Illinois. Doug was joy to watch every single game he played at Illinois State and the pros. Still this was not my greatest basketball thrill.

In between these two events was my greatest thrill about my school, to this day. In 1970 Illinois State University was the first school to ever hire an African-American head coach at a Division I school, Will Robinson. Not Duke or Michigan or UCLA. ISU. This accomplishment was so much more important than winning any game or any player's records. This single event shifted history and made it possible for all who followed Coach Robinson. That event is the biggest thrill of my ISU basketball memories and brings me pride to this day.

As always in invite your story of why you are proud of your school or any others comments.