5. The legend of Zion Williamson.
Zion Williamson. No player has captivated NCAA basketball quite like Zion in some time. From the marvelous dunks to the breathtaking athleticism that left even world-class announcers in shock, Zion Williamson took the collegiate basketball world by storm last year. From the very first tipoff to the season-ending loss against Michigan State, all eyes were on Zion. And luckily for the fans, he did not disappoint.
The legend of Zion began when he was in high school as his highlight reel dunks went viral in a series of YouTube videos. While he was the 3rd highest recruit in his class at Duke, he was the center of attention the minute he stepped foot on campus. In his first game against perennial power Kentucky, Zion scored 28 points with a few memorable dunks. In the following game against Army, he scored 27 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and also blocked 6 shots. He became only the 2nd player in Duke history to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a game. He posted other memorable games against Wake Forest and Syracuse where he dropped 30 and 35 points respectively. Every night on the floor, Zion would make some remarkable play which would end up on SportsCenter the next morning. While his legend was growing, analysts were predicting he would be the 1st pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
On February 20, 2019, Duke was set to host the University of North Carolina in what is one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports. On average, a ticket to that game would be around a couple hundred bucks. However, on this occasion the average ticket sold on StubHub prior to the game was $4,670. The cheapest ticket was listed at $2,927. The Super Bowl is widely regarded as the most prestigious championship in all of sports and is often one of the most expensive games to attend. However, the “Get In” price for Super Bowl 53, played 2 weeks prior, was $2,900. The reason for the outrageous prices? Two words: Zion Williamson. Fans from all over the nation were chomping at the bit to watch this athletic specimen. Even former President Barack Obama was in attendance. While there was plenty of buzz before the game, all the energy was zapped from the building within 36 seconds of tipoff. Zion was forced to leave the game after his foot ripped through his Nike shoe. Duke would go on to lose the game 88-72. Nike also felt the loss of Zion as their stock dropped by $1.1 billion the next day. The legend of Zion continued.
Zion was a pivotal part of Duke’s success and the team missed his presence while he was rehabbing the knee sprain he suffered in the UNC game. When Zion was on the court, the Blue Devils were 29-3 as opposed to 3-3 when he was hurt. He made his return to the team during the ACC tournament and promptly led the team to 3 straight wins and the conference championship, one of which was against UNC where he scored 31 points. The performance earned him ACC tournament MVP. Zion was such a wonder that when the NCAA tournament began, CBS devoted a camera called the “Zion Cam” specifically to follow him throughout the tournament. Although Duke entered the tournament with championship hopes, they were eliminated by Michigan State in the Elite 8. However, Zion continued to be a man among boys on the court as he averaged 27 points and 11.6 rebounds in the tournament.
I am not sure we will ever see a player take over college basketball quite like the way Zion did in 2018-2019. There were countless times during the season that I would watch a Zion highlight and think to myself “how is that humanly possible?” An athletic specimen never before seen in college basketball, the legend of Zion Williamson was certainly a memorable moment in 2019.
Grad School Sports™ 