It's been nearly twenty-four years since a crew-cut freshman from British Columbia led the Bronco's to a stunning 64-61 upset over Arizona in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. Up until then, just the second time in NCAA history that a #15 seed beat a #2 seed!
Today, we know it was just the beginning of a stellar college and two-time MVP pro career.
Sources from The Bucking Bronco readers, have confirmed Steve Nash will be inducted into the Bronco Hall of Fame on May 13, 2017. Also honored, as teams, will be the NCAA tourney qualifiers of 1992-93 and 1995-96.
This is a don't miss event and a deserving honor for not just Steve, but his teammates and Coach Dick Davey. In 1992, Davey had just taken the reins from Carroll Williams, who left him with a good core roster to build upon. Enter Nash. Under Davey, the teams during Nash's career qualified for three NCAA tourneys, reaching the second round twice.
You my recall how Steve Nash came to SCU.
A former SCU assistant had seen Nash, but didn't feel he was a fit for their program. He called Dick Davey to suggest he take a look. Nash had sent VHS tapes to many colleges hoping to get interest. No takers. According to Coach Davey, "the SCU coaches saw the tapes and knew this guy can play!" Off to B.C. where they watched him live and were blown away. Coach Davey told me, "I knew when I saw him warm up before the game he was a great talent." Their major concern was if other schools knew. They kept looking around the gym to see if any other schools were there. Fortunately, none were.
The 1993 take-down of Arizona was a classic. Coach Davey said, "We had two weeks to prepare for what we knew would be a high seed, not knowing it would be Arizona. Practices were run with our 5 on offense against 6 defenders allowing for the extra speed and athleticism we would play against. Rebounding, limiting second chance points was vital."
SCU got off to a great start to lead by 11. Then, we stopped a furious Arizona second half comeback with Nash hitting 6 clutch free throws in the last 48 seconds. This was followed by freshman Kevin Dunne's offensive rebound with 4 seconds left to preserve the upset. That rebounding thing! Pete Eisenrich led the Broncos with 19 points followed by DeWayne Lewis with 13. Nash scored 10.
This was a "stacked" Arizona team; 24-4 on the year with a roster of five future pros, including Damon Stoudamire, Chris Mills, Khalid Reeves, Reggie Geary and Ed Stokes.
Click the link below for the last 2 minutes of that game. Awesome! Proud!
Fantastic memories that create a "pining" in all of us for the future. The timing of the honor, a rallying point for all Bronco fans. Hopefully, a harbinger for our future of returning to national relevance.
The "seeds" of our own national resurgence are being sown. As season ticket holders and fans we relish the day when we'll take down the next #2 seed!
So, let's have a "Bash for Nash." Show Steve and his teammates some Bronco love. They deserve it!
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