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Week two of the 2014 Murray Scholar introductions takes us up to Missoula, Montana and the University of Montana. Their winner this year, representing the Grizzlies, is senior, Jesse Flickinger.
Flickinger is a senior at the University of Montana studying journalism and philosophy. He moved to Montana from Yakima, Washington when he was 5 and refuses to call anywhere but Columbia Falls, Montana home. Jesse is currently finishing up an internship at the Missoulian and getting ready to start his first year as sports editor at the Montana Kaimin, the University of Montana's student newspaper. Jesse has also served as an arts and culture and sports reporter for the Montana Kaimin his past couple of semesters, predominantly writing features and serving as a beat reporter for men's basketball and tennis. His work has been published by the Atlantic, Longreads, The Missoulian and the Montana Kaimin. He's hoping to catch a Felix day at Safeco before the Mariners' season ends and is still holding out hope they'll bring back the Sonics.
The Question: Write a column that tells the story of an event, incident or person who figures prominently in the sports history of your university. It could be a memorable game, or coach, or player, or even an artifact that has become an indelible part of the story of your college (or maybe town).
Here is the essay from University of Montana's Jesse Flickinger.
Anthony Johnson crossed over once, meeting a defender who'd shot up to stop his drive. He dribbled the ball between his legs to create more space, evaded a second defender, then charged inside the 3--point line. There, with one more dribble, he let go a long two--pointer.
He couldn't see it snap the net. But he felt it.
Behind a plexiglass box, in a dimly lit hall, the scene plays on repeat in Montana's Hall of Champions.
Former Montana basketball player Anthony Johnson's performance in the 2010 Big Sky Conference Championship lives there in a seven--minute clip of one of the most memorable basketball games in Montana history.
Johnson stunned the top--seeded Weber State Wildcats, scoring the Montana Grizzlies' last 21 points, including a game--winning jumper with 11 seconds left. The Griz won 66--65 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Coach Wayne Tinkle.
Johnson finished the game with 42 points, setting the current all--time point record for Montana. The win put Montana and Johnson on the basketball map.
That night, SportsCenter gave Johnson headline treatment, something foreign to any Montana basketball player.
Even more foreign was the red carpet he found himself on that following summer. He received an ESPY nomination for his exceptional play, the first time a Montana player of any sport had received that honor.
Johnson seemed to be on a magic ride to the top and he was taking the Montana basketball name with him. He pulled the sleepy team from slump to celebration. But even as he was changing the way the sporting world views the University of Montana, Anthony Johnson was losing his own ability to see.
In those final magical moments on the court for UM, Johnson wasn't just fighting the Wildcats. He was fighting his own body. He could hardly see the rim. He was playing each game in his own dimly lit interior.
Few knew at the time, but Johnson could only see out of one eye when he put on the greatest basketball performance in Montana history.
Johnson had suffered a blow to his left eye playing basketball when he was 11. He underwent three surgeries through his teenage years to fix cataracts that had formed from the injury.
Johnson also dealt with uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. The disease made his vision problems worse as he got older.
So Johnson played on feel.
If he knew where he was on the court, he could judge his shot. What vision he had left helped with passing and defense. He couldn't always tell if his shot went in, but the crowd helped.
During college, Johnson's talents masked the affliction.
He came to Montana from Yakima Valley Community College and led the Grizzlies in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, during his two--year tenure at UM.
But when he left Montana, his body caught up to his success.
Johnson failed playing overseas in Greece and Cyprus. Back in the U.S., he struck out twice again in two opportunities with the NBA Developmental League.
By 2011, Johnson couldn't see more than a foot in front of him in either eye. He was essentially blind.
The player who had willed the Griz to the NCAA Tournament couldn't even perform basic life functions. He couldn't cook. He couldn't drive. He could hardly walk around his own home.
Most of all, he couldn't adapt to the darkness. It'd crept from his eyes into his thoughts. Depression threatened to consume him.
The only thing that kept Johnson together was his wife, former Lady Griz Shaunte Nance-- Johnson.
Just after high school, Anthony saw enough in Shaunte to follow her to Yakima when she was offered a chance to play. Shaunte saw enough in Anthony to follow him to Montana when he was offered the same.
That dedication to one another kept Anthony together when he couldn't see. Shaunte supported him emotionally and financially, working up to nine jobs at one point.
After almost two years of being stuck in the dark, things began to turn around for Johnson.
In January 2013, another round of surgery and a large dose of medical steroids repaired his eyes and reduced the swelling. Johnson could see again.
He planned to hit the court again, to grasp the magic once more. Maybe he could play overseas again. Maybe he could get one more shot at the pros.
He tested his chances, entering in current NBA player Jamal Crawford's summer league tournament in Seattle.
He played well, but after two years away, it didn't feel the same. He just didn't love playing anymore. Though he'd won the fight for his vision, he had lost the drive to dominate the game.
Johnson is now working to get certified to sell insurance and to obtain his business license. He wants to own a video production or software development company.
The 2010 championship game serves as a final remainder of his excellence, an enigmatic and brief brilliance of a career, cut short by his own body.
For Montana basketball fans, it doesn't take much to invoke the game.
Four years after they left Missoula, the message boards of EGriz, Montana's biggest fan site, still buzz with topics on Anthony and Shaunte.
Fans are still curious about his life. Johnson left an impression in maroon that runs deep through the teams UM fields today.
His magical performance on that March night sparked a run of unparalleled success for Montana basketball.
They've reached the NCAA Tournament three of the last five seasons, a mark that's unlikely to be seen again in the school's history. Their appearance under Johnson was also the most competitive of UM's three recent appearances.
But season after season, fans who come looking for the magic of Montana can see the moment it all started - over, and over again - in the plexiglass box, in a dimly lit hall, that holds the memory of Anthony Johnson's brightest moment on the court.
Week two of the 2014 Murray Scholar introductions takes us up to Missoula, Montana and the University of Montana. Their winner this year, representing the Grizzlies, is senior, Jesse Flickinger.
Flickinger is a senior at the University of Montana studying journalism and philosophy. He moved to Montana from Yakima, Washington when he was 5 and refuses to call anywhere but Columbia Falls, Montana home. Jesse is currently finishing up an internship at the Missoulian and getting ready to start his first year as sports editor at the Montana Kaimin, the University of Montana's student newspaper. Jesse has also served as an arts and culture and sports reporter for the Montana Kaimin his past couple of semesters, predominantly writing features and serving as a beat reporter for men's basketball and tennis. His work has been published by the Atlantic, Longreads, The Missoulian and the Montana Kaimin. He's hoping to catch a Felix day at Safeco before the Mariners' season ends and is still holding out hope they'll bring back the Sonics.
The Question: Write a column that tells the story of an event, incident or person who figures prominently in the sports history of your university. It could be a memorable game, or coach, or player, or even an artifact that has become an indelible part of the story of your college (or maybe town).
Here is the essay from University of Montana's Jesse Flickinger.
Anthony Johnson crossed over once, meeting a defender who'd shot up to stop his drive. He dribbled the ball between his legs to create more space, evaded a second defender, then charged inside the 3--point line. There, with one more dribble, he let go a long two--pointer.
He couldn't see it snap the net. But he felt it.
Behind a plexiglass box, in a dimly lit hall, the scene plays on repeat in Montana's Hall of Champions.
Former Montana basketball player Anthony Johnson's performance in the 2010 Big Sky Conference Championship lives there in a seven--minute clip of one of the most memorable basketball games in Montana history.
Johnson stunned the top--seeded Weber State Wildcats, scoring the Montana Grizzlies' last 21 points, including a game--winning jumper with 11 seconds left. The Griz won 66--65 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Coach Wayne Tinkle.
Johnson finished the game with 42 points, setting the current all--time point record for Montana. The win put Montana and Johnson on the basketball map.
That night, SportsCenter gave Johnson headline treatment, something foreign to any Montana basketball player.
Even more foreign was the red carpet he found himself on that following summer. He received an ESPY nomination for his exceptional play, the first time a Montana player of any sport had received that honor.
Johnson seemed to be on a magic ride to the top and he was taking the Montana basketball name with him. He pulled the sleepy team from slump to celebration. But even as he was changing the way the sporting world views the University of Montana, Anthony Johnson was losing his own ability to see.
In those final magical moments on the court for UM, Johnson wasn't just fighting the Wildcats. He was fighting his own body. He could hardly see the rim. He was playing each game in his own dimly lit interior.
Few knew at the time, but Johnson could only see out of one eye when he put on the greatest basketball performance in Montana history.
Johnson had suffered a blow to his left eye playing basketball when he was 11. He underwent three surgeries through his teenage years to fix cataracts that had formed from the injury.
Johnson also dealt with uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. The disease made his vision problems worse as he got older.
So Johnson played on feel.
If he knew where he was on the court, he could judge his shot. What vision he had left helped with passing and defense. He couldn't always tell if his shot went in, but the crowd helped.
During college, Johnson's talents masked the affliction.
He came to Montana from Yakima Valley Community College and led the Grizzlies in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, during his two--year tenure at UM.
But when he left Montana, his body caught up to his success.
Johnson failed playing overseas in Greece and Cyprus. Back in the U.S., he struck out twice again in two opportunities with the NBA Developmental League.
By 2011, Johnson couldn't see more than a foot in front of him in either eye. He was essentially blind.
The player who had willed the Griz to the NCAA Tournament couldn't even perform basic life functions. He couldn't cook. He couldn't drive. He could hardly walk around his own home.
Most of all, he couldn't adapt to the darkness. It'd crept from his eyes into his thoughts. Depression threatened to consume him.
The only thing that kept Johnson together was his wife, former Lady Griz Shaunte Nance-- Johnson.
Just after high school, Anthony saw enough in Shaunte to follow her to Yakima when she was offered a chance to play. Shaunte saw enough in Anthony to follow him to Montana when he was offered the same.
That dedication to one another kept Anthony together when he couldn't see. Shaunte supported him emotionally and financially, working up to nine jobs at one point.
After almost two years of being stuck in the dark, things began to turn around for Johnson.
In January 2013, another round of surgery and a large dose of medical steroids repaired his eyes and reduced the swelling. Johnson could see again.
He planned to hit the court again, to grasp the magic once more. Maybe he could play overseas again. Maybe he could get one more shot at the pros.
He tested his chances, entering in current NBA player Jamal Crawford's summer league tournament in Seattle.
He played well, but after two years away, it didn't feel the same. He just didn't love playing anymore. Though he'd won the fight for his vision, he had lost the drive to dominate the game.
Johnson is now working to get certified to sell insurance and to obtain his business license. He wants to own a video production or software development company.
The 2010 championship game serves as a final remainder of his excellence, an enigmatic and brief brilliance of a career, cut short by his own body.
For Montana basketball fans, it doesn't take much to invoke the game.
Four years after they left Missoula, the message boards of EGriz, Montana's biggest fan site, still buzz with topics on Anthony and Shaunte.
Fans are still curious about his life. Johnson left an impression in maroon that runs deep through the teams UM fields today.
His magical performance on that March night sparked a run of unparalleled success for Montana basketball.
They've reached the NCAA Tournament three of the last five seasons, a mark that's unlikely to be seen again in the school's history. Their appearance under Johnson was also the most competitive of UM's three recent appearances.
But season after season, fans who come looking for the magic of Montana can see the moment it all started - over, and over again - in the plexiglass box, in a dimly lit hall, that holds the memory of Anthony Johnson's brightest moment on the court.
