I hate goodbyes. So much so that I rarely actually finish writing them. And with our final home game coming with 3 4-year seniors, I needed to do something to commemorate all the tremendous memories Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell and David Joplin have given us since stepping foot on Marquette’s campus.
Without getting overly dramatic (yet), I waded down memory lane for my favorite moments from these 3 self-described Guardians to date.
Kam Jones takeover vs Vermont
It had been nearly a decade since Marquette had won an NCAA Tournament game, and coincidentally, nearly as long since I had seen them in person. So with a first-round matchup just a jump down the road, I had to see this tilt vs. Vermont live.
The Catamounts had just scored on 5 of the last 7 possessions, and cut a double digit lead down to 5 points. Tyler Kolek had come out for a bit and had a hand injury. You can feel a majority of the neutral (mostly Purdue and Michigan State) fans in Columbus start to believe and hop on the Vermont bandwagon. It had all the makings for a painful last 15 minutes.
And then Kam Jones entered the most magical Kam Time of his career. It wasn’t just that he scored 18 straight, which is insane enough, it’s that he single handedly calmed the insurrection and had the game nearly on ice with just over 10 to go.
Watching it in person we didn’t know exactly how many points in a row he had, only that it seemed like he could not be stopped and kept attacking and putting in work. This was my son’s first Marquette game and he loved high fiving all the random fans around him as Kam killed off any comeback. It was such a sense of relief to get that NCAA monkey off MU’s back.
Kam putting that performance together when MU needed it most is the stuff of legends.
Stevie steals and saves
Just one year later, again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Marquette was in real trouble down double digits to a 15-seed Western Kentucky team late in the first half. MU’s patented 2nd half changes had begun to chip away at the deficit, but down 5, Stevie chased that lead down and turned the tide himself.
No, this wasn’t as clearly dominant as Kam’s performance, but Stevie’s relentless effort felt like a turning point. He wasn’t going to quit or let anyone else do so.
He had a few gutsy offensive rebounds and more buckets as well, but this steal was the seal, in my mind, that Marquette was back.
Again, maybe I’m biased because I got to see this in person, but the dread was palpable around us, felt acutely by my then 8-year-old asking me why they were down. The game ended up being a blowout, so 1 random play doesn’t register. But digging through the Twitter archives, this is how I felt in real time.
Once again, on the biggest of stages, Stevie showed why he’s so vital to MU’s success.
He can fly?
The last 2 moments have come on the biggest of stages, and David Joplin did have himself a moment against Colorado last season in the round of 32. But when I think of him, this is the moment that will be forever etched in my mind.
It isn’t just the fact that it’s as clean a poster as you’ll find in the college game. Or that it came against the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
What makes this so astounding to me is that Shaka and Marquette had made a huge deal about Joplin not having dunked his first two seasons, and celebrating his first, earlier that season, like a game-winner. Here is a below the rim player who literally never dunks going over and through a 7-footer with vicious authority.
Joplin’s growth in his time at MU has been remarkable, and this one moment will forever symbolize that for me.
Killa Kam
He’s probably made more impressive or important shots, but this 3 against UConn in the Big East Tournament semis, and this call from Gus Johnson are just perfect.
I still get goosebumps watching this.
Of course this isn’t the end yet. Their careers have not ended yet and there is still potential for even more history-making moments. I will cherish every minute we have left and hope to come back and edit this post in a few weeks.
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