NSCAA 16 - Roleplays

[NSCAA Basketball]

NSCAA 16 - Ultra 64
CHAMPIONSHIP

Who will be the Champion? Cutoff!

Result

[Banija]

"No doubt about it" - High-flying Aksum State win the Ultra 64 in Herzegovina City as championship celebrations take over Lazkiban

HERZEGOVINA CITY, MORAVICA- No doubt about it. Aksum State grads all over the country, and those across the world, wake up with pure joy, in pure ecstasy- as their school grabbed win #40 and were crowned champions of the NSCAA, with their 11 point Ultra 64 Championship game victory over Valanora. It is, of course, the school's first international championship, and they are the first Banijan school that is not located in Banija's largest, and richest, state of Moravica to win an international sporting title. It is indeed a historic achievement, and one that fans will understand that they left no doubt about the fact that they deserved this.

It was a hell of a run all season long. They both started and ended in the season with 14 game winning streaks, which sandwiched a 12 game winning streak. The first one- starting 14-0, being the second last team in the entire NSCAA to receive their first loss, which was a 4 point loss, on the road, to Cavsar U. Then, they put together 12 wins in a row, before falling in Quebec to South Caddonia. And then, that was their final loss of the season- they won 14 more in a row(5 regular season, 3 conference tourney, 6 Ultra 64) to win the NSCAA championship.

And with such an impressive season, at 40-2, they picked up all the accolades along the way. The outright regular season champions of the Calania Conference. The undisputed champions of the Calania Conference tournament, despite truly having to slog through it- a game winner in the semifinal, in addition to having to survive a double overtime battle against Cavsar to win the conference tournament. And then, being the calm amongst the storm amid a particularly chaotic Ultra 64- 1 seeds everywhere dropping left and right, but Aksum State continued to battle through, making winning plays in close games- and burying opponents when the opportunity came.

"it was a majestic season for this team." Said the team's HC after the game. "We are NSCAA champions, and it is an earned title that we fully deserve- and let me tell you, they ain't sleepin' in Lazkiban tonight."

We've got all the coverage. Let's start with the game itself.

Final 3:10 for Aksum State- it's winning time

Now, Aksum State led this game, technically, from wire to wire. Jumping out to a 6-0 lead, they had an excellent first half, and they were, for most of the game, looking like they might win this one easily. It was a 12 point lead for the Stars at half, leading 35-23, as their defense had just shown repeated bouts of dominance. Even in the second half, Aksum State had led by as many as 17. They looked as if they would cruise to their first championship.

But, of course, these teams from Valanora- never say die. ESPECIALLY true with Rinaldi Naval Academy.

They've got that grit. Never say die attitude. They just needed some adjustment, any adjustment, to get back into this game. Look towards your experienced players on the bench for a spark. Why not Live Martinsen, who's the senior SG who is the team's 6th man? He gets the green light- and starts hitting shots. Whittles down the lead to 10. And then, eventually to 7- no big runs, but they are better at trading buckets. And then, with just over 3 minutes left in the game, Martinsen drove to the rim and hit an and-1. The 5th foul on Aksum State's starting SG, Finn Bature- so he was fouled out. The free throw was successful, making it a 4 point game. And as they crossed halfcourt, the Stars had to call a timeout, to try and stymie the opponent's momentum.

"The pressure was getting to them." The coach told us in the postgame. "We need to call one, a momentum stopper there."

"Coach was simple- it was winning time." Kohath Adongo, the team's backup SG, told reporters. "These would be 3 minutes that we'd remember for the rest of our lives- we had to leave it all on the floor." He, of course, would be picking up those minutes that Bature would not be playing.

And that's when it happened- maybe the greatest play in the history of Aksum State basketball. The Stars inbounded the ball, and seemed to be looking to run out the clock. Up 57-53, they were looking to get a good, solid offensive possesion. They knew that they had a size advantage- so they try'd to put it into the post to their best player, Galabba Danjuma. But the Rinaldi Naval Academy was ready. The passed was picked off, and suddenly, they were flying on the transition. Mathilde Tufte looked set to have an easy transition layup to make it a tie ballgame- but BOOM, out of nowhere, comes flying Danjuma for the chasedown block.

"No idea how Galabba got there."
"Danjuma man... What a hustle play."
"YOu talk about never giving up on a play."

A few quotes from ASU players describing the chasedown block. Out of nowhere- and from nowhere, comes chaos. And from chaos, comes glory. The ball stayed in bounds- and Felix Mansa grabbed the rebound. He flew back down the court in the other direction, and spinning past a scrambling defender, threw an alley-oop to Kohath Adongo. Boom, 4 point swing, 6 point game. 59-53. ASU's fans, who seconds ago seemed to be ready to throw up, were suddenly on their feet- something, anything. And on defense, they forced a bad shot from Rinaldi Naval. They got the board, got set on the other end, and let the halfcourt offense work. The true freshman point guard, Kamil Umar, full of confidence, took matters into his own hands- running down the shot clock, and then drilling a fadeaway from the mid-range. 61-53, under 2 minutes to go.

Another great possesion on D, and then, the Stars would look to bury their opponents. They did so- a top of the key 3 pointer, from Felix Mansa, made it 64-53, putting the game fully out of reach. The final score ended up being 67-56, and Aksum State were crowned champions.

The celebrations- insane

Of course, as the final seconds ticked, the celebrations were ecstastic on the court. Hugs, tears, etc... Just general chaos everywhere. The fans were singing, and cheering, and crying, feeling basically every sort of emotion you possibly could. Famous alumni, like GFLB QB Dexter Jacobson, were on hand, in the middle of the celebrations.

On campus, they were even crazier. Naturally, students who were at the watch party poured onto the court at their home stadium, while those in their dorms poured onto center campus. Fireworks were being let off, and students were going crazy- climbing poles, bars were open all night long(on a Monday!), and classes were cancelled on Tuesday. Lazkiban, in general, was fired up- students and non-students alike, ASU dominates life in this small college town, and so it was a general party.

The team didn't bus back to campus that night- they stayed in Herzegovina City, bussing back in the morning. While you can't exactly take college kids out drinking, ASU boosters were ready to treat the champions properly. The players themselves were taken to a concert venue, with their family and friends(loose definitions), and given basically a private concert by an up and coming Banijan rock band, Orange Seven. They went to their hotel eventually, and then bussed back to Lazkiban. When the bus got to campus, there was a horde of fans waiting for them- ASU administrators estimated 4,000 fans were ready for their 3 PM arrival back on campus, with the trophy in hand.

And then, naturally, Friday parade. Double decker bus, everybody turned out, another day off of school, etc... The academic calendar for ASU must be all out of wack, with three impromptu days off given in the same week, but nobody's complaining over there.

Furthermore, while celebrations happened in Lazkiban, it wasn't just there- this is the second largest university in Aksum, remember. U of A is probably slightly more popular than ASU, but that doesn't mean ASU lacks fans. While the regional capitol is the home of U of A, Aksum's largest city, Mynda, is pretty split between ASU and U of A(with high numbers of NMU fans). ASU bars in and around Mynda were hopping, and ASU alumni association watch parties were in full force across the country. From Aissa, to Busukuma, to Istria, and wherever else, ASU fans were going hard. Fireworks in Busukuma even.

And remember the coach's iconic quote from the parade. "I'm sick of hearing about these Moravican schools. Know this- Loyola won a title in the past, and Moravica used to have the title of Banija's most dominant hoops program. But from today onwards- the pre-eminent basketball power in Banija- no, in the multiverse- resides in Lazkiban. And we are, proudly, the Stars of Aksum State University."

What this means for the future

The immediate consequences, of course, is that Aksum State will be the reigning champions of the NSCAA. That's an immediate, material consequence of what happened here. You win a championship- it makes it easier to win others. That also means Banija has 3 different schools with titles, tying Cassadaigua for the most. No school, of course, has won multiple NSCAA titles in the history of this competition, although the University of Moravica leads the competition with 3 Ultra 64 championship game appearances.

We also should talk about what this means for who enters the competition. Banija runs a unique system of qualifiers over the 2 year cycle, while other nations have the same fixed 8 nations. But with three champions now, there will be pressure to ensure that the former champions are always guaranteed spots in the NSCAA.

Rumor has it that the BCSG is considering reform its qualification system- having four permanent spots in the NSCAA, as well as four qualification spots. The four permanent spots, would be who you would expect. The three former champions, who are Loyola-Istria, Aksum State, and the University of Moravica. And then, add in Northern Moravica. The other four would be via qualifiers- with the cavaet of any new champions would also grant themselves a permanent spot in NSCAA competition.

We'll see if they pass that. But if so, that will be the biggest reform since the BCSG started filling all 8 possible slots in this competition.

But that's the long-term future. Know in the here and now- the Aksum State Stars are on top of the world, and there's nothing anybody can do about it(until next season).