Michigan basketball team's 'One Shining Moment' is Stu Douglass dunk
If you just couldn’t wait up until 11:50 p.m. for the most iconic song in sports -- or perhaps Butler’s 12-for-64 shooting night lulled you to sleep -- rest assured the Michigan basketball team got its “One Shining Moment.”
Darius Morris’ behind-the-back pass to Stu Douglass for a fast-break dunk against Tennessee was highlighted in CBS Sports’ annual post-championship game highlight montage after Connecticut completed its 53-41 win over Butler on Monday night.
That play was the definitive moment in Michigan’s 75-45 NCAA tournament-opening win over the Volunteers in Charlotte, N.C. And it led to a little light-hearted ribbing of Douglass, known more for his outside shooting than his highlight-reel dunks.
“We knew he could dunk wide open but I wasn’t expecting that when I threw the pass,” Morris said after the game. “Thought he’d lay the ball up or something. It was a spectacular play.”
The Wolverines were shut out of the montage that followed the 2009 tournament, when Michigan beat Clemson in a first-round game before losing to Oklahoma.
“One Shining Moment” has more local ties than a couple seconds of Wolverines’ highlights, of course. It was written by Ann Arbor songwriter and musician David Barrett.
Roger LeLievre interviewed Barrett for an extensive story that appeared on AnnArbor.com before last year’s Final Four. In that story, Barrett agreed the song has taken on a life of its own.
“I write songs every day and I’ve written a bunch of stuff that has been on TV and in features, but no one ever wants to sit down and talk to me about it. They want to talk to me about this song,” he said. “Writing this song changed my life.”
A look at this year's version (Douglass' dunk at 1:39 mark):
Comments
semperveritas
Tue, Apr 5, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.
NEVER knock stu. he came to this program when we had little and nobody coming. he became team co-captain and played starter's minutes even before he started. he became a highly competent ball handler-----check out the turnover numbers. when darius had to sit because of fouls-----or whatever-----stu bailed us out. to even suggest that he lacks sufficient skills is wrong-headed. he probably won't be an NBA player-----he is not a great scorer or leaper (dunk notwithstanding). he IS a super team player-----he helped lead this team. he has another year to solidify his legacy and when he and zack leave, the basketball program should create a plaque for them in the new practice building. hopefully by then we'll understand the douglass/novak contributions in helping rebuild the program. stu deserves the 'one shining moment'------maybe next season he gets 'one shining moment' part II.
81wolverine
Tue, Apr 5, 2011 : 6:41 p.m.
That WAS Stu's one shining moment this year. What a play! I hope he comes back and has a really good senior year. He has struggled with his shot the last two year. But, I'm excited about next year's team.
Kim De
Tue, Apr 5, 2011 : 4:59 p.m.
On Stu Douglas, It seems to me that Mr. Douglas is a fine young man. From all appearances, he comports himself well. However, as a basketball player on the team this year, I see his play as consistently on the weak side. He does not handle the ball well, rarely penetrates the defense, didn't shoot well towards the end of the season and in my view, did not play very well. Again, this is not about him as a human being, but as a basketball player. I hope he improves his ball handling skills and will play more aggressively next year. Hopefully the ability of the young recruits will mean that Mr. Douglas doesn't handle the ball much. All the best to Mr. Douglas.