John Groce knew the kid had talent.
He had the raw skills — shooting, ball handling, quickness — but his understanding of the game caught the attention of Ohio’s basketball coach. It took only a couple of quarters, but as Groce watched from the high-school bleachers of an Illinois gym, he saw something special in the smooth point guard from Seton Academy.
Lawrence Borha could do nothing but watch and wait. With his Utah Utes tied against TCU in the final seconds of the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals, Borha camped out in the corner and waited for a chance.
The Utes’ Luka Drca dribbled at the top of the key, letting the clock tick down to about 10 seconds, then started his drive to the hoop. As Drca made his move to the basket, everyone collapsed on the ball.
I have a background in sports media and marketing and I work on the digital team of the Baltimore Ravens. I’ve spent nearly a decade in the NFL, focused on building and expanding the team brand through digital and social media.
Done with the MAC, Ohio men now face Georgetown in NCAA first round
It started with a surprising overtime victory in Muncie, Ind. It ended with cutting down the nets in Cleveland.
In between, there was plenty of excitement, as the Ohio men’s basketball team carved its way through the Mid-American Conference Tournament and punched its ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2005. Ohio is slated to play Georgetown in the Midwest Bracket on Thursday. Ohio is a 14th seed while Georgetown, which lost the Big East final in a heartbreaker to West Virginia on Saturday, is a third seed.