by James A. Bacon
Yes, hot war is raging in the Ukraine and culture wars are burning in the United States, but a few things are happening here in Virginia to make you feel good about the world: Longwood University making it into the NCAA tournament, Crozet resident Kenedi Anderson winning a platinum ticket in American Idol, and Liberty University football star Malik Willis giving the shirt off his back (actually out of his suitcase) to a homeless woman.
America’s new favorite underdog. Let’s start with America’s new Cinderella team in the NCAA — Longwood! Here’s how The Wall Street Journal (yes, the WSJ!) kicked off a story about the college’s improbable entry into the biggest tournament in college basketball after winning the Big South Tournament Championship:
A coach who assisted in perhaps the greatest college basketball upset of all time is now creating another underdog story. Specifically, a man who has overcome both cancer and the decision to become an attorney is now leading his unheralded team into next week’s NCAA tournament.
The Longwood Lancers had never had a winning record in conference play until Griff Aldrich arrived to coach four years ago. A graduate of Hampden-Sydney and the University of Virginia Law School, he took a six-figure salary with a Houston firm, then abandoned his conventional career to take a basketball coaching job for $32,000 a year. Read the WSJ article for the rest of the story. Go Lancers!
Born to be a star. Seventeen-year-old Kenedi Anderson blew away the judges in an preliminary round of American Idol. So impressed were they that they gave her a “platinum ticket” allowing her to skip the first round in Hollywood. “The one thing that I did have, always have, was music and so, I could do it on the go like when we were in the car I was singing with my family, with whoever!” she told WSET-News. I haven’t watched American Idol for years. Looks like I’ll have to make it a part of my evening schedule.
Was having lunch yesterday and saw one of the Combine guys helping out someone on some hard times…@malikwillis being great even when nobody is watching. How can you not be a fan of this guy? pic.twitter.com/BmFzUM66NU
— Ryan Lacey (@rlacey23) March 3, 2022
A true champ. Malik Willis was the starting quarterback for the Liberty University Flames this year as the team racked up an 8-to-3 record and a Big South championship. The Atlanta native is widely predicted to be the No. 1 quarterback draft pick in the NFL. A week ago, he was attending an annual NFL scouting event in Indianapolis when he encountered a homeless woman near the convention center. There weren’t any paparazzi around, but a Twitter user filmed the encounter.
“I walked past her on the way to the Nike suite and I chopped it up with them and I walked out with a suitcase and whatnot,” he later explained. “And I felt bad because I saw her son. It was a pregnant lady and she was homeless. And I was just like, ‘Shoot, I don’t have no money, but I can give you a couple of shirts.'”
So many Virginians to root for right now. What a blessing.
