Virginia's early exit from last week's ACC women's basketball tournament signified more than just a humbling loss to end a disappointing season. It marked more than just the end of Virginia's streak of 20 straight NCAA tournament appearances. It meant that my chances of getting a date with Anna Prillaman went from slim to -- for all intents and purposes -- none.
Don't get me wrong -- I know there are plenty of other things about this game that merit further discussion with this space. I could very well spend my time discussing Brandi Teamer's pathetic performance (zero points, 0-7 from the field, 0-4 from the line and three turnovers). I could talk about how the 45 points the Cavaliers scored against North Carolina was the lowest total in over seven years. I could even go on about how every Virginia player to earn more than one minute of court time managed to turn the ball over at least once. As worthy as all of those topics are, I feel the need to address an issue much closer to my heart -- my desire to court everybody's favorite blond shooting guard.
My crush on Anna Prillaman developed not only because of her beautiful eyes, but also from seeing her play on the court. Her graceful shooting motion leaves me awestruck. Her hustle and determination on the floor earns my admiration and respect. Her constant positive attitude, even when times are toughest for her team, inspires me. And in her last game as a Cavalier, these attributes shone through as true as they ever have.
Looking at the stat line, it doesn't seem like the senior guard had a good game at all. She was 3-16 from the field, including 3-12 from behind the arc. In a game where the Cavaliers shot a measly 21.7 percent, their top outside threat certainly didn't do much to help their cause at all.
The numbers, however, do not tell the whole story. Early in the contest, when the Cavaliers couldn't buy a bucket, Prillaman's long-range accuracy kept Virginia in the game. Her pair of three-pointers amounted to half of Virginia's point total with seven minutes left in the first half and the score tied at 12 . Most of her misses came late in the second half, on difficult contested shots forced up when the game slipping out of Virginia's hands.
What the statistics also fail to reveal is Prillaman's toughness and resiliency. Early in the second half she hit the floor after a loose ball, was knocked around by a UNC player, and still managed to get the rock to teammate LaTonya Blue. As Prillaman grimaced from the pain of the struggle for the ball, she hobbled upcourt announcing to her teammates and coach, "I'm fine." Judging by her physical response to the incident, it didn't seem like Prillaman was fine at all. But, she managed to shake it off and continued at full strength. She wound up with 38 minutes of court time for the game.
That's what I love about Anna Prillaman: The girl gives it all she's got all the time -- and still manages to do it well and have fun doing it. This is the main reason why I want to go out with her. The fact that she's easy on the eyes doesn't hurt either.
Of course, my chances of this dream becoming a reality are very unlikely at this point. During the last two seasons I covered 20 some-odd women's basketball games for this newspaper, which gave me the perfect opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with Anna and impress her with my wit and charm. Unfortunately, I failed to take advantage of this chance each successive game, and now time has run out for me.
But I needed to find some way to let her know how I feel. And so, I took this opportunity to proverbially shout the message from the rooftop that is this publication. Her collegiate basketball career may have come to and end, but as far as I'm concerned, she'll always have a starting spot on the basketball team in my heart.
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