YouTube Gold: 2008’s One Shining Moment

Featuring a brilliant Kansas comeback in the title game

By 2008, digital video had changed everything. Look at this version of One Shining Moment and then look back at one from the 1980’s. The quality of the video of the earlier videos has deteriorated rather significantly.

But the 2008 video is rock chalk solid (sorry). It looks pristine. Future archivists will be deeply grateful.

This one starts with a ball bouncing across the NCAA logo then the standard mascot/happy-to-be-there fans, cheerleaders, band shot, adorable kids and, naturally, player shots.

Typically the vocals start with either a tight shot of the hands at tip-off or occasionally a look at the jump ball from above.

After a sideline shot that feels almost panoramic, we get the traditional close up of hands competing to control the tip. And a shot or so later, we get the first glimpse of sophomore Stephen Curry as he begins his ascent to basketball immortality.

One guy tumbles on the way to the basket then another runs into the press row table in pursuit of a loose ball before Kansas Jayhawk Mario Chalmers saves a wayward ball on the opposite side of a court.

Western Kentucky’s Tyrone Brazelton and UNC’s Danny Green split the shooting star spot along with another guy we don’t recognize.

We have CKS (cute kid shots) so maybe we need a DOG (distinguished old gent) shot too.

Sophomore Matt Howard foreshadows Butler’s rise as he dives for a loose ball as Luther Vandross croons “no one knows.” By the way, Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry is on staff for Butler at this point.

Texas A&M’s Beau Muhlbach gets a cameo before a big dunk by (we think) Patrick Ewing Jr. and then Damion Jones, perhaps the only Nacogdochian in the tournament, thrills the folks back home with one of his own as Luther sings (now it) shows!

Then we get our first glimpse of Memphis, then coached by John Calipari. A downcast Kellen Sampson, currently an assistant to his dad Kelvin at Houston, gets most of “all on the line” before AJ Slaughter owns it by giving up his body for the “line.”

Then we see the West Virginia Mountaineer mascot before a shot of a Winthrop player pulling off a slick play.

Then Mountaineers Alex Ruff and Wellington Smith exchange pleasantries before UConn’s AJ Price is carried off the court by his teammates. They match a winking cheerleader with the “blinking of an eye” line and underscore with a game clock that’s down to 00.3 and then nothing. Drake’s Leonard Houston looks a bit dazed. Perhaps this is when the Bulldogs lost to Western Kentucky in overtime. That whole team is a great story, by the way. Senior Houston only had 193 points coming into the season and he was kind of typical. Not much was expected of Drake that season.

Then we see Purdue’s annual Moment of Despair followed by a dejected Michael Beasley, who is a close friend of Nolan Smith’s, leaving the floor after K-State lost to Wisconsin.

Brandon Rush gets a big dunk for Kansas as Willie Kemp gets excited about a Memphis victory. Too bad it got revoked later, along with the whole season, by the NCAA.

Shortly after that, Memphis gets a coveted Dancing Bench Shot (DBS) and Davidson’s Steve Rossitor gets a fist pump as Vandross sings “you knew”...then teammate Curry leaps to bounce off of Jason Richards at “you were alive.”

There’s a shot of his lovely mother, Sonja and then a game-winner by San Diego, followed by the team rushing on to the court. Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless gets the “beat of your heart” as Arizona’s program entered a difficult time with Lute Olson’s health declining. He would step away permanently in a few months.

Tyler Hansbrough gets the “wind in your face” with a big dunk.

Shortly after that we see Derrick Rose with his arms up for Memphis and BJ Raymond hit a clutch shot for Xavier before Steph Curry impresses Bill Raftery with a nifty layup. Brook Lopez hits a shot for Johnny Dawkins’ Stanford team then Ty Rogers nails a three for a Western Kentucky win over Drake.

Then Russell Westbrook gets a big dunk for the UCLA Bruins. A West Virginia player pulls his jersey over his head as reality sinks in and a Texas A&M player is consoled by a coach.

The UNC mascot is next and you can tell how much the video has improved because you can see the design of the eyes, which is really still amazing.

Rose holds up his Memphis uniform before teammate Joey Dorsey takes it in for a massive dunk. Jayhawk Darrell Arthur gets one too then we see various shots from the championship game as Kansas mounts a tremendous comeback featuring a now-legendary shot by Mario Chalmers to tie the game, which KU won in overtime.

Next up - UNC’s second championship during the academic fraud era.