The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • C6

C6 SUNDAY APRIL I 2007 'ONE SHINING MOMENT' NCAA TOURNAMENTS THE NEWS TRIBUNE One stinging rebuke inspired hoops 'anthem' Barrett was determined to overcome the snub with a song. He left the bar with the beginnings of a David Barrett composed the song that became an NCAA tournament hallmark after a pretty waitress spumed him. News Tribune news services The short video montage CBS uses to recap the agony and the ecstasy of March Madness is an NCAA tournament hallmark. Millions of college basketball fans are familiar with its musical accompaniment, but few are aware that the song originated as an effort to impress a pretty waitress. The composer, David Barrett, was once a struggling folksinger.

Having finished a show in late March 1986 at the Varsity Inn in East Lansing, he was watching a Boston Celtics game on ESPN at the bar when a woman he found attractive sat beside him after her shift "She was the most beautiful waitress on the planet," Barrett said. "The kind of woman who is so good-looking that you dont even bother talking to her." But the soft-spoken Barrett, then 3 1, tried to break the ice with an exposition on the poetic majesty of Larry Bird. "I looked up at the TV to watch a fastbreak and when I turned back around, she had left without saying a word," he said. Nantz said. In 1986, Barrett received an assist from his high school friend Arm en Keteyian, then a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, who passed a demo tape to the TV networks.

CBS acquired "One Shining Moment" to accompany the highlights after Super Bowl XXI in January 1987, but the postgame interviews ran long and the package was never broadcast. "David was crestfallen," Doug Towey, the creative director of CBS Sports, said. "But a few months later I got back in touch and told him we wanted to use it for the Final Four." "One Shining Moment," with vocals by Barrett, made its Final Four debut on March 30, 1987, after Keith Smart hit a jumper in the final seconds to give Indiana a 74-73 victory against Syracuse. "I was sitting in a bar thinking, 'Wow, what a like everybody else," said Barrett, now married with two children and living in Ann Arbor, Mich, Barrett had also composed a piano-and-strings piece, "Golden Street," which was also unveiled that night A prelude to the montage, it is played as the national champions cut down the nets. Barrett, who owns the rights to the songs, said he receives a generous "synchronization fee" from CBS each year and has a separate arrangement with the NCAA for their use during the tournament Despite regime changes at CBS and the introduction of vocals by Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross, "One Shining Moment" is a mainstay.

(The Vandross version his last recording before he died in 2005 will be played Monday night) A few years ago, Barrett said, he had an accidental reunion with the East Lansing waitress after he played a show there. Barrett reintroduced himself and thanked her for the song. "I owe you one," he told her, wisely deciding to say no more. Into Mm 0 melody and a working title, "One Shining Moment." The next morning, Barrett said, he wrote lyrics for the 3-min-ute, 45 -second tune in 20 minutes on a Bmtt paper napkin. Monday night, that song will be the musical endnote to the NCAA men's tournament for the 20th consecutive year.

"One Shining Moment" has become "the anthem of college basketball," CBS announcer Jim M. teammates take over," Oden said. The Buckeyes will face defending champion Florida for the championship Monday night in a title rematch of sorts. This one comes on the hardwood, not the grass. The Gators upset the Buckeyes in the Bowl Championship Series title game in January.

Conley finished with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds for Ohio State (35-3). Oden added 13 points all in the second half -and eight rebounds in 20 minutes. "When he goes down with two fouls, our guys did a tremendous job stepping up," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "Michael was tremendous." Hibbert was tremendous, too. He scored 19 points, had six rebounds and blocked one shot in 24 minutes for the Hoyas, and he more than held his own against the younger, more celebrated Oden.

Problem was, he spent too much time as a spectator. So did the rest of the Hoyas. The 7-foot-2 Hibbert gave Georgetown a decided size advantage, especially when Oden was on the bench. And the Hoyas WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK Tar Heels in Vols' way again News Tribune news services CLEVELAND Two of the nation's most prolific players. Two No.

1 seeds. Two of the game's most respected coaches. Two of the top programs in the country. Tar Heels star guard Ivory Latta said the showdown tonight between North Carolina and Tennessee has the feeling that more is at stake than playing in the Final Four. "From what I've heard, people were like the Tennessee-North Carolina game is going to be the national championship game, but unfortunately we're playing just to get to the national championship Latta said.

The game signifies a lot more for the Vols, however. They have lost twice to North Carolina in the past year at the NCAA Cleveland Regional in 2006 and then in December. The most painful loss for Tennessee came in the NCAA tournament. Ail-American Candace Parker vividly remembers the Tar Heels cutting down the nets at Quicken Loans Arena and the solemn Volunteers locker room where many of the players sat crying. The painful memories surfaced again in Tennessee's 13-point loss earlier this season.

"The 10 days after that game we went into exams, and those were probably the toughest practices of my career at Tennessee," senior forward Sidney Spencer said. "I think we've grown up a lot since then. That was a great turning point for us in the season." Duke coach, Parii honored Duke coach Gail Goesten-kors was the driving force behind the Blue Devils' perfect regular season. Oklahoma sophomore Courtney Paris, too, showed consistent excellence. Their successes were honored Saturday, when they received The Associated Press' women's basketball coach and player of the year awards.

"It's a great honor and a tribute to this team, the players and what they gave to the program," Goestenkors said. 'They were able to accept and embrace new roles." Paris became the first sophomore to be voted player of the year, narrowly edging Tennessee's Parker and Duke's Lind-sey Harding. Paris received 18 votes, while Parker and Harding got 16 each in the voting by the 50-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Goestenkors, who has won nearly 400 games in her career at Duke, was a runaway winner for coach of the year with 20 votes. North Carolina State's Kay Yow a sentimental choice after returning from treatment for breast cancer -received six votes.

Wyoming winiWNrT Jodi Bolerjack and Justyna Podziemska scored 16 points apiece to lead Wyoming to a 72-56 victory against Wisconsin in the WNIT championship game in Laramie, Wyo. The Cowgirls (27-9) capped the most successful season in school history. No Wyoming team produced as many victories the previous record was set by the 1978-79 team, which finished 25-7. wm After playing only three minutes the first half, he played all but three in the second, and while the Buckeyes know how to play without him, his presence seemed to energize Ohio State. He scored on a hook shot, and David Lighty and Jamar Butler added layups.

After a timeout, Oden took a hard foul from Green as he went up for what would have been a thunderous dunk. "I was out for minutes," Oden said, "I wanted to get in there and just tear the rim out" Instead, he made one of two free throws for a 51-44 lead with 6:37 to play, and Ohio State was never in trouble again. "We felt that we were able to get the shots that we wanted. We just took some tough breaks," Wallace said. "But at times, yeah, we got a little careless with the ball.

It's kind of uncharacteristic of us." It was the 22nd straight victory for the Buckeyes, who will be playing for the national title Monday night for the fifth time in school history. They won the 1960 title, then lost the next two years. They also lost in the 1939 title game, the first year of the NCAA tournament Sprite things you wish you did differently, could have done differently, should have done differently," coach John Thompson III said. "That's the nature of this. "We fought and scrapped the whole time.

The ball didn't bounce our way. It happens." Hibbert left the game with his third foul just four minutes into the second half. When he returned 3to minutes later, he scored a quick five points. Jonathan Wallace then hit a 3 that tied the score at 44 with 9:44 left But Hibbert picked up his fourth foul 20 seconds later. "I had to make smarter decisions when I'm out there," Hibbert said.

"I've got to be an all-around better player when it comes to knowing when to foul, when not tofouL" As he was heading back to the bench, Oden was returning. Just like that, the momentum turned again. "It was real tough in the first half, sitting there because I wanted to contribute," Oden said. "My teammates did really good. They stepped up and didnt allow them to get any offensive rebounds.

In the second half, I just wanted to get in there and contribute." K-1L Georgetown Dajuan Summers dives between Greg Oden, left, and Buckeyes beat Hoyas, 67-60, CHARLIE NHKRGAUIhe Awaited Press Ivan Harris to pais the ball during Ohio Statet 67-60 national semifinal victory Saturday in Atlanta. for title berth despite 7-footer's foul trouble Ohio State advancei past Georgetown, even though Greg Oden sits out most of the first half in foul trouble BY NANCY ARMOUR The Associated Press ATLANTA -Not even three minutes into the game and the whistle blew. Greg Oden dropped his head and started a slow walk to the bench. Two quick fouls and he was done for the half. The turning point in the game, for sure.

But not in the way anyone expected. Take Oden away from Ohio State and the Buckeyes still play for the national championship. Take Roy Hibbert away from Georgetown and the Buckeyes still play for the national championship. That much-anticipated matchup between Oden and Hibbert fizzled because of foul trouble. Instead, it was Mike Conley and the rest of the Buckeyes who carried top-seeded Ohio State to its first national title game since 1962 with a 67-60 victory against Georgetown on Saturday night "I just sat back and watched my (30-7) had the edge in experience, although it was a slight one.

But Georgetown never could take control when Oden went out, even with Hibbert on the floor. When Hibbert was out, the Hoyas were simply lost. Jeff Green, the Big East player of the year who had been scoring a team-best 15.8 points in the NCAA tournament, had just nine points and took only five shots the entire game. He did have 12 rebounds, butit wasnt enough not when he went almost 17 minutes in the first half and 14 minutes in the second without a shot. "I wouldn't change anything," Green said.

"I didnt want to force anything. You've got to credit their defense. They had great weak-side defense. That made it tough on our teammates to try and throw the ball down to me." Dajuan Summers, who had averaged T7.5 points the previous two games, added a measly three. That, at least, was more than the Georgetown bench.

The reserves didnt contribute a single point The Hoyas had 14 turnovers -leading to 22 Ohio State points -and were outrebounded 37-30. "When you lose a game, you can sit here and find a million.