For UCLA, a championship lesson came from losing
PHOENIX – It was all over except for the handshake, which can no longer be taken for granted after this spicy weekend. With 6. 9 seconds remaining, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley rose from her bench seat and started that long, humble walk.
Along the way, she patted an official on the back. When she reached UCLA coach Cori Close, she extended congratulations, and soon the two wrapped each other in an embrace. The customary unfolded without incident, simple and warm and genuine.
This wasn’t Geno Auriemma rebuffing Staley and abdicating sportsmanship. This was a healthy show of respect for winning and losing. You have to appreciate both to grasp the deeper meaning of a Final Four that, despite featuring four super programs, lacked aesthetics and competitiveness.
UCLA romped South Carolina, 79-51, on Sunday to capture its first NCAA women’s basketball title. To be so dominant all season, the Bruins hid in plain sight because few truly believed they could win the whole thing, not after a 34-point loss to Connecticut in last year’s national semifinal. Not with the elite of the elite still standing in their way.
One loss — and the extreme difficulty of breaking into the championship tier — had distorted the perception of them in a way that 37 wins in 38 games couldn’t rectify until the very end. But now that they’re on an elevated stage and drenched in confetti, look at what losing taught them. And look at what happens when you deal with it properly.
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