Don’t give up…don’t ever give up, was one of the many mantras that was seen at Madison Square Garden, who welcomed four of the top teams in the country all for one cause.
To help raise funds and awareness for the Jimmy V Foundation. Held annually the tournament, named after the legendary College Men’s Basketball Coach and former ESPN Commentator Jim Valvano helps to raise funds and awareness for cancer.
The Tournament started in 1995 and has been able to feature some of the top teams in the Country and the 2021 edition was no different.
In the first game of the evening Texas Tech was able to defeat No. 13 Tennessee by a final of 57-52, in what was a nail biter of a game. It was a game that featured a ton of huge blocks and some beautiful passing.
Leading the way in scoring for Texas Tech was Terrence Shannon Jr who had 18 points and 12 rebounds as well as Kevin Obanor who had 10 points and seven rebounds Tennessee, meanwhile, was led by John Fulkerson who had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The second game, saw one of the most electric crowds ever and had featured Syracuse vs No. 6 Villanova. It was a fast-paced game that saw a ton of lead changes, some intense play and some beautiful passing and scoring opportunities.
1495 Sports is proud to bring the following Press Conference from the Jimmy V Classic, that featured thoughts from Tennessee, Texas Tech, Villanova and Syracuse after the games that they had played at Madison Square Garden
Syracuse was led the way by Jimmy Boeheim who had 21 points, Joseph Girard III who had 11 points and Jesse Edwards who had 10 points. Villanova, meanwhile, had Justin Moore leading the way with 18 points and Collin Gillespie with 14 points, in addition to Jermaine Samuels who had 13 and Caleb Daniels who had 11.
One of the main focuses of the evening was the massage of Valvano, and now the fight of one Dick Vitale, who has been battling lymphoma. Madison Square Garden decided to honor the legendary ESPN Announcers with carboard cutouts for the fans as well as playing messages that were filmed by Vitale and shown to the fans so that they would be able to support his fight.
In addition to showing the messages from Vitale, they had showed the legendary speech given by Valvano on March 4, 1993. The message had showed how truly deep of a person Valvano is, how precious and valuable life is and how incredible the human fighting spirit is when it comes time for overcoming odds.
The Jimmy V Classic is one of the more inspirational events that Madison Square Garden holds, and hopefully when the event is announced for 2022 fans will be sure to mark their calendars and attend the evening as it is one that they will remember.
For more information on the Jimmy V Classic fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: