Twas the night before Cliffmas, when all through the Krush Not one soul dared to hope it, not even a hush. Their striped socks were hung by their orange shirts with care, In hopes that a Humble Kid soon would be there. The Orange Men, suited up, laid down in their beds, While visions of championships danced in their heads. And Goku in his fro, and I in my paint, Had resigned to the fact that alls left was to wait. When suddenly on Green Street there arose such a clatter, We sprang from our beds to see what was the matter. Onto the buses we traveled in hordes, Gazed out through the windows, hands oer the cords. As the bus drew closer, those on it got quieter- Green Street was different, was louder, was brighter! And what to our wandering eyes should appear, But the ESPN crew- what were they doing here? Then we saw the large figure, and our bodies went stiff: We knew right away that it had to be Cliff. More rapid than STORM IT! his teammates they came, And he smiled, and nodded, and called them by name! Now Morgan! now, Colbert! now, Hill, Tate, and Cosby! Come Abrams! come, Egwu! come Bertrand and Ekey! To the top of the rankings! To the top of the polls! To show the college ball nation how Illinois rolls! As happy as campus upon Unofficial- As eager as Ted Valentine with his whistle- So, too, did we joyously march to Hall, With thoughts that this might be our time after all! And then- the sounds of someone coming toward, And the shadow of a 6-foot-9 power forward! As we drew in our breaths and turned with a spin, Through the doors Cliff came, determined to win. He was dressed in all orange, from his head to his shoes, With the only exception of braces in blues. A lone basketball he held in his hands, And he took to the court for to dazzle his fans. In the paint- how he drove! at the boards- how he crashed! On the breakaway play- how he turned, how he dashed! His poise and his eyes spoke of determination To bring back banners to the Illinois nation. With him, Abrams stood taller, Colbert drove in harder, Ray Rice alley-oopd, LaTulip was starter! His teammates played stronger, played smarter, played better, As if Cliff was the last piece to bring them together. The Krush was ecstatic, electric, alive- Wed been waiting for this team since 2005! As our new team passed, shot, and ran down the floor, The dream became tangible: the Final Four. Groce spoke not a word, just nodded approval, As he watched his legacy cement at this school. Then the buzzer went off, and I discovered, sighing, That it wasnt a buzzer, but my own alarm crying. It had all been a dream, I had let my mind wander; The truth was Id still have to wait one day longer. But I swore someone yelled- someone far out of sight- Happy Cliffmas to all, and to all a good-night!
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 06:15:35 +0000
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