From time to time, Virginia alumnus De'Andre Hunter wears a UMBC T-shirt.
You know, the same Maryland-Baltimore County that became the first No. 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed, knocking off Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018. A broken left wrist sidelined Hunter for March Madness that year.
But this shirt, created in part by former teammate Ty Jerome, has "Redeemed" stamped on the front of it because of what happened exactly one year ago _ with Hunter at full force in his sophomore season, the Cavaliers made a different kind of history, winning their first NCAA title after a thrilling tournament run.
"Just embracing it, honestly," Hunter said of the shirt, and of Virginia's turnaround.
It took months for that championship to really sink in for Hunter. He planned to attend the Final Four in Atlanta even if Virginia wasn't in the mix before the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus (the NBA suspended play March 11, clipping Hunter's rookie season with the Hawks short by 15 games). With a year's perspective, it still strikes Hunter how the Cavaliers overcame close game after close game, with two of their last four games decided in overtime, including their 85-77 win against Texas Tech in the final.
Hunter, who still keeps in touch with teammates Jerome, Kyle Guy, Kihei Clark and Mamadi Diakite, along with a few others and some team managers, scored a game-high 27 points in the championship and discussed some of the craziest moments of that tournament with the AJC.
