YouTube Gold: 2002’s One Shining Moment

As the Terps find their moment in the sun at last...but it would be brief.

By 2002, the special effects infatuation CBS inflicted on the annual One Shining Moment had just about run its course. There were a lot in this video, but HDTV was just about to roll out and it was glorious enough to quit worrying about crap like this. As you will see, it did not age well.

That said, the jump ball clip is pretty cool in this version.

Alabama’s Mo Williams gets the “running for your life” spot then Maryland’s Juan Dixon gets the coveted “shooting star”shot. Then the special effects guys kind of mess up Ol’ Roy Williams with a stupid frame.

A Kansas kid - we think it’s Drew Gooden - tangles with a Holy Cross player for a rebound then the great Dixon shoots down court. Unfortunately, they stuck him in an awkwardly angled frame. These guys!

Julius Hodge rushes downcourt to the “now it shows” line and then it’s a cut to a Cal player for the traditional dancing-on-the-bench cameo.

A blue team, perhaps Creighton, erupts as a win, perhaps over Florida, goes final, then after a Kent State cheerleader display, Tayshaun Prince celebrates.

Again, the special effects, while well intended, take the focus from the players and makes it hard to see who is actually in the shot.

Soon enough, there is a trinity of Holy Cross cheerleaders and they let one go. The shame!

Oregon’s Matt Shorter gets his name digitally lifted off his warmup jacket after the Ducks lose to Texas (the road is “short” - get it? that’s so fetch, CBS!)

There’s a shot of Gonzaga’s Dan Dickau and Kyle Bankhead leaving the court together, perhaps after losing to Arizona in double OT.

There’s a brief shot of Jason Williams after Duke’s loss to Indiana, who of course had no idea his brilliant basketball career was nearly over. UCLA’s Billy Knight is happier and then two Aztecs get the “win or lose” line and isn’t it nice how the one guy looks after his buddy.

Someone goes sliding out of bounds chasing a ball then Creighton’s Terrell Taylor exults.

Indiana rushes the court. Mike Davis runs out as part of the celebration. It’s the last time Indiana got close to the Final Four.

Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen drives to the basket and then we get a bit of celebration from UConn’s Caron Butler.

Oklahomas’ Ebe Ere and Hollis Price do the mid-air chest bump at the “you knew you were alive” spot. Then Southern Illinois (Carbondale is really a beautiful place by the way) gets the “beat of your heart” shot followed by UConn’s Johnnie Selvie colliding with Maryland’s Tahj Holden.

There are some more of those idiotic frames that make it impossible to recognize the players before we get a shot of UNC-W’s Craig Callahan bolting downcourt as the Seahawks were working on an upset of USC.

An OU player runs down for an easy layup then the OU mascot celebrates with a 360 of his costume head. Then Aaron Miles takes a Jayhawk jumper as Nick Collison looks on.

There are a few dunks then a McNeese State player salutes the crowd. More goofy special effects follow and after that we see Indiana’s Jared Jeffries point to someone. A Chris Wilcox dunk for Maryland is paired with the Wilmington mascot which was appropriate because they would have a memorable meeting in 2003.

Williams and some Jayhawks bow to the crowd then we see what is now a rare thing: Indiana united in (successful) pursuit of excellence.

Then it’s on to the championship montage. Wilcox gets a big dunk, Dixon runs downcourt and then it’s Lonny Baxter high-fiving Steve Blake. Some more cheesy special effects and then a couple of shots of Dixon, with a JD fist pump to celebrate Maryland’s first, and so far only, national title and then launching the ball to the rafters as the clock runs out on Indiana.

It closes with Baxter and Dixon falling to the floor in disbelief.

Quite a run for the Terps.

In 2003, some big changes: we think that was the debut of HD, the special effects are mercifully over and there is a new singer by the name of Pendergrass.