TJ Power dug his face into his hands. As the final buzzer sounded in Sunday’sIvy League championship game, Power’s Penn teammates rushed the court to celebrate. Then they mobbed Power, the hero of the day, as confetti rained down.
The emotions of the moment, the culmination of a long journey, were hitting him.
Power’s legendary 44-point performance in an epic overtime thriller against Yale had sent Penn dancing into the NCAA Tournament as Ivy League champions. Few know what it took for him to reach that moment. One was Jamie Sullivan, his former coach at Worcester Academy. He tried calling Power about an hour after the game. He didn’t initially get through, but Power called him right back.
“(I) just (told him) how much I love him and how proud I am of him,” Sullivan said. “God is great, how much he deserves it, how much I love him and appreciate him and how much he deserves it. (He said) ‘I love you coach.’”
