SACRAMENTO — Watching a high-level NCAA tournament game in person can be an overload to one’s senses. From the bands’ constant homages to their institution to the on-court commentary and the blur of uniforms that get more colorful every season (e.g., Oregon and Maryland), one can feel worn out from taking it all in.
The significance of those colorful sneakers worn at the NCAA tournament
Every player has a story at the NCAA tournament — and their shoes often do, too.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
However, one thing that always catches my eyes are the sneakers, especially ones that break rank from the traditional colorways of the universities. While shoe providers like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour go to great lengths to supply players with their finest products, there’s also an intention to provide uniformity with particular color schemes and signature models.
And then you have players that go rouge.
Take Jarvis Garrett, the backup point guard of the Rhode Island Rams.
The Rams, blessed with the awesome colors navy and Columbia blue, put a good-looking team on the court. Their uniforms tread the fine line of being traditional and modernly refined, and their Adidas connect provides a bevy of options. Garrett’s choice is about as opposite as can be, with a pair of pink Adidas D Lillard 3’s.
“I wear these to pay homage to my godmother, Barbara Burton-Malone,” says Garrett, as some Iowa State Cyclones fans might recognize the name, as she’s ISU’s senior guard Deonte Burton’s mother, who passed away in 2014. “She’s been a big influence in my life and he’s like my brother. Plus, they make me feel good on the court.”
Burton, wearer of the Nike Hyperdunk ’08s for the tournament, and Garrett are both natives of Milwaukee, and both share solidarity for a woman who meant so much to them growing up.
“I feel like she’s part of me when I’m playing,” Deonte Burton said to the Des Moines Register before their first matchup with Nevada. “I think she’d think it was cool and she’d be honored to have touched her son in a way to make me want to touch other people.”
While wearing pink shoes to honor those stricken with breast cancer isn’t a new occurrence in today’s basketball world, not everyone’s rocking the pink to pay homage.
“I’m a sneakerhead, and I just want to stand out on the court,” Iona’s Taylor Bessick stated quietly after the Gaels’ 93-77 loss to Oregon in the first round of the tournament.
Bessick rocked the Night of the Ballin Dead Adidas Crazy 8s, the Crazy 8s were the first signature line of Kobe Bryant, and this colorway was a special release for Halloween back in 2015. Bessick, a 6’9 mountain of a man, was a more gentle giant postgame as the senior had played his final game for the Gaels and his eyes reflected his sorrows. When asked about his colorful sneakers, Bessick perked up momentarily like a kid whose mom told him we’re getting ice cream after losing a youth league basketball game.
“I love these shoes, and I’m a sneakerhead. They give me a confidence and I know that hardly anyone else has these, so I wear them with pride.”
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
For Marcus Foster of Creighton, his sneaker philosophy is a bit more of a crapshoot.
“I brought four pairs of sneakers to Sacramento,” says Foster after an 84-72 loss to Rhode Island. “Today I rolled with the (Wolf Grey Nike) Kyrie 2’s because they just felt right. Last time I wore them, I think got 35 points.”
Foster notched 15 points on Friday night, and as reporters hovered around the Wichita Falls, Texas native questioning whether he’d take his talents to the NBA after this season, questioning his kicks brought out a hearty chuckle.
“Man, me and my teammates Zach (Hanson) and Tyler (Clement) talk about sneakers all the time. Thank you for asking.”
The Bluejays players all wore blue, white, and black Nikes to match up with their school colors. Only Foster and one other player went off the board wearing grey color ways.
“I love how the grey pops, they make me feel good out there.”
As a kid, I can remember that feeling when I got a fresh pair of basketball shoes, either as a blessing from mom or from selling candy as a fundraising initiative. Rocking those new kicks was a feeling of accomplishment, that made you feel like you belonged on the court. For some of today’s college hoopers, in an amateurish setting that tries to strip one’s individuality, finding that feel good oftentimes means thinking outside the box. Either by adding motivational reminders on their feet or by wearing shoes not meant for the faint of heart.
Foster, with a drawl that pays homage to his Texoma roots, smacked his hands in frustration in the locker room while reflecting on the loss.
“I wish we would’ve won, I had way more heat I wanted to show to the world.”
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