At one point in their lives, Division I basketball players were non-famous muggles like you and I.
Revisiting some Sweet 16 players’ first tweets
They could send out tweets and just about nobody but their high school posse would care. But technology lets us revisit their lives before they gained thousands of followers and popularity and became overall better than us.
1. Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
It was a dramatic ending in the round of 32 for Wisconsin, but Hayes’ first tweet was about something just as tough on the soul.
Me and marc cant find the gate to our plane.... Because its been changed now
— Nigel Hayes (@NIGEL_HAYES) June 9, 2011
He must have made his way out of the airport eventually. No word on Marc, though.
2. Rasheed Sulaimon, Maryland
Sulaimon scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in a win over Hawaii, and he’s about to go up against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Kansas. He’s had to make big decisions over the past few months to get to where he is, but none bigger than the one he was forced to make on Aug. 20, 2010.
Just got back from school. Should i go to this party tonite? decisions, decisions.
— Rasheed Sulaimon (@sheed_ctmd1) August 20, 2010
It was a huge decision for a 16-year-old Sulaimon, and to be fun we’ll assume he did go. Hope it wasn’t a school night. And that it was a soda party.
3. Trevor Cooney, Syracuse
Cooney scored 25 combined points in his first two games of the tournament to upset Dayton and knock off Middle Tennessee State, but what the box score won’t show is if he went to “hersey” -- we’ll assume Hershey Park -- during the summer of 2009. He was probably in his senior year of college then, too.
Hanging with some friends maybe hersey tomarrow?
— Trevor Cooney (@TCooney10) September 3, 2009
Wonder if said friends went to the park with him. Wonder if the 6’4 guard fit into the roller coasters -- but maybe he was shorter then.
4. Frank Mason, Kansas
The Jayhawks cruised their way to the Sweet Sixteen and Mason couldn’t have done it without his day one: the washing machine.
Washing clothes
— Frank Mason (@F_Mason0) June 19, 2012
5. Rex Pflueger, Notre Dame
In 2012, Pflueger owed some credit to Terrence Phillips.
@the_next_one03 I would give you a shout out but only you and and one other person will see it haha
— Rex Pflueger (@rexpflueger_1) August 12, 2012
A few things happened since then.
THE TIP THAT MADE A LEGEND.#Sweet16Bound #NotDoneYethttps://t.co/yh4RIYpYAW
— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) March 20, 2016
Remember those that got you there. Give Terrence the shout out, bro.
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