This Court Transplant Took

"Some people back in Richmond can't believe this happened to me," says Pressey. "They say. 'Man, if you can make it, I know I can make it.' I'm just fortunate the Good Lord tapped me on my back and told me to do something. I don't know where I'd be now if He didn't."

And nobody knows where Tulsa would be without Pressey. Certainly his consistency at both ends of the court is the Hurricane's major asset. Pressey's natural quickness and his long arms have been invaluable on defense, particularly when he plays the point in Tulsa's 1-3-1 trap, but he's put in some hard work, too. He and his older brother, Bobby, erected a basket in the backyard of their Richmond home that was actually the rim of a 27-inch bicycle wheel. "Anything would go in if you just got up there," says Pressey. "The idea was to keep the other guy from getting it up there. My brother used to kill me, but we never ever called a foul."

Pressey appears to be almost nonchalant on defense, but he's not. His arms and natural instincts do so much of the work that he doesn't have to scurry around frantically to be effective. At times Pressey waxes passionate on the subject of defense. "I honestly don't think anybody in the world hates for his guy to score on him as much as I do," he says.

If Tulsa beats the odds and goes all the way in the NCAAs, Richardson and his gang of four (assuming Brown recovers from a knee injury) would have an unprecedented 1-2-3 sweep—national juco title. NTT title, NCAA title. That isn't considered a strong possibility except, perhaps, in Tulsa. And though the junior college refugees have been an overwhelming success in town, none has forgotten Snyder. Texas, where it all began.

Especially Spradling. "Could anybody find what I found in Snyder?" says Spradling. "I found a great coach. I found a great bunch of teammates. And I found a great wife."