On March 13th, you filled out your annual March Madness bracket. And you had Villanova going no further than the Sweet Sixteen. I know people who had us choke again in the Round of 32. Some of you let us go to the Elite 8, but then said it is actually impossible for Villanova to beat Kansas, so you knocked us out. Your final four included Kansas from the South Region, and your championship winner was for sure not Villanova.

On March 18th, Villanova beat UNC Asheville 86-56. They put up incredible stats, displayed great sportsmanship and played a fantastic game. But you still doubted our ability. You still said we would choke. On March 20th, Villanova beat Iowa 87-68. Once again, we played a great game. Except, no one really cared. Or thought we would make it out of the Sweet 16. Sure people were starting to beli\\//ie a little bit more, but no one thought we could do what we did. On March 25th, we beat Miami 92-69. In a game that had people talking, the numbers were outstanding, and the game we played is one I’ll always remember. But still, no one believed that we could beat Kansas. They called it impossible, said we had no chance at all. And then,on March 27th, we beat Kansas 64-59, in a game which I suffered from multiple heart attacks and tears. But we had done what so many said was impossible, and made it to the Final Four. And yet, so few believed in us. Apparently Buddy Hield was no match for the "starless Wildcats". But then we played Oklahoma on April 2nd, and we won 95-51. 44 points. We set records and made history. Yet, nothing. No one thought we could beat the Tarheels. Words like impossible, not a chance, and loss were floating around the media and college basketball fans around the country. But then, on April 4th, a day that I will never forget, we did it. In 4.7 seconds, the lives of anyone and everyone that is part of the Villanova Community, changed. And we proved the entire world wrong. To everyone who said we wouldn’t, we did. 77-74, a game-winning shot at the buzzer, and a team that will be remembered forever did what everyone except one Nation, thought was impossible.

I don’t know why you thought we couldn’t do it. Seriously. Sure we’re a team with no NBA first-round picks, or players that are literally too tall to fit in some rooms. Or maybe it’s because our last few tournament appearances have been disappointing, or because you just didn’t think that a Catholic school from Pennsylvania with only 6,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students was capable of competing at such a high level, against teams coming from schools triple our size and known for their sports and only their sports.

But I knew we could do it, and anyone who knows Villanova the way a true Nationer does, knew we could do it too. Once we beat Kansas and then Oklahoma, there was no doubt that this was our tournament to lose. Sure we were scared and nervous when we had to play UNC, but deep down in the pits of all our stomachs, we knew we could do it. Because there’s a certain fire that this team plays with, and that this school has. It’s something you’ll find nowhere else-no other school will love and support its team like this school does. There’s no other school that’ll pack the student section during finals week just to support their team and watch what those boys do best. Basketball means more to this school than it means to any other school. We see our team in the dining hall, in class, at parties and in our dorm buildings. Big schools like UNC or Kansas may see their team around, but it isn’t the same way we interact with our team. Our team isn’t just the team, it’s our team. They play for name on the front of the jersey instead of the name on the back. They play to win as a team and as a school; they don’t play to see which player scored the most points during a game. They play with a selfless attitude, and a win for the team isn’t just a win for the team, it’s a win for the nation. And maybe that’s why you doubted us, because you didn’t really know our team. You didn’t know how much they wanted it for Villanova-not just for themselves. ( Boys, we love you for how much you love us.)

Your words hurt us, and your lack of faith made us angry. Just because we aren’t a big school, doesn’t mean we don’t have the same ability as they do. It doesn’t mean we aren’t as good as them. In fact, I’m pretty sure we’re better than all of those big schools you had winning your brackets. But the spirit and the passion that this school has, is what kept us going. We thrive on your negative words, and our favorite pastime is listening to the reports and then proving them all wrong. (ESPN, I’m looking straight at you.)

To everyone who doubted us, thank you. Thank you for giving us something to fight for, thank you for giving us a reason to cheer harder, pray a little more, talk a little more smack, and thank you for letting us show you that we deserve this title and that it was ours and only ours to gain. Thank you for your words, because it suddenly brought this school into a certain spotlight that only a few get. It gave us the chance to take everything that anyone had ever said, crush it up into a little ball, let it fly like Jenkins did-and sink a three that’ll change history.

The 4.7 seconds after the best 4.7 seconds of my life, is something I will never forget. The way the floor shook, the tears that streamed down the faces of myself, my friends, and my classmates, the confetti that fell from the ceiling, the rush of running out to Lancaster, the Let's Go Nova chants that could be heard loud and clear till 3 am, are things I’ll remember forever. As you sat there staring in shock, we stood there feeling proud of our team, our school, and our Nation. Because we had proved the world wrong, made history, and won a National Championship all in one night. For five games, 19 minutes and 55.3 seconds, no one thought we could do it. But at the end of six games, we had done it. And we did it in a history-making, fairytale-ending kind of way, that in 20 years when someone asks you what you regret most, you’ll say: “I regret doubting Villanova during the 2016 NCAA Tournament, because I think that if I had believed in them, I would have been able to enjoy that final shot instead of struggle to pick my jaw up off the floor.” Oh yeah, and if you ask me how sorry I am about your bracket, well, I’m about as sorry as Ryan Arcidiacono is about passing that ball to Kris Jenkins-not sorry at all.

And before this is over, I need to thank the entire Basketball program-coaches, players, managers, assistants-everyone, for giving me and this school a season that'll go down as some of the best months of our lives, months that we'll be replaying over and over again. Thank you for giving an entire community something to cheer for, believe in and something to celebrate. There are no words to express how much we love you for it. Thank you for bringing home something that we’ve been waiting 31 years for, for being the team that will go down in history. You give us something to be proud of every single day of our lives, and we can’t thank you enough for that.