The Tournament experience

Police sirens echoed through the streets of Omaha, Neb., as two motorcycles with flashing blue and red lights and the words “Omaha Police” plastered across their gas tanks spilled onto a sun-drenched Capital Avenue.

Behind the pair of motorbikes emerged a black charter bus housing the first Portland State basketball team to ever advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings were en route to Qwest Center Omaha to practice a day before facing off against No. 1 seed Kansas on the opening day of March Madness, Thursday, March 20.

In a bright green Portland State warm-up suit, Kyle Coston sat in a cushy leather seat in the middle of the bus, gazing out the window as downtown Omaha flashed by his face.

Coston was gearing up for the NCAA Tournament, an experience so significant to the sophomore that he said he wanted to remember every detail.

Here is an account of Coston’s experience at the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday, March 188:30 p.m. CT, Omaha, Neb. Arriving at Eppley Airfield Airport

After touching down in Omaha, the site of the Midwest Regional, Coston headed over to the hotel with his teammates, head coach Ken Bone and his coaching staff. Roughly an hour later, a host of screaming high school cheerleaders bearing pompoms, refreshments and a red carpet greeted the Vikings as they hopped off the team bus at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

Coston checked in, grabbed the keys and stored his bags in his room with roommate junior guard Mickey Polis. P.F. Changs was the destination for a late dinner with the entire team.

Going to the bathroom as they entered the restaurant, Coston returned to the area where the Vikings and Portland State cheerleaders were seated to quite a surprise-he was without a place at the table with his teammates.

“I wanted to sit next to the team, but somehow I got stuck next to all the cheerleaders,” Coston said. “All the guys were talking about all this stuff, and I was trying to be in that conversation, but the cheerleaders were like, ‘You’re ignoring us.'”

While his teammates were envisioning playing against Kansas, Coston was the lone basketball player seated at the cheerleaders’ table.

Wednesday, March 198 a.m. Crown Plaza Hotel Practice in a basketball palace

The next morning, he chowed down on some eggs, bacon and sausage at the hotel, and washed down all the food with some pulp-laden orange juice.

The rest of the players ate at McDonald’s, and shortly after they returned from the golden arches, the team took their police-escorted trip to Qwest Center Omaha to practice.

But before the team could take their shots on the floor, swarms of media members from across the country invaded the Vikings’ locker room to take a few shots at the players. The biggest blow, in Coston’s mind, came from a television reporter who thought he knew the Vikings’ fate.

“There was one guy–on camera and I think he was live–and he said ‘So you guys know you’re not going to win. But, what do you go into this game looking to do?'” Coston said. “I just said, ‘You wait for tomorrow’s tip off, and you’ll see.'”

Portland State’s practice was rather uneventful, except for a couple of tantalizing dunks from the typical above-the-rim culprits: senior forward Deonte Huff, senior center Scott Morrison and, of course, Coston.

Coston threw down some beauties, though his most memorable moment came on a miscue. Heeding his teammates’ calls for a windmill dunk, Coston attempted the difficult maneuver. However, instead of slamming the ball through cleanly, he hit the back of the rim, and, along with an “ahh” from the crowd, the ball soared high into the air.

Wednesday, March 1911 p.m. Crown Plaza Hotel Trying to catch a few Z’s

Coston had roomed with Mickey Polis a few times over the course of the season, and he knew the compact point guard loved one thing above all others: sleeping.

By 7 p.m. Polis, who is always tired according to Coston, was knocked out on his bed. The worst part was not how early Polis had crashed, but rather the snores he was uncharacteristically producing while he was out.

“He had the nastiest snore I have ever heard in my entire life,” Coston said of Polis.

While Polis was catching up on his sleep, Coston was not quite as lucky. The Lynden, Wash., native sat atop his bed staring at the beige wall in his pitch-dark hotel room.

Since Polis had lost the remote to the TV, Coston’s only form of entertainment was walking around to break in his new sneakers and thinking about how he would feel stepping on the floor against Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Co. in a few hours.

Coston finally fell asleep at 3 a.m. Thursday morning, a mere eight hours and 25 minutes before tip off.

Thursday, March 20 11:23 a.m. Qwest Center Omaha It’s game time

The words “At forward for Portland State, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from Lynden, Washington, Kyle Coston” blared through the speakers at the arena as Coston high-fived his teammates and met senior guard Brian Curtis for a celebratory chest bump on his way to shake hands with Kansas forward Darrell Arthur at center court.

Five minutes later, Coston committed his first foul of the game, smacking Rush on the forearm as he attempted a shot. Rush made the lay up and then missed his chance to complete the three-point play from the charity stripe.

To avenge his early miscue, Coston fired back with a three-pointer over a slower-but-lengthier Arthur to put the Vikings on the scoreboard at 4-3 moments later.

“When I hit that shot, I heard [Kansas head coach] Bill Self say, ‘Ah, shoot,'” Coston said. “I just got a big smile on my face as I heard everyone in the crowd say, ‘oh.'”

The smiles were short-lived for Coston and the Vikings, as the Jayhawks scored 10 unanswered points to lead 14-3. Portland State fought to within six points, but Kansas ended the first half on a hot streak, holding a 49-26 advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Vikings played better defense behind the arc against Kansas’ sharpshooters. And, unlike in the first half, Portland State kept the Jayhawks’ offense under wraps, allowing 13 less points than in the first 20 minutes. But Kansas was too much, defeating the Vikings 85-61.

Coston added only one basket following his early connection from the perimeter, finishing with five points, four rebounds and two assists against a formidable Kansas front court.

Friday, March 217:30 a.m. Crown Plaza HotelCapping off a once-in-a-lifetime experience

Just as they had when they arrived at the hotel, the Vikings walked the red carpet at the entrance. The only difference was this time they were preparing to leave Omaha.

Soon after Coston boarded the bus and returned to Eppley Airfield Airport to depart for Portland, he found himself sitting at the back of the Vikings’ charter plane. However, loudness and a few unpleasant smells fuming from his teammates prompted Coston to move closer to the front.

His new spot was next to junior forward Alex Tiefenthaler and Morrison, a much quieter environment that provided Coston an opportunity to reflect on his experience. He spoke with Tiefenthaler and Morrison about how they may never enjoy this same experience again and how each had now lived out his dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Coston sat thousands of feet in the air scanning his mind for all the moments he had in Omaha. He thought of the three-pointer to start the game. He recalled the red carpet. He remembers dinner with the cheerleaders, apart from his teammates at another table.

“It was a surreal, out-of-body experience,” he said. “And a good one at that.”