Norcom: Kings of Basketball in Virginia

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Legendary Alabama Football Coach Bear Bryant once said, "No one ever rallied round a math class." Saturday in Portsmouth, hundreds turned out to rally around the Norcom High School Greyhounds celebrating their State Basketball Championship.

This is a story about pride and a basketball team that won it big. It's a story about Shelton Haskins who was lacking in confidence and didn't want to play in the big game. He was afraid. The coach, however, put him in anyway. Haskins then scored the winning shot. "My confidence was just too low. I didn't want to play. My family and friends talked me into it...after the shot I have a whole lot of confidence now," Haskins said.

The moment changed lives, just like it did for Assistant Coach Barney Stevenson. Years have passed since 1967 when Stevenson played on Norcom's last Championship Basketball team, "It's an honor to be part of something special as a player and a coach," said Stevenson.

It's a story about the tall guy, Dorian Finney-Smith, who got a double-double when it counted: 17 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks. Finney-Smith takes none of the credit, and gives it to others, "Jeremy Canty played good. Trey played good. Carlos played good. The whole team played good, and it wasn't just one person playing good."

It's the story of Portsmouth residents who on a sunny spring day came out to show Norcom Proud. Most importantly, in the end this is a story about a group of guys who bonded forever, "It meant a lot. We're getting a lot of love every where we go. Somebody will stop you and ask you about the game. A lot changed because everyone's showing us love now," says Jeremy Canty who scored seven points in 2:12 helping mount the comeback.

This is also a story of a coach who made young men part of something special, "They create their own legacy. They can make you laugh, and make you cry. They all stuck through adversity. I saw a lot of young men grow up. They showed Portsmouth proud and IC Norcom High School proud," said Norcom Head Basketball Coach Leon Goolsby.