Yes, I’m a College basketball junkie. This is my time of the year. Watching college hoops is better, purer, than watching the pros–butt that’s just me.

I was up late last night catching one of the late games in the tournament to see the end of a story that began two years ago.

The game came down to the final shot last night, sometime after 12:00 pm. Virginia Commonwealth University was trying to knock of UCLA. VCU is no college hoops powerhouse, but UCLA. The VCU Rams made their bones a couple of years back by knocking off Duke in one of the stunning moments in the NCAA Tournament.

Fast forward a couple of years and they were poised to do it again, and the guy who made the big shot to win the Duke game was on the court. Eric Maynor’s his name (with the ball, above), and he’s got big-time game. The slender point guard weaved his way through the UCLA defense, refusing to let his time quit when the Bruins were ahead by several points with minutes to go. The Rams cut the lead to 1, with 13 seconds to go.

They inbounded the ball and gave it to Eric Maynor. All the fans in the Philadelphia arena stood on their feet, waiting to see what magic Maynor would pull out of his bag of tricks. He drove left around a pick, away from two defenders, and pulled up for a midrange jumper with no time left on the clock.

He missed.

The guy who had made countless big shots in big games finally missed one. It would be the last shot of a great NCAA career, for Eric Maynor was a senior. After he missed the shot, he bowed his head for a moment, then walked off the court. His teammates rushed to his side to console him and to let him know how much he had meant to their team. Coaches bear-hugged him. No momentary failure was going to eclipse all that Maynor had done during his college career at VCU.

What I liked most about the game between VCU and UCLA was not the amazing passes, great shots, or rim-rattling dunks. What I liked most was the way in which Eric Maynor handled the loss. He walked to the team line to shake hand with the UCLA team that had just ended his career. He embraced each player, wished them the best in the tournament, and walked off the court.

Sometimes it’s not the wins that define you. It’s how you take the losses that count the most. Eric Maynor will always be a winner, because of his attitude.