If you are a parent of an athlete, you obviously want to be there to witness every possible moment. Of course, even parents want to beat the traffic and that sometimes causes you to miss a truly memorable moment.
Admon Gilder Sr. and Paul Gilder traveled to Oklahoma City to see their son, Admon Gilder, and Texas A&M play in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies looked to be soundly defeated by Northern Iowa in the second round matchup, but thanks to one of the most improbable rallies in sports history, Texas A&M came back to force overtime. Gilder scored the game-tying bucket on a layup during the frenzy. His parents attended the game but were at a gas station when he helped force overtime.
“They left the game with probably about a minute to go,” Gilder said Wednesday. “They were at the gas station on the way back and someone came out and told them that I’d just hit the game-tying shot.”
After being updated on the game, Gilder’s parents listened to the rest of the game on the radio during their four-hour drive home to Dallas. They each had to be at work early Monday morning, so leaving the game early under the circumstances in which they did is justifiable, even if they did miss out on an historic moment. Gilder will make sure they never hear the end of it though.
“I said they owe me anything I say,” Gilder joked. “Hopefully I can get something new out of them.”
Texas A&M went on to win the second round matchup to advance to the Sweet 16 in Anaheim. Gilder’s parents will again be making the trip, and we all suspect they will stay ni their seat until the clock hits triple zeroes on the scoreboard. You just never know what you might see.
