First, you had Kirk Gibson's miraculous pinch-hit homerun, then there was the “Flu game,” after that was the bloody sock, well now you can add the “wounded Knight” to the list of courageous moments in sports history.
Ok. So this wasn’t for a national championship, or even a conference championship. And sure, UCF vs. Tulsa doesn’t necessarily make headlines across the nation. That’s just fine. What we witnessed on February 14th was nothing short of audacious. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about AJ Rompza coming off the bench, feeling less than 80% and playing 31 minutes of amazing, real basketball.
The Knights, coming off a 3 game losing streak, found themselves down by 17 points with just 11 minutes remaining, but after a little bit of motivating from 'Bluto' Blutarsky, UCF mustered up the strength to mount one of the greatest comebacks in school history. And while the scorecard will show Jermaine Taylor with 35 points, it can’t show you how big Rompza played this night; they just haven’t come up with a stat that measures the heart of a leader. What you can’t see is AJ’s high-octane, nonstop agility that physically wears defenses down, mentally frustrates even the best defender, and extends plays long enough to find the open shot. AJ Rompza is a senior trapped in a freshmen’s body.
Now, for the story.
For the last 10 days, AJ Rompza has been forced into a cheerleading role on the sidelines. Suffering an ankle sprain that hadn’t even allowed him to practice for the Tulsa game, sitting on the sidelines may have been the most painful part of the injury. “To not be able to play is so hard because I want to be out there encouraging everyone. It's so hard from the bench” Rompza said in an interview with Brandon Helwig, of UCFSports.com.
AJ Rompza is the Derek Jeter of UCF sports. Charismatic, confident, and certainly not afraid to jump into the stands, especially if it’s to reverse the momentum. Are you done laughing? Continue if you want, I mean, I did just compare a 5-9 160 pound college freshman to a New York Yankee legend, and earlier, to maybe the most obnoxious pitcher of this era, one of the finest hitters in baseball history, and one of the greatest NBA players in the history of the league. All legends in their time. And here we have AJ Rompza, again. Time for me to defend myself.
Come, jump into the way back machine with me for a moment.
First stop, October 19, 2004-Game 6 ALCS. Curt Schilling pitches lights out baseball in the biggest do or die game in his career, all this with a torn tendon in his ankle and medical procedure that probably belongs in the middle ages. His strength to go out and pitch with the pain he had to deal with helped motivate and rally his team to clinch the game, and eventually the series.
Next up, June 11th, 1997–Game 5 NBA Finals. The “flu game.” Michael Jordan was noticeably ill, weak, fatigued and dehydrated. Yet, he walked out on to that court, put up 38 points and helped will the Bulls to a 90-88 victory.
One last stop, October 15th, 1998- Game 1 World Series. Kirk Gibson could hardly walk, let alone swing a bat, Tommy Lasorda needed a big hit, and the team needed the big run. It’s rumored that Gibson was in such pain in both legs that he was grimacing and nearly collapsing after every swing. Gibson steps to the plate, hits the game winning 2 run homerun. Dodgers go on to win the World Series. Kirk Gibson’s heroic at bat is one of the greatest highlights in sports history.
Saturday night, player introductions. No Rompza. Kirk wasn’t sure he could handle the stress of a full game on his bad ankle. Hell, even AJ wasn’t sure he could handle it, but he knew he wanted it, and he knew his teammates needed him. And like every great star before him, he made sure he got into the game. And like every great star, with the clock ticking down five. Four. Three. He knew he wanted the ball in his hands. Two. He knew he wanted to take the last shot. One.
Silence.
You have just witnessed the birth of a legend.
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