Ponytail power.
Every kid in America might want to toss away those oh-so-yesterday headbands, grow out the dreadlocks and tie their hair back in a large bun. Forget about Kobe, LeBron, A.I. and Nash.
Right now, Joakim Noah is cool – and a champion.
Noah, Florida’s slithery smooth center who until recently only was known for having a famous father, emerged as the biggest star in the NCAA championship, leading the Gators to their first title with a 73-57 victory over UCLA on Monday night.
He dunked and rebounded over the Bruins. He passed around them, intimidated them, even screamed at them. He was nearly unstoppable and was selected the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
Noah stared straight in the face of UCLA and all its history and made a little of his own. Although they were cheering hard for their alma mater, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also had to be proud of this big man.
With his father, former international tennis star Yannick Noah, cheering his every move, the 6-foot-11 Noah finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. He ended the tournament with 29 blocks, breaking the previous tournament record of 24 set by Arizona’s Loren Woods in 2001.
When the Gators finally had put away the Bruins in the final minutes, Noah skipped toward the section of seats where his father was standing and pounded his right fist into his hands.
In the stands, Yannick, now a reggae star in Europe, bounced up and down to a Gators’ beat and raised both arms triumphantly like he had just won the French Open.
At the final horn, his son laid back on the floor as if in shock as streamers fell from above. Then he bolted to the Florida band, climbed on a table and led the delirious Gators fans in their signature “Chomp.”
The party was just getting started. Noah climbed over the railing and into the stands to hug his father, and at about the same moment it was announced he was the most outstanding player.
As if there was any doubt.
The kid did it all.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s the best I’ve ever felt in my life. You work so hard for these moments and they are so worth it. We worked so hard as a team, so much sweat, so many tears.
“Not only does this feel good, but it smells good and it tastes good.”
From the start, the young Noah was the difference for the Gators (33-6). When he wasn’t swatting away UCLA shots like some of his dad’s overhand smashes at the net, he was altering the Bruins’ attempts.
In the first half, when Florida built a double-digit lead, Noah set up in the foul lane and made the Bruins quiver.
On one possession, Noah blocked a shot underneath, hurried a putback by the Bruins, grabbed the rebound and led the Gators’ fast break up the floor, covering about 60 feet in five long strides.
Early in the second half, he dribbled down the left side and delivered a nasty dunk over UCLA’s Lorenzo Mata.
By then, the Gators and their star had all but finished chomping on the Bruins.
“He’s very good,” UCLA guard Aaron Afflalo said. “On offense, he has the ability to go outside. He’s not stiff at all. He’s able to make plays from up high. Defensively, he’s just long.”
