SAN DIEGO — Few things tug at the heartstrings quite like seeing an underdog beat the odds and achieve glory. It is part of what makes college basketball's NCAA Tournament the greatest sporting event in the country - the chance for any team, from any league, to advance to a Final 4 and play for a national championship.
Today's era makes it even easier for players to rise through the ranks, thanks to relaxed transfer rules which allow student-athletes to change schools penalty-free each offseason.
For San Diego State point guard Darrion Trammell, the path hasn't been quite that simple. Which, in a way, makes it even more rewarding.
Trammell tied his season-high by dropping 21 points with five rebounds and two steals to lead the Aztecs over Alabama and into the Elite 8. He followed that up by hitting the game winning free throw against Creighton, sending San Diego State to their first ever Final 4 and the first in Mountain West history.
"It's all about believing in yourself," Trammell said, through tears, in his postgame interview. "I'm doing this for my family. I'm doing this for people back home, my grandpa, my rother, who I lost. I'm just doing it for them. I have been dreaming of this moment my whole life."
Trammell's career began at St. Ignatius College Preparatory high school in San Francisco, and despite great success the 5'8 point guard was overlooked at the Division 1 level because of his height.
He enrolled at City College in San Francisco and played two years of junior college basketball before a D1 school finally brought him on board. That school was Seattle University, where Redhawks coach Jim Hayford handed him the keys to the kingdom in year one.
In 23 games (18 starts) Trammell proved he more than belonged; averaging 20.5 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and two steals per game while shooting 34.8% from deep and 86.6% from the free throw line.
His numbers dipped only slightly the following year under new head coach Chris Victor, but he still put up 17.3 points, five assists, and 2.5 steals while leading the Redhawks to a first place finish in the WAC and making the All WAC First Team for a second year in a row. His 78 steals that season placed fifth in the country, and it was no surprise to see him add his name to the transfer portal to see what opportunities were out there.
It only took a few hours for SDSU assistant coach JayDee Luster to contact him, and after a lunch meeting where Trammell impressed head coach Brian Dutcher with his passion for winning, he received an offer and committed - picking the Aztecs over Power-5 programs USC and Texas Tech.
In fact, part of the sell by the coaching staff was how successful this team could be with Trammell at the helm - with a prophecy that came true in a major way:
Trammell's game winning free throw against Creighton did stir up controversy - with many believing a whistle on Ryan Nembhard was erroneous - but his raw emotion after the game, especially when taking into account his path from a point guard no D1 team wanted to a catalyst for a program-altering Final 4 run, is what makes this sporting event the best on the planet.
"I'm just grateful to be here," Trammell said. "I appreciate everyone for believing in me. I'm just super excited right now, I can't even put this into words."