"This Is Who We Are."

Mocs players and coaches have been muttering this phrase for weeks. It means that this is a team that knows how to hang around in games, and then can pull it out in the final moments. They have a ton of confidence in close games. This is very good. They get in the huddle late in the game and believe they are going to pull it out.

At some point, this will likely bite the Mocs. But more often than not, this confidence will help them win the close ones, like the tournament games.

But this phrase started rattling around my head, and I thought, "Where have I heard this phrase before?"

And then suddenly it hit me. Somewhat embarrassingly, but it hit me.

In the mid to late 90's there was a television show named "Millenium." The basic principle can be found here- but basically, there is an ex-FBI agent who can see inside the criminal mind, and he works closely with a special group called the Millenium Group. They have secret knowledge about the coming millenium and are trying to gain power over the world, basically. It was always a little unclear how good or evil the group was, though by the end of the series basically, it was believed they were not good. But they often said as a slogan, "This is who we are." It even makes it into the Season Three theme song, which can be found here. (I recommend it- very nicely composed music.)

So are the Mocs some part of a secret religious sect that is proclaiming the coming millenium is fraught with danger? Or (as the end of the theme song says) that the time is near? I guess you could argue that. I mean, they believe that they have the "secret knowledge" that they can win the close games. They are a tight knit group that can't be broken apart. The time is near for a big run.

Of course, who was one of the main members of the Millenium Group? A guy by the name of Peter Watts, who is actually Terry O'Quinn.

Who is Terry O'Quinn? This guy. Yes, from Lost. A character known for saying things like, "Don't tell me what I can't do?" He also said, "It's our destiny!" And of course, he says, "Everything happens for a reason."

It's not exactly having a plane crash on a densely populated desserted island, but the Mocs have been through some rough patches, and it has only made them better in the long run, maybe. And, certainly, I believe the Mocs have come to believe that it is their destiny to win every single close game. It may not be quite as important as pushing a button so that the world doesn't end, but it's still importnat. And no one should ever doubt them again. Beating Charleston? Almost no one saw that coming. Don't tell them what they can't do. Not exactly going on a walkabout hunting boar in Australia while being handicapped, but you know.

So, maybe there is a connection there after all. Maybe the line, "This is who we are," is connected to Millennium, which is connected to Terry O'Quinn, which is related to LOST, which is related to the above phrases. Did we just play "Six Degrees of Team Slogans?"

Yes, we did.

This is who we are. A good team, with a closer instinct.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

GO MOCS!