ATLANTA — Kyle O'Quinn's 15th seeded Norfolk State squad's upset of 2 seed Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament might just be the biggest win in Spartan athletics history. This weekend the 8-year NBA veteran is in Atlanta hoping to see his school notch another one of the those big wins.
"You gotta be here. Something pumped like this for months, and you see your school starting to kick off a nice season, what they hope will be a good season. When you see the space and opportunity to support, you always want to, especially as an alumni," O'Quinn said.
The Norfolk State Spartans kick off their 1football season on the big stage Saturday night in the nationally televised MEAC-SWAC Challenge in Atlanta.
It's the school's first time playing in the annual showdown, which puts a team from each of the two NCAA Division I conferences made up entirely of HBCUs — the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference — in the national spotlight.
O'Quinn played on a national stage in the NCAA tournament, but he said that even his squad didn't experience something quite like this.
"Not to tip off the year like this and just be so individualized, it's just this going on. This is a great opportunity," said O'Quinn, "I'm glad we're a part of it."
O'Quinn was on hand to see the Spartans check out Central Parc Stadium for the first time Friday afternoon, and of course will be there to cheer them on come kickoff.