ESPN Storied "Miracle 3" Tornado at the SEC Basketball Tourney

[WrapItDog]

I was watching the Weather Channel this AM and they showed a preview of the new storied episode about the Tornado at the SEC tournament. Airs Sun. 7:00 PM on ESPNU. Thought others may be interested since MSU was playing when the tornado happened and some of you may have been in the dome at the time.

http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NE...lms-sec-storied-miracle-3-debuts-march-3.aspx

Preview video

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8968845

 

[Xenomorph]

What if that catwalk falls on us?

That's just about the only thing I remember thinking.

 

[drt7891]

I was there with the band. Unreal experience. No one had any idea what was going on until it was well over. We actually thought it was Kentucky fans in the bleachers to our left who were yelling before their game with Georgia. I also remember being sick Riley made that shot, but after the tornado had passed, being grateful because we would have been outside in it had he missed it.

 

[tenureplan]

I was living west of Atlanta at the time but was working downtown. I was working late that day and I drove right through that storm going west on 20. It felt like my car was going to get blown off the road and I wondered if there was a tornado. I got home and turned the game on right when the tornado hit. My office had all of it's windows blown out and downtown Atlanta looked like a warzone for about a month afterwards.

 

[thekimmer]

I'll never forget it...

I was watching the Weather Channel this AM and they showed a preview of the new storied episode about the Tornado at the SEC tournament. Airs Sun. 7:00 PM. Thought others may be interested since MSU was playing when the tornado happened and some of youmay have been in the dome at the time.

http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NE...lms-sec-storied-miracle-3-debuts-march-3.aspx

Preview video

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8968845

I remember hearing the noise, looking up and the roof of the GA dome was rippling like a tent in the wind. It was over as someone said before anyone realized what was going on. The next thing you noticed was the catwalk swaying and then insulation simulating a snow flurry in the dome. From where we were you looked over to your right and you could see lighting flashing through a hole in the side of the dome. Cell service was impossible with every human in that building trying to call. When the game was over and we went outside we were walking over giant pieces of the dome littering the ground. Luckily we took marta into the city because the entire downtown area was a parking lot. Had family in town for the tourney and we got to see one game. Grateful nobody was hurt though.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Was also there. Sitting in the temporary stands across the court from the benches. Seeing that stuff sway back and forth over my head was ummm....disconcerting. The big hole in the roof of the dome wasn't helping either. As I walked to my car later that night I began to understand what had happened. I saw street signs laid over, picnic tables that had been overturned, trees down, etc. I was praying that my car was not going to be destroyed. What really pissed me off was that they said no one was going to be allowed in Thriller Dome for the next two days of games, then they let people in.

 

[saltslugs]

I had just found out that I would attend Mississippi State for grad school the day of that game. While I was not at the game, it was the first time that I ever cheered for Mississippi State and probably the first time I watched a State game in its entirety. That whole tournament was absurd with Georgia winning two games the next day to win the whole damn thing despite a horrific regular season.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

I was also there with the band. I remember watching the roof buckle in the far cornerand not thinking anything of it for just a second before remembering "wait, the roof here isn't fabric..."

I'm still furious we lost to Georgia the next day. Worst loss of the Stans Era.

 

[Drebin]

I'm still furious we lost to Georgia the next day. Worst loss of the Stans Era.

Hard to say that. There were a **** ton of really bad, really inexplicable losses in the Stans Era. I still have to say the worst loss to me, personally, was the Butler loss in the NCAA tourney. We had a great team and a favorable bracket setup. To have the talent we had and let Butler dictate the pace of the game....and shut us down with a basic 2-3 zone....well, Stans should've been fired after that game.

 

[thekimmer]

Actually the roof material is PTFE coated fiberglass fabric.....

I was also there with the band. I remember watching the roof buckle in the far cornerand not thinking anything of it for just a second before remembering "wait, the roof here isn't fabric..."

I'm still furious we lost to Georgia the next day. Worst loss of the Stans Era.

Hence it was able to ripple in the 'breeze'.

 

[EAVdog]

I was watching on TV, until the tornado hit my house.

Well we lost power and ran to the Basement as the tornado tore through Cabbagetown. Was scary for a little while. We had about a minute to get below.

 

[Brad Stevens.sixpack]

That was a crazy day. I somehow snagged seats on about the 6th row, and had Ben Hansborough run right past us into the stands to find his dad after the whole event. Does anyone else remember him running into the stands? It was honestly kind of funny to see his reaction.

I just stared at the big jumbotron swaying like a captivated 5 year old watching a train wreck. I had no clue what was going on until later. It seriously is a good thing that game with Bama went into overtime, or there may have been many (possibly thousands) of people walking outside when the tornado hit.

 

[jamdawg96]

Strange, strange night...

Because I was "bad luck" (drunken theories) the group I was with had banished me to other side of the dome. When things started going crazy, I ran to the outer concourse, alone, only to see flying debris knock out some glass facing the GWCC, which prompted chaos as people were simultaneously scampering in and out of the portals.

Scene outside the dome, like many have said, was absolutely surreal. Billboards on top of cars, cars in lobbies, hotel furniture on the streets... If Riley hadn't hit that three, lives would've no doubt been lost.

Naturally, the atmosphere in Georgia Tech's gym the next day was awkward. We were fortunate enough to get tickets for everyone in our group (thanks to the ever-gracious Strat Karatassos) but the energy was dead, as many fans were turned away due to ticketing complications. Still can't believe we lost that game, but Georgia winning that tournament was fitting, if you ask me.

Unforgettable weekend.

 

[#Hailstate16]

Hansborough running into the stands to find his parents is what I will never forget. I was 2 rows below his parents and on the opposite side of the aisle. I went from being concerned about things falling to being in awe at how big of a baby he was being.

Somehow got in at Georgia tech the next day. Definitely the weirdest atmosphere I'd ever watched a game in.