Wilson Celebrates Barton's Hoops Title

Wilson, N.C. — Hundreds of people gathered on the Barton College campus Monday evening to honor the school's NCAA Division II national championship basketball team.

Barton topped Winona (Minn.) State 77-75 Saturday on a buzzer-beating layup by senior guard Anthony Atkinson following a steal at midcourt. Atkinson poured in 10 points with less than 40 seconds left in the game to lead Barton back from a 7-point deficit.

"It's just an amazing feeling/ It's something you hope for all your life," Barton player David King said Monday before the celebration. "Being a part of something like this is just incredible."

"I don't think I can put into words what it feels like. These past two, three days have been incredible," player Brian Leggett said. "If I can put into words what it feels like to be national champions, the NCAA can come take our trophy back."

The Bulldogs have become a national sensation, doing interviews for ESPN and other national media outlets. The school has fewer than 1,000 students, but with no surprise teams in the final rounds of the NCAA Division I tournament, Barton became the Cinderella story that captured many imaginations.

Atkinson scored a 3-pointer at the buzzer to help the Bulldogs beat Grand Valley (Mich.) State and earn a trip to the Division II Final Four. He then scored a free throw with 1.5 seconds left against Cal State San Bernardino to put the team in the championship.

"I'm just taking all as it comes, and right now, I'm probably the happiest man in the world," Atkinson said. "It's a storybook ending. You can't write nothing better; you can't produce nothing better."

The Wilson native is now the hometown hero -- he even proposed to his girlfriend on the court during halftime of the last regular season game. But his parents and teammates said that wouldn't change who he is.

"He doesn't think of himself as a superstar. He'll go on ESPN, (and) he's going to be the same Anthony Atkinson," King said.

"He never lets any of it get to him. He's just unfazed by all of it. He just goes out and plays," Leggett said.

Atkinson graduated from Greenfield School, a small, private K-12 school in Wilson. He returns regularly to help with practice and mentor younger students, and he attends church regularly with his mother and father.

"We always treat people how you want to be treated, and I think that's where all of this has come from," said his mother, Vivian Atkinson.