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Cortez recalls transfer to Troy and underdog run to 2024 national title
Summary
In an interview on the "Successful Stories in Sewan County" podcast, Cortez described transferring from Albion to Troy after coach Miller reached out, the team's underdog mindset in the 2024 NCAA tournament, and a late-game sequence that led to overtime and a championship game-winning shot. He credited perseverance and teammates for the run.
Cortez recounted how a transfer from Albion to Troy and a team mentality fueled an underdog run to the 2024 NCAA championship, including a notable overtime sequence in a tournament game he described in detail.
On why he transferred, Cortez said coach Miller reached out first after his entry into the transfer portal and that he felt the program’s culture was a strong fit. “When I got done at Albion, I entered the transfer portal, Miller was the first 1 to reach out to me. ... I came on a visit. Obviously, we chatted, and we knew right there that we had it. We had the chance to do something special,” Cortez said.
He described the team’s attitude entering the 2024 NCAA tournament as collective and motivated by perceived disrespect. “I feel like so we we definitely were getting I don't want to say blackball because that's that's an extreme term, but we definitely weren't getting the respect that I felt that we deserved. ... So going into the tournament, we kind of just had that chip on our shoulder to, like, prove that we were 1 of the best teams,” he said. He added that “the computer gave us a 4% chance of winning,” a statistic he said motivated the team.
Cortez gave a play-by-play of a comeback and overtime in one tournament game against Flatsville. He described being down by 10 with about a minute and 10 to go, a sequence of rebounds and fouls that tied the game and forced overtime, and a final shot that sealed the win: “We were down by 2 with 3 seconds to go. Drew gets rebound, gets fouls, 0.8 seconds to go. ... He makes up makes both free throws and we go into overtime. ... At the end of the game, about 8 seconds to go, the guy makes both free throws. And then the historic shot, I get it late, clock running down. Then I had the game winner, like, the left elbow off the step back, and the rest of it was history.”
Reflecting on winning Final Four MVP and the national title, Cortez described a sense of completion and emphasized the collective nature of the achievement. “It was it was a euphoric feeling for sure. ... It was really like a team award because we wouldn't have done, we done. And people wouldn't have contributed the way they have, and I would have never won an award,” he said.
Cortez repeatedly framed perseverance as central to his development as a player, referencing his upbringing and early challenges. He said he did not play as a freshman in college but remained focused and improved over time.
The podcast did not provide independent verification of the quoted 4% chance statistic, official box scores, or formal documentation of the game sequences; the account is Cortez’s recollection during the interview.
