Beyond the basket: An interview with the man behind the winning buzzer-beater

by NICHOLAS CHAMBERS

Staff Writer

The University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team won its first NCAA DIII National Championship on April 5, thanks to a final-second buzzer-beater by sophomore forward and business administration major Colin Mitchell to defeat Emory University 75-73.

The team arrived back on campus in front of the Anderson Center on April 7, welcomed by a crowd of students, faculty and staff who cheered them on. This was a long-awaited homecoming after bringing Mary Washington its first national title since 1991. 

“It was really cool to see everybody out there when we got back home,” said Owen Pottenburg, sophomore forward who played during the championship game. “The amount of support that everyone has shown throughout this long season means a lot, and it felt really good to bring home a national championship to the community.” 

Local news stations like Fox 5 were in attendance as well as plenty of cameras, but Mitchell frequently appeared at the center of the celebration, even lifting the NCAA trophy in front of the rejoicing crowd. 

Mitchell’s life has since changed, amassing thousands of views from the game’s coverage on the NCAA social media pages, hundreds of followers on his personal Instagram and highlight appearances on SportsCenter, The Pat McAfee Show and news stations around Virginia.

“I love media, and I love doing stuff like this,” said Mitchell after seven total interviews with press outlets in the week following his game-winning shot. “Being able to give back and shout out the people that have helped me along the way has been great.”

“Seeing him at the center of publicity and attention overnight has been one of the coolest experiences of my life,” said Luke Smith, a sophomore business major and roommate of Mitchell’s. “I just know how hard he has worked, and he truly deserves every ounce of praise he has received.”

Mitchell grew up in Chesterfield, where he played basketball for Cosby High School and the competitive Benedictine College Preparatory in Richmond. This is where UMW’s Head Basketball Coach Marcus Kahn and Assistant Basketball Coach Mark Sansone first laid their eyes on his talent. 

“They watched me in high school down in Richmond at Benedictine, and so when I was told to come up for a visit, I immediately wanted to,” Mitchell said. 

Mitchell committed to Mary Washington shortly after meeting the coaching staff in February 2024, achieving his lifelong dream of playing college basketball. 

“Anytime going from high school to college is a difficult transition,” he said. “Moving away from home, your family and friends that you have, adjusting to the speed and tempo of collegiate athletics. You really have to wait your turn.” 

Mitchell’s turn came in the national championship game, where he logged a career high 27 minutes played, a large turnaround from the seven minutes he played in UMW’s home opener against Guilford back in November 2025. 

“I spent hours and hours this summer dedicating my time to getting better—in the weight room, on the court,” he said. “And so when I got here as a sophomore, I was ready to take off.” 

The 2024-2025 Mary Washington Eagles watched their season come to an end last year at the hands of Emory University after a Cinderella run that yielded them a Sweet 16 appearance despite a .500 (15-15) record in the regular season.

“We had an amazing run last year, but we knew we meant business this year, so the second we got back on campus, we were ready to roll,” Mitchell said.

The early exit didn’t linger. Instead, it became the fuel that shaped their mindset from day one.

“Funny thing, we named our group chat 2026 Natty Champs at the start of the year, because we knew that this was where we wanted to be. We pushed ourselves through the entire year to get there,” Mitchell said.

Mary Washington cruised through this regular season, going an astonishing 22-3 before sweeping Salisbury University and Christopher Newport University in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. 

From there, the Round of 64, Round of 32 and Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament ran through Fredericksburg, where the Eagles prevailed three times in front of their home crowd and student section. 

They moved on to Fort Wayne, IN, where in the Elite 8, they took down the University of Chicago by eight points and the Final 4 game against Trinity University, which gave them their place in the national championship game on Easter Sunday.

With two minutes and 21 seconds to go in the National Championship, Mary Washington found themselves on the plus end of a 71-61 score sheet. Despite this lopsided score, Emory tied the game with 10 seconds to go. 

“We didn’t have any timeouts, and we knew we needed to get the ball down the floor,” Mitchell said.

What happened next was for the record books. 

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Mitchell said. “We knew we needed to crash offensive rebounds. I had four rebounds the whole game, and I knew that Coach made an emphasis on it before the game. So I sat there, and I was ready to go.”

As the clock hit zero, the Eagles became national champions.

“After it went in, I just blacked out and started running and celebrating with my team,” said Mitchell. 

The play not only sealed the victory but instantly became a defining moment for the program’s championship run.

“It was an amazing feeling seeing all the fans and alumni there. Just to see the work that everyone and myself has put in and being able to share that and show how great of a program UMW is to everyone in the world, was amazing.”