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‘I was just living in the moment’

The highlight of the night might — might — have been Tarik Phillip swatting a Perry Ellis shot off the backboard or Jaysean Paige dunking to punctuate the win. There was a Nate Adrian step-back 3-pointer over Ellis as the shot clock expired in the first half and Devin Williams stealing, dribbling and jamming in the second half.

But each pales in comparison to the marquee moment of West Virginia’s triumph over No. 1 Kansas. Someone handed Jon Holton a child.

“Some parent just gave him to me, and I held him up, a little like Simba in ‘The Lion King,’” Holton said. “It was cool, though. It was fun. But I almost dropped him, to tell the truth.”

The child was 9-year-old Turner Garretson, from Grantsville. I found his dad, Curtis.

Curtis and his wife Kristin hit the road Tuesday afternoon with the whole family, Turner and his brothers, Ryne, 5, and Kellen, 3. On their way up I-79, Kristin checked Twitter and saw exit 155 was a mess because of a tractor trailer.

“So we made a huge mistake by getting off the Westover exit at 4:15,” Curtis said. “We then decided to go up through town, because it was taking forever to turn left on University Avenue after the bridge. We ended up at the law library at 5:15.”

I walked that way along University Avenue to the game, and that part of town was a parking lot. So the Garretsons spun around, eventually made a right onto Beechurst Avenue near Stansbury Hall and inched toward the Coliseum. After a few “daring maneuvers,” they hit the parking lot at 6:45.

“The entire time, Turner was in a panic that we would not get to the game in time,” Curtis said. “We are actually one of the lucky ones. We were in our seats at the introductions.”

But the beginning of the story is the end of the game. The Garretsons sat in Section 2, which is in the upper deck, and it would be a tricky trip to a treacherous place.

“I was telling my wife the same thing about going down,” Curtis said. “I said, ‘I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not.’ She said, ‘It’s one of those great opportunities for him to be on the floor after a great win.’ I then repeated to her, ‘I just don’t know.’

“So I had my son saying, ‘Dad, please take me. Come on, Dad,’ and my wife in the other ear saying, ‘Just take him down there.’ So on our way we went.”

Curtis made sure Turner stayed in front of him the entire time, and they were careful to take the floor well after the initial rush of fans.

“I know how dangerous it can be, but I wanted him to experience it,” Curtis said.

Why not? Turner’s no stranger to a big moment, after all. When Bob Huggins was introduced as WVU’s coach in April 2007, he made time for a photo with Turner.

On the same floor so many years later, hundreds and hundreds of fans sang Country Roads. Players and coaches were weaving through the crowd and trying to find one another for hugs and cheers. They’d all stop and hug and cheer with fans. Someone pulled himself up onto one of the rims. It really was one of those great opportunities to be on the floor after a great win.

“Once we got behind the commentators’ table, two staff members pointed to my son and tried to get Holton’s attention,” Curtis said. “They then asked to place him up there, and I helped boost him up to Holton.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Curtis said. “There were people under Jonathan to catch him if he did fall — there was a sea of people. I was just living in the moment. I know how much that meant to Turner.”

Holton, of course, is Turner’s new favorite player, and he now has an indelible memory to relive and to share forever.

He’d have to wait a while on Wednesday, though.

“He was anxious to get to school. However, that had to wait since our county was on a three-hour delay, which I have a role in,” said Curtis, who is the transportation director for Calhoun County’s schools. “So he made the statement that on one of the days that he was wanting to get to school that I had to delay things for him.”