RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. (WTKR) — The pageantry can take a second to get used to for players in their NCAA Tournament.
As Norfolk State finished up its shootaround on Thursday, forward Tyrel Bladen made sure to soak up some of that moment. The senior quickly got a picture with Grant Hill, the former star forward at Duke and 18-year NBA veteran who will be on the call for the Spartans' game against Florida on Friday.
"Hey, that's Grant Hill," he said with a joyous smile running off the floor. "What in the world?"
That's a moment Bladen has wanted since his college basketball career started in 2019.
One of his Norfolk State teammates, Christian Ings, has experienced this stage before but the feeling of walking onto the court with the Big Dance feel never gets old.
"I'm glad I get to finish my career at March Madness," he said.
The duo of Ings and Bladen have worked for a while to make the dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament together a reality. Before they came to Hampton Roads, the two started their journey together in 2019 at Rider University, playing two seasons with each other in New Jersey.
"(Bladen) brought an energy to us that was is unmatched," Ings said.
"That was tremendous. (Ings) was already a great prospect at Rider," Bladen said. "I feel like he really got to open his wings when he came to Norfolk."
After two seasons with the Broncos, Ings decided to transfer to Norfolk State and immediately got a taste of the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Two years later, Bladen put his name in the portal as well and his former point guard was quick to get him to the green and gold.
"In the same breath as he put his name in, I told him, 'Look, I got Norfolk State if you need somewhere to go,'" Ings remembered. "We were looking for a big man and it was a match made in Heaven."
"Other schools that were talking just didn't hit the same with their recruiting," Bladen said.
"Once we found out about Tyrel and he came to visit, 'Philly' sealed the deal," said Spartan head coach Robert Jones. "We didn't have to do much recruiting there."
For the last two years, the tandem have created highlights together with high-powered dunks and winning plays, helping NSU tally 48 victories and punch its first ticket to the NCAA Tournament in three years.
Through those seasons, Ings and Bladen have watched each other flourish both on and off the floor.
"He's much more mature, his skills are more honed," said the point guard. "He's a much better basketball player."
"We've had such a similar journey together," Bladen said. "I feel like it's made the fruits of the labor that much sweeter."
On Friday the two will try and help the school make another bit of March Madness history when they face top seeded Florida at 6:50 PM.
Bladen and Ings have finally seen their goals of reaching the pinnacle of the sport together, and the game against the Gators is another chance to get their one shining moment with each other as teammates.
"We had these talks at Rider about finishing our story together and meeting at the top," Bladen said. "Our biggest thing is going out with that MEAC chip and continuing the dream with this March Madness run."
"I just love the fact that I got to bring in this season-ending vibe with my brother," Ings said.
