Can one moment really define a person?

Can it define a lifetime?

Think of a throw net cast out upon the ocean with the hope that it will catch something.

That is faith. That is belief.

That is how Tony Randolph remembers Chaminade’s upset of then-No. 1 Virginia 30 years ago. The 6-foot-7 center for the Silverswords was tasked with defending the Cavaliers’ 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson, who was in the midst of his third straight national player of the year campaign.

The two had a bit of history, playing at rival high schools and in street games in Harrisonburg, Va. Randolph even dated Sampson’s younger sister, Valerie, briefly.

None of that mattered on Dec. 23, 1982.

The Silverswords were on a roller-coaster ride of a season, having beaten the University of Hawaii and having lost to Wayland Baptist in the days before facing top-ranked Virginia.

The 6-0 Cavaliers were on their way back from Tokyo, where they had defeated Utah and Houston, the latter led by Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Sampson was recovering from pneumonia and didn’t play against the Utes and Cougars, but he started against the Silverswords.

"We didn’t even talk about Virginia until game day," Randolph said. "But we believed that if we did what we did well, we had a chance of winning. I still can’t find the words for it. Everyone in the world was shocked. We were shocked, too."

In what is still considered the biggest upset in college basketball history, Chaminade stunned Virginia 77-72.

That shockwave continues to ripple throughout the sport to this day … and into this week.

The victory over the Cavaliers and subsequent surprises over ranked Louisville and SMU teams the next two seasons gave birth to the Maui Invitational. The 29th edition of one of the premier preseason tournaments starts Monday at the Lahaina Civic Center with a nod to its origins.

Among those to be recognized at Monday morning’s press conference and reception are Sampson, Randolph and former Chaminade coach Merv Lopes.

"I’ve never liked losing, but for that loss to turn into a tournament like this is a wonderful thing," said Sampson, hired last month as a player development coach by the Phoenix Suns. "The talk of the game helps keep the tournament going. It’s going to be fun to be in Maui and enjoy it."

There will be commemorative jerseys presented and talk of the Lifetime network movie being developed by Julie Fong that could end up in ESPN’s "30 for 30" series.

"Like ‘Glory Road’ and ‘Hoosiers,’ it has that inspirational story about people overcoming obstacles," said Randolph, currently the Dean of Discipline and an assistant basketball coach at St. Francis School. "Who would have imagined that nine guys with a coach getting paid $2,000 who was doing our laundry would mean that our names are mentioned with some of the big-name schools with long traditions.

"That we have this niche in college basketball history forever is mind-blowing. It is very humbling that I get to stand behind the name of Chaminade once again."

Randolph was a counselor in the Hawaii state family court system for 21 years, working with troubled youth. When he was named the judiciary employee of the year in 2002, then-Chief Justice Ronald Moon "gave a speech that touched my heart," Randolph said. "He said that Chaminade will always be remembered as the champions of the underdogs."

Randolph wears his pride on his right forearm with a tattoo of a basketball and the words "Giant Killers."

"So many people have told me they were inspired by that game, and by the way we played," he said. "My parents and then my aunt raised me to keep my feet on the ground, keep perspective and, if given an opportunity, to reach out and help others.

"That (Virginia) game has a life of its own. I want to take that inspiration and pass it along."

Just like the drills, basic and fundamental, that Lopes led the Silverswords through.

"Life is crazy," the 80-year-old Lopes said. "No way you think something 30 years ago still has this impact. It’s still crazy."

It’s like tossing that throw net out into calm waters and expecting to catch something. Crazy but, as Lopes — an expert throw-net fisherman — knows, one has to keep faith and believe that sometimes the big one doesn’t get away.