Family, friends of Bay Area native Darrion Trammell celebrate as he advances to NCAA Final Four

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's a March Madness that one Bay Area family will never forget.

San Diego State has advanced to the men's NCAA Final Four for the first time ever and that's in large part thanks to Marin City native and St. Ignatius alum Darrion Trammell.

Trammell's family was overwhelmed with joy and pride after Sunday's game against Creighton.

"It's too many emotions. Hard to explain right now. It's just overwhelming," Trammell's dad, Damien Trammell, told ABC7 News while fighting back tears.

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Trammell's mother, Diema Adams Parham, described the moment she ran up to her son after the game.

"Oh my God, I hugged him so tight," Parham said. "I kissed his face a thousand times. I was like, 'You did it! You're here!"

"His tears were on his cheeks. It was just a moment where I felt like you made it, you did it," she exclaimed.

It was a wild end to Sunday's game. In the final second of the match-up, Trammell's free throw gave the Aztecs a 57 to 56 win over Creighton.

Trammell was born and raised in Marin City. His parents say he fell in love with basketball as a child watching his older brother Michael play.

"He's this itty bitty, pint-sized kid shooting threes and people are like, 'who is this kid shooting threes?' It's Darrion Trammell," his mother recalled.

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Trammell played at St. Ignatius in San Francisco, then San Francisco City College and Seattle University before becoming point guard at SDSU.

His family attributed his win on Sunday to his strong work ethic, including the several early mornings and late nights he spent practicing basketball at the recreation center in Marin City.

"Coming up around high school it was a lot of, 'you're not this, you're not that, you're not big enough,'" his brother Michael said. "So, anytime he's faced with a challenge, and he hears someone say you can't do the challenge, he's always determined to go out and prove that person wrong."

To some, Trammell may be seen as an underdog, but his family and friends in Marin City never stopped believing in him. They gathered for a watch party on Sunday at that very recreation center where he got his start. Many in that group are now planning a trip to Houston this week to be there in person at the final four game.

A big moment for Trammell -- and his hometown of Marin City.

"I really feel like Darrion's story and itself will just inspire others to believe," Trammell's stepmother, Jazmine, said.

"Yeah this is great," his dad Damien added. "Great for the community. great for the family. Great for Marin County."

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