It's a phone call Dave Houle has had before. He's even had it this year.
He's argued his case tirelessly to have it. Still, as it happens, he finds himself in a dreamlike state, stunned and speechless.
Sitting in the Mountain View gymnasium, surrounded by the teenagers he coaches, sports writers from all the local stations and papers, and the Bruins' student body, the girls basketball coach answered a phone call that sent the crowd into deafening cheers.
It was ESPN.com announcing this year's national champion for girls basketball resides in Orem.
After moving them to No. 2 last week, ESPN.com writers moved Mountain View back to No. 1 in their final poll, which came out today. They announced the Bruins were the national champions Thursday morning in a telephone call that Houle answered in the crowded gymnasium.
He'd done the same thing in the fall when USA Today phoned to say Houle's boys cross-country team was the national champions.
But this, he said, is different. It's basketball. Girls basketball. This is a first for the state of Utah, even for the Hall of Famer.
"I'm so caught up in the moment," he said. "It's just hard to describe (how it feels) . . . I can't even fathom all of this. Two national championships in one year. Can you believe it?"
Forgive him if he's still in disbelief. It was just a year ago that this same basketball team (minus one starter) lost in the semifinals of the state tournament. They won only one game in the national championship tournament.
"Even then I saw something special," he said. This year, the Bruins took third in that same tournament and won the 5A state championship without even playing their starters an entire game.
"I hoped, but to see it actually happen is something else," Houle said. "I'm really excited for the state of Utah."
The team will finish second in the USA Today poll, which also came out today, as those writers put the only team to beat Mountain View this season (Narbonne, Calif.) in the top spot. Houle feels his team should have won that close game, but didn't get some critical calls. Still, he's not upset with the second place finish there, because he's national champion in another.
"It kind of solidifies we're a pretty good team," he said.
The school received the trophy a day before the announcement, and ESPN.com sent a banner to be hung in the gymnasium. Adidas sent sweaters, and Houle's going to order championship rings.
"Everybody kind of knows, and they're all excited," he said. "Every few minutes someone asks me, 'Can you believe we're going to be national champions in women's basketball?' It's a dream come true."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com