By John Denton
March 16, 2015
ORLANDO – As Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo was taking a stroll down memory lane, recounting his experiences of survive-and-advance basketball in the NCAA Tournament, teammate Kyle O’Quinn – someone who also has stellar NCAA tourney memories – put in a request.
``That was pretty cool to be on (the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NCAA Tournament issue) and just to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated was … ,’’ Oladipo said before getting interrupted.
``That Sports Illustrated was fire, boy, and I’ve already told you that I need a whole joint of them – laminated with your autograph,’’ O’Quinn said playfully. ``I’m lucky to be your teammate, baby.’’
With the NCAA unveiling its brackets on Sunday for the days and weeks dead ahead of ``March Madness,’’ many of the Magic’s players have memories of the whirlwind of emotions experienced in the NCAA Tournament. The exhilaration of victory, the searing, white-hot pressure of the survive-and-advance mentality of the win-or-go-home tournament and the inevitable tears that follow losses stick with players forever, no matter if they’ve reached the NBA or not.
``It was a crazy experience that you have go through. It’s almost something that you can’t explain,’’ said Oladipo, who became somewhat of the face of the 2013 NCAA Tournament after Sports Illustrated made him their ``Hoosier Hysteria’’ cover boy. ``It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the intensity of every game and the feeling that you if you lose you’re gone. And then that’s feeling if you can make a run you will get to live out a dream. I’m so glad I got a chance to experience it twice in college.’’
For many Magic players, the NCAA Tournament became the proving ground from which they displayed their potential as professional players. Ben Gordon scored 18 points against Duke in the National Semifinals and pumped in another 21 points and three 3-pointers against Georgia Tech to help UConn win the 2004 National Championship. Kyle O’Quinn had a huge game at the biggest time, scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds as tiny Norfolk State upset second-seeded Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
``I still look at the YouTubes (video) all of the time because that was such a fun time,’’ O’Quinn said of his alma mater pulling off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. ``It was an amazing day because we had nothing to lose. As seniors, we didn’t want to go home. At halftime, it was tied up so we knew we had a chance. That gave us a little hope and a little faith.’’
Orlando coach James Borrego, whose Magic play the Rockets in Houston on Tuesday night, was just getting his start in coaching as a graduate assistant when his alma mater, the University of San Diego, beat Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference championship to get a berth to the 2003 NCAA Tournament. He vividly remembers the excitement of the tournament and the tireless hours of prep work that went into opening the tournament against a powerhouse Stanford team. The Toreros ultimately lost 77-69, but that didn’t dampen the NCAA Tournament memory for Borrego.
``Selection Sunday was an exciting day because we were in a dining hall with our team and there was a pep rally. And then that night we broke down four or five game films just to get ready for Stanford,’’ Borrego said. ``It’s just an exciting time of year for basketball fans – NBA, college, all of us. I loved the NCAA Tournament while growing up and to be a part of it was special. It was an exciting time and I’ll always remember that game.’’
Borrego grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., site of N.C. State’s historic upset of Akeem (now Hakeem) Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and the Houston Cougars. Borrego wasn’t at the game as he was just 5 years old at the time, but he’s heard stories about the atmosphere at ``The Pit’’ his whole life.
``That game, in particular, always stood out as a part of Albuquerque’s history and it’s one of my memories of `The Pit,’^’’ Borrego said. ``I remember watching many games at `The Pit’ and it was a really fun place to watch games. That’s where I grew my love of basketball. It was a great college environment at `The Pit.’^’’
Magic forward Channing Frye stayed at the University of Arizona for four years, but his class earned a dubious distinction while he was a Wildcat: They never made the Final Four – something that fellow Wildcats such as Richard Jefferson and Luke Walton relentlessly tease him about. Still, Frye said he would trade the memories of college for anything.
``We were a No. 1 seed twice and the pressure that was there, we lived in it, we worked for it and it was a lot of fun,’’ said Frye, a 10-year NBA veteran. ``I still get roasted by all of those other guys because we were the first group under Coach (Lute) Olson to not make a Final Four. We made it to the Elite Eight twice and lost by three both times. We lost to good teams and give them credit, but I felt like we had a team that could have done some things.’’
Frye’s Magic teammate, Aaron Gordon, has much more recent memories of his time playing at the University of Arizona. But sadly, Gordon said, the results were the same as Frye’s. He led the Wildcats to a 33-5 record last season, but they were tripped up one game before the Final Four on a last-minute shot by Wisconsin. Gordon still keeps in touch with Arizona coach Sean Miller and plans to watch as much of the NCAA Tournament as possible.
Oladipo was really good for Indiana during its two NCAA Tournament runs while he played for the Hoosiers. In 2012, IU beat New Mexico State and Virginia Commonwealth in Portland – something that Oladipo still thinks about every time he’s in the Pacific Northwest and the Magic are playing the Trail Blazers. That 2012 season, Indiana got upended by the Anthony Davis-led Kentucky squad that went on to win the title. Oladipo didn’t disappoint in that game, scoring 15 points and handing out three assists.
In 2013, Oladipo’s Hoosiers reached No. 1 in the country during the regular season and he dreamed of becoming the first Indiana team to reach the Final Four since 2002. But IU was stymied by Syracuse’s matchup zone and they lost 61-50 despite a stellar showing from Oladipo (16 points and three steals).
The final game of Magic center Nikola Vucevic’s college career came in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and it played a big role in him ultimately turning pro and entering the NBA Draft. USC lost 59-46 to VCU in the second round of the tournament, but it had little to do with Vucevic as he scored 11 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and swatted two shots.
Vucevic, a native of Montenegro who went to high school in Southern California, said he had no idea of the magnitude of the NCAA Tournament until the Trojans get a bid in 2009 when the 7-footer was a freshman. Vucevic’s Trojans rallied to beat Boston College in 2009, but they narrowly lost to Michigan State – a game where Vucevic first opened eyes by scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds as a freshman reserve center.
``It was fun, especially my first time there during my freshman year at SC. I knew (the NCAA Tournament) was big, but I didn’t really know. When we got there and I saw so much media, so many fans and so much going on – I was really impressed that people follow college basketball that much,’’ Vucevic said. ``It was a great experience. We ran into tough opponents both times in the tournament, but it was a fun experience because your whole school is behind you and everybody cheers for you.’’
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