Yes hoops fans, March Madness is finally here! No doubt this is the best time of the year for most basketball fans. There’s no other tournament like the NCAA Tournament.
It’s time to fill out a tournament bracket and hope for the best. Even those who don’t know all that much about basketball get involved just because they’re caught up in the hysteria of the tournament.
There have been many current NBA stars that have had a big say in this tournament over time.
Villanova won a thrilling final last year up against a very good North Carolina team on the buzzer, with Kris Jenkins nailing a bomb. Last year’s finalists will again feature heavily in this season’s tourney.
A year earlier Tyus Jones played a starring role in the final for a Duke line up which included Philadelphia 76er Jahlil Okafor. They defeated Wisconsin in another great contest which included 2 NBA stars of their own in Sam Dekker (Houston) and Frank “the tank” Kaminsky of the Charlotte Hornets.
It’s hard to forget the run UCONN made back in 2011, defeating Butler in the final fairly comfortably. “Cardiac” Kemba Walker played a starring role, which catapulted him into NBA stardom. He is now with the Charlotte Hornets along with a very young Jeremy Lamb.
That was Butlers 2nd final in a row, after going down to Duke the year prior. In one of the more memorable finals a baby faced assassin, Gordon Hayward, attempted to lead the unknown Butler Bulldogs to one of the most unlikely championships ever. It wasn’t meant to be as Hayward’s half court heave bounced off the rim and out! Gordon Hayward is now an NBA All-Star and continuing to shine for a young Utah Jazz team.
It’s such an important tournament for a lot of these kids staking their claims for the upcoming NBA Draft.
Would love to know your favourite memories of the NCAA tournament and who you think is going to be the NBA’s next star to come out of this year’s MADNESS?
Dave Bauk