Where are they now: The '85 Villanova Wildcats' shocking championship team
On April 1, 1985, the No. 8-seeded Villanova Wildcats achieved basketball immortality with a stunning 66-64 upset over mighty Patrick Ewing and the top-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in what was expected to be a coronation for one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time.
An unranked bubble team with 10 losses that was no certainty to even make the tournament, the Wildcats chartered a difficult path through No. 1-seeded Michigan, No.2-seeded North Carolina and No.2-seeded Memphis (among others) just to reach the championship game. They remain the highest seed to ever win the tournament.
The Wildcats were led by a group of seniors and their animated head coach Rollie Massimino, who were convinced that they could topple the 35-2 Hoyas.
"One, do not play not to lose. Play to win," Massimino said, lighting a fire underneath their rears before the game. "Two, you are good enough to win. You can beat anyone in the country. Believe it."
The talk before the storm.
They did and they did, owing to a near-perfect shooting performance (22-of-28 from the field, 22-of-27 at the foul line) and a swarming defense that managed to stymie the Hoyas, who attempted 25 more field goals.
The members of that team have carried the accomplishment and the memories (and a ring) with them throughout their lives and remain a close-knit bunch over 30 years later.
Here's a look at the iconic bunch then and now:
ED PINCKNEY
Then: A senior center and the NCAA Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, he scored 16 points and pulled down six rebounds in the title game. The Phoenix Suns drafted Pinckney 10th overall in 1985 where he began a 12-year NBA career with seven different teams.
Dribbling into paint as Ewing defends (L); teaching hoops in 2015 (R).
Now: After his playing career, Pinckney spent several years in broadcasting before starting a coaching career as an assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova. He then moved to the NBA as an assistant. He is currently an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets.
Then: The senior guard/forward led all scorers in the championship game with 17 points. Drafted by the Pacers 27th overall, McClain played one season in Indiana before going international for 12 seasons of professional basketball in seven countries.
Now: McClain later worked as a financial adviser before co-founding a mergers and acquisitions firm in Jupiter, Florida. He also reunited with coach Massimino for two years to help coach the Northwood University basketball team.
McClain celebrates after making a play against the Hoyas.
GARY MCLAIN
Then: ''Georgetown was supposed to win [the championship] easy,'' said McLain, the squad’s senior point guard who hit all five of his field goal and free throw attempts. ''Some of the papers said that we shouldn't even come to the game, that maybe we should go out to dinner and just let Georgetown celebrate. But once the game starts, all those things don't mean anything.''
Now: Became a motivational speaker for TeamRoc Sports Apparel and elsewhere. He resides in Florida.
HAROLD PRESSLEY
Then: The junior forward played all 40 minutes in the title game, chipping in 11 points and four rebounds. The Sacramento Kings drafted Pressley 17th overall in 1986. He played four seasons in Sacramento.
Now: Remained in Sacramento, where he began hosting on television and radio. He has also taught basketball and founded the “Treat’em Like a King” foundation, which serves disadvantaged and at-risk youths.
Pressley fighting his way around Patrick Ewing (L); Pressley in 2015 (R).
HAROLD JENSEN
Then: A sophomore swingman and sixth man in 1984-1985, Jensen scored 14 points off the bench in the championship game (5-5 from the field, 4-5 at the line).
ROLLIE MASSIMINO
Harold Jenson looks to pass the ball against Georgetown.
Now: Continued coaching with later stops at UNLV and Cleveland State. The 81-year-old College Basketball Hall of Famer now coaches at Northwood University/Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida, which competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
“I speak to Jay [Wright] a couple times a week and he's done a wonderful job carrying on our legacy,” Massimino said in 2015. “He has a slogan where ‘We play for the kids before us.’ His kids are playing for the kids who were there when we played and that's been a great tribute. I really think he's going to win it someday and get Villanova another championship soon, if not this year.”
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TEAM
Massimino during the title game (L); Massimino in 2015 (R).
Chuck Everson: Works for Sunoco as a liaison between the oil company and station owners and instructs basketball in the Philadelphia area.
R.C. Massimino: Currently owner/president of construction management company Massimino Building Corp in Newtown, Pa.
Wyatt Maker: Works in sales for a produce company in California.
Mark Plansky: Became a broker for Lehman Brothers and later a managing director at Jeffries & Company in Boston.
Connally Brown: Works for the F.B.I., and at least at one time an anti-terrorism task force at the bureau.
Veltra Dawson: As of 2005, worked in private business and attended Nova’s Final Four game against North Carolina in 2009.
