Dwane Casey, Raptors players look back on March Madness memories

TORONTO – It’s been 37 years, but Raptors head coach Dwane Casey hasn’t forgotten what it was like coming home to Kentucky as a national champion in the spring of 1978.

“I remember flying back to Lexington and people were running out on the runway, and the highway between the city and Lexington was packed with people,” Casey recalled Wednesday prior to a 105-100 Raptors victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“We had police escorts. It was a great time. I was young, I was innocent [and] having fun. I remember not sleeping for three days afterwards. It was a great feeling.”

The Raptors coach played four seasons in the NCAA with the Wildcats and says he takes great pride in being a Kentucky alumnus.

That said, with his alma mater heading into the tournament undefeated (34-0) and being widely considered as the team most likely to win it all, Casey has done his best to keep his bragging to a minimum.

“Being a Kentucky fan you know you’re at an advantage, but that doesn’t guarantee you anything. You can still lose it in one night,” he said

While the Raptors coach has decided to let Kentucky’s record speak for itself, Patrick Patterson hasn’t been as humble.

“I’ve been bragging all year long,” Patterson, who spent three seasons with the Wildcats between 2007-2010, said.

The power forward says this time of year everyone seems to get behind their school.

“When tournament time comes around you see guys talking about their teams a lot and wearing sweat suit outfits or t-shirts of their alma mater [and] consistently bragging or talking about them so me and Chuck [Hayes, who’s also a Kentucky alumnus] are definitely shutting down the locker room right now,” he said.

Patterson’s support even extends to his bracket.

“I’ve filled out like five brackets and . . . Kentucky is winning them all, but I have a different team going up against [them] in every single one,” he said.

The Raptors’ three-point shooting specialist was never able to bring a national title back to Lexington like Casey did, but Kentucky advanced to the elite 8 in his final season with a roster that included John Wall, who took home national player of the year honours that season, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe.

The fans are what he says stand out most when looking back at his time in college, though.

“Big Blue Nation [travelled] wherever we went,” Patterson said. “Whether it was north or south, in an arena or in the back roads and they filled up 90 per cent of the arena, if not all of it.”

In total the Raptors have 10 players who played in the NCAA before making the jump to the pros with Tyler Hansbrough being the only one on the roster to have won a national championship.

That’s not to say other Toronto players haven’t been part of some memorable March Madness moments.

In 2006 Kyle Lowry and Villanova advanced to the elite 8 on a game-winning goaltending call; In 2008 Greg Stiemsma and the Wisconsin Badgers, a no. 3 seed, were upset by Davidson – remember that run Steph Curry went on? – and in 2010 Greivis Vasquez and Maryland were eliminated in the second round on a buzzer-beating three pointer by Michigan State.

“It was the most heartbreaking loss in my career,” said Vasquez, who hit a floater to put Maryland up by one before that final possession.

“March Madness is a fun point in the year. Obviously you’ve had a great regular season and then you have to go out there and compete and anything can happen on any given night.”