Ed Pinckney may be the assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets, but Monday night the college basketball legend was sitting in a packed arena reliving his moment of victory in 1985, as a Villanova Wildcat. In a recent blog post, Pinckney described the incredible experience of watching his alumni school bring home an NCAA championship in person.
The assistant coach watched the buzzer-beating game alongside his teammates and coaches from the 1985 team. Among them: Harold Pressley, Chuck Everson, Dwayne McClain, Connally Brown and R.C. Massimino.
Like any Wildcat fan watching the close game, Pinckney’s nerves were sky high when the Tar Heels tied it up in the final seconds, and being surrounded by people wearing Carolina blue was even more intimidating.
But as Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hit a 3-pointer with time expiring, Pinckney could relax, as the only thing capable of bursting his heart was pride.
“I wanted to be part of it, too! So there we were, on the court, confetti falling down all around us, everybody screaming and hugging each other,” Pinckney recounts. “Ryan Arcidiacono hugged me and said, ‘Thank you so much.’ It was pure pandemonium. They played ‘One Shining Moment’ while the team was on the podium, and it was amazing to be in the midst of it all.”
Despite his early flight the next day, Denver’s assistant coach celebrated with the team until 3:30 that morning, watching them savor the feeling that he experienced 30 years ago.
“I’m just beyond happy that they won,” said Pinckney. “In my eyes, we are all the same now. We are all champions. That is, to me, the best. They are the story now, but being part of it was a lot of fun. I’ll never forget it … I know that.“
And just as Wildcat fans haven’t forgotten about the story that the 1985 Villanova basketball team wrote, the current NCAA champions will be remembered for their victory for decades to come.
Check out Pinckney’s entire recap of the game, his celebration, and why he thinks the team earned a championship title, here.
