I Remember Villanova’s 1985 Title Run Like It Was Yesterday
April 2, 2009 – 8:52 am by Jimmy Shapiro
I was a freshman in high school and the Big East was ridiculously dominant. Georgetown had Patrick Ewing and the meanest, most unlikable team ever. And their defense was smothering. St. John’s had Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, and the great Walter Berry. Syracuse had Pearl Washington. Boston College had Michael Adams. And then there was Villanova.
In terms of the coaches, Georgetown was led by the domineering presence of John Thompson and his shoulder towel. St. John’s had Lou Carnesecca and his sweaters. Syracuse had the whiny Jim Boeheim and BC had Gary Williams. Villanova had the biggest character of them all, Rollie Massimino. The name was short for Roland, but could have been for his body type. He was a disheveled mess on the sidelines. Sweating and screaming with his hair all messed up and his shirt often hanging out, watching Massimino was sometimes more entertaining than the game itself.
Villanova was an 8th seed in 1985, which is still the highest seed to ever win the NCAA Championship. It was also the first 64-team field. They were given no shot in the finals against the big, bad Georgetown Hoyas, but with no shot clock in college hoops back then along with perfect execution and great shooting (78.6%, 22 of 28 and only missed one shot in the 2nd half), they narrowly edged the Hoyas 66-64. Shooting that well and only winning by two shows just how great Georgetown was.
It’s fitting that Villanova is back in the Final Four in the most dominating year in the Big East since 1985. Current Villanova Coach Jay Wright was an assistant under Rollie Massimino, but not until 1987. He also followed Massimino to UNLV in 1992.
Massimino joined Howard Eskin of WIP to relive some memories and talk about this year’s Final Four. Before the questions started, Massimino said “Pass the word, the Cats are back!”
On tough love:
“I think that’s where Jay is probably at his best. He yells and screams, he’s gotten these kids to really buy in and maybe Jay learned a little bit of that from me. I always used to sit him down and tell him, it’s very easy to say things to do or not to do when you’re in the 2nd chair. The next day you still have to play with the same people. You can’t trade. That’s where you have to really use the psychology and that’s what I think Jay [does well].”
More from Rollie Massimino and the full interview after the jump.
On the difference between himself and Jay:
“I was more like, take it or leave it, and everyone always thought I was the big ogre but I am probably a lot less than that…this perception from reality. Where Jay does a magnificent job is that he can handle that part of his job so well, that’s what he does so well. I really mean that. When Steve Lappas left for UMass, the first guy I went to was one of the board members I’m very close to and all of a sudden I said, “Jay Wright is the guy for that job”.
A story about one of his mentors, Coach Chuck Daly:
“He’s really not in very good condition at this stage but he took me aside. He had a piece of paper and he’s diagramming me a play that I have to show Jay that he used when he was with the Pistons. I felt so good about that. Right after his chemo yesterday, when he’s not feeling that well, I actually went over and he said, “come here”. He made me sit on the bed with him and he diagrammed this play, I got it in my pocket. I want [Jay] to see. To me that’s very special and I know it’s going to be special to Jay.”
Listen to Rollie Massimino on WIP in Philadelphia with Howard Eskin
Tags: 1985 NCAA Championship, NCAA Tournament, Rollie Massimino, Villanova Wildcats
