'Nova looks for another upset of North Carolina
"From Day 1, when coach Pinckney stepped on campus, all the big guys on the team turned into sponges," Fraser said. "He speaks to us 24-7 about everything, about basketball, about life."
Pinckney is just as impressed by what Fraser and his teammates have accomplished in their first trip to the NCAA tournament; this is Villanova's first appearance since 1999.
"My team, we were all seniors and we had been to the tournament before," Pinckney said. "This team, I think they should have a sense of what they've done individually. They've done a great job. If it was my first tournament, my head would have exploded."
Earlier this season, the members of the '85 team came back to Villanova to celebrate the anniversary of their title. It's part of the family like atmosphere started by then-coach Rollie Massimino and continued under current coach Jay Wright.
Former players are welcome at practice and at games, and they often share their experiences with the current team.
"Harold Jensen, Dwight Wilbur, Dwayne McClain, those guys are around Villanova all the time," Wright said. "That's the beauty of coaching at Villanova. Those guys are always there, all of the guys know them. And so they are always a part of this team, and any team that we have, that team will always be a part of it."
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