Rollie Massimino will see Villanova play for the title in person
Rollie Massimino's dreams came true back in 1985 when he coached Villanova to the national title in college basketball and it looks like he'll get to experience some of that joy again Monday night.
Massimino, now 81, has waited all this time to see another group of Wildcats get back to the title game and thanks to a friend, who is a member of the Villanova board of trustees, he will be in Houston to watch Villanova play for the title Monday night against North Carolina.
[Villanova could be first champ in 29 years without a first-round pick]
Massimino elected to remain at home in Jupiter, Fla., with his ailing wife, Mary Jane, instead of flying to Houston for the national semifinals on Saturday, but he was offered the chance to travel Monday on a private plane owned by his friend and he accepted.
It wasn't just concerns over leaving behind his sick wife that Massimino had to overcome to make the trip. He also has been dealing with kidney stones and a blood clot recently but managed to make the trip despite those health issues.
Massimino has a strong connection to program through his relationship with Wright that goes above and beyond his status as the man who led Villanova to the championship all those seasons ago. He hired Wright to be a Villanova assistant coach in 1987, two years after winning the title and when the school was looking for a head coach again in 2001, he suggested it hire Wright, who has been in the job since.
Many of the members of that special 1985 Villanova team were present at the team hotel to welcome Massimino to Houston when he arrived Monday morning. It should be a special night for them regardless of whether the Wildcats win this time around or not.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
