NCAA Tournament: Where Are They Now?

Then: The 2014 tournament wasn’t Shabazz Napier’s first rodeo. As a freshman, Napier supported UConn phenom Kemba Walker to win the title in 2011. He established a remarkable reputation through his sophomore and junior years. Napier even perservered with the team despite coach Jim Calhoun’s departure in 2012 and the Huskies 2013 ban for academic eligbility. Connecticut danced their way through Michigan State and Florida, with an ultimate victory over Kentucky. Napier was named Outstanding Player of the Year and averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
Now: Napier entered the 2014 NBA Draft and selected 24th overall by the Hornets, eventually being subsequently traded to the Heat later that night. In 2015, he was traded to Orlando and by the following year was traded to Portland. Napier remained with the Blazers from 2016-2018, until his trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

Then: Ware became the emotional center of the Cardinals’ 2013 championship team (a title that’s since been vacated) when he suffered a truly gruesome broken leg against Duke in the Elite Eight.
Now: Ware left Louisville in 2014 and finished his college career at Georgia State University, leading the Panthers to the NCAA tournament in 2015. He has played pro ball in Greece and Canada.

Then: Brett Comer, Sherwood Brown and Chase Fieler (from l. to r.) became the darlings of the 2013 tournament, as Florida Gulf Coast dunked all over Georgetown – hence the nickname – in a No. 15 over No. 2 upset on the first weekend. They advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to the No. 3 Florida Gators.
Now: Comer, after some stretches in pro ball, spent the 2017-18 season as a graduate assistant at Dayton while both Brown and Fieler are playing overseas, in Belgium and Lebanon, respectively.

Then: His high-arcing three-pointer with one second left on the shot clock gave Arkansas a 73-70 lead over Duke with under a minute to play in the 1994 national title game, which the Razorbacks would go on to win.
Now: After surprisingly going undrafted in the NBA, Thurman had a productive career playing overseas. He returned to Arkansas in 2010 in a career-development capacity but has since moved to the bench, where he’s been an assistant coach on the men’s team since 2016.

Then: Frank Mason rose the ranks at Kansas with consecutive Big 12 selections. By his senior campaign, Mason became the first player in Big 12 history to average 20.5 points and 5.1 assists per game. He earned multiple honors, being named Big 12 and AP’s Player of the Year in 2017, as well as the receipient of the Oscar Robertson and Naismith awards.
Now: Mason entered the 2017 NBA Draft and was picked 34th by the Sacramento Kings. During the 2017-18 regular season, he averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Then: Playing not far from his Rhode Island home, Sorrentine led the No. 13 Catamounts to an upset of No. 4 Syracuse in Worcester, Massachusetts, when he drilled a three over the Orange’s famous zone defense – from about 28 feet. It gave the Catamounts a four-point lead with a minute to go and they’d go on to win, 60-57.
Now: Sorrentine played professionally in Europe, but an ACL tear led him back home and into the family business (his dad is in the New England Basketball Hall of Fame). He’s the associate head coach at Brown, and has been coaching at the Ivy League program since 2008.

Then: In 2010, Farokhmanesh drained one of those nonononoYES! kind of shots, propelling No. 9 UNI to an improbable upset of No. 1 Kansas. His three-pointer came after the Panthers broke KU’s press, and Farokhmanesh had so much time that it seemed like too much time. He pump faked and drained it, securing the biggest win in program history.
Now: After playing a little in overseas, Farokhmanesh came back to the States to pursue a coaching career. He spent three years at Nebraska as a grad assistant and is currently an assistant coach at Colorado State.

Then: The freshman went from sixth-man to starter during the Wolverines’ run to the Final Four in 2013, posting double-doubles in wins over VCU and an overtime thriller against Kansas.
Now: A combination of injuries and drug violations forced McGary out of the NBA, but he hasn’t ruled out a possible return. In the meantime, he’s polishing his bowling game. “I love it,” he told the Chicago Tribune in 2017.

Then: The tattooed 6-11 forward was a matchup nightmare for the Mountaineers’ opponents in the 2005 tournament, when they marched all the way to the Elite Eight. He tortured teams again with his inside-outside game in 2006 as West Virginia advanced to the Sweet 16.
Now: Pittsnogle had a cup of coffee in the NBA, playing six games with the Celtics in 2006, and then bounced around some pro leagues before retiring in 2012. He began working as a special education teacher in West Virginia in 2016.

Then: Kimble authored one of the most memorable moments, not just in tournament history, but in the history of sports when he took a free-throw left-handed, in honor of his fallen teammate Hank Gathers, and drained it in the 1990 Big Dance.
Now: Kimble is the co-founder of the Forty-Four for Life Foundation – a nod to Gathers’ jersey number – and sits on its board of directors. The group aims to raise awareness about heart diseases.

Then: Gray, and his man bun, took the hoops world by storm by leading Houston to a six seed in the NCAA Tournament and scoring 39 points in a first-round win over San Diego State. His 23 points and 10 rebounds weren’t enough against eventual tournament runner-up Michigan, as Houston’s run ended after one game.
Now: Gray went undrafted following the 2018 Dance and is currently playing in the G League where he’s averaging just over 17 ppg for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Then: He was the player you loved to hate, the trash-talking, shot-making poster boy for what was, at the time, a program on the rise. He played in four Final Fours, winning two championships.
Now: Laettner had a respectable, if not spectacular NBA career, and is in the Hall of Fame on the strength of his dominance in college. His post-basketball career is less decorated; he’s been sued for real estate ventures that went sideways.

Then: Bang! Jenkins’ triple from the wing will be on every NCAA tournament highlight reel played from now to eternity. The buzzer-beating shot secured Nova’s win over North Carolina in the 2016 title game, the program’s first championship since 1985.
Now: Things haven’t gone smoothly following that title. The 6-foot-6 guard went undrafted following his senior season in 2017. He got a summer league invitation from the Wizards and played briefy in the G-League. He was set to play in Turkey but failed his physical. He spent part of the 2017-18 season playing in the North American Premier Basketball League, but was suspended because he was “not willing to put in the time and the effort,” a claim he denies. He’s currently playing pro ball in Germany.

Then: Records are meant to be broken, but maybe not this one. The guard scored an NCAA tournament-record 61 points in a 112-82 Irish rout over Ohio in the 1970 Big Dance. In his seven tournament games, he has two 40-point games, two 50-point games and that 61 point explosion.
Now: Carr had a lengthy career in the NBA but is best known today as the voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Then: The bearded Lumberjack chopped down third-seeded West Virginia in the first round of the 2016 tournament, scoring 33 points – and going 19-of-20 from the free-throw line – in the 70-56 win. SFA would lose a nail-biter to Notre Dame in its second-round game despite getting 21 points, five rebounds and five assists from Walkup.
Now: Walkout was an All-Star for MHP Reisen Ludwigsburg in Germany’s top division in 2017-18 and is currently playing for Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He no longer rocks the bushy beard.

Then: Jay Williams hit the ground running at Duke. He finished his freshman year with an average 14.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game and earned honors like ACC’s Rookie of the Year. The Blue Devil’s point guard led the team to the 2001 NCAA title, simultaneously breaking and setting records during the tournament. In 2002, Williams was honored with the Naismith Award and named College Basketball Player of the Year.
Now: Williams was the 2nd overall pick for the Chicago Bulls in 2002, but an unfortunate motorcycle accident halted his professional career in 2003. He returned to the league in 2006, but was shuffled from the New Jersey Nets into the NBA Development League due to his injuries. By 2007, Williams announced he had no plans for another professional return. He did transition to television as a college basketball analyst for ESPN in 2010 and released his autobiography, “Life Is Not An Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention,” in 2016.

Then: The UConn phenomenon Kemba Walker had a quick rise to become the national leading scorer in 2011 and it took only 12 games. The Huskies junior averaged 26.7 points, 5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Walker led the Huskies to the NCAA Championship and was named Outstanding Player of the year. He also graced one of the regional covers for Sports Illustrated.
Now: Walker entered the NBA Draft in 2011 and was the 9th overall pick for the Charlotte Bobcats. To this day, he remains on the team, now Hornets, and has been an impeccable lead for Charlotte. From game-winning shots to spectacular comebacks, Walker continues to be a valuable asset for the Hornets.