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Byline: Kevin Tatum
PHILADELPHIA _ As the Villanova basketball team was passing through New York, Nashville, Tenn., and Syracuse, N.Y., on its way to a berth in the Sweet 16 of this year's NCAA tournament, it wasn't the Wildcats' charismatic coach, Jay Wright, who was attracting all the attention.
Nor was it guard Randy Foye, an all-tournament-team selection after the Syracuse Regional. Or Kyle Lowry, the spark plug of a freshman guard who had garnered many accolades. Or center Jason Fraser, who told his uplifting story of persevering through injury over and over.
No, the person reporters were flocking to was Villanova assistant coach Ed Pinckney.
At each stop the Wildcats made during the postseason, Pinckney could be found in a back hall somewhere standing before a phalanx of reporters for the print and electronic media.
The reporters wanted to know about the 1985 Villanova squad, which Pinckney starred for, and which ended its improbable run to the national championship 20 years ago Friday.
"It never gets old," Pinckney said. "It's something you never get tired of thinking about or talking about. You're lucky to have been a part of something like that. The memories will always be there."