Gary McLain is a former American collegiate basketball player at Villanova University.
McLain was a highly recruited point guard while at Methuen High School. His high school coach Bill Donlon was his legal guardian. He was recruited by several college programs and chose to attend Villanova and was a part of the Villanova Wildcats's 1981 heralded recruiting class that also featured Ed Pinckney and Dwayne McClain, which the three had collective nickname of "The Expansion Crew". His basketball career lasted from 1981 to 1985 and played point guard. McLain graduated with a degree in Communication Arts.
McLain was starting point guard in the 1985 squad which defeated Georgetown University, 66–64 to win to the NCAA title over the heavily favored Hoyas. This game is widely considered as one of the greatest NCAA tournament upsets of all time. [1] This game is featured in the book The Perfect Game by Frank Fitzpatrick. [2]
McLain was selected in the seventh round of the 1985 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets and was later selected by the Wildwood Aces of the United States Basketball League, but did not play for either team.
He worked as a recruiter with TLA Consultants.
In the March 1987 issue of Sports Illustrated, Gary McLain revealed that he had been using drugs since junior high school and began a cocaine habit while at Villanova. He also acknowledged using cocaine before Villanova's Final Four victory over Memphis State, but maintained that he did not use drugs before the 1985 national championship game against Georgetown. [3]
Roland Vincent Massimino was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1992–1994), Cleveland State University (1996–2003), and at Northwood University's Florida campus, which was sold in 2014 to Keiser University (2006–2017). He reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament five times and reached the NAIA Semi-final twice.
The 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 47 games were played.
Edward Lewis Pinckney is an American former professional basketball player.
The 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known as University Arena, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. A total of 51 games were played.
The 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began on March 14, 1985, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Lexington, Kentucky. A total of 63 games were played.
The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball program represents Georgetown University in NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball and the Big East Conference. Georgetown has competed in men's college basketball since 1907. The current head coach of the program is Ed Cooley.
The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball program represent Villanova University in men's college basketball and competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. Their first season was the 1920–21 season. Named the Wildcats, Villanova is a member of the Philadelphia Big Five, five Philadelphia college basketball teams who share a passionate rivalry.
The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. The team has competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. The Eagles have appeared in 18 NCAA Tournaments in their history, most recently in 2009. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988. The Eagles are currently coached by Earl Grant.
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is an intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The program is classified in the NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The 1981–82 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1981–82 NCAA Division I college basketball season. Led by tenth-year head coach John Thompson, it was the first season in which they played their home games at the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland, except for five games at McDonough Gymnasium on campus in Washington, D.C.
The 1984–85 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1984–85 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 13th season as head coach. They played their home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 35-3, 14-2 in Big East play. They won the 1985 Big East men's basketball tournament and advanced to the final of the 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, which they lost to Big East rival Villanova in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history. They were ranked No. 1 in the season's final Associated Press Poll and Coaches' Poll.
The 1984–85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. The team is famous for one of the biggest upsets in sports history – a 66–64 win over #1 Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament final on April 1, 1985.
Harold Jensen is an American former basketball player. He is best remembered as a key player in Villanova University's surprise 1985 NCAA championship victory. He shot the winning basket in the final minutes of the 1985 showdown against Georgetown.
The 1996–97 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 25th season as head coach. Their home court was USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East 7 Division of the Big East Conference, were the regular-season champions of the Big East 7 Division, and finished the season with a record of 20-10, 11-7 in Big East play. Their record earned them a bye in the first round of the 1997 Big East men's basketball tournament, and they advanced to the semifinals before losing to Boston College. They received a No. 10 seed in the West Regional of the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – Georgetown's 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 years – and lost to No. 7 seed North Carolina-Charlotte in the first round.
The 1994–95 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1994–95 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 23rd season as head coach. They played their home games at USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 21-10, 11-7 in Big East play. Their record earned them a bye in the first round of the 1995 Big East men's basketball tournament, and they advanced to the tournament semifinal before losing to Connecticut. They were awarded a No. 6 seed in the Southeast Region of the 1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – Georgetown's 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in 17 years – and advanced to the Southeast Region Semifinals before losing to region's No. 2 seed, North Carolina. They were ranked No. 22 in the season's final Associated Press Poll and No 16 in the postseason Coaches' Poll.
The 1985–86 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1985–86 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 14th season as head coach. They played their home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 24–8, 11–5 in Big East play. They advanced to the 1986 Big East men's basketball tournament semifinals before losing to Syracuse and to the second round of the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament before losing to Michigan State. They were ranked No. 13 in the season's final Associated Press Poll and No. 15 in the final Coaches' Poll.
The 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final of the 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and determined the national champion in the 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was held on April 1, 1985, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The Georgetown Hoyas, the defending national champions and the tournament's number one seed from the East region, faced the Villanova Wildcats, the eighth seed from the Southeast region. The teams came from the same conference, the Big East, and the championship game was the third meeting between them in 1984–85, after two regular season contests.
The 2016–17 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hoyas, led by 13th-year head coach John Thompson III, played their home games at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and were members of the Big East Conference.
The 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1984 and ended with the Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky on April 1, 1985. The Villanova Wildcats won their first NCAA national championship with a 66–64 victory over the defending champion, top-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. It was the second time in three seasons that the national champion had 10 losses.
Jahvon Quinerly is a former American college basketball player, who previously played for the Memphis Tigers, Villanova Wildcats and Alabama Crimson Tide.