As a trio of distinguished Villanova Basketball alumni perform on the NBA's biggest stage at the Finals, the Nova Notebook by Mike Sheridan is sharing impressions and memories of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. In our third installment, we look back at the spring of 2017 as Hart made the rounds in recognition of a sterling senior season that concluded with a 32-4 record for the Wildcats.
 
Among diehard fans, the 2016-17 men's basketball season that ended in a second round NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin still engenders a plausible list of what ifs?
 
What if freshman forward Omari Spellman hadn't been ruled ineligible by the NCAA prior to the season for issues with his high school transcript? One year later, the sweet shooting 6-9 forward would play a pivotal role in the middle as the 'Cats, led by national player of the year Brunson, won their second NCAA title in three seasons.
 
What if a knee injury hadn't limited Phil Booth to three November games before being shut down for the season? Booth led Nova in scoring (20 points) in its 77-74 NCAA Final victory over North Carolina the prior spring and would serve as a captain alongside Bridges and Brunson on the 36-4 unit that secured the 2018 NCAA national championship for Nova.
 
What if the weary Wildcats could have escaped the second-round matchup in Buffalo against the methodical Badgers?
 
All moot points, of course. History is littered with speculative alternate outcomes (put another way: what if Kris Jenkins' iconic 3-pointer to lift the 'Cats past the Tar Heels had caromed off the back rim?)
 
The 65-62 loss to Wisconsin brought the remarkable college career of Hart to a close. But the 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year and Tournament Most Valuable Player was still in demand. His senior season worksheet lifted him into the exclusive company as a finalist for two of the most prestigious player of the year honors in college basketball: the John R. Wooden and Naismith awards.
 
So it was that the odd pairing of standout Wildcat and seasoned staffer would be renewed after an 11-year dormancy. (In 2006 I was the traveling companion of Randy Foye and Allan Ray as they were honored at various functions following Villanova's loss to Florida in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight). We were to travel west twice in the span of two weeks, first to the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix and then, after a return trip to Philadelphia, another flight west, this to Los Angeles.
 
As the chief communications contact for Villanova Basketball for more than a quarter of a century, it has been my professional privilege to work with many of the most iconic names in program history. Hart spent a lot of time in the spotlight that season – as Brunson would the following year – and was never less than a treat to work with. The playful vibe that has become so well known in his time as a Knick was very much on display at Villanova.
 
Still, postseason awards travel is a different deal. The sting of the exit from the NCAA Tournament is still very much alive and exacerbated by the fact one of the stops is at the Final Four (picture being at a party you were not invited to). For the athlete, there is also a need to begin preparing for the upcoming NBA Draft that will include multiple visits to prospective NBA employers. And the consensus view was that Hart wasn't likely to be tabbed as the national player of the year.
 
Those were the thoughts running through my mind as I pulled my mid-size Ford sedan up to the curb near Hart's West campus apartment on a late afternoon ahead of the Final Four. Josh tossed his travel bag into the trunk and off we drove to Philadelphia International Airport. Once checked in, Hart headed off to find some Chic Fil A and candy.
 
Our first stop in Phoenix was what is known in the industry as "radio row". A series of sports talk shows from around the country are set up in a convention center. Hart made two guest appearances, smiling often, on behalf of the Naismith Award. On Final Four Saturday we were joined by then head coach Jay Wright at the stadium in Glendale, where we watched the games that day. (Ironically, the first half of the doubleheader featured Oregon, which included Dylan Ennis, the guard who had edged Hart out for a spot in the starting lineup in 2014-15).
 
The next morning, we headed to a golf club on the outskirts of Phoenix for the Naismith Awards brunch. Hart was joined by his parents, Moses and Pat, along with the entire Villanova coaching staff. Alas, the award went to Kansas guard Frank Mason III (Caleb Swanigan of Purdue and UCLA's Lonzo Ball were the other finalists). Through it all, Hart was gracious, posing for images and chatting amiably with the event's keynote speaker, the late Bill Walton.
 
By Sunday night, the traveling party was back at Villanova with Hart in place for that week's slate of classes.
 
Four days later, the Ford was back in front of the same West Campus apartment. This time, we headed to Los Angeles via Philadelphia International Airport. Once we had checked in the usual airport routine ensued: Hart sought out Chick Fil A and a box of Mike and Ike's jellybeans. Upon landing past 10 p.m. Pacific time at LAX, Hart was met by his longtime pal – and the current host of "The Roommates Show Podcast" – Matt Hillman.
 
Award finalists and staff members at the Wooden Awards are lodged at the L.A. Athletic Club. When we parted company that night, I reminded Josh that we were due to depart from the club at 9 a.m. for a promotional event. He mentioned he might try to get a workout with his trainer before departure.
 
On the Friday morning of the Awards ceremony, I rose early and worked out in the facility but saw no sign of Josh. As the minutes ticked down to 9 a.m., I ran into a counterpart from another school who confessed "I haven't seen my guy since we got in." I anxiously made my way to a sprinter van pondering the notion that the worst kind of PR pro is the kind who shows up without their star.
 
Seated in the van were A'ja Wilson, a candidate for women's national player of the year, and the staff representative from South Carolina. Shortly thereafter came a text message from Josh asking for the address of the event. I replied with it and got a thumbs up text in reply. The van pulled away from the curb, and I held my breath for the duration of the 20-minute ride to the studio lot that houses the long-running ABC daytime drama, "General Hospital."
 
Before we could get out of the van, I spotted Hart and his trainer step out of an Uber.
You could have heard my exhale of relief in the Hollywood Hills.
 
The premise of the morning was that the two college players – the only two who had agreed to participate – would get to work with a pair of the actors from the show in a scene. ESPN's Molly McGrath served as the host. After a short tour of the set of "Port Charles", the fictional setting of the program, the two players met the actors and went over their "lines".
 
Of all the tasks Hart had performed on the court for the 'Cats, he was equally as well equipped to handle this one. It required a level of playfulness that some athletes prefer to keep locked away from the public. Josh was asked to play the role of Curtis Ashford with helpful tips from actor Donnell Turner, who plays the character. You can still view the full clip here: https://x.com/ESPNU/status/850446676942782468/video/1
 
Two small moments remain powerful in my memory and come to mind whenever I see a Hart television commercial now. The first comes when he exclaims, "dammit, Kiki" with the genuine conviction of a professional actor. The second came shortly thereafter when he can't recall what he is supposed to say and instead says "line!". (You can catch a glimpse of me doubling over in laughter when they pan behind the cameras).
 
No modern Wildcat was better cast for this kind of promotional event than Josh Hart.
 
That night, Wright, Moses and Pat Hart, joined us at the Nokia Theater for the Wooden Awards ceremony. Josh didn't take home the Wooden Award, but he was the recipient of the Julius Erving Award and got to meet its namesake. The next day there was a clinic for youth players where Hart served as an honorary coach. A day later we were back at LAX and Hart, fortified by Mike and Ike's – no Chic Fil A on a Sunday – boarded the plane for the flight back to Philly.
 
We landed after 10 p.m. and headed back to Villanova. Before dropping Hart at his dorm, he asked if we could make a stop for food. We pulled into the small lot in front of Campus Corner and headed inside. It was packed full of students on a Sunday night, and the scene was akin to walking into a London establishment alongside Winston Churchill in 1945. Hart engaged a variety of his fellow students as he waited for his food order, which he soon took back to the dorm.
 
When I am asked today what Josh is like, this is the story I tell people. For all the considerable competitive firepower he will bring to the floor of Madison Square Garden this week, he was the kind of fun-loving and prompt companion anyone would hope to travel with.