He only played for a few seconds, but for Richmond basketball product Victor Radocaj, it was absolutely worth it to be a part of the annual March Madness basketball frenzy.
McMath secondary alumnus Radocaj was on the court for a brief spell during his Eastern Washington State Eagles’ 93-84 loss to a strong and much higher seeded Kansas team.
Earlier in the first round NCAA Tournament game last Saturday, Radocaj’s Eagles were on course for an upset before Kansas rallied late on to win.
“Going into the game I actually expected not to play at all,” Radocaj told the Richmond News.
“I knew we were up against Kansas which is a storied program and one of the highest seeds in the tournament.
“Coming in as a freshman to a really good team, I understand I have to wait for my turn and learn as much as I can for the first year, so I was sitting on the bench trying to bring as much energy as I could off the court so the guys on the court could really feel it.”
Describing his moments on the court, Radocaj said, during the closing seconds of the game, when it was out of reach for the Eagles, his coach decided to “put in me and a few others from the bench into the game.
“Partially, so we could get onto the sheet as playing in the game but mainly to give the guys on the court who balled out a chance to exit and for the crowd to cheer for them.”
