Wilmington, NC -- John Goldsberry's 15 minutes of fame never quite ended. In the three years since he burst on the scene as a freshman at UNC Wilmington, he often got questions about his NCAA tournament record. "Hey, aren't you the guy ...?" Yep, he sure is. In 2003, Goldsberry made all eight of his 3-pointers in a first-round loss to Maryland to beat the mark of seven set 10 years earlier by Florida State's Sam Cassell. It was one of those special moments that happen so often in the tournament, an anonymous player from an unheralded school doing something extraordinary. "It's something I can look back on if I ever need some confidence," he said Monday. "If I'm in a bad slump shooting, I can always look back at that game and know that I can hit shots." Goldsberry finally has a chance to create more memories. The Seahawks (25-7) won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship after also finishing first in the regular season, good enough to earn a No. 9 seed in the Atlanta Regional. Their highest seeding in four appearances in the NCAA tournaments comes with a price: their opponent is George Washington, which was ranked No. 14 in The Associated Press' final poll but dropped all the way to an eighth seed in the regional. The Colonials are the only team in Division I with fewer than three losses. "GW is probably the best eight seed in the tournament, I'm sure they're surprised they're an eight seed with the kind of year they had," UNCW coach Brad Brownell said. "They've been in the top 10 at certain points of the year, and our guys have watched them on TV because of that." Of course, GW's players might have seen Goldsberry back in 2003. He simply was a first-year player at the time, hoping to fit in on a team making its second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Goldsberry averaged only 4.9 points that year while deferring to teammate Brett Blizzard, the CAA Player of the Year. That's what made his performance so unlikely. "Maryland was playing a little bit of a zone, they were really concentrating on taking Brett out of the game," Goldsberry said. "I just got some open looks, started making them and got into a little rhythm." It wasn't quite good enough to help the Seahawks beat Maryland and match their upset of Southern California the previous year. Terrapins guard Drew Nicholas dribbled nearly the length of the court and swished a desperation 3-pointer as the horn sounded, giving Maryland an improbable 75-73 victory. "I don't think you ever forget it, really," Goldsberry said. "It's one of those things that sits with you, and it makes you work harder to get back, especially when you lose like that." Surprisingly, those 26 points still are his career high. Goldsberry has come close since, 24 points last season against Virginia Commonwealth, 21 in the opener this season against Butler, but something always keeps him from reaching that magical day three years ago. "He does whatever it takes for us to win," fellow UNCW guard T.J. Carter said. "Obviously, he's an unbelievable shooter, but he chooses not to shoot sometimes. The hustle plays, his effort, his great passing ability, those are very important for us." A perfect example came in January at James Madison, when Goldsberry had 18 points at halftime. In the second half, with the Dukes' defense keying on him, he began looking for his teammates and took only one shot. UNCW won easily, and Goldsberry finished with seven assists. Carter was the one carrying the scoring load down the stretch, including 31 points in a triple-overtime loss at Hofstra. He averaged 17.3 points as the Seahawks won three games in three days in the CAA tournament. Goldsberry? He had 16 total shots in those games while dishing out 10 assists in each of the final two. "That's the epitome of John Goldsberry," Brownell said. "He's a throwback player, he just does whatever is asked of him for his team to win. He's probably more unselfish than most people, and he looks for his teammates sometimes more than even his coach would like." Now that he's a senior, Goldsberry plans to savor every moment of this NCAA tournament. Besides, he already has one that he'll never forget. "That was a long time ago," Goldsberry said. "When we were freshmen, we were just along for the ride. We didn't realize how hard it was to get that opportunity. Getting back our senior year, it's been a lot of hard work."
Goldsberry, UNC Wilmington Get Another Chance In NCAA Tournament
In 2003, John Goldsberry made all eight of his 3-pointers in a first-round loss to Maryland to beat the mark of seven set 10 years earlier by Florida State's Sam Cassell.
