The NCAA Tournament has tipped off and you won’t be able to escape hoops for the next 72 hours. Perhaps you’re wondering about some of the video montages that have already been replayed throughout the day to get you even more amped for the basketball explosion. They’re from shots of yesteryear, players who burned bright in the ides of March then fizzled out when it all came to an end.
Not any more. We’re catching up with some forgotten NCAA heroes today, players you may have forgotten, but who will instantly transport back to the where and when you saw them get their 15 minutes — and sometimes more — during March.
Relive their magical March and find out what these NCAA Tournament darlings are up to now.
Marshall Henderson, SG, Ole Miss (2012-2014)
Henderson will be remembered for more than just the 2013 NCAA tournament. We remember him mostly for the taunting, the fade-away threes, the gun-slinging mentality and – if you were a fan of a team playing against the Rebels during his tenure – you remember him for being an absolute pest.
The Wisconsin Badgers remember him for all of those reasons too, but mostly how they had Henderson beat until he got hot in the second half. The Rebel guard started off by missing 12 of his first 13 shots while going 0-for-6 from behind the arc before heating up. He knocked down five of his next eight shots from then on – including three shots from outside and four free throws – to help lead the No. 12 Rebels to a 57-46 win over the fifth-seeded Badgers. Henderson finished with 19 points.
Where is Henderson now? Playing in the Iraqi Super League in Baghdad, Iraq.
Dee Brown, PG, Illinois (2002-2006)
Paired with backcourt mate Deron Williams, Brown helped lead Illinois all the way to the NCAA championship in 2005 where they lost to North Carolina. Brown won 114 games with the Illini and guided them to a 37-2 record in 2005.
He was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2006 and also had short stints with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, but hasn’t played in the NBA since 2009. Currently he is playing with NBL and Euro Cup side PBC Lukoil Academic in Bulgaria. He averages 20.4 points and 8.4 assists with them.
Ali Farokhmanesh, G, Northern Iowa (2008-2010)
In 2010, Farokhmanesh guided Northern Iowa on a run to the Sweet 16 where the upset UNLV and Kansas before losing to Michigan State. Against UNLV, he hit a 25-foot jumper with five seconds left to lift UNI over the Rebels. Playing against the Jayhawks – in Kansas – he connected on all four of his shots from three including the game winner to bust many brackets and lift NIU to the Sweet 16.
“YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS WITH THAT SHOT!” He was.
Farokhmanesh went undrafted by the NBA and spent a few seasons playing in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands before retiring in 2014. He is now serves as a graduate assistant coach for the University of Nebraska men’s basketball team.
Jai Lewis, PF/C, George Mason (2002-2006)
The mammoth 6’7 275-pound big man led George Mason on their improbable run to the Final Four in 2006.
He went undrafted by the NBA, and instead attempted to make a career in the NFL with the New York Giants as an offensive lineman. After a few weeks with the Giants, Lewis left to pursue basketball overseas playing in leagues in France, Israel, the Philippines and – where he was last seen playing in 2013 – Japan.
Omar Samhan, C, St. Mary’s (2006-2010)
In 2010, Samhan scored 76 points in wins over Richmond and Villanova and a loss to Baylor in the Sweet 16. Against the second-seeded Wildcats in the round of 32, the big man scored 32 points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots.
The former Gaels’ center went undrafted by the NBA in 2010 but played with the Dallas Mavericks during summer league that season. After stops in Lithuania, Egypt, the Philippines, Germany, Poland and a six-day stint with the Houston Rockets, Samhan was last playing for the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends. In 18 games played he scored 42 points and grabbed 48 rebounds.
Jamie Skeen, F, VCU (2009-2011)
Skeen was a valuable piece to the Rams’ run to the Final Four in 2011 with his versatile scoring and ability on the boards. When the Rams made it all the way to the Elite Eight, it was Skeen who would lead them in an upset over top-seeded Kansas with a 26-point and 10 rebound effort.
Since then, Skeen has spent time playing basketball in leagues in France, Italy, Puerto Rico and Israel. He also spent some time with the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA’s 2014 summer league.
Daniel Coursey, PF, Mercer (2010-2014)
No, Coursey wasn’t the guy that hit the Nae-Nae for Mercer after they upset Duke in the second round of last year’s tournament, but he did score 11 of his 17 points in the second half to help propel the Mercer Bears to their win over the Blue Devils.
The former A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year was taken in the 2014 D-League draft by the Erie Bayhawks – affiliate of the Orlando Magic – and has done well there. In 42 games with the Bayhawks this season, he is averaging 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per-game.
Sherwood Brown, SG, Florida Gulf Coast (2009-2013)
Lots of Eagles’ players dunked in FGCU’s upset of second-seeded Georgetown in 2013, but Sherwood Brown led the way for Dunk City with 23 points and nine rebounds in the 78-68 win. Brown then scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in their win over San Diego State before the Eagles fell to Florida in the Sweet 16.
Brown went undrafted by the NBA, but has since found a home with the D-League’s Red Claws. This season he is averaging 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per-game. In his last three games he has scored 27 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
