Knicks Star Recalls Championship Euphoria

New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson has traversed championship waters before.

The former Villanova Wildcat recalled his title euphoria during a week-opening stop on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which served as the appropriate lead-out program to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's national championship game. Florida defeated Houston 65-63 to join Brunson's Villanova teams from 2016 and 2018 in March Madness immortality.

"Amazing. Short and sweet, amazing," when Colbert asked about the feeling of two national titles.

Colbert was particularly interested in the former title, which ended with teammate Kris Jenkins' game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer that served as the different in a 77-74 victory over North Carolina. Brunson, who was on that team alongside current Knick collaborators Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, said he "still gets goosebumps" when watch Jenkins' heroic heave.

"I can't even put it into words," Brunson said after Colbert showed him a clip of the final shot. "First of all, we were up by like 10 with like two minutes left. [North Carolina] tied the game in those two minutes so now I'm thinking like 'Aw, like here we go.' But, man, [the win] was an unbelievable feeling."

Brunson joked that the ensuing celebration allowed Villanova to defy its derogatory nickname of "Villa-no-fun," even though such a reputation placed him on The Main Line. That path eventually led him to the 2018 NBA Draft and eventually New York, where he has already established himself as a lasting name for the metropolitan ledgers.

Brunson is set to embark on a new hardwood tournament, as he's set to make his third consecutive postseason appearance in as many seasons with the Knicks. Having returned to the fold after a 15-game absence due to an ankle injury, Brunson kept the postseason wisdom basic yet effective when queried by Colbert.

"One day at a time," Brunson said. "It's the most boring answer that everyone hears but it's something that has helped me in college, it's helped me every step of the way to get to the point where I am, so I'm just going to keep it there."

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