Jason Boone (photo. Rolf B. Röper)

After college, I came overseas to play professionally and suddenly I thought I was “too cool” to follow college sports. I mean, I’m a pro now. Duh. Winning. Luckily my younger brother, who was in his senior year of high school at the time, quickly reminded me how much Madness goes down in March. He was/is a huge Derrick Rose fan, and I remember giving him a bunch of crap after they lost in the championship game – the same crap he gives me now that Rose has to be the frontrunner for NBA MVP, but that’s a story for a later date.

The next year seems like it was yesterday. My girlfriend at the time got me on the Michigan State bandwagon, and it just so happened that they practically had a home game in the championship. It would have been a storybook ending, but unfortunately that Tar Heel team was too strong. And last year, the highlight of the Tournament was sitting a European bar at almost two o’clock in the morning when Farokhmanesh pulled up for that three-pointer. I know you remember. It was so memorable because I was sitting there with two of my professional teammates – Ben Jacobson and John Little – that both played at Northern Iowa with him. Even though UNI’s run fell short, Butler made it one for the record books. And March Madness, for a seventh consecutive year, did not disappoint.

That got me thinking how all of of my current teammates, who played at schools from Santa Clara and Siena to Illinois and Villanova, would, in one word, describe this time of year. They had all been to the Big Dance, so they know better than I do. The answers I got were pretty typical, but a few provoked some thought.

“Intense,” “Upsets” and “Cinderella.”

These were the most popular by far, but then Dwayne Anderson (Villanova ’08) said, “Darwin.” And although that seems like something Jay Wright wrote on the dry erase board before their Final Four game, it brought me to the realization that in the NCAA Tournament the strong survive. As UConn, Washington and a handful of other teams proved in their respective conference tournaments, it doesn’t matter what your record is, who you’ve beat or who you’ve lost to. When tourney time comes around, it’s a brand new season and simply comes down to may the best team, on that given night, win.

Now like I said, I never had a chance to participate in the NCAA Tournament, but I’ve played with a lot of guys that did. Most recently, Louis Dale, who led Cornell – my 2010 sleeper pick – into the Sweet Sixteen. Dicky V claimed he was the best point guard in the Big Dance, and that was after his game against John Wall. Hearing that really reiterates the fact that you never know who is watching during the tournament. A March Madness performance can be your make or break opportunity to play in the NBA. For others, it can be that same scale in terms of making it overseas, or just becoming one of those “student athletes that goes professional in something other than sports.”

My same teammate who claimed Charles Darwin‘s book On the Origin of Species was really a preview to Natural (NCAA) Selection, was also a part of my team last season that won the EuroChallenge Championship. Meaning when we reached the Final Four, it was an all too comfortable feeling. Now the EuroChallenge is basically a tournament that runs parallel with your domestic league where 32 of the top teams in Europe compete for a title. Even though the rounds are a little different – you play opponents home and away – once you get to the Final Four it’s the same thing. One neutral location. One weekend. May the best team win.

Having been the biggest basketball accomplishment of my life, I was curious as to how someone whose been there before (in college) would compare. Although the Final Four was as far as Dwayne made it with Villanova, don’t be so quick to assume that our European title was worlds ahead in comparison. The amount of hype and excitement around a weekend like the NCAA Final Four cannot be easily matched. I’m thinking the Super Bowl and the Olympics. But that’s it. Duke won last year’s title in front of 26,000 spectators. The other night on that Fab Five documentary, Jalen Rose claimed that there were 35 million people watching the championship game in ’93 when Webber called the infamous timeout. I can only imagine how many people tune in now.

Now as my German team (BG Goettingen) is currently in the Elite 8 of the Eurocup (same format as the Eurochallenge just 32 better teams), I wonder if I would want to trade positions with some of my competitors. This year alone, I’ve competed against a number of guys who had tremendous NCAA Tournament runs. Tony Skinn (Braunschweig Phantoms) and Folarin Campbell (Telekom Baskets Bonn) were part of that George Mason team that shocked the world by beating Rudy Gay‘s UConn Huskies. Reyshawn Terry (Brose Baskets Bamberg) and Marcus Ginyard (BBC Bayreuth) both won NCAA titles at North Carolina. And Lee Humphrey (Ratiopharm Ulm) got back-to-back rings with Florida and still holds every three-point record in the Tournament.

Not all of those guys can win championships in Europe this season, but I’m curious to find out how it would compare. Until I get the chance to ask them, I’ll stick to what I know, and what I know is that this time of year is one of a kind. So sit back, fill out your bracket and enjoy the Madness. I’m six time zones away and on a different continent, but you can bet on Jimmer Fredette‘s virginity that that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @blackhercules21.

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