On a re-airing of Syracuse’s 2003 national championship win against Kansas, the Orange’s head coach Jim Boeheim revealed that they came very close to landing a young Kevin Durant who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets.

Boeheim revealed the tidbit in a Facebook Live video, which was conducted simultaneously to the re-run. The long-time Syracuse head coach claimed that the Nets forward would have joined them if then assistant Troy Weaver didn’t transfer to a player personnel job in the NBA.

Weaver is now the Oklahoma City Thunder’s current Vice President of Basketball Operations. On the other hand, Durant played his first and only season in collegiate basketball for the Texas Longhorns. He averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds and was Naismith College Player of the Year. However, the future superstar never went on to win an NCAA championship. The Seattle Supersonics, later known as the Thunder, drafted him with the No. 2 pick shortly after his stint as a Longhorn freshman.

It was during his long tenure in OKC where he won an NBA MVP award, as well as several scoring titles and All-Star selections. Durant eventually signed with the Warriors, where he went on to win two championships. He recently inked a contract with the Nets but has yet to play due to injury.

The classic 2003 title game, featuring a young Carmelo Anthony, was aired as for grief-stricken collegiate basketball fans. The NCAA recently canceled the actual March Madness tournament due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus epidemic. Since then, many leagues across the sports world turned to provide alternative sources of entertainment.