Former Pennsbury star taking it all in

INDIANAPOLIS - Every year as he grew up in Bucks County, Dalton Pepper had this dream around the time of the NCAA Final Four, imagining he was part of a team playing for the national championship.

So what happens? Pepper signs with West Virginia, spends one season in the program and – what do you know? – a Final Four.

"I would never have thought coming to the Final Four my first year," Pepper said Friday. "It's just a crazy feeling. It feels like a dream come true, and I'm just taking it all in as everything goes by."

The 6-foot-4 Pepper, who finished as Pennsbury High's all-time leading scorer with 2,207 points, has played in two NCAA tournament games. He saw nine minutes of playing time in the first round against Morgan State and got in for one minute in the East Regional semifinal versus Washington. He has scored three points, but still is looking for his first field goal.

Now, though, he's involved in arguably the biggest event in college sports.

"I always dreamed of being here," he said. "Watching it on TV, I was just saying I wish I was out there, just imagining playing out on the court like that. Being on a team that's in the Final Four is great."

Pepper was on the court in 29 games overall this season, averaging 3.2 points in 7.8 minutes. He shot 37.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent (19 of 57) from beyond the three-point line.

Asked in what areas he has improved, Pepper started to answer before assistant coach Erik Martin interjected, "Mental toughness. He's a lot tougher now."

"When I came here, I was a little passive," Pepper conceded. "I played a little tentative. So I got a little bit tougher and stronger."

Pepper said if coach Bob Huggins sends him in Saturday night against Duke, he won't be nervous.

"We're all prepared – guys coming off the bench, starters," he said. "If they call my name, I'll just come in and play as hard as I can and do whatever I can."

Bryant still unsure. West Virginia point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant, out since March 23 because of a fractured right foot, ran with the team during practice Friday but said he still was uncertain whether he would play Saturday night.

"Today was my best day," he said Friday. "I got shots up, got up and down the court pretty well. So I felt kind of good; I felt kind of confident. I made some shots. I really felt all right.

"I've been day-by-day each day, so this is great. This has been a vast improvement so far."

Bryant planned to speak Friday night with Huggins. A 6-2 sophomore, Bryant averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 assists this season.

Stevens' earlier life. Part of the fascination with the story of Butler coach Brad Stevens is that he chose a business career after college, though that life lasted just a year when he decided to go into coaching.

Stevens said that he was a marketing associate at Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, and that his main role "was metrics and incentives for one of their sales groups."

Huh?

"It's when you come up with measurements that they try to achieve to be incentivized to reach sales goals and ultimately are rewarded either financially, or whatever the case may be, by reaching those sales goals."

Oh.

Those were the days. This city holds a special place in the heart of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who won his first national championship as head coach here in 1991, winning, 72-65, over Kansas.

"Any time you win a championship for the first time, the ACC tournament for the first time, you remember those moments," he said. "That was our first national championship. At that time, I thought that Indianapolis was as good a city – whether we won or lost – to have the Final Four. You'll see that today and throughout the weekend."

The Blue Devils are shooting for their fourth national title under Krzyzewski, and first since 2001.

Green, Reynolds star. Rodney Green of La Salle had 18 points and six rebounds and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds contributed six points and seven assists in the Reese's College All-Star Game sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches at Lucas Oil Stadium. But their Hershey's team lost, 106-101, to the Reese's team.