Led by Palma grad Jamaree Bouyea the USF Dons are finally dancing again.

Twenty-four years. That’s how long it’s been since the University of San Francisco men’s basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament. Dons’ point guard Jamaree Bouyea, a fifth-year senior out of Seaside, wasn’t even born yet. Their head coach, Todd Golden was only 12 years old when the Dons last received an invite to the Big Dance. 

After completing the regular season with a 24-9 record in the difficult WCC conference, the Dons positioned themselves with a great chance to make history. They began the season-ending WCC tournament with a convincing win over BYU before falling to Gonzaga (for the third time this season) in the semi-final.

Although it was a disappointing loss to one of the best teams in the country (Gonzaga is ranked no.1 in the country), the Dons were still in a great position to get an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. However, they would have to wait almost a week before they would find out.

“It’s definitely been an anxious week for our team,” says Golden. “All the analytics and feedback point toward us getting in, but you don’t know till you know.”

Bouyea, who prepped at Palma under coach Kelley Lopez, shared a similar sentiment. 

“I feel like our resume speaks for itself,” says Bouyea, the Dons’ leading scorer. “We’ve won some big games this season and we feel like we deserve a spot in the tournament.” 

In anticipation for good news on Selection Sunday, the Dons organized a watch party for friends, family and fans at War Memorial, their home court in the on-campus Sobrato Center. Then they received word from CBS that they’d be sending a television crew to campus to cover it.

“That’s definitely a good sign,” observes Golden. “These players, the seniors especially, deserve a chance to make history here on the hilltop. We’re fired up for the chance to keep playing.”

Finally, after six days of waiting, the Dons were announced as one of the final teams to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. As the 10th seed in the East Region, the Dons will travel to Indianapolis for a first round matchup on Thursday with 7-seed Murray State. The Racers, who play out of the Ohio Valley conference, boast the nation’s best record at 30-2. The winner of that game will advance to the second round and likely face the perennial powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats.

“This is a huge opportunity for our players,” says Golden, who played in two NCAA tournaments as a guard for St. Mary’s. “I see Jamaree as an NBA player. He has that kind of talent. Getting the chance to play in the tournament will give him national exposure that could lead to big things for JB.”

“This is what we’ve dreamed about,” adds Bouyea. “My teammates and I have worked so hard for this opportunity, and we plan to make the most of it.”

Lopez, who coached Bouyea at Palma and remains close with him, is proud of his former team captain and four-year starter.

“He’s worked so hard for so long,” he says. “I couldn’t be more happy for him. This is his time.”