BURLINGTON, Iowa –– Once a year, usually around March, the Massimino family gathers to watch the 1985 NCAA Championship game.
Roland Michael Massimino was born on Nov. 24, 1996 in Villanova, Pa., 11 years after his grandfather, Rollie, and father, Roland, shocked Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas in one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history.
Roland has always known his grandfather led Villanova to a national title, but it wasn’t until marshals at his junior golf tournaments began asking if Rollie Massimino was his granddad that he realized, “everyone knows him.”
“It’s just really cool to have that heritage,” said Roland, an 18-year-old freshman at Kansas State who made his collegiate debut this week at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.