Shining in the spotlight

PEABODY -- In the days following Bucknell's upset of Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Peabody native Kevin Bettencourt lived the life of a rock star.

The junior guard and his teammates rode behind police escorts, stayed in a posh Oklahoma City hotel, and signed autographs for adoring fans. The fairy tale Bison season ended less than 48 hours after that monumental victory, but the celebrity treatment endured. Fellow students greeted Bettencourt with an ovation as he walked into class last Monday and the Bison later boarded fire trucks for a parade through the town of Lewisburg, Pa.

As he returned home to Peabody last Thursday for the Easter holiday, Bettencourt only had one thing on his mind to celebrate his newfound status: sleep.

''I really haven't left the house," he acknowledged Saturday. ''I didn't sleep much that week. It all went by so fast and it was so emotionally draining. I just need to relax and let it all soak in."

And there was plenty for Bettencourt to absorb after a scintillating postseason journey. It started in Worcester where he made two pressure-packed free throws with eight seconds remaining to preserve a 61-57 victory over Holy Cross in the Patriot League championship game March 11.

Not content with simply earning only its third NCAA Tournament berth in school history, 14th-seeded Bucknell garnered this year's Cinderella title by shocking third-seeded Kansas, 64-63, before 18,567 fans at the Ford Center in the Syracuse Regional in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 18. Bettencourt splashed five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 19 points in the triumph.

Two days later, the Bison season came to an end in a 71-62 loss to Wisconsin, seeded sixth in the region. While no one gave Bucknell much of a chance at advancing, the team took the loss to Wisconsin hard.

''Sitting at the press conference after the Wisconsin game, people were telling us how we should be happy to have simply been there and won that first game," said Bettencourt. ''If you watch the tape, [Wisconsin] was a 2-point game with five minutes left. We honestly felt like we had a chance to win that game."

Any lingering frustration and disappointment quickly vanished as the team returned to the Bucknell campus.

''The kids were down the next day and you could see the long faces," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery. ''Then we got back to campus and there's this parade through the town that we had no idea about. The kids are riding on fire trucks and the streets are lined with people in Bucknell colors. Then we get back to our little arena and it's full of students. Each player got up there and gave a speech to thank everyone for their support. It was great to see the smiles back on their faces once they realized what they had accomplished."

Bettencourt earned Globe Super Team honors his senior year at Peabody High, where he was a three-year captain and a 1,000-point scorer. Both Bucknell and Holy Cross recruited the 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound guard, and despite strong ties with the Crusaders (his older brother Teddy played basketball there), Bettencourt landed in Lewisburg. He started all 33 games for the Bison this season, averaging team highs in points (12.6) and minutes (32.1) per game.

''Kevin has always been a streak shooter, but this year he really learned how to get to the foul line," said Flannery. ''He just keeps getting better and better, and he's not just a shooter anymore. On defense, he has these long arms to disrupt the opposition. At the other end, he puts so much pressure on defenses because he stretches opponents from side to side and opens up the court for us."

Bettencourt earned All-Patriot League second team honors for the second consecutive year this past season. The Bison are poised to build off their success with the return of Bettencourt, junior Charles Lee, and sophomore Chris McNaughton.

But Bettencourt is not worrying about next year just yet. He's still catching up on the season past.

''The one part about being involved is that you don't get the chance to sit back and soak in everything," he said. ''I got back home [last] Thursday afternoon and that night was the first time I actually saw the Kansas game. My brother had taped it and I finally got to watch the game like everyone else saw it. My parents also saved a big stack of newspapers for me. It's amazing to see what kind of attention we drew to our school with that win.

Among his tournament memories, one still resonates. ''The one thing that really stood out to me was when we ran onto the court before the game against Wisconsin," said Bettencourt. ''All the Oklahoma State people gave us this massive ovation. Here we are, this small school with a small arena, and we've never got a reception like that from a crowd of 18,000 fans."

Bettencourt left his parents' house Friday night for a brief trip to the mall with some friends. He could only smile when he saw some locals decked out in Bucknell apparel stealing glimpses of their local hero.

''Walking through the mall I saw people turning their heads," said Bettencourt. ''One cashier even asked me if I played for the team. It was nice to be recognized. I feel like our team helped put Bucknell on the map. Now everyone knows about our school.

''This whole experience was brand new to us," he added. ''At our hotel in Oklahoma City, people were wearing our colors and people had signs up cheering us on. There were even some young kids having a basketball tournament and they all kept running up to us and asking for our autographs. It made us feel like we were a big-time team and, after the win over Kansas, maybe we deserved it."