Kern: At banquet, champion Wildcats enjoy one final night as a team

POSTSEASON AWARDS banquets tend to make an impression, whether you made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the second week or the Final Four.

Just because.

It's a celebration of everything the previous six months entailed for a group of young lives who will remain forever intertwined, great or otherwise. That's how it is in the real world, as some of them will soon find out when they embark upon their respective post-college journeys.

Somehow, it'll never be the same. It can't be. Especially not after you win a national championship.

As my colleague Dick Jerardi wrote before Villanova beat North Carolina a little over two weeks ago in Houston, the worst part about the inevitable end, no matter how it turned out, was that we'd never get to see this team play together again.

It was something for any basketball junkie to savor. Particularly those last six games. And that will never go away. Even though on Wednesday night at the Pavilion, - which, coincidentally, is the building the Wildcats moved into following their other national title in 1985 - it was time to finally say goodbye. At least to the two scholarship seniors and three departing walk-ons who were such catalysts for the resurgence of a program that's won 97 of its last 110 games.

It should make for some priceless reunions. It sure made for a once-in-a-generation send-off.

Next season will be different. They always are. That doesn't mean it can't be just as successful. Or at the very least close. The foundation is there. But whatever the future holds, some things will change. This bunch obviously left a lasting imprint. Now it's on to the next chapter. First, though, maybe a time for some reflection, amid all those feel-good snapshots, in what was their last official public function together, with the notable exception of that to-be-scheduled visit to the White House, where they might even ask President Obama why he had them advancing only to the Elite Eight. Or not.

This evening was about the here and now. For one last time, the floor was all theirs. The place was packed, understandably much more so than usual. Making history will do that.

"There is a bittersweet part to it," said junior forward Josh Hart, the team's leading scorer, who will get an evaluation from NBA scouts before he decides whether to return next season. "It's a chance to acknowledge all that we accomplished, as a team and individually. And acknowledge each other.

"We're here as national champions. Who knows when the next time we'll be able to say that as one? It hurts to have to realize that. You're not ready to accept that. Not tonight. This doesn't happen every year. It's sunk in for the most part. Man, we're national champions. It's crazy. That's all I can really say."

In an all-time way, for sure. And really, who knows when it might happen again?

"It's been an emotional day, but we'll take it," said senior center Daniel Ochefu, who hasn't stopped smiling since Kris Jenkins' three-pointer at the buzzer against North Carolina in the final hit nothing but posterity. "There's definitely mixed feelings. I think of everything we put into this. It'll always have a special place in my heart.

"It's been a whirlwind. A lot of people know who we are. And now you have a great event like this, it's something I'll always remember. You're walking around, it's like a zoo. But I embrace it, a lot."

This just in: He's still flashing his pearly whites. Good for him.

"I've gone to three of these, and you never think your time will come," said four-year captain Ryan Arcidiacono, who supplied most of the glue. "It's going to be a tough night, but a night we'll enjoy. I look forward to more times together with these guys. That's how (the program) stays connected. It'll be special watching the guys next year, and years to come, knowing that they're playing for myself and my teammates.

"For the seniors, it was the perfect ending to a perfect class. We couldn't have scripted it any better . . . I might shed some tears."

Coach Jay Wright readily conceded that Arch might not be the only one. He's done a lot of these. He's never done one with the ultimate trophy on hand.

"It's really a celebration of the tradition of Villanova basketball," he said. "And how fortunate we are to be part of it. We're all going through this for the first time. If the fans want to relive it, that's cool. But we think the same of the guys who didn't win it.

"I never really dreamt of being a champion. To say the least, we didn't know what to expect. I hope this is kind of the culmination of the whirlwind. But I don't think it'll stop in a short period of time (around) here.

"Every year, you know this is the last act for the ones who are leaving. I'm going to miss them. You know it's over. There's some finality tonight. It's special."

It was supposed to be, for any number of reasons. You remember, you laugh, you cry, you move on to whatever's next. But they'll always have one another. And their moments together. That's worth celebrating. Today, tomorrow, for as long as they have reunions. No statute of limitations there.

@mikekerndn