Canadian icon and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash knows a thing or two about the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.

Attending the University of Santa Clara as a lightly recruited, skilled, but small point guard out of Victoria, B.C., Nash was able to lead the Broncos to three NCAA Tournaments over the course of his four years at the mid-major school, including earning Santa Clara’s first tournament berth since 1987 when he first took the Broncos to the dance in 1993.

Nash’s last time in the NCAA Tournament was in 1996, when his Broncos, as a No. 10 seed, upset No. 7 Maryland.

Flash-forward 30 years later, and a new crop of Broncos is looking to do the same thing as No. 10 Santa Clara prepares to take on No. 7 Kentucky in the Midwest Region of the 2026 tournament.

This marks the first time since Nash’s team in 1996 that Santa Clara is back in the NCAA Tournament.

The wait has been worth it for Nash, who got on a call with the new Broncos to congratulate them.

“Congrats, Broncos. An incredible season, and it’s just getting started,” Nash said. “It’s been 30 years since we could see our name in the NCAA Tournament and the group chat was popping off for all us old guys. So, thank you, congrats, get prepared, take it all in, go out there and give them hell, and enjoy it.

“We’ll be watching, and thanks again for making us all proud.”

“It’s so fun. I’m super excited. All of us old guys are still connected and on a group chat,” Nash told Inman. “To text throughout the season and see the team kind of get across the line, it’s been a long time coming.”

Santa Clara finished its 2026 season with a 26–8 record, finishing third in the West Coast Conference. They were upset in the first round of the WCC Tournament, but managed to receive an at-large bid to the big dance.

They’re scheduled to play Kentucky on Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET.

Regardless of the result, Nash knows just getting to play in the tournament is something that will stick with you forever.

“You can sleep at night, and you can remember – win, lose or draw – the feeling and the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament,” he told Inman.