Casey was a defensive-minded guard on the 1978 national championship team and co-captain of the 1978-79 squad who contributed toughness and leadership that coaches valued above any box score statistic. He went on to become one of the most successful NBA coaches in history, winning the 2018 NBA Coach of the Year award with the Toronto Raptors after leading them to a franchise-record 59 wins, and coaching for over 15 years in the NBA. He was wrongly implicated in the 1988 Emery envelope scandal while serving as a UK assistant — the NCAA later rescinded his penalty, acknowledging he was not involved.