The most excited Loyola fan might just be 98-year-old chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt after the Ramblers upset No. 6 seed Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday.
In Loyola's first appearance in the tournament in 33 years, guard Donte Ingram nailed a 3-pointer with less than a second left securing the 64-62 win, and it was hard not to notice how excited Sister Jean was on the side of the court. The players stopped their on-court celebration to include her, many giving her hugs.
Sister Jean is known to lead the Ramblers in a prayer and give the team a scouting report on the opposing team before tip-off. This time was no different as she said, "We asked God to help us."
"I told God that we would do our part if he would do his part, and I hoped the referees would call the right kind of a game, that nobody would get injured, that we play with confidence and we know we’d win the game," Sister Jean said during TruTV's broadcast. "And then at the end when the buzzer rang, we wanted to be sure the score said we had the big W.”
After the upset, even Barack Obama took notice of Sister Jean as he tweeted out his congratulations to both her and the team.
Sister Jean has become so much more than a fan for the Ramblers as she often sends encouraging emails to the players and sometimes even constructive criticism.
“Sister Jean is our team chaplain and she’s our comfort blanket,’’ coach Porter Moser told USA Today. “She just has so much spirit. She’s got an unbelievable energy level to her that I connect with."
Loyola faces No. 3 seed Tennessee Saturday and to that Sister Jean says, "Tennessee, watch out. Watch out for us."
