Loyola Chicago wins in first game since death of Sister Jean

Loyola Chicago Coach Drew Valentine said he could feel Sister Jean’s presence in his team’s thrilling win cleveland state Monday night.

Loyola Chicago Exceptional Devilk Tavares Hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds to play to secure 91-88 home win in her team’s first official game since the death of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the program’s longtime chaplain and its globally recognized supporter, at the age of 106 last month.

“It’s definitely not the same, but we know she belonged with us tonight,” Valentine said after the game.

This season, the Ramblers are wearing a patch on their uniforms in memory of Sister Jean, who first joined the team in 1994 and supported the program for more than 30 years.

During Loyola Chicago’s run to the Final Four in 2018, Sister Jean became so famous that she held her own news conference before the Ramblers’ game against Michigan. By the time she spoke that day, the room was so full that there were people standing in the hallway who could not go inside.

As she became known around the world, celebrities and politicians befriended her. President Biden once sent her flowers.

Last month, a funeral was held in Chicago following his death and hundreds of mourners paid tribute to him.

Valentine said the season so far has been different without Sister Jean. His team’s pre-game routine always included pep talks. And she loved to give advice when she stood courtside at every home game.

“Not seeing Sister Jean when I walk off the court, it’s definitely something that’s going to take time to get used to because I’m so used to having 20-, 30-second conversations with her,” Valentine said after Monday’s win.

Sister Jean’s favorite team struggled in the second half Monday night after squandering a 10-point lead. 10 seconds left to play, Cleveland State Dayan Nesta Made a layup to tie the score at 88-88.

On the ensuing possession, however, Loyola Chicago’s Tavares (16 points) hit the winning 3-pointer near the corner to give the Ramblers the lead with 0.5 seconds to play.

As the crowd cheered at home, Valentine said he knew someone else deserved credit for that miraculous shot.

“Sister Jean,” he said. “He had to pray for those shots at the end.”