The best stories are the ones that transcend a game or a sport. The best stories create wonderful irony, like an obscure college program rising against the backdrop of the sport's corruption, or bring in unexpected characters, like the spiritual superpower that is Sister Jean, or, maybe best of all, shine a light on a wonderful and long-ignored moment in history 55 years ago.
Loyola of Chicago, and the world, did all that Saturday.
Its stunningly dominant victory over Kansas State 78-62 in the South Regional final at Philips Arena launched the tournament 11th seed into the Final Four, tying the Ramblers for the biggest afterthought in NCAA history to make it that far.
This was more than a basketball win for so many people.
“We’ve waited 55 years for it to come back,” Jerry Harkness screamed above the noise in the middle of the on-court celebration. “Oh man, I’m overwhelmed.”
This is a team that can go to San Antonio and win it all, amazing considering where it started.
“They are going to win it all,” Harkness said.
Loyola is the kind of polished, fundamentally sound team that reminds us what college basketball was like before the days of one-and-dones.
The Ramblers start two seniors and two redshirt juniors. It’s a wonder they don’t wear Chuck Taylors.
Harkness remembers those days. He is remarkably youthful looking 77 years old. He was a member of the 1963 Loyola team that beat Cincinnati for the NCAA title. That team was actually highly ranked, so winning wasn’t a total surprise. The surprise that year was the skin-tone of the players.
Harkness was one of four African American players in Loyola’s starting lineup. This was still relatively early in the civil rights movement. College coaches had a “gentleman’s agreement” at the time that teams would not have more than two black players on the court at the same time.
They called it a “gentleman’s agreement,” because “cretin’s agreement” was just too honest.
Loyola’s moment in history would become overshadowed by the 1966 Texas Western team, whose coach, Don Haskins, started five African Americans and defeated an all-white team from Kentucky for the championship. That story became a movie, “Glory Road.”
There was no such Hollywood screen time for Loyola.
Consider this NCAA tournament part of a makeup call. What Loyola of 2018 is accomplishing – with consecutive tournament upsets over Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State -- is creating some long overdue recognition for their overshadowed predecessors.
Harkness, who later played in the NBA and became a civil rights activist, was one of four players from ‘63 who sat courtside at Philips Arena watching the young Ramblers this week. The others in attendance: Jack Egan (the lone white starter), Les Hunter and Rich Rochelle.
“Those guys care so much about us, I’m glad they could be here and share this with us,” said Loyola guard Marques Townes, who hit a clinching three-pointer in Thursday’s win over Nevada and scored 13 points Saturday. “Those guys put their mark on it.”
The two generations of players have felt a connection all season. Consider the team’s first practice back in September, which was attended by Harkness and Egan.
“We were watching their first practice, and they were just shooting around, and I told Jack Egan, ‘These guys got something special,’” Harkness said. “And then later I look up and guess what they were looking at? Film of the 1963 game against Cincinnati. Hopefully a little bit of that has fallen on them.”
Harkness said the current players were aware Loyola won the championship but knew little of the backdrop.
“They didn’t know much about the racial part of it,” he said. “They didn’t believe it. They didn’t believe there were people who didn’t care for you and the team had to sneak out.”
George Ireland was the Loyola coach and apparent enlightened outcast. He regularly started three or four black players. In 1962, he actually had five African Americans on the court at the same time.
“I remember,” Hunter said, smiling. “That was in Oklahoma City. Jack Egan got kicked out of the game for arguing with the refs and they put in Pablo Robertson, who later played for the Harlem Globetrotters.”
Did he realize history was being made?
“No, I was caught up in the game, just trying to guard my man,” he said.
Of this year’s team, Hunter said, “They’re really good.”
Pause.
“They’d give us a run for the money.”
Ramblers from 2018 and 1963 are still trying to process all of this.
“I still can’t believe we’re going to the Final Four,” Townes said. “It’s an amazing feeling. Oh my God. And I’m so happy for Sister Jean. She’s been through the roughest waters of Loyola basketball.”
So, too, had Harkness for more than five decades.
“Fifty-five years. Oh my god,” he said. “It’s beautiful that they went back before I went in the hole in the ground.”
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