By Jala Johnson, Loyola Sophmore
Loyola University Chicago’s Men’s Basketball team is headed to a Sweet 16 showdown Saturday with Oregon State in the NCCA Tournament in Indianapolis.
What was once a Cinderella story has turned into a culture created by coach Porter Moser and his men’s basketball teams. Moser and his team once again made it to the NCAA tournament this year after a Final Four run in 2018. This year’s team finished with a season record of 24-4, 16-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
After starting the season off in quarantine due to COVID-19 protocol, the Ramblers bounced back to win the regular season title, winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, getting an automatic ticket to the NCAA Tournament, ranked an 8th seed.
Moser and his 2018 team also made it to the NCAA, making it to the Final Four; this was a huge time for the Ramblers, as they were considered the underdogs in the entire tournament, beating the highest ranked teams in the country.
Moser describes his team to be “just winners,” they love to win and will do anything and everything it takes to win.
He also discusses a quote that he shares with his family and players that says, “How you think is how you feel, how you feel is how you act, and how you act is what defines you.”
Moser describes how he applies this quote to his everyday life, if you’re thinking good thoughts, you’re going to have a bounce in your step and vice versa; this is what makes him and his team so great.
Center Cameron Krutwig, the leading scorer on the team, says that “in order to win these big games, we all need to do our jobs” and talks about how they all need to operate together.
