CHICAGO — You can stage “Hamilton” without Lin-Manuel Miranda and still pack the theater. Or substitute a new Darrin on “Bewitched” without an outcry.
But can you send Loyola to the NCAA Tournament without Sister Jean?
That’s a question Ramblers fans thankfully won’t have to answer after Tuesday’s announcement that Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team’s 101-year-old chaplain, will travel to Indianapolis for Loyola’s first-round matchup with Georgia Tech on Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Sister Jean’s status was up in the air due to COVID-19 restrictions that limited schools’ traveling parties for the tournament, which is being held in several venues in and around Indianapolis this year. She had not attended a game all season, but told Chicago Tribune reporter Shannon Ryan last week “I want to go so badly” and had already received her vaccine shots.
“I’m not going to run down on the court and I’m not going to cause any disturbance,” she told the Tribune.
Sister Jean became the star of the 2018 tournament, when Loyola became one of the Cinderella stories, making it to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. They return as the No. 8 seed this year, facing the ACC tournament champions in Georgia Tech, and could meet up with top-seeded Illinois in the second round. It make sense that the NCAA could want one of the game’s most recognizable faces back in 2021 after last year tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Now Sister Jean is back, and the Ramblers’ good luck charm will try to work her magic once again.
