ATLANTA -- As the rest of America learned Saturday night -- sometime between when coach Porter Moser and his players cut down the nets and Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt put on her Final Four hat -- the story of Loyola-Chicago basketball has it all.
A passionate coach who leads with his heart but uses his head to prepare a team that plays smarter than its opponents. A likable group of unselfish players who competes hard and communicate well. An adorable 98-year-old nun for a team chaplain who softens everyone's edges and serves as a symbol of the university's overall mission. A David slaying every Goliath in its NCAA tournament path as a No. 11 seed.
It doesn't get any better than this in college sports, the dynamic when a program not only fulfills the promise of the coach who built it from scratch but exceeds everyone's expectations. As far as institutional fits go, Moser and Loyola-Chicago are hand and glove.
"I say it all the time, Porter's a Chicago guy, played in the (Missouri) Valley, went to a Jesuit school, is unbelievably passionate -- not just about basketball but involved with those guys off the court as well," Athletic Director Steve Watson said amid Saturday's celebration. "But I'd be lying to you if I said I envisioned us cutting down the nets to go to the Final Four."
The postgame scene at Philips Arena was priceless. Except Watson knows it isn't. The cost of sustaining Loyola-Chicago's basketball success just went up -- again. That's the reality of Moser's "grass-roots rebuild" becoming something to behold on the Final Four stage, a mid-major model that blends talent and character with the proper balance between athletics and academics. By the time workers had swept the confetti off the floor, how to keep Moser loomed as common of a question for Loyola-Chicago fans as how to beat Michigan.
"Porter is the CEO of men's basketball and we just need to support him in any way we can and make sure he has the opportunity to be successful," Watson said. "He's a great coach, he's unbelievably passionate, he recruits the right kind of guys."
Moser, a former head coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is now one of the hottest coaches in the country. Things happen in the coaching profession during Final Four weekend, the sport's annual convention. Rumors will fly, jobs will open.
Moser earns $420,000 a year on a contract that runs through 2021-22. That pales in comparison with fellow Missouri Valley Conference Coach Ben Jacobson, who makes $900,000 at Northern Iowa -- but never has gotten beyond the Sweet 16. Wichita State Coach Gregg Marshall, whose departure from the MVC opened the door for Loyola-Chicago, makes a whopping $3.3 million.
Loyola-Chicago could justify making Moser a $1 million-per-year coach.
The publicity this Final Four run has generated for the university alone warrants giving Moser the hefty raise he earned. Donors with deep pockets exist. A new contract that rich would make a strong statement about Loyola-Chicago committing itself to sustain the success Moser helped create in a Chicago market that will back a winner.
When Moser takes pride in being the ideal ambassador for Loyola-Chicago basketball by proclaiming himself just a "Catholic kid from Chicago," he means it. He oozes sincerity. He's authentic. A family man who turns 50 in August, Moser loves working in his hometown where his wife, Megan, and four children thrive.
Oh, Moser wants to be rewarded after the second-greatest season in Loyola-Chicago history (so far). Money matters to the extent it represents the respect and appreciation Loyola-Chicago shows Moser. But he never struck me as someone driven solely by the almighty dollar, which is why it's easy to see him returning to Loyola-Chicago if school officials truly "understand what we're going to have to do," as Watson has said. University President Jo Ann Rooney made a similar vow before the NCAA tournament. They want a coach ideal for the job to keep doing what he's doing -- the right way -- and Moser deserves to enjoy the benefits of making Loyola-Chicago relevant again.
Both sides realize how special this relationship is. One memorable night in Atlanta only confirmed it.
Sports on 03/26/2018