NCAA Basketball: Alternate 2019 NCAA Tournament Awards

The Sister Jean Award

Here’s a new one to add to the trophy closet. After Loyola-Chicago’s (sorry to be cliche) Cinderella run to the Final Four with the aid of their 98-year-old spiritual consigliere. Sister Jean, a lovable  nun who practiced at the school, was wheeled to each Ramblers game and brought with her a spark of supernatural charm which un-jokingly aided Loyola’s memorable sprint to the National Semifinals. Now, I’m creating an award after the matriarchal figure. Here’s the two that stood far above the rest, and picking the recipient proved a challenging task.

Chuma Okeke, Auburn

Okeke played the rare role of player and sideline spirit. In Auburn’s first three tournament games, Okeke played the best basketball of his life. Defensively, he stifled opponents with his length and above average mobility at 6’8. On offense, his shot was falling, and he had finally unlocked the peak version of an Auburn forward in the Harper/Brown administration. His three-point shot was deadly, and his off-the-dribble maneuvers were executed crisply and with confidence. In fact, he was in the midst of his best performance as a Tiger against North Carolina when he fell to the floor and howled with the pain of a torn ACL. From that moment on, as with Louisville in 2013 with Kevin Ware, his team’s goal was simple: Win it for Chuma. This is where his Sister Jean campaign begins.

At the start of Auburn’s Elite Eight matchup with Kentucky, Okeke was in his hotel room, rooting his brothers on from afar. After a rocky first half which saw Kentucky control the scoreboard almost unanimously, Auburn was in need of a spark. And that’s when Bruce Pearl’s best tactic of the day was drawn up. At halftime, the crippled Okeke was wheeled into the arena Sister Jean style! A wheelchair-ridden spiritual motivator riding in and “coincidentally” sparking a push from their team? That has Sister Jean written all over it. What’s more–Chuma Okeke and Sister Jean have the exact same number of letters. With the wheelchair, the emotional connection, the constant camera attraction during game action, combined with, of course, the biggest surprise of the Final Four, that’s some real Sister Jean DNA. But he was missing one key factor.

Winner: Charles Barkley

America’s favorite basketball personality was gifted the fan experience of a lifetime as his typically dormant alma mater Auburn embarked on a quest for the program’s first Final Four appearance. As the body count of blue bloods slain by the Tigers grew, so did Barkley’s hubris. His theatrics in the analysts’ booth evoke chuckles regularly, but during his school’s historic run, fans were left with no other option but to smile widely at the big guy’s genuine and long-sought glee. Unlike Chuma, Barkley isn’t a part of this Tiger team. Instead, he was a mere spectator for each and every game and resigned to the same icy nervousness every faithful fan endures. Like Sister Jean, ole Chuck is a member of the universally-lovable elderly, although his 56 years of age pale in comparison to Sister Jean’s robust 98. 98 years, you wonder where it went.

Throughout the Tigers’ tournament spell, Barkley’s fanfare only heightened. Poor North Carolina alumnus Kenny “The Jet” Smith was forced to stare at the cornucopia of Auburn paraphernalia belonging to his co-host Barkley. His humor already had the hearts of America captured, and now, after witnessing his raw emotion during the early rounds and at the Final Four, it’s nearly impossible to separate Barkley from Auburn, or vice versa. I’d argue his blatant and enthusiastic fandom served as one of the two or three biggest storylines for the Tigers coming into the Final Four.

When we remember the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago, dreams of Sister Jean dance in our heads far before thoughts of Clayton Custer or Porter Moser begin to seep in. And now, When I remember this Auburn run, one of its lasting memories will be the blue and orange balloons and the Auburn flag draped all over Barkley’s corner of the CBS set. Chuck’s team finally got their moment, and he bathed in its glory. All he needs to complete the ensemble is a white wig, a priests uniform, and a wheelchair.