MVC Basketball

When Loyola-Chicago opens the 2021 NCAA men's tournament on Friday, Sister Jean will be in the stands offering support for her team.   

Per Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, the school confirmed on Tuesday that Sister Jean will travel to Indianapolis for the tournament:

Sister Jean became a breakout star three years ago when the Ramblers advanced to the Final Four. The 101-year-old has worked as the chaplain for the school's basketball team since 1994.

She gave the school permission to use her name and likeness on merchandise in the wake of that tournament run. Her bobbleheads were being sold on eBay for as much as $650. 

The Ramblers earned a No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region, their best tournament seeding since the 1984-85 season (No. 4). They will play ACC champion Georgia Tech in the Round of 64 on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. 

Do you believe in miracles? If you want to root for a team that started from the bottom and climbed into the spotlight, look no further than the Drake Bulldogs.

Drake's Tourney History

Existing for over a century, the Drake men's basketball program has made the NCAA tournament four times. Its last visit, and only one since 1971, ended swiftly with a first-round loss to No. 12 seed Western Kentucky in 2008.

After losing the Missouri Valley Conference championship game to Loyola, Drake wasn't guaranteed to snap that drought. Entering Selection Sunday on the bubble, the 25-4 Bulldogs received an at-large bid. An 18-0 start and eye-popping offensive numbers warranted a spot on the dance card.

This Year's Best Players

It's an all-hands-on-deck approach in Des Moines, Iowa. Five players average double-digit points per game, but two of those key seniors are out of action.

Point guard Roman Penn is out for the season with a foot injury. Forward ShanQuan Hemphill, who leads the team in points per game, hasn't played since breaking his foot February 10. 

Sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu and senior forward Tremell Murphy have picked up the scoring slack in significantly elevated roles, but Drake's depth has taken a massive hit. This underdog is climbing a steep uphill battle.

Why They're Going to Win

Drake might not be the best team in its small conference. It's also not the best team from Iowa and certainly not the most ferocious squad to carry the Bulldogs nickname into the Big Dance. That last honor belongs to top-ranked Gonzaga.

They also may have benefited from some good fortune that expired at an inopportune time. And maybe they'll struggle when forced to swim in a much larger pond.

But hey, sometimes you just need a seat at the table to prove you belong.

This could be Drake's chance for the best run it's ever had—yes, there will be many bad puns related to the rapper. Nobody knows when the next opportunity will come, so it's now or never to shock the world.

An arrest warrant has been issued for former University of Evansville men's basketball coach Walter McCarty after he didn't appear for a court hearing Thursday and also missed an Aug. 20 hearing, per Chad Lindskog of the Evansville Courier and Press.

McCarty, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, was sued by Old National Bank in March after he reportedly "defaulted on a $75,000 'private select line of credit' created in October 2018, according to court records."

Judge Robert Tornatta ruled in May that McCarty had to pay $77,540.77 in restitution to Old National Bank. He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday to talk about options for paying back that amount. 

He is also due in the Vanderburgh Superior Court on Nov. 20 after defaulting on a $45,000 loan from Oct. 2018 that he took out with the First Federal Savings Bank. 

McCarty, 46, played for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers during his time in the NBA. He then spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers and Celtics before taking over as the Evansville head coach in March 2018. 

Evansville went 20-25 in parts of two seasons with McCarty as head coach before he was fired in January amid a Title IX investigation. A female Evansville student accused him of sexual assault and hired the Simpson Tuegel Law Firm to "investigate and represent her in a potential action against the coach and the university."

Nathaniel Miller Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Drake University after being shot in the head by a men's basketball player last summer, claiming a coach instructed his player to lie to police about the incident, according to Tyler J. Davis of the Des Moines Register.

The incident in question took place in August 2019 when Tremell Murphy, a forward on the basketball team, accidentally shot another student during a party. The firearm was legally owned by Murphy, who was at his house near the Drake campus.

When police arrived, Murphy told the officers Miller had fallen on a wet floor and hit his head.

The player was eventually charged with making false reports to law enforcement and discharging a firearm within city limits. He pled guilty to the two misdemeanors but did not spend any time in jail.

According to the lawsuit—which claimed Murphy, the university and the property managers of the house as defendants—an unnamed men's basketball coach arrived to the scene before police officers and told Murphy to deny involvement in the injury.

The plaintiff claims that proper medical care was delayed because of the misinformation and that Miller is still suffering physically from the shooting.

Drake University has denied the claims in the lawsuit.

"It is not true as claimed by the plaintiff that a Drake men’s basketball coach told Mr. Murphy to deny involvement in Mr. Miller's injuries," the school said in a statement, via Davis. "Additionally, the residence in which the shooting incident took place is a private residence and is not owned or otherwise affiliated with the university."

Murphy 32 games for Drake in 2018-19 after joining the team as a junior college transfer. He was suspended five games in the 2019-20 season after being charged, and a December knee injury ended his season early.

A woman who said former Evansville men's basketball coach Walter McCarty sexually assaulted her has retained an attorney to represent her for a potential lawsuit.

"This was the classic power imbalance," attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel said Wednesday, per Jill Lyman of 14News. "He was the town sweetheart, grew up in Evansville, returned after a successful NBA career and coached the basketball team to national success. When McCarty saw that the victim was in too vulnerable a position to protest his behavior toward her, he assaulted her. Thankfully, she reached out to a friend for support and the assault was reported to the university."

Evansville fired McCarty in December amid allegations of impropriety, specifically in regard to Title IX violations but didn't specify the nature of those violations. The school said in a statement it warned McCarty regarding his behavior last year.

"Last year, the University had issued warnings to Mr. McCarty regarding inappropriate off-court behavior with members of our campus community," the statement read. "Mr. McCarty also participated in training concerning acceptable behavior under Title IX.

"While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately."

No criminal charges have been filed. It's unclear if police were contacted about the alleged assault. Tuegel said her client is not the only woman McCarty allegedly assaulted. 

"It's clear that my client wasn't the only victim," Tuegel said. "We have been informed that other women have come forward about McCarty's sexual misconduct. It's important that other survivors of this man's acts know that they're not alone, and we would encourage them to reach out to someone to report the misconduct. These women deserve to learn and work in an environment free of sexual violence and sexual harassment. My client asks that the community remain supportive of the men's basketball team, as well as the additional survivors who have come forward."

McCarty, who previously spent a decade in the NBA, was in this second season at Evansville. He previously served as an assistant coach with Louisville, the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. 

The University of Evansville fired Walter McCarty as its men's basketball coach Tuesday, according to a statement released by the school (via the Courier & Press' Chad Lindskog). 

The school had placed McCarty on administrative leave Dec. 26 as it conducted a Title IX investigation.

"There is no place at UE for any behavior by any University employee or student that jeopardizes the safety and security of others," Evansville said in the statement. "While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately."

Shortly after firing McCarty, Evansville announced that it hired Todd Lickliter as his permanent replacement.

The nature of the allegations against McCarty remains unclear. In announcing his leave, the school said it had "received a troubling report about Coach McCarty's interactions with a member of the campus community."

Evansville also confirmed Tuesday it discovered more allegations of misconduct against the 45-year-old since launching its investigation.

McCarty won a national championship as a player at Kentucky in 1996 before moving on to the NBA. The No. 19 pick in the 1996 draft, he spent 10 years in the league. 

He began his coaching career as an assistant at Louisville in 2007 and was an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics before getting his chance at Evansville in March 2018.

The Aces went 11-21 in his first season but got off to a great start in his second year. They upset No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 12 on the road in Lexington.

Evansville was 9-4 before McCarty went on leave and has lost all six games since interim coach Bennie Seltzer took over.

The University of Evansville has placed men's basketball coach Walter McCarty on administrative leave during a Title IX investigation. 

Chad Lindskog of the Evansville Courier & Press reported the news Friday, noting the school "received reports about McCarty's off-court behavior, including an incident that appeared to violate its Title IX policy."

Evansville president Chris Pietruszkiewicz wrote an internal letter to staff explaining the decision.

"The University has received reports of unwelcome conduct by Coach McCarty since his arrival in March 2018," he wrote. "We have counseled him about his behavior. In the last two weeks, the University received a troubling report about Coach McCarty's interactions with a member of the campus community. We have placed Coach McCarty on leave while that incident is being investigated."

Lindskog noted Pietruszkiewicz's letter linked to the university's sexual harassment and misconduct policy.

Evansville also said it will not release any information on the investigation, which is being conducted by a national law firm, while it is underway.

This is McCarty's second season as the head coach for the Purple Aces. He went 11-21 in his first season and was off to a 9-4 start this season prior to being placed on administrative leave. McCarty also played 10 seasons in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.

Assistant Bennie Seltzer will be the interim head coach for Evansville, which plays its next game Tuesday at Missouri State.

The chaplain for Loyola Chicago's men's basketball team, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, turned 100 on Wednesday.

She became famous during Loyola Chicago's improbable run in the 2018 NCAA tournament, when the Ramblers reached the Final Four. Her birthday is being honored in a number of ways, from "a Lego likeness of her that will be on display at the Legoland Discovery Center through October, when it will be moved to the Ramblers' Gentile Arena," per ESPN, to an exhibit at the Loyola Museum of Art. 

Loyola Chicago is also raising $100,000 for an athletic endowment in her honor, according to Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. But Sister Jean is hoping her legacy goes beyond that.

"The legacy I want is that I helped people and I was not afraid to give my time to people and teach them to be positive about what happens and that they can do good for other people," she told Ryan. "And being willing to take a risk. People might say, 'Why didn't I do that?' Well, just go ahead and try it—as long as it doesn't hurt anybody."

Missouri State has had a forgettable year, but the team produced one of the most memorable plays of the 2018-19 season.

Jarred Dixon beat Illinois State Sunday on a half-court shot after a wild scramble for the ball in the closing seconds:

The Bears trailed by five with less than 10 seconds left, but Josh Webster kept the game alive with an and-1. A loose ball on the ensuing inbound created the opportunity for Dixon to knock down the deep shot for the 66-65 win.

It seemed like nearly every player on the court hit the ground at some point during the play, but it was the last man back on defense who ended up with the ball.

Missouri State improved to 13-12 on the year with the win, including 7-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, however, this play will likely be the highlight of the year.

Larry Cotlar, lead commentator for Drake University sports teams, died on Saturday at the age of 66.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Des Moines police said Cotlar died in a flash flood when a rush of water swept him away after his van stalled on a street.

"We all had the utmost respect—not just for Larry's talent, but for the kind of quality person and colleague he was. Larry was loyal, passionate and tireless," Drake athletic director Brian Hardin said.

The Des Moines area received between three to eight inches of rain on Saturday night, leading to homes and businesses in the area to be evacuated.

Per Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register, Cotlar spent 44 years working in radio, including 13 years as Drake basketball's play-by-play announcer after being hired in 2005.