Stories

Letter From the Editor: Cinderella’s Lost Slipper

Published

April 1, 2018

Credit-Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Occasionally, people make mistakes. Some more than others, but we all do it. After all, we are human.

Recently, I made one particular mistake that’s been hanging like a dark cloud over my head. I’ve really been kicking myself for it.

On March 15^th, I was editing an article from our lead basketball writer, Domenic Fierro. In this article, Domenic outlined five potential ‘Cinderella’ teams for the NCAA Tournament.

However, one of these teams was tipping off as I was preparing to publish the article. So I figured I’d remove them, not wanting to risk the team being eliminated by the time people read it.

That team was Loyola-Chicago, who turned out to be the one true Cinderella of the entire 2018 NCAA Tournament. An 11 seed that, against all odds, made it all the way to the Final Four. The biggest story of March Madness.

With each improbable win, the worse I felt about my mistake. The worse I felt for Domenic.

He had to explain this blunder to his incredulous friends, insisting that he really did predict the Ramblers’ run, and that the editor just decided not to publish it.

So, I think it’s only fair to finally reveal Domenic’s pre-tournament prediction to the world. Better late than never, right?

5. Loyola-Chicago

The Ramblers enter the NCAA Tournament as a 11 seed after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Loyola-Chicago’s biggest win this season came on the road against Florida early in December, but they had bad losses to Indiana State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Ramblers are led by guard Clayton Custer (13.4 ppg) and guard/forward Donte Ingram (11.6 ppg). Custer shoots 52.3% from the field while Ingram shoots 45.1%.

Loyola-Chicago has a tough first round matchup against Miami but, win or lose, the Ramblers will be entertaining in their push to pull off the upset.

In this article:Cinderella story, Letter From the Editor, Loyola-Chicago, NCAA Tournament, Sister Jean

Written By Tyler O'Shea

Division III baseball alum (McDaniel College), founder of Joker Mag, and author of The Underdog Mentality: Sports Stories That Will Change How You See the Game (And Yourself). Since launching in November 2017, my stories have been featured on platforms such as FOX Sports, SB Nation, and The Sporting News, reaching over 1.5 million readers worldwide. The seed was planted way back in 7th grade when I got cut from the baseball team. Instead of giving up, I found hope and inspiration in stories of undersized athletes who defied expectations. I ultimately played baseball through college, earning Honorable Mention on the All-Centennial Conference team in my senior season. Today, my mission is simple: To share stories that give people the same feeling I felt when I was that undersized ballplayer searching for hope, inspiration, and evidence that my dream was possible. Like my mom always told me, you can do anything you set your mind to. Sometimes we just need a little extra push. And that’s why I’m so passionate about sharing these stories with the world.