On this week’s episode of Chicago Stories, Loyola Ramblers men’s basketball head coach Porter Moser took a break from his busy off-season to talk to Mayor Emanuel about his whirlwind ride to the Final Four, the lessons he learned to get there, creating a winning culture, Sister Jean, and a lot more.

Coach Moser and the Ramblers burst out on the national scene this year after a series of thrilling upset victories during the NCAA Tournament, capturing the country’s hearts, and turning him and Sister Jean into household names.

But for those who have been following the Ramblers, their success has been a long time coming, and it started with the values Coach Moser established the first day he was hired back in 2011.

“We’ve been talking about this amongst ourselves since I took over the program as a foundation for what we believe in,” Coach Moser said. “Now the public saw it, but this has been up since Day One.”

As Coach Moser told Mayor Emanuel, there are two parts to the team’s culture. The first is the attention to detail. “The little things matter and it’s an accumulation,” Coach Moser said. The other part is how players conduct themselves off the court as young men and student-athletes.

“We’re going to keep climbing,” Coach Moser said. “We’re not done yet.”

Coach Moser also talked to Mayor Emanuel about his effort to recruit some of Chicago’s homegrown talent into Loyola’s basketball program. “When I got the job Loyola-Chicago had one Illinois player on the team, but they didn’t have a Chicago Public League player for 12-years prior,” Coach Moser said.

That had to change. It started with Milton Doyle from Marshall High School, who was quickly followed by current Ramblers Donte Ingram from Simeon Career Academy and Lucas Williamson from Whitney Young.

Check out the rest of the episode to hear Coach Moser explain his Wall of Culture, his favorite memories from this year’s NCAA Tournament, and Sister Jean’s real role on the team.

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