By Mark Gregory | Bugle Staff
From Bolingbrook, Illinois …
Those three simple words echoed through Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis April 5 and probably fell on a lot of deaf ears.
There is a good chance that most of the 14,514 fans didn’t pay very much attention to the hometown of University of Connecticut superstar Morgan Tuck.
You can bet her friends and family in attendance did, I’m sure the ears of Raider fans watching at home perked up when they heard their city announced. I know at least one Tweet was sent out calling attention to the fact that a player from our area was on the biggest stage in her sport on the brink of making NCAA history (I know that fact because, well, I sent it).
For those residents of Bolingbrook, students in the Valley View school system, even readers from Joliet, Lisle or Morton Grove who didn’t watch the game, didn’t even know it was on or did and just didn’t care – do yourself a favor – watch the highlights, read the articles, get to know Morgan Tuck the player, as well as Morgan Tuck the person, and be proud she is one of your own.
This is someone from the Voyager Media circulation area who made it – someone who could have been your classmate, may be your neighbor and should be your role model.
With an 82-51 win over Syracuse, UConn became the first women’s basketball program ever to win four-straight national championships, while Tuck joined fellow seniors Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson as the first players – men or women – to ever earn four championships in a career.
The road wasn’t easy for Tuck, who suffered through knee injuries in high school as well as in her first two years in college – even losing most of her sophomore season at UConn to knee surgery.
After missing five games this season because of knee pain, Tuck was quoted as saying doctors told her she has the knee of a middle aged woman. That ultimately led to her decision to forego the extra year of eligibility she was granted after her sophomore campaign.
Despite being a superbly gifted athlete – it is the hard work that she put into her rehab to get past the setbacks to get the most out of her talents that is the most impressive part of Tuck’s career.
Even back to high school, the accolades never went to her to head. The day Tuck played her final game in a Bolingbrook uniform – the only IHSA playoff loss of her career – she was as humble then as she was after winning the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year her freshman season.
I won’t go into story after story of what Morgan did to show her humility because that is just it – she just did her job. She didn’t make herself the story. And after every win and the occasional loss, she addressed the media in the same way – with a big smile, sharp sense of humor and a respect for all the players on the floor, teammates and opponents alike. She was always the first one to accept the blame for what went wrong and deflect the glory for what went well.
I have had the honor of watching Morgan Tuck grow as a player and person for the last eight years – the first four weekly at games and practices and the last on a TV screen – but I know when she raised the NCAA trophy over her head, I was proud that I was allowed to be along for at least a small part of that ride.
I will continue to follow Morgan’s career as she heads to the WNBA to continue her next chapter and while I do that – it will be fun to watch her career intertwine with other local players having success in women’s professional basketball.
Already waiting in the league are Allie Quigley and Jewell Loyd.
Quigley, a Joliet Catholic Academy graduate, is a member of the Chicago Sky and the winner of the WNBA sixth woman of the year in 2014 and 2015.
Loyd, a Niles West alumnus, left the University of Notre Dame after her junior season to enter the WNBA draft and was last season’s No. 1 overall draft pick by the Seattle Storm.
This year, Loyd was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and is a finalist for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball team.
Think you don’t know who Loyd is – you are probably wrong.
If you supersized your Big Mac meal or ordered a large drink at McDonald’s over the past month or so, there is a good chance you saw Loyd staring back at you from your drinkware.
The former McDonald’s All-American, Loyd was featured on large drink cups and was on display on the walls of many restaurants to market the 2016 version of the game.
While the Chicagoland area has provided countless skilled athletes in many sports – women’s basketball has been at the forefront recently.
While it may not be the biggest draw for casual sports fans – locals shouldn’t pass by the channel so fast when surfing for a game to watch.
These women are some of the best in the world at what they do and they are also your neighbors. They deserve your respect and your viewing time – you won’t regret the decision.