Illini reflect on a magical Final Four season
INDIANAPOLIS — As the buzzer sounded, the overflow of emotion refused to stay bottled up. Frustration lingered as Illinois saw the curtains close on its season; it all pointed towards the end of a magical season. A season not complete without its exhilarating highs and devastating lows.
A season, like that of the three other teams competing in this weekend’s Final Four, would not be complete without a final gut punch. As much as Illinois can hold its head up, the team walked timidly towards the final Brad Underwood speech. As Underwood made his way into the locker room, all of that bottled-up emotion erupted.
There was nothing basketball-related about what Underwood told his team. He simply reminded them that they will always be family. Everybody felt it.
The coaches, staffers, players, and managers alike. They all felt the hurt of the loss, the magnitude of the stage where they had just ended their season. Red eyes surrounded the locker room, some even at a loss for words.
“Every day just being goofy and messing with each other and having a lot of fun, through the bad and good times, we were always there for each other,” Keaton Wagler said. Illinois fans around the world fell in love with this team. It was easy, given the natural charisma found in different corners of the locker room.