x
Breaking News
More () »

Loyola-Chicago shows up late to Sweet 16 practice when bus driver can't find arena

Loyola coach Porter Moser was steaming mad when they finally arrived about a half-hour after originally intended, as the team's police escort never showed up and the bus driver circled around and around the area trying to find the right entrance.
Loyola Ramblers head coach Porter Moser. (Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports)

If you’ve never been to downtown Atlanta, it can be easy to miss Philips Arena if you don’t know what you’re looking for. For one thing, it’s connected to the massive CNN center, so it’s not a standalone building. It also sits atop a gulch with parking and team entrances underneath, which can be confusing to navigate.

Still, you’d think the NCAA tournament would have gotten its plans down pat for transporting teams from their hotels to the arena for practices Wednesday prior to the South Regional semifinals. Unfortunately for Loyola-Chicago, there were still apparently some kinks to work out.

Loyola coach Porter Moser was steaming mad when the Ramblers finally arrived at Philips Arena about a half-hour after originally intended, as the team’s police escort never showed up and the bus driver circled around and around the area trying to find the right entrance.

“No one knew how to get here,” Moser said. “It was a 35, 40 minute (trip) but you overcome. I told our guys, it’s our first thing to overcome. It’s like getting a couple turnovers early, you put it behind you and overcome.”

Loyola eventually got onto the court and didn’t lose any practice time, but it was a minor inconvenience — and a baffling one, given that the bus route should have been well-established beforehand. For what it's worth, Nevada athletics director Doug Knuth said everything went smoothly with the Wolf Pack's police escort.

“Atlanta is beautiful, and we got to see all the sights,” Loyola guard Ben Richardson said. “That’s how i’m going to take it in as a chance to see the sights. But we got in here and we got after it once we got going.”

Though it wasn’t necessarily a fun experience, Loyola players were amused by Moser’s rising frustration level as the bus ride grew to legendary proportions.

“It wasn’t really a huge thing but he wants to get going,” Richardson said. “Once he gets in that practice mode, he wants to get going and he’s intense. That’s just how we like him, trying to get after it. That’s how we get better. it was a little bit of a tease trying to get in here but once we got in, it was good.”

Before You Leave, Check This Out