By Kevin McShane ‘25
This year, as a senior, I managed the Brother Rice basketball team for the first half of the season. This year’s team was very special. We started the season off winning 13 straight games, and the team chemistry was off the charts, with all 5 starters being seniors.
I stopped managing the team in January to have more time for other activities in my life, but I am very grateful for the experiences I had with this group. I spent the rest of the year cheering on the Crusaders from the front-row of the Crusader Crazies.
The playoff run that Brother Rice had was so special. The sectional championship win over Lemont is my favorite game I have ever attended at Rice. The gym at 99th and Pulaski was jam-packed, and storming the court and hugging my friends on the team after we won was awesome.
Taking fan buses down to the super-sectional game at Pontiac was an amazing experience. The fact that there were 3 separate fan buses of kids traveling almost two hours to support the team on a Monday night shows the camaraderie and passion of the Crusader Crazies.
After beating Peoria and St. Patrick, the Brother Rice basketball team was in the state final for the first time in school history, taking on DePaul Prep. We beat them earlier in the year at their gym, so I was confident that we had a great chance to take home a state title.
There was a high level of optimism and hope in the air as the Crazies, dressed in togas, gathered in the State Farm Center parking lot before the game.
It was a back and forth, low-scoring game that was not settled until the second overtime. It was gut wrenching to hear the final buzzer sound followed by the roar of the DePaul Prep fans. The Crusader Crazies walked out of the arena in near silence.
I was heartbroken for all the guys on the team who I shared the locker room with earlier in the season. To come that far and lose such a close game, I just know it was a very hard loss to swallow.
Overall, the 2024-25 season was the most successful season in Brother Rice basketball history, and I am grateful to have had a front-row seat to it.
