• Marquette - Wisconsin and Rick Majerus

    Today is the biggest day for basketball in the state of Wisconsin. Yes, this is bigger than the high school state tournament, bigger than any Bucks game and bigger than any Big Ten or Big East game. This is Marquette - Wisconsin, or Wisconsin - Marquette, depending on what side of the fence you are on. And a big day it will be, but not just yet.

    So what is the pregame story? Is it Marquette's Vander Blue that committed to Wisconsin before pulling out and heading down 94 to Marquette? Is it Sam Dekker, the highest regarded recruit this state has seen since Brian Butch? Will it be Jamil Wilson? Jared Berggren? Could it be Bo Ryan or Buzz Williams? Could it be Wisconsin's 3 point shooting or Marquette's athleticism?

    Sure, any of those would make a great pregame story, but not today. The entire basketball world is on hold today, until around 1:00. Today a more important event will be taking place in Milwaukee, the funeral mass for a Milwaukee basketball legend, Rick Majerus.

    It was no secret that Majerus was not doing well, he had been dealing with serious heart issues for years, but this was different. When the news of Majerus' passing came out, though it was no surprise, it hit those that knew him like a ton of bricks. Rick had always come through it before, but not this time.

    Rick was a story teller, the kind of personality that allowed other people to become story tellers because everyone that has ever encountered him has their own "Rick Majerus stories". I have more than a few, but to me, this one was a sign that Rick was an icon - Walking around town in Indianapolis at the 1997 Final Four, my brother in law and I were spotting celebrities. We saw a crowd and headed for it, and we found that it was the autograph hounds waiting outside the Nike party. There were about 100 people jammed into a hallway. As coaches came out, Jim Beoheim etc, they would be mobbed for autographs. We found it funny, and sat there watching. It was loud, but as soon as that door cracked, you could hear a pin drop until they knew who was coming.

    The crowd grew silent as the door opened, and out came Rick. I said to my brother in law, "It's only Majerus." Having seen Rick my entire life, it was not a big deal, but I immediately found out that this was the guy people really wanted. It got crazy and Rick announced, "I have to be on TV across the street in 4 minutes, I can only sign 3." He did, and as he tried to make it through the mob, the mob moved with him. I told my brother in law, "Wanna bet I can get him to stop?" He took the bet. As the mob moved past us as one, I simply said, "Hey Rick, a hell of a long way from the Neeskara playground, isn't it?" It took about five steps for it to register, and as Rick stopped the autograph hounds behind him ran into each other. He fought back through them, shook my hand and said, "Yes it is - thanks!" As he walked away, the crowd didn't move, they all stood there looking at me as if they were thinking, "Who is this guy, do we need his autograph?" As Rick went down the hall untouched, some guy in the now silent crowd yelled, "What do you say to him?" To which I responded, "Nothing, he's just a friend from home."

    I always felt like I gave Rick a little breather, without knowing, I got the autograph hounds to back off, even if it was just for a few minutes. Now I have better and longer stories of Rick, but that one always sticks out because of the situation. Rick loved Milwaukee, and would take the time to acknowledge anyone from Milwaukee.

    The following year Majerus to the Utes to the national championship and the rest is history. He became one of the biggest names in all of basketball. He was a coach, an analyst and a larger than life figure. He was one of those guys that either you loved him or hated him, but you had an opinion. The stories will live forever, and with the internet you can read them at anytime, from Mike Decourcy to Andy Katz, everyone is telling their stories about Rick, there is even a few websites dedicated to Rick Majerus quotes.

    As big as today's Marquette - Wisconsin game is, everything will be on hold until after one of the game's biggest characters will be laid to rest. Rick's funeral mass is at 11:30 at Gesu Church on Marquette's campus. And while Gesu is only about 2 miles from the Neeskara playground, Rick had gone a long way, only to finish the game back at home.