By Greg Halbleib
SAN ANTONIO – A Central Catholic High School graduate is enjoying Loyola’s run to the Final Four up close.
Jake Baughman is a sophomore on the Ramblers squad that faces Michigan on Saturday evening in the NCAA men’s basketball national semifinals. Baughman told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin that he and his teammates are relishing the national stage, even though it’s bigger than expected.
“We had a practice yesterday at 9 o’clock in the morning and it was only for an hour and a half, and then after that I don’t think we left the gym until about 3 o’clock just because we had that much media to get through throughout the day,” Baughman told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin. “Some of our players joked about it, saying, ‘This is awesome but at the same time I just want a break from all this.'”
PODCAST: Listen here to Baughman’s interview with WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Kevin Bessler.
Baughman said many people are backing the Ramblers in their underdog role, but many existing fans and alumni are approaching the team with thanks for carrying Loyola back to national prominence.
Baughman said he appreciates the many fans rooting for the underdog Ramblers, but he knows some fans are rooting for them for other reasons.
“Obviously Kentucky brought a ton of people to Atlanta and they were going crazy for us all game,” Baughman recalled. “After we won, I remember walking back to the locker room and we knew they were cheering us on because they thought they were going to play us.”
Loyola faces Michigan in the first national semifinal in San Antonio on Saturday. Both semifinals and Monday’s national championship game can be heard on AM 1230 WJBC with Saturday’s coverage beginning at 3:30.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
