Jalen Rose's centenarian grandma has message for Loyola's Sister Jean

Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Jalen Rose's centenarian grandma has message for Loyola's Sister Jean
Sister Jean has been put on notice by an elderly Michigan fan ahead of the Loyola-Michigan Final Four matchup Saturday.

Sister Jean, the 98-year-old nun and chaplain for the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team, has become the Ramblers unofficial mascot.

But now, Sister Jean has been put on notice by an elderly Michigan fan ahead of the Loyola-Michigan Final Four matchup Saturday.

On his Instagram account jalenvseverybody, NBA-player-turned-ESPN-analyst Jalen Rose posted a video of his grandmother, age 100, saying "Grammie has a Final Four message for Sister Jean!! #GoBlue#Keepingit100."

Decked out in a Michigan basketball shirt, Grammie says in the video, "Sister Jean, it's been a good ride. But it's over Saturday. Go Blue!"

Rose, a Detroit native, attended Michigan in the early 1990s as part of the team's Fab 5 recruiting class of 1991, which made the Final Four two years in a row.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt captured the hearts of March Madness viewers, who have watched the No. 11 Chicago team catapult themselves into the Final Four position.

Sister Jean's bobblehead went on sale last week and quickly became a best-seller, according to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. About 63 percent of the orders came from outside Illinois. And within the first 24 hours, a Sister Jean bobblehead was sold to someone in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum released the officially licensed, limited edition bobblehead on Friday.

It's unclear whether Jalen's Grammie will get her own bobblehead.

Sister Jean has been the team chaplain for the Ramblers' men's basketball team since 1994. As the team gained national fame, the Chicago nun also became an icon and presumed fairy Godmother to this Cinderella Story.

"She's always been this big of a celebrity on our campus like everyone's always been like in love with her so it's really exciting to share that love with the rest of the country," said Loyola freshman Grace Sparkman.

Sister Jean gained international fame over the past few weeks, but the 98-year-old has always been a staple on Loyola's campus.

"Everyone has a Sister Jean story, if you don't have a Sister Jean story it means you basically stayed in your dorm and didn't do anything," said Nick Schultz, a sophomore and assistant sports editor for Loyola's student publication, The Phoenix.

This is the second bobblehead for Sister Jean, who had bobbleheads in her likeness given away at games in 2011 and 2015. Those bobbleheads are now selling for over $300 each on eBay.

A portion of the proceeds from Sister Jean bobblehead sales will benefit the Loyola Athletic Fund and the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Loyola will play the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines at 6:09 p.m. ET Saturday.

Many fans figured No. 3 seed Michigan had a good shot to get to the Final Four as the Wolverines chase their first title since the Glen Rice-led group won the program's first in 1989.

But Loyola-Chicago? Consider the 11th-seeded Ramblers the representative for all the low seeds - UMBC, Marshall and Buffalo, to name a few - that pulled off the big stunners in an upset-filled and memorable March.

And yes, the Ramblers do have a national championship, won way back in 1963 during the Kennedy administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.