Sports

Sister Jean and other heartwarming sports stories from 2018

26 of December 2018

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' Sam Lafferty, left, cleans up teddy bears thrown on the ice with help from Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Mark Friedman, center, and T.J. Brennan, right, after the annual Tobyhanna Army Depot Teddy Bear Toss during an AHL hockey game at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The teddy bears thrown on the ice after the Penguins' first goal of the game are donated to children in need as part of Tobyhanna's "Operation Santa Claus" program. (Christopher Dolan /The Citizens' Voice via AP),The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' Sam Lafferty, left, cleans up teddy bears thrown on the ice with help from Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Mark Friedman, center, and T.J. Brennan, right, after the annual Tobyhanna Army Depot Teddy Bear Toss during an AHL hockey game at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The teddy bears thrown on the ice after the Penguins' first goal of the game are donated to children in need as part of Tobyhanna's "Operation Santa Claus" program. (Christopher Dolan /The Citizens' Voice via AP)

A 99-year-old nun at the center of the feel-good sports story of 2018 relives the drama of the Loyola Ramblers improbable run to the Final Four on the latest episode of PodcastOne Sports Now .

Sister Jean Delores Schmidt recounts her roles as player and coach at several girls’ schools before becoming chaplain, part-time scout and unofficial spokesperson for the men’s basketball program at the small Jesuit university on Chicago’s North Side.

Asked what drew her to basketball, Sister Jean replied “Teamwork.”

Her interview leads off a recap by hosts Jim Litke and Tim Dahlberg of the year’s most-heartwarming tales, including gracious winners, brave losers, a homecoming queen with a kick and “Teddy-Bear Tossing” — one of the best traditions in sports.