While talking with Porter Moser last Wednesday night, there was clearly something different in our conversation. Maybe he didn’t notice or recognize it with all that was going on in his rollercoaster moment, but it was different.

And it went beyond Moser taking a phone call roughly every six minutes and then pacing back and forth while he talked, similar to what you see on the sideline during Loyola games.

Over the years we have talked hours and hours about basketball coaching jobs and, at times, even potential ones for him. That’s just inevitable. It’s the nature of the business in the college basketball world, and it’s especially true when he has elevated Loyola into relevancy and a national storyline since leading the Ramblers to the 2018 Final Four.

Loyola, of course, followed that up with another NCAA Tournament run this past March, which included a monumental win over No. 1 seed Illinois to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Moser’s name was mentioned or linked with virtually every job opening in the country.

But in my eyes, last Wednesday night’s colloquy with Moser was different than other conversations we’ve had about any job. While he didn’t divulge at that time if the job was his to take or not, there was certainly intrigue and interest in all things OU.

Talks with Oklahoma had begun earlier in the week. Those talks progressed to the point where Oklahoma’s director of athletics Joe Castiglione flew to Chicago on Thursday to meet with Moser.

The get-to-know-you talks and negotiations continued and by last Friday afternoon an agreement had been made with news breaking that Moser would be headed to Norman.

When it comes to coaching searches and jumping into the coaching carousel, Moser is a little more out of the ordinary than his colleagues. Who doesn’t immediately try and parlay a Final Four run into the next job? History has told us this. The job-hopping and money-grab opportunities each spring for college coaches is the norm. But it clearly hasn’t been for the 52-year-old Moser.

Moser has had opportunities to take other jobs. In other instances he listened to overtures but simply didn’t dive in. He was particular about any opportunity that arose. He was never going to take just any job that was considered a step up from Loyola and the Missouri Valley Conference.

In my 25 years of dealing with college coaches, talking with them every day and building relationships and even great friendships, I would like to think my BS-meter is strong in an industry where BS is pretty much routine. When Moser talked Loyola, there was no BS involved.

The guy truly loved his job at Loyola, and it wasn’t just coaching-rubbish and bunk he spewed. This was the place — and the people in charge — that allowed him to flourish on his time and provided him that time to establish his culture and winning ways.

Moser constantly talked about the people at Loyola, the players he’s coached and building a legacy in the city he proudly has so much affection for and a connection to.

Those closest to him would always wonder if he would ever leave Loyola and Chicago?

This program was something that he truly built, raising Loyola basketball into a legitimate mid-major power while moving up to the Missouri Valley Conference after just two years in the Horizon League.

It’s very rare any mid-major can establish any type of a brand. But Loyola did that. That meant something to Moser, who gave everything to the job for 10 years. Who would have ever imagined Loyola would ever be on the national basketball map?

When it came to the push-pull theory — factors that ultimately determine if you move or stay somewhere — Loyola, his players and the city of Chicago were always pulling Moser back.

There was a time or two in past talks where Moser would break down a potential landing spot. It’s no secret he’s had opportunities to leave Loyola, particularly following his Final Four run a few years back. But leading up to massive decision-making time, there was always hesitancy in his voice.

Even with the positives of any potential move, there were always “buts” and “I don’t knows” and “what about this?” in the conversation about the job.

Simply put, there was never convincing excitement in his voice. In the end, nothing ever made as much sense to him as staying put at the place where he was happy — at Loyola, continuing to believe in what was transpiring there and all the comfort that came with it.

But you never know what might come your way next. And recent talks about Oklahoma with Moser were different.

That may sound odd to some in Chicago, but it’s what it was with Porter Moser. And that’s all that really matters. There wasn’t a hesitancy. When talking about the job and all that it had to offer, there was more emotion. Again, there needed to be something that blew Porter Moser away.

It was never going to be easy to leave Loyola, but so many of the areas of the OU coaching job ideally lined up for Moser.

Anyone close with Moser knows his mind is always pushing forward. He will analyze to the nth degree. But that’s part of what has led to his success. There would always be certain criteria a job would have to meet for Moser to make the jump and actually pull the trigger and leave Loyola.

And if you look closely and really examine the Oklahoma basketball job, it met so many of them. Those factors are what should help Loyola fans and college basketball fans across Chicago understand Moser’s move.

? Athletic success and program stability.

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione is one of the most highly respected leaders in his profession. Castiglione, who has been at Oklahoma since 1998, has built an athletic powerhouse at OU that stretches across so many sports.

The Sooners have won 18 national championships since his arrival. That’s the exact type of winning culture, stable foundation and tradition any coach would want heading into a new job.

There is no doubt the presence of the impressive Castiglione played a part in Moser feeling comfort in leaving Loyola. That type of coach-AD relationship and mutual respect are hard to find. Moser had it at Loyola with Steve Watson, and he wanted it again if he were ever to move.

? Basketball success and history

Very quietly and somewhat overlooked, Oklahoma basketball has had a ton of success since Billy Tubbs arrived in the 1980s. There have been three different coaches — Tubbs, Kelvin Sampson and Lon Kruger — who have led the Sooners to the Final Four during that time.

Overall, there are only four schools that have had more than four coaches take teams to the Final Four: Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA. Oklahoma is next, tied with Michigan, with a total of four coaches.

In this century alone, now 21 seasons in, Oklahoma has reached the Elite Eight four times and played in two Final Fours. And in that time they’ve had three consensus All-Americans in Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield and Trae Young.

? Resources

Playing in a major power conference and having a football power among the top handful in the country, Oklahoma’s resources are tremendous and obviously dwarf anything Loyola can offer.

According to official NCAA finances, Oklahoma athletics brought in $163,126,695 in 2018-19. That was eighth among all public university athletic programs at the Division I level in the country. As a comparison, Southern Illinois — like Loyola, another Missouri Valley Conference program — generated $22,507,927.

As a result, the Oklahoma athletic budget ranks among the highest in college athletics. That leads to large recruiting budgets, the ability to pay top assistant coaches and support staff while also providing life-changing money for its head coach.

? Facilities

With the type of resources at Oklahoma’s disposal, Sooners basketball, thanks to a large donation from NBA star and former Sooner Blake Griffin, has been able to recently open the 18,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Griffin Family Performance Center.

This facility, in addition to the OU practice gym, meets the needs of strength performance for its basketball players at an extremely elite level. The facility is a game-changer in recruiting and for the basketball student-athlete.

? Chance to regularly play in NCAA Tournament

As good as Loyola has been over the past four years, the truth of the matter is the Missouri Valley Conference is more or less a one-bid league when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately in most years one slip up in the MVC Tournament can derail any NCAA Tournament hopes for the league champ.

Coaches are inherently ultra-competitive with what is a healthy professional ego. When they get a taste of what the NCAA Tournament is like and experience a tournament run, it’s something they want to regularly do.

A team finishes among the top five or six in the Big 12 Conference and chances are they are likely playing in the NCAA Tournament in March. And Oklahoma is considered to be among the top three or four jobs in the Big 12.

In the last 38 years, Oklahoma has gone to the NCAA Tournament an impressive 29 times.

? Less pressure than other high-major jobs

Oklahoma wants to win. And they want to win big. The aforementioned high-level success warrants that.

However, this job isn’t one that instantly ruins one’s quality of life as so many over-the-top, high-pressured head coaching jobs with outlandish expectations can do.

The OU basketball coach will never, ever be the BMOC. Porter Moser will never rival Sooners football coach Lincoln Riley. But he will also never feel the type of heat Riley will receive if things take the slightest dip.

Simply put, Oklahoma has a bit of a lethargic fan base. Fans and boosters care more about football recruiting than the actual basketball season. That may seem like a negative, but in the basketball coaching world it can often be a sense of relief.

In the last 45 years Oklahoma has fired just one basketball coach — Jeff Capel. And that came after a NCAA investigation led to a lack of recruiting prowess and left the program in limbo.

As one head coach recently said to me, “What’s nice about Oklahoma basketball is that there aren’t a bunch of different cooks in the kitchen.” Which means everyone knows their place and the head coach is in complete control.

? The Jordan Brand

Oklahoma is a Jordan Brand school. Yes, it may seem trivial. But the iconic brand is a boon to any college basketball program. It’s a huge basketball recruiting tool.

? Strike when its hot

For Moser, he undoubtedly should feel fortunate that a perfect match for him did pop up when he was arguably the hottest name on the coaching market. Oklahoma was the match for him. Timing is everything.

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Seven people were wounded during a fight that escalated into a shootout Monday night in Englewood on the South Side.

Gunfire broke out during a “physical altercation” about 11:10 p.m. on the sidewalk in the 6800 block of South Justine Street, Chicago police spokeswoman Kellie Bartoli said.

There were multiple shooters who exchanged gunfire, but no one was arrested and no guns were recovered by Tuesday morning, Bartoli said.

A woman was seriously wounded by gunfire, while six men were listed in fair or good condition. The victims were between 18 to 44 years old.

At the scene of the shooting, police noted gunfire damage to at least two cars and a street light, Bartoli said.

The victims were:

• A woman, 39, shot in her arm and abdomen was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition, police said in an online statement
• A 21-year-old man was struck in the right foot and a 34-year-old man was grazed by a bullet on his right foot, police said. They were taken to Holy Cross Hospital in fair condition.
• A 44-year-old man was struck in the right arm, and a 28-year-old man was struck in the torso, police said. They were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
• An 18-year-old man was struck in the foot and arm, and taken to Christ Medical Center in fair condition, police said.
• Another man, 31, took himself to Ignalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, police said. He was shot in the leg and in good condition.

Area One detectives were investigating the shooting.

Police have responded to at least two other shootings in the last month with more than a half dozen victims each. On March 26, a man was killed and seven others hurt at a “pop-up party” in the Wrightwood neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

On March 15, a shooting wounded 15 people, 2 fatally, at another impromptu party in Park Manor on the South Side. That shooting was the most violent attack in terms of the number of victims since last July when 15 people were shot outside a Gresham funeral home.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is retiring after a three-decade run in which he transformed the university’s football team and later guided the Badgers to their greatest all-around sports success in school history.

The 74-year-old Alvarez said Tuesday he would retire on June 30.

“It has been an honor to be a part of Wisconsin athletics and I take great pride in all we have accomplished over the last three decades,” Alvarez said in a statement. “From championships, to improvements on campus, to impacting thousands of student-athletes, it’s been a great ride.”

Alvarez arrived at Wisconsin in 1990 as football coach and turned one of the Big Ten’s weakest programs into one of its strongest. He became athletic director in 2004 and briefly served in a dual role before stepping down as football coach after the 2005 season.

Wisconsin’s football team went a combined 9-36 in the four seasons before his arrival. Alvarez led the Badgers to three Rose Bowl titles and made them regular Big Ten contenders by emphasizing a strong defense and rushing attack.

Alvarez coached Wisconsin from 1990-2005 and set a program record for career coaching victories. His 119-74-4 mark includes his record over 16 years plus a 1-1 mark as an interim coach in bowl games that capped the 2012 and 2014 seasons.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Other Wisconsin programs had similar success during his stint as the Badgers’ athletic director.

Wisconsin teams won 16 national titles under Alvarez, though five of those came in women’s lightweight rowing, a sport whose championships aren’t sanctioned by the NCAA.

Those national titles were in six different sports (women’s lightweight rowing, men’s cross country, men’s hockey, women’s hockey, men’s indoor track, men’s rowing). Wisconsin’s most recent national title came in women’s hockey this year.

The Badgers also have won a total of 74 conference, regular-season or tournament championships with Alvarez as athletic director. Fourteen different teams have won conference titles during his regime.

Wisconsin finished in the top 30 in the Directors’ Cup 15 times in his first 18 seasons as athletic director.

“His work here has positively impacted the lives of countless student-athletes who have come through our doors,” Wisconsin chancellor Rebecca Blank said in a statement. “His leadership has also lifted our university and our state. Barry’s legacy will live on whenever Badgers take the field.”

Alvarez emerged as a national leader in college athletics. He was named a chair of the NCAA’s football academic enhancement group in 2008 and was on the College Football Playoff selection committee for three years. He was named the Under Armour athletic director of the year in 2017-18.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Three insane trade packages with Toronto Maple Leafs by Vincent Parise

The 2021 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Chicago Bears may still receive a bit of help on their quest for a quarterback.

Recent trades have shaken up the draft in a big way, and after the first big deal went down, it appeared as though the Bears were going to be on the outside looking in at the first-round quarterbacks.

When the San Francisco 49ers dealt for the Miami Dolphins’ pick at number three overall, the assumption was that there will now be three quarterbacks selected over the first trio of picks. Monday, that assumption grew even stronger when the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers.

Now, it’s almost guaranteed to go Trevor Lawrence at no. 1, Zach Wilson at no. 2 and — well, one of three names at the third pick to San Francisco.

All hope is not lost for the Chicago Bears to move up and select a first-round quarterback.

After the three quarterbacks go back-to-back-to-back, we’re probably going to see some combination of LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Florida tight end Kyle Pitts and Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell go next. That would bring us to the seventh overall pick, held by the Detroit Lions.

Will the Lions go quarterback there, even after taking on the Jared Goff contract? Or will they look to add something they desperately need like a wide receiver or someone on the defensive side of the ball — pick a position.

That number eight pick could be up for grabs and might just hold a quarterback for the Bears. However, Chicago may not have to trade for Carolina’s no. 8 pick for a couple of reasons.

The Panthers won’t go quarterback at pick eight, so let’s move on for the sake of this argument. At number nine overall, the Denver Broncos are definitely a team to watch out for in the quarterback market. But, maybe they don’t draft a quarterback there.

Instead, an idea proposed by NBC Sports’ Mike Florio is that the Broncos instead trade for Teddy Bridgewater to compete with Drew Lock.

“In Denver, former Vikings assistant G.M. George Paton is looking for a Drew Lock upgrade. Bridgewater was on the brink of a breakout in 2016 in Minnesota, before a fluke knee injury. Paton could be intrigued by the possibility of giving Bridgewater a chance to grow into the job with the Broncos while otherwise looking for a long-term fix — if they need one. (Bridgewater is still only 28.).”

If the Panthers traded Bridgewater to the Broncos, we could then move on to pick number 10 where the New York Giants would have a decision to make. Do they commit to Daniel Jones for one more season? They’ve certainly surrounded him with a talented arsenal.

All of this goes to say that the Bears may not have to trade up as high as some people think. The previously mentioned teams could pass on quarterback while going for other first-round talents like Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Micah Parsons or Patrick Surtain Jr.

There is no guarantee the Bears are going to miss out on a quarterback even at pick no. 20. However, if they wanted to best shot at one, they should look at trading up into the early teens — assuming we saw Bridgewater go to the Broncos.

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If the Broncos dealt for Bridgewater, that could drastically change the outlook of the draft for Chicago. It would give the fan base just a bit more hope that, just maybe, the team would make a move for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s class.

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Two men were sitting in a parked vehicle in the 1500 block of West Garfield Boulevard when someone opened fire.

Two men were shot, one fatally, Monday outside a laundromat in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.

Ricky Shipman, 35, and another man were in a parked car about 10:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of West Garfield Boulevard when someone opened fire, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Shipman was shot in the chest and taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. He was identified as Shipman by the medical examiner’s office.

The other man, 38, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the ankle, police said.

Media reports showed police investigate a crime scene outside a laundromat where a car could be seen with bullet holes and shattered glass.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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One man was in custody after the shooting.

A man was shot dead and another arrested after the pair were allegedly drinking in an Austin neighborhood basement early Tuesday on the West Side.

About 3:30 a.m., two men, 39 and 38, were drinking in a basement apartment in the 5400 block of West Flournoy Street when shots were fired, Chicago police said.

The 39-year-old was shot in the head and chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released his name.

The other, 38, was placed into custody and a weapon was recovered, police said.

No charges have been filed.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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Seven people were shot after a fight Monday in the 6800 block of South Justine Street.

Two men were killed and 14 others wounded in shootings Monday across Chicago, including seven shot during a fight in Englewood on the South Side.

Gunfire broke out about 11:10 p.m. on the sidewalk in the 6800 block of South Justine Street, Chicago police said.

A woman was seriously wounded by gunfire, while six men were listed in fair or good condition. The victims were between 18 to 44 years old.

West Pullman homicide

In the day’s first reported deadly attack, a man was shot to death in West Pullman on the Far South Side.

Two people fired shots at the 21-year-old about 3:50 p.m. as he ran south in the 12000 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said. The man was struck multiple times in the body and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. His name hasn’t been released.

1 shot dead outside Back of the Yards laundromat

Two men were shot, one fatally, Monday outside a laundromat in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.

Ricky Shipman, 35, and another man were in a parked car about 10:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of West Garfield Boulevard when someone opened fire, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Shipman was shot in the chest and died at a hosital.

The other man, 38, was hospitalized in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the ankle, police said. Media reports showed police investigate a crime scene outside a laundromat where a car could be seen with bullet holes and shattered glass.

15-year-old shot taking out trash

In nonfatal attacks, a 15-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting early Monday on the Near West Side. The boy was taking out the trash about 5:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Washburne Avenue when he heard a gunshot and felt pain, police said.

He ran inside him home and was taken to Rush University Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his lower back, police said. He was later transferred in good condition to Stroger hospital.

2 shot in West Englewood

Two men were shot Monday evening in West Englewood on the South Side. The men, both 20, were standing outside about 6 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Marshfield Avenue when multiple people walked up and opened fire at them, Chicago police said.

One man was struck in the chest, while the other was struck in the leg and abdomen, police said. Both were stabilized at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

At least three other people were hurt Monday in citywide shootings.

Over Easter weekend, 34 people were shot, eight fatally, in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have been slipping a little bit lately. With the trade deadline looming, they might be willing to ship off some of their expiring contracts. It would be really smart for them to have good asset management which can be done by trading away anyone who won’t be there next year for some […]

Chicago Blackhawks: Three insane trade packages with Toronto Maple Leafs – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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