Faith, family members carry Miami’s Meier deep into March Madness

Faith, family members carry Miami’s Meier deep into March Madness


CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Katie Meier’s practices at Miami always conclude the exact way. Every participant and mentor gathers all over the midcourt circle, clasps the hand of the individual up coming to them and somebody then quietly presents a few phrases from the coronary heart.

It’s about religion.

This period, Meier’s religion was tested. And rewarded.

For the to start with time in more than 30 many years of school basketball — counting her time as a Duke participant, then an assistant mentor at UNC Asheville and Tulane, then at some point head mentor at Charlotte and Miami — Meier is in the Sweet 16. Miami (21-12), the No. 9 seed in the Greenville 2 Location, normally takes on No. 4 Villanova (30-6) on Friday.

“We speak about faith a lot,” Meier — Katie to most, Kate to close friends and family — stated just after her Hurricanes kept their period alive by upsetting best-seeded Indiana in the 2nd spherical. “Not religiously. I’m conversing about religion, which is just self confidence with a good deal of patience, and we necessary it. Your self confidence can type of come and go, but faith has some persistence to it.”

This sort of is the story of Miami’s year.

It begun ominously Meier was suspended by the university for the very first 3 video games of the season in anticipation of NCAA sanctions relevant to her assisting to set up impermissible get in touch with concerning transfers Haley and Hanna Cavinder and a booster. The conference happened ahead of the Cavinders signed with the Hurricanes, and the closing agreed-on penalty — predominantly a calendar year of probation — marked the first time the NCAA experienced levied sanctions connected to an investigation into name, image and likeness promotions.

These who know Meier greatest were furious that she was sanctioned. Faith, in truth, was tested. It was tested all over again when Miami discovered alone on the NCAA bubble likely into the event. Tested nevertheless once more when down by 17 at the 50 percent of the first-spherical match in opposition to Oklahoma State. Tested but once again when Indiana, on its dwelling flooring, has the ball for the very last possession and a probability to tie or get the activity.

And Miami’s continue to standing.

“There’s 1 phrase that just sticks out to me: Perseverance,” stated Mike Lutzenkirchen, Meier’s brother-in-law. “Kate is these types of a deep thinker. She’s so intellectually clever when it will come to English, writing, and philosophy. I assume that win validates her perseverance and how she doesn’t mentor these women she will get blessed to have on our crew — but she gets to increase them by means of 4 or 5 years of their critical age of lifestyle. It’s the perseverance of succeeding by way of life’s problems.”

Oh, and there have been several.

Meier by no means satisfied her father Gerry Meier, who performed for Ray Meyer at DePaul, died in a plane crash 4 months in advance of she was born. Meier became aspect of what she has usually named “a Brady Bunch family members,” one particular that was fashioned when her mom married a widowed gentleman and each and every introduced four children into the blend.

A further tragedy hit her relatives nine a long time in the past. Meier wears a pin with “43″ on it to each individual video game — a nod to the jersey variety of her nephew Philip Lutzenkirchen, Mike’s son and a star restricted close at Auburn who died in June 2014 in a car crash in which he was not carrying a seat belt. The spouse and children rapidly started off the Lutzie 43 Basis in his memory, trying to inspire men and women to make far better selections as drivers and buddies.

The Brady Bunch times shaped her. Family members, Meier uncovered, is not generally what you are born into, but who you like. Her players come to be family every single year.

“She’s such a job design, somebody you can lean on, no issue what,” Miami ahead Karla Erjavec claimed. “You can occur in, you can cry in her office environment, you can laugh in her workplace, she’s normally heading to be her authentic self.”

Meier didn’t need to have a Sweet 16 to demonstrate everything. She’s a past Associated Push national coach of the year, a earlier United states Basketball coach of the yr, a member of the Miami Sporting activities Hall of Fame and the Hall of Honor at Duke, her alma mater. Her legacy is protected.

But getting her to this stage also signifies a good deal to her crew, primarily immediately after the problem of this year.

“Learning about who she is, the competitor she is, you can see why Miami was so attractive to us,” Hanna Cavinder said.

Meier’s very first NCAA Tournament game was when she performed for Duke in 1987. She had what was then only the fourth triple-double in the background of the women’s tournament and Duke rolled past Manhattan. In the second spherical two evenings later, Duke missing.

So started off the pattern: The Sweet 16, by some means, constantly escaped Meier’s achieve.

As an assistant coach, Meier also was portion of teams that manufactured the 2nd round in 1997 and 2000. As a head coach, Meier experienced an additional second-round probability in 2011. And 2012. And 2015. And 2017. And 2019. And 2022. Never ever bought the breakthrough.

Until eventually now.

“We’re listed here,” Miami ahead Lola Pendande explained. “We’re definitely listed here.”

Down 17 to Oklahoma Condition in Spherical 1, Miami pulled off a comeback so great it tied the fifth-major in NCAA women’s tournament historical past. It took place following a halftime wherever there were being loads of tears, none of them related to what was happening on the scoreboard.

“I’m an psychological coach, if you haven’t observed, but I obtained teary-eyed to remind them when daily life will get really hard and does not appear great, just bear in mind this minute,” Meier mentioned.

That second won’t be neglected. Nor will beating Indiana, on Future Harden’s shot in the remaining seconds. Clemson also occurred to acquire Monday night time, prevailing at residence in a Women’s NIT sport. Amanda Butler, one particular of Meier’s former assistants and still somebody close to the Miami coach, is mentor at Clemson. Butler’s mom identified as her to celebrate right after that gain.

“I’m very pleased of you,” she said, “but I was looking at Kate’s recreation.”

Meier permits herself a postgame deal with only right after wins: Pizza. There was pizza on Saturday. There was pizza on Monday. Pizza on Friday would almost certainly characterize the best pair slices she’s at any time experienced.

Religion would be rewarded, once more.

“For her to ultimately get as a result of to the Sweet 16, with all the troubles she experienced, and it transpires this yr,” Mike Lutzenkirchen explained. “A great deal of religion went into this.”

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