NEW ORLEANS — David McCormack led the Kansas Jayhawks past the Villanova Wildcats Saturday night with an impressive performance, racking up 25 points and nine rebounds.
What shaped up to be a remarkable night for McCormack was made even more meaningful with his family just feet away in the stands to see him have the game of a lifetime.
His mother Janina McCormack says "proud" doesn't begin to cover her emotions.
“I’m so proud of him. He worked so hard, so hard for this moment,” she said.
She couldn't help but reminisce on how far her son has come.
"Just thinking back when he was four and had a ball in his hand and how far he has come, he’s just relentless," Janina McCormack said. "It doesn’t matter how he feels, he’s consistent and he’s gonna push through."
Kansas head coach Bill Self agrees McCormack's perseverance is something special.
“I think so much of performance maybe has to do with things the media and the public doesn’t know about, primarily health," Self said. "To see how much this guy has sacrificed to be out there every single day, he may do two or three hours of treatment just to be out there every day.”
McCormack's domination started from the tip, the senior saying it all has to do with preparation.
“From the very jump of the game, we always hang our hat on defense, and I think that’s what really got energy to us," McCormack said. "From there, once the first fell and the second fell, I knew I could just kinda dominate the game.”
Self never doubted McCormack's ability to be a threat on the court.
“He’s our guy, and I’ve said it all along. He is the one guy on our team that can get 15 and 10 just by being a presence, and tonight he got 25 this time. He was fabulous,” Self said.
Kansas advances to the national title game and will play the University of North Carolina at 8:20 p.m. Monday night.
