KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas senior forward Christian Bishop bounced around a Lubbock, Texas, hotel room as the Kansas City Chiefs rallied to beat Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII last month.
“It was really funny to see him on the night they won the Super Bowl, how excited he was,” Texas forward Dylan Disu said. “I'm actually his roommate on the road, so we were watching the game and he's just in the room dancing. ... It was funny to see him in that moment.”
After the game, an still-elated Bishop and the rest of the Longhorns went to film study ahead of a game the next night at Texas Tech.
“Some of my teammates didn't want them to win just because of me, because I'm the type of fan that I'm gonna ride the coattails until I can’t any more,” Bishop, a fifth-year senior, said with a grin.
The 2018 Lee’s Summit West graduate doesn’t hold back when it comes to his love for Kansas City.
Aside from friends and family, he said he misses Gates Bar-B-Q more than anything.
“I just know I walk in there talking about, ‘Can I get a beef on bun?’ You hear stuff like that, yelling, all that nonsense. But I love it; I love that atmosphere. That's my favorite part about KC," he said.
People from Texas often take immense pride in being from Texas. Bishop feels the same way about his hometown.
“He loves KC and always raves about KC,” Disu said. “You can just see that CB is always happy to come back to the city.”
Two weeks ago, Kansas City was kind to Bishop and company as the Longhorns rolled to a Big 12 tourney title at the T-Mobile Center.
Now, Texas is back in Kansas City with a bigger prize in mind: The Midwest Regional crown and a spot in the Final Four.
“Man, you can't write this,” Bishop said. “There's no script for this or anything. So, I'm just blessed for the opportunity and trying to make the most of it.”
The chance to play a regional semifinal Friday against Xavier a few miles from where he grew up makes the Sweet 16 so much sweeter for Bishop, who spent his first three collegiate seasons at Creighton before transferring to Texas last season.
“My whole family’s going to be there, so you’ve just got to enjoy it and have some fun out there on the court,” said Bishop, who estimates he’ll have around 20 close friends and family in the crowd.
Bishop started every game as a sophomore and junior at Creighton then started 23 games for Texas after transferring last year, but he’s shifted to a bench role this season.
“He's had some really good games for us, where he's come in and made incredible impacts on both ends of the floor,” Longhorns interim coach Rodney Terry said. “He's been a team guy. Started a lot of games for us last year, coming off the bench this year — hasn't complained one time, just been all about winning.”
Bishop, who helped Creighton reach the Sweet 16 two years ago, averages 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, the fewest since his freshman season, but he’s also living his best basketball life right now.
“He's a guy that we know, day in and day out, whether it be in practice or in games, he's going to bring energy,” Terry said. “He's going to bring some physicality. He's going to make some things happen out on the court.”
Terry continued, “He was super excited to be back in his hometown — ‘Kansas City, coach, we're back.’ He's talking about the hotel where he had his prom and all that good stuff. So, he's excited about being back here. He'll have a lot of family here and a lot of people rooting for him here.”
Deservedly so.
“We’re making this our second home,” Bishop said. “We're just trying to keep it going and take care of what we’ve got to do.”
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