American hero Sister Jean says God's a bigger fan of the NCAA than the NBA

From the Book of Sister Jean, Chapter 1, Verse 3: "God is probably a basketball fan, more of the NCAA than the NBA."

The word is truth, especially when it's spoken by Loyola-Chicago’s Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, the school's basketball team's chaplain. On Friday, the internet celebrity and 98-year-old nun gave her own press conference ahead of the Ramblers' game on Saturday night, delivering one gem after another.

Asked if God was a basketball fan, Sister Jean had this to say:

"He probably is. And he’s probably a basketball fan more of the NCAA than the NBA."

"I’ll wager that your viewer audience is very large this time and that if you compare it to the NBA when they’re playing, it will be different. And I say that because these young people are playing with their hearts and not for any financial assistance."

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Observers noted that college basketball players do receive financial assistance in return for playing (scholarships) and that colleges profit enormously off their free play. But that's not a ding for Sister Jean. She's perfect, especially when she offers hopeful words of encouragement like this one:

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Other reasons to love Sister Jean? When she was academic dean at the all-women's Mundelein College in Chicago in the 1970s, administrators let students host anti-war protests without issue -- so long as they finished their coursework. Her enthusiasm for the Ramblers is enough to make anyone a fan.

And then there are her comebacks. During the NCAA tournament, Sister Jean said: "When people say, 'Why do you do this? You must be awfully tired,' I say, 'What difference does it make at 98, whether, I'm tired or not?!'"

The Ramblers recently released a Sister Jean Bobblehead. Within 48 hours, all 5,000 sold out.

Even NFL coaches want a piece of Sister Jean.

Of her celebrity, Sister Jean had this to tell The New York Times: “I just think everybody is a celebrity in his and her own way."

“No matter what we’re doing, if we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, then each one of us is a celebrity, each one is bright in the eyes of God.”