MILWAUKEE — Tom Crean's message to the crowd at Fiserv Forum was simple: "Once Marquette, always Marquette."
That was the feeling Wednesday night as the Final Four team from 2003 reunited on the court. While it was celebrating the past, both Crean and Dwayne Wade said that 20 years ago, they were playing for this moment.
"The stories, we haven't had a lot of time for that. There's more time for that over the summer. What's awesome is to see them, the kind of lives they're living. We keep in touch but the best thing about being back is seeing them with their families. See so many of their kids and their parents is just awesome," says Crean.
"We put in a lot of war, and to put in work in something you can't see. Coach talked about this moment, he talked about one day our families will come back, our kids will be here and enjoying the work that we put in today. To not be able to see that but to believe in something that is bigger than you, to work your butt off to accomplish something that is just as great as we did in 2003. It's great to come back and celebrate with this team, celebrate with these fans and just to celebrate with each other," says Wade.
