Yes, it was very tough to watch the Eagles come up short of their goal of advancing to St. Louis and the Sweet 16, but it was great to be here and have a courtside seat to see them beat the Irish and fight hard to the end against the Ducks.

What’s made this trip so amazing to me has been Winthrop Head Coach Gregg Marshall and his willingness to allow me and my photographer Beth Hamilton on the inside, and when I say inside, I mean way inside.

I have been covering the NCAA basketball tournament for over 10 years, and I have never been granted the kind of inside access that coach Marshall allowed us this weekend. We were in the locker room before both games, and we were in the film session on Saturday between games with the coaching staff and players. It has allowed me to tell some of the best stories in my career.

As sports people, we generally try to take the same sound bites and interviews that everyone has access to and then tell a more compelling story with creativity. But when I’m allowed on the inside, my job as a storyteller becomes much easier, and the stories are much more compelling.

If you haven’t had a chance to see some of the video, you need to check it out on our site. Congratulations to the Eagles -- it’s been a magical few weeks!