Hononegah’s Jordan King, Marquette fans reconnect for NCAA Tournament

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIFR) - One of the most underrated parts of the NCAA Tournament is how it connects fans from across the country. The Beebe family and Marquette basketball are no exception.

The Beebe’s were a mainstay at home games for Marquette women’s basketball last season. They went so often that the Beebe’s daughter, Mckenzie, got the chance to go on the court during player introductions, and the young fan became a fan of Hononegah alum and Marquette guard Jordan King.

“I really liked her (King’s) last name and she makes most of her shots and I think she’s a really good player,” Mckenzie Beebe said.

Unfortunately, the trips to Marquette games would happen less frequently as the family moved south to the Atlanta metro area.

But on Selection Sunday, an opportunity arose for the Beebes.

“We were hanging out Sunday night looking at the tournament releases, and then we realized that Marquette was coming close enough to us where we could make it to a game because I had been joking all year that they would have a game closer to Georgia where we could see them at,” David Beebe said.

The first and second-round games of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament are held on the campuses of the top 16 seeds of the tournament in the 68-team field. And while Marquette may not have ended up playing their first-round game in Georgia, they did land just three hours away from the Beebe’s in Columbia, South Carolina. Marquette is set to take on South Florida in their first game and the winner will face the winner of Norfolk State and top-seeded South Carolina on Sunday.

For a father and a basketball coach like David, the opportunity to reconnect with the team means a lot for his kids.

“Kids have their role models that they look up to and a lot of times you don’t actually get to interact with them so I think for her to actually be there and interact with her it kind of brings that to a whole new level and shows that it’s not unobtainable and it’s something that you can definitely reach for and achieve if she works hard for,” David said.

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