COLUMBUS, Ohio — This first weekend of March Madness is off to an exciting start for one of central Ohio’s very own.
Sherrie Griffin said she is so excited she wants to dance for joy. Griffin is a local basketball coach, but priority number one has always been cheering on the sidelines for her son, Sean Jones.
“I try not to coach him, I try not to be too much of a parent, just take it all in not be overly critical,” she said.
But Friday afternoon at the big dance, it was a whole different feeling.
Jones grew up in Gahanna, and the big tournament has brought him home to Columbus. He plays for Marquette — the team seeking its first tournament win since 2013.
With the highest seed in the program's history -- Griffin had high hopes she would watch the team take the first round. And they did.
"I'm just happy that he's able to come here, play two games, and get to where they need to go next,” she said. “As soon as we left out of the arena, all the Marquette families, we danced and cheered and all that jazz.”
The Marquette fan support is strong.
"Now we're going to go and we're going to with the NCAA championship baby!" said one fan outside the arena.
"I'm just so excited. I'm just trying to live in the moment because we're still dancing so I can't believe it,” Griffin said.
Marquette will go on to play Michigan State in round 2 of the tournament on Sunday.