Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times
CHICAGO — The emails from Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt arrived as they always do after a game, one for each member of the Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team. The Ramblers’ hopes for an N.C.A.A. tournament berth had been dashed by a 1-point loss to Valparaiso in overtime in the quarterfinals of last month’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Now Sister Jean, the team’s 100-year-old chaplain, had to help the players say goodbye to their season.
She wrote that she knew that they had given their best effort, and she also gave them an assignment.