Jimmy Hall was relaxed, leaning against Water Street Tavern’s back counter Sunday shortly after Kent State’s NCAA Tournament matchup was announced on CBS.
Surrounded by his family, Hall — wearing a Mid-American Conference championship hat with tags still intact — was congratulated by fans leaving the school’s official March Madness watch party, giving handshakes, hugs and high-fives to his supporters throughout the season.
Though it had been nearly one day since Hall and his mother shared a loving embrace courtside after the end of the league’s title game and while he was now the focal point of a mid-afternoon festivity signifying his team’s greatest accomplishment thus far, his emotions still weren’t settled.