By Bruce Miles
 
Ben Richardson knows something about buzzer beaters, having played on Loyola's Final Four men's basketball team two years ago.
 
Richardson recently barely beat the buzzer out of Europe after his season in the Czech Republic was cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak. 
Volleyball player Gabi Maciagowski experienced similar travel worries getting out of Poland, where she competed as a pro in one of the continent's toughest leagues.
 
Richardson's Final Four teammate, Marques Townes, finds himself still in Spain at the behest of his pro basketball team as he quietly rides out that country's shutdown. 
 
These three former Loyola University Chicago student-athletes shared their stories of uncertainty while reflecting on their time at Loyola.
All three ventured overseas looking for a little adventure and cultural enrichment while continuing to play the sports they love. 
 
"I've always dreamed of being over there, taking this game I love so much and being able to do something with it after I was done playing in college," said Richardson after returning home to Kansas. "When the opportunity opened itself after my senior year, I was super excited. It's been awesome. It's been everything I've wanted. It's definitely different. But I've enjoyed it. I kind of like the unknown of playing in Europe.
 
"It's usually one-year contracts, especially for Americans, so I don't really know where I'm going to be next year. I like meeting people in these countries that I've played in and getting to know people and getting a more well-rounded worldview. It's cool. I'm getting to travel to places that I probably never would have otherwise. It paid off a lot this season getting to have my parents out. They came and visited me. They had never been to Europe. So that was a special moment for my family. We've all been enjoying it a lot."
 
After playing in Poland last season, Richardson signed with BC Geosan Kolin of the Czech league. When the effects of COVID-19 had become apparent in the last two to three weeks, he had to act quickly to get out of the Czech Republic and home. 
 
"On Thursday (March 12), I went to bed and was getting ready for a practice Friday," he said. "We were going to get ready for our game Saturday. By Sunday, it was contract done and completely out of the country. The way things moved, super fast, and the way things developed, it's kind of still got me in a little bit of a confused state, and it's all been a little bit of a blur. But definitely just thankful to be back here."
 
It wasn't without a few anxious moments for Richardson.
 
"The way it kind of went was, 'Am I going to be able to leave? Am I going to get stuck here? Are we going to keep playing?'" he said. "We had heard rumors it was going to be suspended. And then it was, 'How long is this going to go? Am I going to stay?' I'm talking to my agent at that point. He's saying he's hearing all the American are being sent home.
 
"When I heard that, I kind of figured the Czech league was going to follow suit, and that's what ended up happening. They started getting all the Americans out on Sunday (March 15). I was on the same flight as a couple of the players in the league."
 
Things were similar for Maciagowski, who graduated from Loyola last spring, but with one difference: She is a native of Toronto and had do some serious improvising to get out of Poland. 
 
Maciagowski was playing for Budowlani Lodz in the city of Lodz in central Poland. Her team was preparing for its playoffs when things started accelerating, with Maciagowski constantly in touch with her club president and manager. 
 
"They were trying to book me a flight as soon as possible," she said. "I think it was probably 8 p.m. They said, 'We have a flight for you at 8 a.m. Tomorrow. You need to pack all your stuff. You'll be leaving for the airport at 5:30 a.m.' I'm like, 'OK, great.' I packed all my stuff, as much as I could. Thankfully I had a teammate come over and take all the stuff I couldn't fit, and she'll be sending it over.
 
"I left for the airport. My flight was from Warsaw to Helsinki to New York to Toronto. As soon as I got to the airport, they said, 'You're not going to be allowed on this flight. They won't let you into New York.' I'm calling the club, and they're trying to figure it out. I don't even care at this point. Just get me out of Poland because Poland was shutting everything out that night. I'll stay somewhere else that night. I think like 10 minutes before they started boarding, They had a flight from Warsaw to Finland to Iceland to Toronto. Finally I got onto that flight. It was pretty smooth sailing from there."
 
For Richardson's teammate Townes, there is little else he can do but chill in southeast Spain as a first-year player for the UCAM Murcia basketball team. 
 
"It's not up to me," he said. "It's up to my team. They decided that they wanted to keep us here so we have to stay. They've postponed our games. I don't think we start until April 24. They said they're going to have three games a week all the way up until June. Then in June, the playoffs will start. Whether you do make the playoffs or you don't determines when you go home."
 
The bustling region of Murcia, along the Mediterranean coastline, has become eerily quiet, as has much of the world amid the COVID-19 crisis. 
"You don't really see a lot of people out on the streets," Townes said. "The only time you can go out is if you're going to the supermarket, the pharmacy or to a bank. That's the only time you're allowed to go out without getting stopped by the police. They're just trying to contain the virus. For two weeks, everybody's supposed to be staying inside. They're just trying to contain this virus so it can stop from spreading."
 
Before the outbreak, Townes said he was enjoying his season and the city. 
"I love it," he said. "It's really nice. Where I'm at it super hot all the time and we have the beach close by. It's really fun."
 
It just so happens that at this time of year, social media is full of posts commemorating the Ramblers' run to the Final Four in 2018. 
 
"I watch it and it still gives me goosebumps," Townes said. "I try to put myself in the audience at that time. I like watching it as the audience, not from a player's position. Watching it looks crazy even now. I can't even imagine watching it live as an audience member, as a fan. It's crazy.
 
"I wouldn't do anything different. Everything that I did there was worth the while. I'm happy I was able to go there. I'm glad Coach (Porter) Moser recruited me to come there. It changed my life for sure."
 
Richardson said he still hears from Loyola alumni who thank him for the Final Four memories. He doesn't seem to tire of it.
 
"Oh yeah," he said. "That's the thing I think I hear the most. People just like saying, 'Oh you're so great and you played so well. Thank you for inspiring and thank you for bringing us together,' whether it's Chicago or the Loyola community. You're like the 100th person I've heard from, 'Oh, I'm class of '89 and I haven't talked to my friends in forever and my classmates. Now we're getting to catch up and we're all enjoying this run.' It seemed like they were having as much fun as we were, which is really cool."
 
As for Maciagowski, she looks back on her time at Loyola with similar fondness. 
 
"I loved the school -- life-changing experience really," she said. "I met some of my best friends there. I'm still in contact with a lot of the girls. We had some ups and downs. My first two seasons were really great. Third season was a little bit of a roller coaster. We had a coaching change at the end of that, which I'm grateful for.
 
"I'm thankful for my experience. I loved the school, loved the culture, loved the community."
 
Bruce Miles is a 1979 graduate of the Loyola University Chicago College of Arts and Sciences. He worked for the Daily Herald in Arlington, Heights, Illinois, from 1988-2019. He served as the Herald's beat writer covering the Chicago Cubs from 1998-2019.