Mount St. Mary's HC Donny Lind and son reflect on tourney run

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers coach Donny Lind has had his son, Silas, alongside him for much of this season -- sitting on the bench at home games and warming up with players pregame.

In the First Four opener against the American University Eagles, Silas caught the attention of the cameras and became an instant fan favorite. After the Mountaineers were eliminated Friday in a loss to the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils, Lind was asked about the experience.

"It's amazing," the elder Lind said. "This is a hard business for us as fathers, very difficult. So to be able to bring him with me -- my wife and my daughter are here too -- it's been a blast. He's enjoyed missing school, playing with his friends on the court, but he can speak to that, I'm sure.

"But to be able to have these guys along for this ride and to be a part of it and just be having so much fun, I've got the best job in the world. I've said it for the last ten months. To share it with the people I love the most, with my family and, shoot, those guys in the locker room has been unbelievable."

What it's all about 🫶@MountHoops HC Donny Lind got emotional talking about how special it is to have his son beside him during #MarchMadness ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XgJtICyEFo

Unbelievable, too, for the younger Lind, who offered an emotional synopsis of his place on the Mountaineers' journey to the Big Dance.

"These have been the best few weeks of my life," Silas Lind said, "and I hope we have many, many more of them."