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SALT LAKE CITY — As his teammates clapped and cheered on Selection Sunday, Rylan Jones couldn't help but notice where his team was headed about as much as who his team was slated to play.
Salt Lake City.
Jones grew up in Logan and played both at Logan High and Olympus High before he graduated and played at the University of Utah in Utah's capital. He transferred to Utah State before a concussion ended his time there. That led him to Samford, a small Baptist university on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama, as a graduate student transfer — his first time living outside of Utah.
However, after playing a role in Samford winning the Southern Conference, his long journey to continue his career has now taken him all the way home. The No. 13 seed Bulldogs will take on the No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks in the Delta Center on Thursday.
"It's kind of a dream come true to come back and play here a couple more times in Salt Lake City," he said, reflecting on it a few days later. "For me to come back here and be able to play in (my) hometown with these guys, my brothers and my teammates, it's a surreal feeling that I really can't describe."
He's not alone in the feeling either.
About the same time 500 miles away in Lake Charles, Louisiana, McNeese State junior guard Mike Saunders Jr. realized that his team had a legitimate shot at playing in Utah as the team watched the NCAA men's basketball bracket reveal together. Sure enough, No. 12 seed Cowboys landed a matchup with No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs in Salt Lake City.
Saunders is originally from Indianapolis and first came to Utah when he chose to go to Wasatch Academy, a college prep school in Mount Pleasant. His time there helped him land a scholarship with Cincinnati before transferring to the University of Utah for his second stint in the Beehive State. After averaging 4.1 points and only 10 minutes on the court in 18 games last season, he opted to transfer to McNeese State.
Learning he'd return to his second home was a pleasant surprise and a moment he'll have for the rest of his life.
"It's honestly crazy," Saunders told KSL.com, sitting in the corner of McNeese State's locker room. "I just thought in my head when I saw it, 'This is a full circle moment.' It's really, really amazing to be in the position I am in now."
Coming home may have some benefits on the court. Having Utah experience could pay off for both as each looks to play Cinderella in their respective matchups. In McNeese's case, playing in Salt Lake City is a 4,200-foot increase in altitude from Lake Charles; it's a 3,500-foot increase for Samford.
Saunders said his team did some running exercises before their official practice Wednesday afternoon, as the team looks to adjust to the conditions. Achor Achor, a junior forward for Samford, said his team has prepared by hydrating the last few days. Both teams may rely on advice from their teammates with the most Utah experience.
"I'm not sure what to expect," said Jermaine Marshall, a senior forward on the team. "I know it will be different, but I'm not sure what to expect. I know we've got to go out there and do what we do: play hard (and) give it all we've got."
Yet coming home is a big deal for both Jones and Saunders on a sentimental level more than anything. Both say they have no regrets about their decisions to transfer, but they're also happy to find that their college journey took them back to where it truly began.
It's an "added bonus" to the dream of getting to play in March Madness, Jones said.
He's taken advantage of it by getting to see his family and friends, and by revisiting some of his favorite spots in town. He made sure to introduce his favorite local fast-food restaurant, Crown Burger, to his teammates shortly after the team arrived from Alabama. While he's enjoying every moment of his homecoming, he joked that he believes his teammates probably would have preferred a trip to "Brooklyn or somewhere else."
Saunders, on the other hand, was able to catch up with his old high school coach and his "adopted" family in Utah, McNeese State head coach Will Wade said. He's also planning on soaking up every moment of this weekend.
"I never would have thought in a million years that I'd be in this position, but I think it's just God honestly," Saunders said. "I just stayed committed, stayed working and things like this happen."
