A voice from the Midwest speaks: One of TBL’s most prolific commentators, KC Resident (real name: Matt Chandler). He’s writing about what it’s like right now in Kansas. His words after the jump.

I grew up in the small western Kansas town of Greensburg. The town that was destroyed by a 1.7 mile wide EF5 tornado on May 4th of last year. Ninety-five percent of the town was completely destroyed with the other 5% suffering severe damage. This beast of fury traveled for 22 miles and destroyed my hometown and many farms that make-up the backbone of the local economy. The home I grew up in, the schools I attended, the gym I played basketball in, and the lone single screen movie theater I watched movies in, and everything that was part of me growing up in Greensburg was gone. Forever.

Much like fans of Cornhusker football or Hoosier basketball, the University of Kansas Jayhawk basketball program is embedded in our psyche. From a young age, Kansans have been glued to the successes and failures of the program. We lived and suffered to varying extremes depending on the outcomes of games. We cried tears of joy when Darrin Hancock registered that massive dunk on Indiana in the final moments of the ‘93 Elite 8 game that sent KU to the Final Four. We cried tears of pain when North Carolina topped Kansas in the semifinals. There have been ups and downs, but one thing has remained consistent. Jayhawk basketball is part of us.

On Monday night, KU won the NCAA Men’s Basketball title. I’d like to think these past three weeks eased the stress and heartbreak in my old hometown that is trying to rebuild into something new and viable. I really hope KU’s victory brought much needed joy to my old friends. I understand these days that the yammering talking heads on ESPN and talk radio make sports look silly and inconsequential. However, sports mean something to small town America.

On March, 1st, Andrew Seiler hit a miraculous last-second three-pointer to send the Greensburg Rangers to the 1A Kansas State basketball tournament. Greensburg did not play a true home game all season. They didn’t have a home court to play on. On April 7th, Mario Chalmers hit a miraculous three-pointer to send the National Championship to overtime, when the Jayhawks dominated en route to their first title since 1988.

Go Rangers. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.