It’s not every day your school’s basketball team plays in an iconic arena such as Madison Square Garden. One DePaul student went the extra mile after getting an “excused absence” note from DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann. 

Michael Ansari, a senior marketing student at DePaul, sent a post on X directed at Holtmann and other members of DePaul’s athletic department looking for a “note” to excuse him from classes Wednesday to make the trip to New York and watch the Blue Demons play. 

“I applied to get the student tickets for free; I won them, and I was like, crap. I got finals this week,” Ansari said. “It started off as a joke. I saw he liked it, and then thought maybe he would actually do something.” 

On March 10, Holtmann replied to Ansari privately with his “excused absence” note.

Ansari said he then sent three DePaul professors the note from Holtmann hoping they would excuse his absence. 

“One out of three have responded, and he said that it’s an excused absence now,” Ansari said. “So it all worked out so far.” 

Ansari grabbed two buddies who were on their school’s spring break, got in his car and hit the road. 

“I left Chicago at 10 p.m. last night, I got three energy drinks, and picked these guys up,” Ansari said on March 12. “We drove 15 hours all the way here; parked in New Jersey, took a bus here, and now we’re here.” 

Ryan Bell and Gavin McDonald were the friends who tagged along for the road trip. Bell was eager to go during his Spring Break, but McDonald needed some convincing. 

“I wanted to,” Bell said. “I had nothing else to do.” 

Holtmann is appreciative of fans willing to go the extra mile in year one under his leadership. 

“I give the student a lot of credit for being persistent, cause it was a number of times that he was asking for an excused absence,” Holtmann said. “I acknowledge that I was not able to give him (an excused absence) to miss his classes, but I told him hopefully his professors will allow him to make up any work that he misses.” 

Ansari is still struck by the fact that it worked, and that Holtman responded. 

“This is just crazy,” Ansari said. “A Division I basketball coach just responds to DM’s, and he says ‘I’ll write you an excuse.’ It’s unheard of. I think him and DeWayne (Peevy) are turning things around.” 

Ansari’s belief in DePaul basketball knows no limit. 

“We’re going dancing,” Ansari said. “Win out then play on Saturday night.”