Words from the family: Susan Danforth, mother of Fred VanVleet

Susan Danforth delights watching Fred VanVleet play the role of point guard, with and without the ball. When he’s on the bench, she watches him enjoy coaching teammates, hugging, high-fiving and rubbing their heads.

It’s been pretty amazing to watch him play. He smiles a lot. He loves it and I love watching him.

The moment that stands out to me is the shot his freshman year (against Gonzaga). The Kentucky game is one of my most memorable times because the whole family was there. That was fun to be there with him and the whole family.

Sometimes I get nervous, but mostly I’m excited and I can’t wait. I know that he is not nervous, so I don’t get very nervous anymore.

We’re coming out in November (for a game) and then probably six or seven times by the postseason. Not enough. It’s never enough. No one prepares parents for college, when you’re used to going to every single game in high school.

Watching him grow up and seeing everything that he worked for come to a head … it’s just an incredible bunch of people in Wichita that has really wrapped their arms around him, from the coaching staff to the community.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 2:53 AM with the headline "Words from the family: Susan Danforth, mother of Fred VanVleet."