Posted: Thu April 4, 2013 12:40PM; Updated: Thu April 4, 2013
1:29PM Michael Rosenberg  John Beilein's long winding road to
the Final Four  Decrease font Decrease font Enlarge font Enlarge
font For the first time in John Beilein's 36-year coaching
career, he has led a team to the Final Four. Tom
Pennington/Getty Images  So many people are talking about John
Beilein's journey this week, but really, they are talking about
the end of the journey. That's the story here, isn't it? Beilein
has coached for 36 years at seven schools, and this weekend, at
age 60, he will finally coach in the Final Four. Validation.
That's a hell of a story.  Except ... that's not the story, not
to Beilein. That's just the end of it. But what about the first
35 seasons? Why are they just a prelude to this weekend? Don't
they have value? And if they don't have value, then what kind of
life is this?  "It was probably in his head, or my head:
Wouldn't it be nice to be in the Final Four someday?" his wife
Kathleen told me this week. "But I