After the loss to Clayton State in the quarterfinals round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, your season ended in dramatic fashion.
So does that make you losers? Hell no! That can’t mean you are winners, right? Wrong! But what is it that we can call this years Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions team? Champions? That’s exactly what I am going to call them.
This year brought along many things that has never happened in the 35-year history of the program. Summarizing, you won more games that any team that has played in those uniforms. Have claimed 40 new records for the 2006-2007 team and made the NCAA tournament for the first time ever, the elite eight for that matter.
Nobody gave you any respect throughout the season. I know for sure the voters didn’t, because the Lions never even scratched the surface of that top 25 besides a couple of votes here and there late in the season.
Surely teams started to take notice after a seven game win streak in early December. Then another streak of 11 games before the last loss of the season, your team won 23 of the last 26 games. That’s something to be proud of. Not to mention it’s another record.
But I’m sure in the back of their minds they thought, its just the Lions, they cant keep winning like this, they never have.
That didn’t stop your team. Your team hosted the Lone Star Conference tournament for the first time and beat Angelo State and West Texas A&M to win the LSC crown. They were ranked and moved on to the NCAA tournament, as you know.
So moving onto the dance, nerves had to play a factor, right? Not from what I saw. Downing ranked Emporia State, host Missouri Western, Washburn and then moving on to the Elite Eight seemed to not faze your team a bit.
Chemistry seemed to be a major reason for that. It was never noticeable that anybody had any first time jitters walking onto that court in the tournament, and if there were, you definitely hid it well.
So even though a National Championship trophy is not sitting in the trophy case in the Field House, by no means is that any indication of what this year’s team was made of. Determination, heart, confidence, coaching and talent rounded out this record setting squad.
You have put women’s basketball here at A&M-Commerce on the map, and that could mean many more years of success in the future.
In conclusion, be proud of what happened this season. A disappointment from not winning the championship is the farthest thing from reality. Take in the fact that you were a part of something that has never happened before, and be happy that at the very least, you were one of the eight best teams in the Division II nation.
For the players that will still be around next year and the newcomers that will join the team, you have big shoes to fill, and maybe another run in the NCAA tournament is not that far-fetched anymore.
Email Brent at theeasttexan.com