When the cold temperatures settle in, they usher in basketball full-time and conference races kick into high gear. The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls got the second half of their seasons underway and the new year as well.
The Cowgirls had gotten off to an impressive 7-4 start in non-conference play, winning two games in a New York tournament, along with three straight victories over UL-Monroe, Louisiana Tech and Southern-New Orleans.
That’s a fast start for a squad in transition after losing its leading scorers, assists makers, field goal and free throw shooters and go-to leaders in just about every phase of the game. That would be Ashlyn and Caitlyn Baggett.
No two players meant more to their teams than the Baggett twins to the Cowgirls. But eligibility and graduation was always on the clock, and head coach Brooks Donald Williams was prepared to restock the line-up and keep the motor running.
“We’ve played games and done a great job with this team. We are not going to speculate over who we need from seasons past. We need to get this team better, and I have no question we will,” says a confident Donald Williams.
The 7th-year head coach has her system, and it’s in place with or without those retired no. 10 and 11 jerseys on the floor. She relies on guards who dictate the flow and style of play, ball movement, rebounding and most of all, a maximum effort on defense.
McNeese is not completely “Baggett-less.” Sophomore guard Allison Baggett got some valuable minutes playing with her big sisters last year, and has come into her own this season, leading the team in scoring with 18 points a game to go with 4 rebounds.
Oft-injured Alaina Verdin is finally healthy and moving well at another guard spot, and sophomore guard Jayln Johnson is working the point and has displayed a deft three-point range and an ability to penetrate and break down defenses.
The front court of seniors Cecilia Okoye and NeTanya Jones will be critical factors in how far the Cowgirls go in the SLC. Their combined 15 rebounds and 20 points per game may have to ratchet up a few notches, but they’ve provided needed defense and lane-clogging skills against some pretty good opponents.
“We recruit the kind of kids to fit into our team’s personality. These young ladies certainly fit into what we do. These guys are doing a great job in our system,” Donald Williams said. He noted the overall effort wasn’t good enough against Southeastern Louisiana, causing the Cowgirls to drop their Southland Conference opener 82-65.
McNeese had stretches of sleep walking against the Lady Lions. This prompted their coach to ask them in a long post-game locker room session where was that energy and intensity that carried them in the first 11 games?
The Cowgirls found it in their second conference game, beating New Orleans 82-59 behind Baggett’s 22 points and a career high 19 from Verdin.
McNeese, now 8-5 and 1-1 on the year going into the road game at Sam Houston State, are supposed to beat a still winless UNO. They should have and needed to handle up on Southeastern, especially at home, because the prospect of stealing a road win in Hammond now awaits.
Donald Williams is tough to please, and a coach with high standards; rightfully so, as she built this program into a conference contender with NCAA Tournament expectations. She likes this team and the scoring punch her bench can supply, but their success will depend on that aforementioned max effort and defense.
“We can’t play basket for basket with people in conference play. We want to get stops on the defensive end. We’ve had a lot of consistency with our effort (minus Southeastern) and this team has been a lot of fun to coach.”
More effort and better defense, then the “sky’s the limit” says Donald Williams.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, spent much of the season’s first half flying through the skies to battle the likes of previously top-ranked Michigan State to open the season; they also played East Carolina, Rhode Island and San Diego State.
In all, that was 10 road games out of the first 12 games.
It’s not hard to figure out why McNeese started off 2-10, with their only two wins coming at home against NAIA and Division II opposition.
They endured a nine-game road stretch between Nov. 18 and when the Cowboys faced LSU in Baton Rouge on Dec. 28. They competed well against the Tigers in the first half, but went cold and lost 79-52.
A common thread during the team’s non-conference slate has been dismal shooting, to the tune of 36 percent from the field, 28 percent from three-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line. You won’t win many road games with numbers like that, and the Cowboys didn’t.
“It was frustrating,” says head coach Dave Simmons, pointing out the obvious. “But they come to work. They hadn’t quit. That’s the thing I’ve seen. No matter what the score was, they didn’t quit, and showed a lot of class. The refs in the San Diego State game came up to me and said they had not seen kids with that kind of class in defeat.”
That should not be mistaken for acceptance or tolerance for losing. Far from it.
The Cowboys were forced to play the hand they were dealt, which included a string of road games against bigger, stronger and better teams. Senior guard Kevin Hardy, a smart and road-hardened player, would admit this season’s road stretch was a bit over the top, but it had a positive influence on the squad away from the wins and loss column.
“It’s always difficult to go into a team’s building because you have that 11th man element and you are already down by 10 points from being the road team,” says Hardy. “But we came together and stayed together. We played against some pretty tough teams, and it’s easy to lose your confidence and will to win. It’s easy to put your head down and kind of give up. But we stayed as a family and learned from each loss that we had.”
The Lake Charles native and former St. Louis High star has seen incremental improvements in each phase of the game despite the run of losses. He knew the lessons and benefits from the road would lead to wins once the team was back home and on a more level playing field.
Hardy, second on the team in scoring with a 12-point average and near the top in rebounds with 7 per game, is McNeese’s most consistent player on both ends of the court. He’s their unquestioned leader on and off the court.
Hardy, with his quiet intellect, considered furthering his education after graduation in the prestigious Ivy League before he decided to stay home and played basketball. The Cowboys are grateful he did, because they’ll go as far as Hardy can lead them in the conference race.
Don’t underestimate Hardy’s counsel on the floor as he whispers directions or encouragement in the ear of guard Ledrick Eackles or junior forward Desharick Guidry. When Hardy decides to speak, his teammates listen.
“I try and lead by example. Make sure I handle my business and give tips to anybody I can. We are a family and we need to get better. I want my teammates to say things to me so my game improves, and I want to do the same for them.”
You don’t expect rim-rattling, jaw-dropping slams from a 6-foot, 2-inch guard like Hardy, but he uncorks some thunderous dunks that would win any intra-squad slam contest. Hardy possesses more leaping power per square inch than any Cowboy, and he’s acutely aware how one of his drive and dunk plays can swing momentum and the crowd.
“It’s always in the back of my head that a big dunk can give us some momentum and we can get going. Whenever I go in the lane and get my steps right and go up strong, you know I always want to finish strong like my dad taught me.”
“When he goes to the basket, it’s hardly ever against a guard,” says Simmons. “Once there he is up against the front court, I have seen him dunk on 6-foot, 8 and 6-foot, 9 — big men.”
Those improvements Hardy mentioned, and the comforts of home court, came full circle as the Cowboys opened SLC play with a 2-0 start with wins over Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans at Burton Coliseum.
There were stretches of lousy shooting and head-scratching turnovers. But that intensity, effort and never-quit attitude surfaced in time for the team to regain composure and the lead. Having a full stable of talent and legs helped, along with a better shooting percentage.
“Having Desharick Guidry back — (he missed the first half of the season due to academic suspension) — McFerrin back from injury, that was the key,” says Simmons. “Also shooting much better. We would be down by two points at times (during those road losses), and then lose by 25 points because we couldn’t score or shoot well,” noted Simmons.
Playing on a familiar court, minus the long plane or bus trips, and against teams with similar size and skills, makes a big difference you can see.
The road can wear you out physically and mentally. It can wear on your confidence and camaraderie. But the road can toughen up a basketball team that’s not good enough to sweep every home game. So the Cowboys will need to steal some games away from home. It could be the difference in a tight, competitive SLC race.
“We know we put those men in a tough situation with all those road games, and against the level of competition we played. But on the back end of our conference, we have seven of our last nine league games on the road. So hopefully, we can feed off our road experience and [have] what it takes to win on the road and have a successful conference race,” says Simmons.
Simmons’ Cowboys are off to good start in 2014: 2-0 and at the top of the SLC.
Road memories return quickly, as McNeese heads to Sam Houston and Lamar before a long five-game home stand begins on January 16 against Corpus Christi.
The weather outside has been frightful this winter, but the hoops inside have been delightful so far.
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