Sports Odds and Ends
The Summit League postseason tournament starts this week (March 8-12) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All nine schools are participating, including St. Thomas (UST), now in its third season in the Summit League. Both the Tommies men’s and women’s teams will play this Sunday at the same site.
The UST women were picked eighth out of nine teams in the preseason poll; they will play No. 4 South Dakota on Sunday as the No. 5 seed. The men were picked fourth in the same preseason poll (they are seeded fourth and will play No. 5 North Dakota State on Sunday evening).
“There’s a lot of parity … I think anybody has a chance to win,” said MBB Coach Johnny Tauer on his team’s 19-12 overall record (9-7 in league play).
After last Saturday’s regular-season finale, an 83-56 home win over Denver, the longtime Tommies coach told the MSR, “I think going into a tournament you don’t want to have a different mindset, knowing that the season is on the line. But it’s a one-and-done situation—you got to be able to adapt and respond.”
Soph Kendall Blue (Woodbury), senior Courtney Brown, Jr. (Cottage Grove), sophomore Ahjany Lee (Byron, MN), and graduate student Raheem Anthony (Chicago) are the UST Black players.
“Kendall is just such a cerebral player,” explained Tauer of the 6-6 Blue (10.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg). On the 6-4 Anthony (12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg), he added, “Raheem is just so versatile. He’s one of the most explosive players in college basketball.”
The Tommies women also won their regular-season finale, a 79-68 road victory. They go into Sunday’s game with a 15-15 overall mark.
“We’re still working on the little adjustments that need to be made,” observed UST Coach Ruth Sinn. “All those little things that’s got to be consistent every single time … I think that’s the next step for us.”
Jade Hill (Minneapolis) and Angelina Hammond (Hopkins) are the Tommies’ Black players. “I would just say everybody in this conference has high IQs,” said the 5’11” Hammond (4.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who played at Minnesota last season and is a graduate transfer this season. “They’re very physical. Everybody can shoot. Every team has their own unique style of play.”
Added the 5’7″ Hill (13.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), “Everyone wants to win just like any other conference, and they gonna put their ‘A’ game out there to do that, and I like that.”
An HBCU rebranding
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) announced last week that beginning in July, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA) only Black conference will be rebranded as The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
The current GCAC has 13 members in eight states and one U.S. territory: Dillard (La.) University, Fisk (Tenn.) University, Oakwood (AL) University, Philander Smith (Ark.) University, Rust (Miss.) College, Stillman (AL) College, Southern University at New Orleans (La.), Talladega (AL) College, Tougaloo (Miss.) College, University of Virgin Islands (VI), Voorhees (SC) University, Wilberforce (OH) University, and Wiley (TX) University.
Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes is the only Black woman commissioner in the NAIA. She became the first Black woman to lead the GCAC in 2022.
The conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were held at Stillman College Feb, 28-March 3.