Spring Break
My Thanks To The Women Of West Virginia
Kevin Meacham
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Sports
The 2005-2006 Mountaineers were a true underdog story. They came into Hartford with a record of 12-15, 4-12 in the conference. They barely made the Big East tournament after losing star Meg Bulger to a knee injury early in the season. They were just another team to be swallowed up by the bigger fish of the conference.
Then the Mountaineers beat No. 5 seed Louisville in the tournament's first game, a generally-uninteresting game in front of a sparse Saturday midday crowd. Another low-scoring, tough-to-watch victory over No. 4 St. John's followed. West Virginia's 2-3 zone, designed to slow down offense, worked likes a charm despite producing ugly basketball.
Still, this was just your usual tournament shocker - the feel-good story which pulls off one big upset before bowing out to the real contenders.
At least it was until the following day. To the shock of just about everyone, Rutgers came tumbling down at the undermanned, undersized Mountaineers. You could feel the joy as they celebrated the defeat of the Goliaths from New Jersey, you could see it in the players' eyes as they beamed during postgame press conferences and you hear it as they sprinted to their locker rooms from the court.
The story came to a heartbreaking end in a narrow loss to UConn in the finals, which dropped the Mountaineers to 15-16, ineligible for a bid to the women's NIT. They ended up six points short of the NCAA Tournament and their season came to an abrupt end.
The standing ovation they received from the pro-UConn crowd during the trophy presentations was something to behold, if not much consolation.
A year later, Bulger hasn't played thanks to another knee injury. However, the Mountaineers' return their entire team from last year's memorable run, and they are 20-9, 11-5 in the Big East. That makes them the No. 4 seed, meaning a rematch with UConn is very possible.
I plan on sitting somewhere near West Virginia's band and mascot Sunday at noon, when the Mountaineers take on either Louisville or St. John's - either one presenting a rematch and memories of 2006. It's my way of tipping my cap and saying thanks.
Kevin Meacham's column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at kevin.meacham@uconn.edu
Then the Mountaineers beat No. 5 seed Louisville in the tournament's first game, a generally-uninteresting game in front of a sparse Saturday midday crowd. Another low-scoring, tough-to-watch victory over No. 4 St. John's followed. West Virginia's 2-3 zone, designed to slow down offense, worked likes a charm despite producing ugly basketball.
Still, this was just your usual tournament shocker - the feel-good story which pulls off one big upset before bowing out to the real contenders.
At least it was until the following day. To the shock of just about everyone, Rutgers came tumbling down at the undermanned, undersized Mountaineers. You could feel the joy as they celebrated the defeat of the Goliaths from New Jersey, you could see it in the players' eyes as they beamed during postgame press conferences and you hear it as they sprinted to their locker rooms from the court.
The story came to a heartbreaking end in a narrow loss to UConn in the finals, which dropped the Mountaineers to 15-16, ineligible for a bid to the women's NIT. They ended up six points short of the NCAA Tournament and their season came to an abrupt end.
The standing ovation they received from the pro-UConn crowd during the trophy presentations was something to behold, if not much consolation.
A year later, Bulger hasn't played thanks to another knee injury. However, the Mountaineers' return their entire team from last year's memorable run, and they are 20-9, 11-5 in the Big East. That makes them the No. 4 seed, meaning a rematch with UConn is very possible.
I plan on sitting somewhere near West Virginia's band and mascot Sunday at noon, when the Mountaineers take on either Louisville or St. John's - either one presenting a rematch and memories of 2006. It's my way of tipping my cap and saying thanks.
Kevin Meacham's column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at kevin.meacham@uconn.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Mike Lilly
posted 3/01/07 @ 11:28 PM EST
You are hereby dubbed an honorary Mountaineer for life. You have obviously felt the pride. Kudos to our friends/fans at UCONN for the support. Hopefully we can someday call your program a rival. (Continued…)
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