March Madness is in full swing and something special is coming out of Springfield, Missouri. The Missouri State Lady Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 last night with a 69-60 win over Big 12 runner up and 3 seeded Iowa State (in Ames I might add)! The leader of the 2001 team, Jackie Stiles, is now an assistant coach and provides experience and leadership to this young team.
Head Coach Kellie Harper, who was named Missouri Valley’s Coach of the Year, is also no stranger to playing basketball in March. Kellie played under Pat Summit and won three championships while at Tennessee.
Something people may not know about me is that I am a practice player for the Lady Bears. I help with running drills during practice and scrimmage them on occasion. While it is hard work, it is one of my favorite things that I’ve been involved with at Missouri State. The team is full of players and coaches who are supportive of each other through thick and thin.
The evolution of this team from the beginning of the season to now is amazing. With 1 Senior, 2 Juniors, 6 Sophomores, and 5 Freshman, this young team had high hopes at the beginning of the season. A tough non-conference schedule involved many games where the Bears lost by single digits and led to a 1-7 start. Ever since the Roo Holiday Classic Tournament in Kansas City on December 20th, the Lady Bears have been one of the most on fire teams in college basketball with a 24-2 record! It has definitely been a full team effort! From the coaches, players, managers, trainers, and the practice players, every person on this team brings something special to the table that contributes to its huge success.
You all are representing Missouri State well and are making us proud! The intensity and heart that you guys play with shows and it is paying off! You have so much support down here and we will be cheering you on the rest of the way!
The Lady Bears play on Saturday at 5:30 against Stanford. Make sure you show your support for the team and cheer loud if you are planning on making the trip up to Chicago for the game! Best of luck ladies!
~Seth