By Dick Allen
Motivation is a funny thing in college sports, especially during the postseason. Just 15 short days ago, more than 2300 disappointed fans left Alico Arena with their hearts broken by the Jacksonville women’s basketball team as they snatched the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship out from under the Lady Eagles grasp. The Dolphins simply wanted it more. They were more motivated than FGCU.
The loss sent the ladies to a “hopeful watch party”. Then came the shock of the NCAA selection committee snubbing FGCU. Forget the fact that this was the fifth ranked team in the nation in making
311 total three-pointers during the season. Forget that they ranked seventh in the country with an average of 9.4 3-pointers made each game. Forget the fact that the Eagles defense held opponents to
48.8 points per game making the second-best defense in the country. They ranked among the top 20 field goal percentage defense holding foes to a 35.2 percent clip. And the ladies were the nation’s only team ranked among the top 10 three-pointers and in top 50 team defense. How can they possibly be left out of the Big Dance!
But they were. They found them self on the outside looking in, and with only a WNIT bid in hand. I’ve seen this story played out before. FGCU loses the conference tournament, takes a WNIT bid and loses badly in the first game as no one shows up to play. Our girls were simply going through the motions, while the other team really wanted to be there. BUT this is where the story changes.
A coach doesn’t take the ball out of bounds, set a screen, shoot a free throw, or pump in a three- pointer. What we’re now witnessing is perhaps coach Smesko’s best coaching effort ever. The Lady Eagles came into this tournament incredibly disappointed after not receiving a birth in the NCAA tournament. But Smesko has managed to use their anger and frustration to fuel WNIT double digit wins over Bethune-Cookman (78-51), Wake Forest (67-48), Tulane (73-61), and tonight, earning an historic trip to the Final Four with a victory over Hofstra (61-46). These teams beat the likes of Georgia Tech, Villanova, Virginia, VCU, Harvard, and Georgetown along the way.
YEP! That’s motivation! Just ask the 8 seniors if they are ready to stop playing college ball. “It’s very exciting,” Whitney Knight said. “For us not to go to the NCAA tournament, this opportunity is great for us. It’s exciting to go to the “Final Four and refocus on these games and play with the chip on our shoulder because we felt we should be in the NCAA tournament.” Listening to her fellow senior, Kaneisha Atwater added, “That’s pretty much it!” They both smiled, ear to ear.
Karl Smesko’s record would choke a horse… Wins, loss, conference championships, the multiple coach of the year awards, even NCAA victories. But nothing can top the job he has engineered with these exceptional women athletes in this latest stored chapter with the ending not yet written. Over 3,300 fans came out to witness the biggest win in history. Thursday night, it’s standing room only and bring ear plugs! A win over Michigan means a shot at a National Title. And in my day, the NIT was the biggie!