NFL
By Jeffrey Newholm
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him,” opined great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. While it’s too bad God died, at least we still have basketball. Unfortunately, while Butler basketball hoops towards its fullest potential, a lukewarm Indianapolis fanbase seemed to lose appreciation for the fairest sex’s basketball passion. And with the Bulldogs coming off a four-game COVID break, it appeared basketball would join God next to her grave. But, ah! A team-record 2,772 fans instead packed hallowed Hinkle Fieldhouse to watch Butler take on mighty Uconn. The Bulldogs, true, were but 1-11 entering the showdown. But sometimes, just stepping on the court is a powerful stride towards the too-elusive quest for equality.
Out Of The Dog House
Usually, being “in the dog house” means an athlete made her coach mad and isn’t playing much. To a smaller-school visitor, though, in a still-developing Big East women’s basketball conference, a focused crowd of nearly three grand would be worse. So Hinkle, to a dominant program, could soon become a prison to discipline visitors unaccustomed to the heart of a bulldog.
Uconn, alas, is not one’s typical medium-major conference team.
CBS may have the rights to One Shining Moment, but one doesn’t need a copyrighted song to feel shivers when a game tips.
Underway at Hinkle!@UConnWBB at @ButlerUWBB – NOW on SNY. #BIGEASTwbb pic.twitter.com/0KQxlzDlSh
— BIG EAST WBB (@BIGEASTWBB) January 13, 2022
The Huskies had recently ended its own COVID break with a 63-55 triumph over Creighton, its first single-digit conference win since rejoining the conference in 2020. Coach Geno Auriemma quipped his women needed easier fast-break baskets.
After several misses, Caroline Ducharme listened to her coach.
Caroline Ducharme picks up where she left off! pic.twitter.com/V4web1PMMS
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 13, 2022
Uconn scored the first nine points, but would the proud Butler program lose heart? Heck no!
Jackson with the speed and finish💨#ButlerWay pic.twitter.com/yH96IAAmvZ
— Butler Women’s Basketball (@ButlerUWBB) January 13, 2022
Fans should note, though, that no Twitter recap thread can ever fully capture an athlete’s heart. Both teams dove furiously for loose balls, with the Huskies seemingly oblivious to their favorite status. But even three paint Huskies can’t deter Celena Taborn’s passion.
Taborn with the rebound and finish😤#ButlerWay pic.twitter.com/pYtLZF0skC
— Butler Women’s Basketball (@ButlerUWBB) January 13, 2022
Yet despite Uconn only dressing nine players, the perennial power had too much quickness and concentration.
Basketball Rises
Several fans left after the third quarter, understanding that Wednesday was not quite Butler’s day yet. The final score announced Butler fell 47-92. It would be easy to dismiss the result in the words of the quintessential preps basketball movie Hoosiers: “I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of this game. In my book, we’re going to be winners!”
It would be foolish, though, to deny reality. In their Big East conference home opener, the Bulldogs were not winners. There’s still work to do for Butler and nine other programs chasing the first-place Huskies. However, while philosophers vehemently argue Nietzsche’s opinion, women’s sports progress is beyond dispute.
After two years of COVID devastating a country’s basketball heart, two programs rose from the ashes to play a fair game in the States’ proudest basketball town. Think, “no one cares about women’s basketball?” Instead, 2,772 fans, albeit at different times, rose from their seats with a more progressive thought on their minds. The Bulldogs were not winners in the race for the conference title. But the fans gave each player an unquenchable spark of dignity in her heart as basketball continued its rise in the Hoosier state.
