NFL
By: Jeffrey Newholm
Two seconds. It’s the difference between winning the battle of Midway and having the Pacific fall to imperialism. It’s the difference between an assassin’s bullet flying harmlessly by and a country’s devastation in Dallas. And in Austin Monday night, it was the difference between 0-106 becoming the most shining of moments, to another long offseason for an underdog. For the Troy lady Trojans against #2 Texas A&M, a split-second official’s mistake (or malice) crushed the effort of a proud underdog – but not its spirit.
No backcourt call???
— Troy Women’s Basketball (@TroyTrojansWBB) March 23, 2021
– 80
– 82
| Not Intimidated
In women’s basketball, size matters. A lot. A stronger team quickly pulls away with paint points, and undersized squads can’t get enough second chances to make up the points on the other side of the court. But Troy outrebounded the more sizable Aggies 47-42, helping offset a 4 of 23 three-point shooting night. No, the Trojans didn’t have the best shooters. But they have something more powerful: the will to win. You have to want it! – many coaches say. The 22-5 Sun Belt Champions did not come to concede to the supposedly invincible SEC champs.
Bounce Away
After trading runs, an official called a crucial fourth-quarter charge on Tyasia Moore, despite her defender’s diagonal movement. The Trojans and Aggies traded free throws before an inexplicable Aggie foul strategy sent Janiah Sandifer to the line for three, down four. After two hits, A&M advanced the ball with its last timeout. Destiny Pitts grabbed the ball, dribbled to the backcourt – hey there, buddy! That’s illegal! Unfortunately, the official must have reading a maroon-colored rulebook. Pitts sealed the game with two free throws, expelling the Trojans from women’s basketball’s San Antonio Olympus.
Faith in 2021?
It’s cheesy to say, “oh well, the Trojans can learn and do better next year.” Posied coach Chanda Rigby must have practical advice, though. Uh, nope. It turns out old-fashioned values still provide the foundations of a successful basketball program. When this reporter asked coach Rigby how she could build momentum after heartbreaking COVID cancellations in 2020 and the near-miss this year, she didn’t slip for a second.
“This is where the faith kicks in because this is what built this program was faith.” Troy went from second-to-last in RPI, she noted, to four Sun Belt titles in six seasons. “This is what we built this program was faith; we don’t do something like that without having faith and believing in something we don’t see.” Faith in 2021? Hasn’t Bill Nye and company refuted that notion?
Without A Doubt
“Without a doubt,” Rigby stated, “we will come back stronger.” Let me check my statistical tables; wait, I can’t see free will on this chart. Exactly: a group of basketball sisters shares a bond that transcends Vegas’s adjustment bureau. Rigby insists her Trojans have the confidence in themselves and their ability to grow and mature despite the cartel of the long-strangling NCAAW top 10. Monday night, the Aggies may have sprinted, relieved, into the round of 32. But the Trojans refuse to sulk or make excuses, however valid. It will take more than two seconds to return to the NCAA tournament. But count on the next run lasting terrifically longer.
