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| The long road that began in Vegas only strengthened the Majors' camaraderie. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
Life on the road can provide teaching moments for a team, and the six-game, two-week adventure for the Millsaps women's basketball team over the holiday break was a learning experience.
It was also a trip the coaches and players won't soon forget.
The Majors departed for Las Vegas bright and early on Christmas morning for the D3hoops.com Classic and ended up spending an extra day in the city that never sleeps because their flight back to Mississippi was delayed due to the winter weather wreaking havoc across the country.
Instead of having one extra day at home, the team didn't return home until New Year's Eve day. The Majors traveled back on two different flights an hour apart from each other.
After three days back, they went back out on the road by van to play games at Birmingham-Southern and LaGrange.
They returned from that trip after 2 a.m. on Jan. 5, had a day to rest, and then went back out on the road to Atlanta on Jan. 7 for a game the next day against Oglethorpe.
On Jan. 9, the Majors were back on the road one more time, making the trip over to Rome, Ga., to close out their two-week, six-game journey with a game against Berry.
In all, the Majors spent 14 days away from home, covering nearly 5,000 miles along the way.
"Being on the road is tough, especially when you have a younger team," said senior forward Miah Brooks. "But the overall trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had never been on a trip like that before. It was great team bonding experience for us."
The highlight of it all of course was getting to spend time in Las Vegas.
"The atmosphere was different than any other and we were taken care of very well while we were out there," Brooks said. "We got a little taste of glitz and glamour. It was pretty awesome."
Freshman forward Braxton Thomas enjoyed the experience as well, although it was different not being at home for the holidays with her family.
"I had never been away from home at Christmas but I'm glad I got to go on such a great trip with my teammates. They made it enjoyable," Thomas said. "Coach (Chuck Winkleman) did a great job of keeping us focused. We played some great teams and learned a lot from going up against great competition."
Winkleman said he is proud of the way his team handled the challenges it faced along the way and noted that the experience goes beyond what the scoreboard says or what numbers were written in the stat sheets from each of the games.
"We have some quality young women in our program and I am proud of them for handling themselves the entire time we were on the road," Winkleman said. "I understand life is bigger than basketball, but after starting 0-3 and finishing the trip with three wins, it was an indication of a deeper resolve that maybe we did not know we had in us when we left on Christmas morning."
Millsaps was beaten by Bethel and DeSales in Las Vegas before falling to Birmingham-Southern. It has won three of four since that time, starting with a 41-38 win over LaGrange Jan. 4.
That win ignited a three-game win streak. The streak was snapped in a 60-49 loss to Birmingham-Southern Saturday at home.
"We were focused for every game. We just didn't execute at times and you have to be able to make shots to win games," Brooks said. "Looking back on the long trip, we approached it as a business trip but we also had a chance to have fun. We handled the situation very well and came away from it feeling as if we grew as a team."
Millsaps entered the week with an 8-7 record, including a 2-2 mark in the Southern Athletic Association. Braxton leads the Majors in scoring, pouring in 11.1 points per game. Brooks ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per outing.
Four other players average at least five points per game.
"We work really good as a team and continue to make sure that everyone on the team, whether you are a starter or coming off the bench, is involved in the success of our team," Thomas said. "We accomplish so much more when we do that."
Brooks said the long trip forced the team to step out of its comfort zone a bit and the Majors also learned the importance of capitalizing on situations.
"You have to keep playing hard no matter what," Brooks said. "When you do that, you have success. We want to continue to improve each day and compete as hard as we can to have a good season."
Perfect day for Caldwell
John Caldwell turned in an impressive performance in Roanoke's 91-85 win over Randolph-Macon Saturday, helping the Maroons remain in a three-way tie for first place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference standings.
Caldwell connected all seven of his shots from the floor en route to scoring 19 points. Three of his shots came from beyond the arc. He also hit his two free-throw attempts.
The win over the Yellow Jackets was the first for the Maroons since the 2007 conference tournament. Randolph-Macon had won the last 13 meetings against the Maroons. Roanoke has scored 90 or more in five consecutive games.
The Maroons are 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the ODAC. Caldwell has played a pivotal role in the success, clicking for 12.5 points per outing. He is shooting over 50 percent from the floor (55.7) and has knocked down 19 shots from beyond the arc. He is also the leading rebounder on the team (6.7 per game).
Crusaders shine on offense
The University of Dallas women's basketball team won its third consecutive game Saturday, scoring a season-high in points in an 87-67 win over Centenary in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
The win was the third in a row for the Crusaders, who are now 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
Seana Stoia paved the way as she scored a career-best 27 points. Stoia scored 15 of those points in the first half and shot 60 percent from the field in the win.
Michelle DeCoud also rose to the occasion, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. It was her second double-double in a row.
Stoia and DeCoud are the top two scoring threats on the team, averaging 12.4 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. DeCoud leads the team in rebounding (7.8 per game) and Stoia is tied for second (6.1).
The duo has helped the Crusaders turn things around since starting the year with a 0-3 record. Dallas had lost four consecutive games before putting together its current win streak.
Scots stay atop standings
Covenant ran its win streak to four games Saturday with a 77-71 win over North Carolina Wesleyan.
The Scots are 9-6 overall, matching their win total from a year ago, and are 4-1 in the USA South standings.
TJ Cox rose to the occasion for Covenant, pouring in 23 points, including 15 in the first half, as the Scots stayed on the winning track. He highlighted his performance with five 3-pointers and was an impressive 9-of-13 from the field overall.
Cox is in the midst of a solid season, putting up a team-best 15.8 points per game. He is the only player on the team with a double-digit scoring average and is clicking for nearly six points more than he did a season ago (10.3). Cox is the team leader in three-pointers made (37) as well and he also ranks first on the team in assists (51).
Kangaroos reach new heights
Austin rolled to a 76-51 win over Colorado College Saturday and is in the midst of its best start in conference play since joining the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference during the 2006-07 campaign.
The Kangaroos, winners of five consecutive games, are 11-4 overall and 5-0 in the SCAC. They are the only team that has yet to lose a game against a conference opponent.
Austin won only 11 games all of last season and finished 5-9 in the conference. But it's a different story this year for the Kangaroos, who have thrived behind the play of freshman Bryce Frank.
Frank scored 15 in Saturday's win and is averaging 12.0 points per outing. She is the only player putting up 10 or more points per game.
Not only does Frank lead the team in scoring this year, but she has been a force on the boards as well, pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game.
Contact me
If you have a great story idea or notable accomplishments that deserve a mention in this column, feel free to reach out to me at brian.lester@d3sports.com. You can also follow on Twitter @BLester1993.
