20 Years Later

Today at the United Spirit Arena the Texas Tech Lady Raiders beat the Whorns of UT which is always a good thing.  And at half time, they celebrated the 1993 National Championship team's 20th anniversary,  I did not go to the game so I got what I deserved but Fox Sport SW only showed part of the team introductions but I'd read that they were all going to be there.  And that idiot Rick Gilbert mispronounced every other name.  It was pretty cool that they were all here to celebrate.

In 1992-1993, Tech basketball was still played in the bubble.  I had gone to a few late games in the previous season and had gotten a gander at Sheryl Swoopes and thought, HOLY COW, that girl is good!!  She only played 2 seasons at Tech total.  She had signed with the Whorns but got to Austin and felt she did not fit in with the same sex oriented locker room there.  She was still professing to be straight at the time.  So she came back to west Texas and went to school in Levelland.  Then, lucky for us, to Tech.   And I was so impressed, that for her senior year I bought season tickets.  Then the 1st game, Swoopes hit the pylon thingy that holds the backboard  and crumbled like a rag doll.  She laid there a minute and then Linden Weese went out to get her.  He picked her up and she had her arms around his neck and her face buried in his neck and then he sat her down on the bench and they surrounded her.  And then, a few minutes later, she got up and scored a ton of points.  And she continued to score and score.  And she scored 47 points in the championship game.  They only won by 2 points but it was really not that close throughout the game.  It was a wonderful moment to be a Tech fan.

The thing about this team is that they were girls.  They were graceful and talented and seemed to really like each other.  Sheryl Swoopes was the most talented, no doubt but everyone one of them had a place on the team and played very well.   They didn't dunk or grunt or cold cock anyone.  They weren't selfish.  And it was beautiful.

For a little while, recruiting boomed and while the teams were good, they weren't great.  The USA was built for the Lady Raider fans.  And when Marsha Sharp had a great recruiting class, one of her players got pregnant and rumor has it that St Marsha  turned on the 19 year old and the rest of the team took it personally and while they played well, it appeared their hearts were not in it.  And recruiting dropped.  And Marsha retired.  And Kristi Curry came aboard.  And winning teams are a thing of the past.

But today, we got to relive a moment.