WRAY.VINGS
SUGAR, SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE — YEAH RIGHT. That may describe the kindergarten, Baby Gap-adorned little girl behind the lemonade stand in your neighborhood. It does not describe Kurt Budke’s Cowgirl basketball team. Just ask Sylvia Fowles of LSU. The Tigers may have stopped the Cowgirls from advancing to the Elite Eight, but the Baton Rouge behemoth was sore the next day. I have seen Big 12 running backs take less punishment than our Cowgirls handed out during the Sweet 16 performance. Each time Sylvia attempted to cross the lane, a host of players converged on her and left her bruised and battered. This is not your grandfather’s brand of women’s basketball. The Cowgirls are a bunch of talented, graceful players. They have great athleticism. They are also a blue-collar, pack-your-lunch pail-and-thermos kind of team. “Team” being the key word. On more than one occasion, Coach Budke has told me each girl on the team would
“run through a brick wall” if that is what the coaches asked. Th at shows on the court. Have you ever been to a restaurant and watched a young lady order a half of a cucumber sandwich and a glass of water? She’s not on this team either. These women can put away some groceries. If you and I ate like some of these young ladies, we would be a biscuit away from 500 pounds. The eff ort they put out requires a large fuel intake. Basketball may be their favorite past-time, but eating is a close second. You can take the you’re-a-sissy-and-throwlike-a-girl stereotype and throw it out the window. There is an inherent toughness to each team member and to the team collectively. Trust me, if I took a wrong turn down a dark alley somewhere, I would want Maria Cordero, Danielle Green, Megan Byford and Taylor Hardeman on my side. Th roughout the Big 12 tournament wins over Kansas and Texas A&M, the Cowgirls displayed a grit and determination any team in any sport would be proud of. As Don Meredith used to say, “Who’d have thunk it?”
The Cowgirls in the Big 12 championship and on to the Sweet 16? Not in a million years. It took Coach Budke only three. This brings me to my final point — Kurt Budke is the real deal. He is outgoing, but unassuming. He is a great recruiter and impressive strategist. He is good with people because he is easy to like. It is an impressive combination: A coach with all the tools to expect to win; a team of women who love to play the game and embrace an aw-shucks-you-want-my-autograph refreshing attitude the NCAA would be proud of. If other places in the country (Tennessee, Connecticut) have the players and coaches we have, it’s easy to see why they fill up arenas. Better buy your tickets now. You’ll want to be around when they start hanging banners for women’s basketball in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Kyle Wray