Sports

Dallas and Houston host to multiple sporting events during Final Four weekend

Sports Editor

By Leahjean M. Denley, MBA

Overall, it was a huge sports weekend in both the Dallas and Houston metroplexes. In addition to the NCAA Div. 1,

By Leahjean M. Denley, MBA Sports Editor

Hey there! It’s your homegirl, CoachLeahTM, recovering from a long weekend that overflowed with activities, evens, this past weekend in Houston and Dallas.

March Madness 2023 lived up to it’s moniker for both the men’s and women’s championships. Bracket busting ensued early in the tournament – especially on the men’s side. The Men’s Final Four was exempt from each the region’s #1 seed. The highest seeded team, #4 UConn, did prevail with their school’s 5th National Title. On the women’s side, LSU was only the third team as a #3 seed to win the championship. 2023 set the women’s tournament record for All-Time Attendance at 357,542. Other notable records for the 2022-23 season:

 Highest scoring final (102-85)

 Highest scoring half in a final (59 points by L.S.U.)

 Most double-doubles in a single season (by Reese with 34)

 Caitlin Clark’s performance in the round of 8 with the first 40-point tripledouble in a Division I N.C.A.A. tournament, men’s or women’s.

My point of view from Press Row

As I watched the finals game from press row, it was evident that free-throws would likely not be a determining factor as was the case during Iowa’s win over undefeated, South Carolina in their Semi-Finals defeat. LSU shot 71% from the free-throw line compared to Iowa’s 70%.

LSU was able to contain Caitlin Clark’s deep threes and her quick release as the Tigers consistently communicated whether they would “switch” or “fight through” the two and three picks that would be set for Clark to get her open shot.

With 2:57 left in the game, Iowa, down 13, was not really out of the game, but I did not see a sense of urgency by

2, and 3 Women’s Basketball Final Four Championships being played in Dallas, Houston hosted an Astro’s game and Meg Thee Stallion’s opening pitch, the High School McDonald’s All-Star games [Boy’s and Girl’s], a Houston Rockets home game against the LA Lakers, as well as the HBCU All-Stars as major ancillary events to the Men’s NCAA Div. 1 Basketball Final Four.

HBCU All-Star Game

Since its inception in 2019, The HBCU All-Stars, LLC has taken the basketball world by storm with its mission to bring recognition to outstanding HBCU student-athletes and their coaches.

With a compilation of 24 players from five Division I and Division 2 HBCU conferences, the organization’s second annual All-Star game highlighted the best of the best in black college basketball. The HBCU All-Star game, held at the historic Texas Southern University, was an absolute thriller! Teams named after NBA legends, Dick Barnett and Willis Reed, battled it out for the top spot. The dynamic duo of Benjy Taylor (Tuskegee) and Kenneth Blakeney (Howard) coached Team Barnett to a high scoring 144-99 win, while Donte Jackson’ (Grambling State) and Jay Butler (Virginia

Union) headed the sidelines for Team Reed. Nathaniel Pollard Jr., from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Team Barnett dazzling the crowd with his impressive performance. Texas Southern’s Joirdon Karl Nicholas, of Team Reed, was a force to be reckoned with as he tallied an exciting 29 points and 10 rebounds. The HBCU All-Stars the Hawkeyes to stop LSU from scoring and then score quickly on the other end – as was their custom.

LLC once again demonstrated their commitment to providing much-needed exposure to HBCU athletes and further solidified itself as the perfect platform to highlight some of the best talent in all of college basketball. Markus Stevenson, MBA, a member of Black Sports Professionals - Houston Chapter member, contributed to this story.

Kate Martin, a redshirt senior, had unbelievable shooting in the game, connecting on 100% of her shots heading into the locker room at halftime and was 5/7 from the field for the game finishing with 13 points. That may not seem like a big deal because Martin’s efficiency was overshadowed by teammate and Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark – who’s stat line, with the exception of her point total, was subpar for the game connecting on only 9 of 22 shots for the game. Iowa would lose, but gave props and respect to LSU – sharing sincere congratulations in interviews and on social media platforms.

From the Coaches Perspective

During the post-game press conference, I asked Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder, “What was the focus of your message during that timeout in the fourth quarter?” Coach Bluder’s responded, “I don’t know if I can remember. The one that I called when they went up 14 or whatever? Just keep believing. Stop, score, stop. We went through switching one through four, small screens, just a little bit of a change. Focus on what we can control and not on what we can’t control. There’s a lot of things out there we couldn’t control, and I just didn’t want my team getting wrapped up in it.”

During LSU’s postgame press conference, Mulkey was asked, “What does it mean to win a title in your home state now and get LSU its first ever men’s or women’s basketball championship?” Mulkey said, “With about 1:30 to go, I couldn’t hold it. I got very emotional. That’s really not like me until the buzzer goes off, but I knew we were going to hold on and win this game. I don’t know if it’s the mere fact that we’re doing this in my second year back home. I don’t know if it was the fact that I am home. I don’t know if it was looking across there at my daughter and my grandchildren. I don’t know if it was looking across at LSU. I don’t know what it was, but I lost it. So that should tell you what I think about it. Very, very emotional and tears of joy.”

The only woman, LSU Head Coach, Kim Mulkey, joins a very small legendary group [Joe B. Hall - Kentucky, Bob Knight - Ohio State and Indiana respectively, and Dean Smith, as a player for Kansas and then as North Carolina’s coach] that have won a National Title as players and coaches. Mulkey also joins an exclusive group of coaches that have won the NCAA Div. 1 Basketball Championship at more than one institution. Who are the other coaches that have won the NCAA Div. 1 Basketball Championship at more than one institution? Be the first to email the correct answer to win a gift card: CoachLeah@InsightNews. com