Buffs make history

from 2021-22 Panhandle-Plains Basketball Magazine

by ppb.haynes

Parting Shots

Almost champs Buffs fall short but make history

By LANCE LAHNERT

COVID-19.

Just looking at the word causing the 2020 worldwide pandemic makes the year one we’d all like to forget.

But as we’ve learned, there’s always a bright light in every situation.

Despite the mask-wearing, despite canceled games, despite limited crowds, the 2020-21 West Texas A&M men’s basketball team made the most of things, signing their names to the WT history books.

Led by a pair of All-America guards in Quay Grant and JoJo Murray and a fantastic finish in the NCAA Division II semifinals, WT reached the national championship game for the first time since basketball began at WT in 1920.

The Buffs fell to skilled and talented Northwest Missouri State, 80-54, in the 2020 Division II men’s national title game in Evansville, Indiana.

WT finished “The COVID Season” with a 19-3 record, many weeks having its schedule disrupted with opponents failing COVID-19 protocol, and for the majority of the 22 games, started four players who stand 6-0 or shorter.

WT coach Tom Brown, who opens his seventh season with the Buffs this year owning a gaudy 162-40 record, said it was brutal at times dealing with COVID situations last year.

But Brown didn’t hesitate when asked what made the Buffs so good.

“Because of our great size,” Brown joked. “COVID was tough on everybody. I think one tough part was that we couldn’t play some games that maybe we could have played.

“We could play big”

“You only play 22 games and you make it to the national championship game? I just wish we could have played more games. We had a very good team. I think that team took care of the basketball. And we were really good when we shared it. We were average when we didn’t share it, and that was a couple of our losses at home.

“We could play big without being a big team, if that makes sense. And we could get away with it. Now when you play an elite team, and Northwest was an elite team, it catches up with you.”

WT played its up-tempo style that Brown brought to the Buffs in 2014, and it worked with 6-0 junior guards Quay and Murray leading the way.

The Buffs averaged 90 points a game with four underclassmen scoring in double figures in Murray (23.3 ppg), Grant (22.4), 6-0 Jon’il Fugett (12.9) and 5-11 Zach Toussaint (10.0). Murray and Grant were dynamic players able to get to the basket with their quickness as well as score from the outside. Each earned many postseason honors, including the prestigious D2CCA All-America team, first team All-Lone Star Conference and the All-LSC defensive team. WT opened the season rolling off three straight wins before dropping a rare home game to LSC foe Dallas Baptist, 87-78. The loss ended the nation’s longest home winning streak at 45. The Buffs answered that loss by winning nine in a row before dropping a home game to Lubbock Christian, a loss that would deny the Buffs an LSC regular season title. WT was primed for a playoff run when crunch time hit, however, claiming its fourth straight LSC Tournament crown and advancing to the Elite Eight by beating Lubbock Christian on its This photo by Denny Simmons of the Evansville Courier and home court in Lubbock, 101-92, in the Press shows the euphoria of West Texas A&M players after Zach regional finals.Toussaint nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer against Lincoln Memorial in the Elite Eight semifinals March 25 to send the Buffs to “We wanted to win the Lone Star the NCAA Division II national championship game in Evansville, Conference title,” Brown said. “But Indiana. The Amarillo Globe-News headline indicates the shot winning four straight LSC tournawon’t be forgotten. ments is quite an accomplishment. That’s because it hasn’t been done by the same players.” At the Division II Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana, the Buffs would make school history and along the way play an unforgettable game. In the national quarterfinals, No. 5 WT handled Daemen 9783 with Murray pouring in 31 points, 24 of those arriving in a dominating first half when WT led 56-32. The national semifinal meeting against No. 13 Lincoln Memorial was a classic with its ending bringing guard Toussaint into the conversation for the greatest shot in the Buffs’ history, along with national fame. WT and Lincoln went toe-to-toe, the entire game good to the last drop.

The shot heard around the nation

WT trailed 85-84 and was forced to foul with 13 seconds remaining. Lincoln’s Jordan Guest made the first and missed the (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) second attempt for an 86-84 lead.

Murray drove the lane in attempt to tie things up only to see his shot swatted out of bounds. After back-to-back timeouts adding to the drama, it was Quay’s turn to produce on offense.

Quay secured the in-bounds pass out near the 3-point arc and drove to the lane. The ball bounced off the rim, and neither team was able to secure the rebound.

The ball rolled out to Toussaint, standing just beyond the 3-point line with the buzzer about to blow ending the game – 87-86.

“Earlier, I was getting burned on defense,” Toussaint said. “I was making the wrong reads on defense, and I got taken out. The only reason I got back in was Cam (Cameron Bell) fouled out. As soon as I got in, I was like, ‘I have to make up for it.’ In practice we preach when the shot goes up to go toward the center for 3. That’s what I did, and I shot it.

“Before the play started, I told myself if I get a shot here, I’m going to make it.”

Toussaint – who led the Buffs in 3-pointers for the year with 61 – was good to his word, making the 3-pointer and setting of hysteria on the court and in Canyon/Amarillo for those watching.

“Afterwards, I was just like in shock,” Toussaint said. “My phone was getting 50 messages a minute. To be honest, I really don’t get into all of that. The attention, or anything like that. I just put my head down and work hard.”

Toussaint’s shot was awarded the No. 1 spot on the popular plays of the day on ESPN.

“I think Lincoln Memorial was an elite team, too,” Brown said. “But we were an elite team and found a way to win that game. I thought they could have put us away a couple of times and let us hang around.

“It was a lot of fun coaching in that game. It was a slugfest. Two great teams. They had everything. A really good point guard in Julius Brown, that now plays here. A really good shooter at 6-3, and their big guy was as good as any we faced. Then they had two wings that were really good. They were loaded.”

The NCAA D-II championship game was much different for the Buffs.

Northwest Missouri took advantage of its height and blew out the Buffs, 80-54.

The 54 points were the fewest WT had scored all year by a bunch. The next lowest scoring night was 72 in a win over the University of Texas-Permian Basin.

“I would compare that game to the UCLA and Baylor championship game in Division I,” Brown said. “UCLA wins like we did and gets hammered by Baylor. Baylor was just too good that night. I’m not sure we wanted to win as bad as Northwest did. And I don’t think we had the chemistry you have to have to win it all. And then I didn’t do a good job. They were better prepared. Those guys wanted to beat us bad.”

When Brown and Toussaint look back on their year playing with COVID-19, it always will remain special.

“It was unfortunate we didn’t win the conference,” Brown said. “We split with Lubbock, and they won the tiebreaker. To win four conference tournament championships in a row, that’s pretty special. I give Coach (Chris) Gove and Coach (Quincy) Henderson a lot of credit. You aren’t doing it with one guy. You are doing it with David Chavlovich, Ryan Quaid, Gach Gach, Brandon Hall, Quay and JoJo and Eric Mosley. Guys like Jordan Collins.

“No doubt, 2020 was an exceptional year for us to get that far.”

Toussaint simply said the 2020-21 Buffs had a blast playing the game they all love.

“I think one reason we were able to go that far is we all came together,” he said. “We all got along, and everybody knew their role. We all had fun together. That was the most fun I have ever had playing a season.”