Close outs, on-ball defense, and boxing out were all things Coach Fred Connors was stressing in practice last Tuesday. These are all skills the St. Thomas women’s basketball coach thinks need to be improved upon to keep their winning streak going. The Tommies got their 87th consecutive conference win Sunday when they beat UNBSJ.
The Tommies are the first to achieve such a streak in ACAA basketball history, but Connors said this achievement didn’t come easily.
“I know it sounds like a real odd statement considering it’s an [87]-game win streak, but there’s been some real rocky moments,” said Connors.
The Tommies have had some close calls recently, struggling in their 84th game. The team was down 16 points early on, but buckled down on defense and came back to win.
“People think it’s easy for us to win in this league, and it’s not,” said Connors. “Last year we were down 15 at the half against Mt. A, and had to come back and win that one by seven. [Versus MSVU last week] we were down 16 in the first half, had to come back to win that one by nine, and even that was a two point game with a minute left.”
Some of the players didn’t even realize the number of wins was that high. Ashley Bawn is in her fifth year on the team, and has been around since before the start of the streak. The only time Bawn has ever lost against an ACAA team was in her first year, but confesses this year the team has come close.
“I give credit to the teams because they have gotten better, but we are not our best yet, so that’s why they’re close,” said the fifth year guard.
To Bawn the winning streak doesn’t matter. She welcomes the close games because they help prepare the team for playoffs, which are only a few months away.
“We’d rather lose one now than at the end, because as long as we still make it to playoffs and win, that’s all that really matters,” said Bawn.
A run of 87 victories may not mean that much to the players, but play a key role in recruiting players to the university. Connors uses the team’s success to try to convince young players to choose St. Thomas.
“People want to come to a program where they have a shot to win,” said Connors. “We’ve been to three straight national championships, top four in the country the last three years, currently ranked number two, and we have an [87] game in conference win streak.”
MacKenzie Balser, a rookie, was enticed to play for the Tommies because of Connors and the success his teams have had. She had some worries about coming into such a successful program, but those worries didn’t last.
“It was kind of nerve wracking, because I know the team’s really good, so I want to be as good as possible for the team,” said Balser. “It’s kind of a lot of pressure, but it’s not as bad after seeing how the other girls react to it.”
For now, Connors doesn’t want his players worrying about any streak or number, other than the score of the next game.
“We are trying hard not to focus on it, but at the same time there’s a tremendous amount of pride in the program,” said Connors.
