By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
March 15, 2004
SALINA, Kan. In town and ready to tend to some business could well describe the East Central Community College Lady Warriors as they arrived for the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament early Sunday afternoon.
Joining the Lady Warriors shortly after their noonish arrival was former ECCC coach Lucille Wood and her traveling companions, Ann Burkes, Carol Vickers, and Roberta Holt. Wood will be inducted into the NJCAA Women's Basketball Hall of Fame tonight. It's a fitting honor for someone involved with the jucos for 52 years.
After leaving Decatur early Saturday afternoon, the Lady Warriors made a stop in Monroe, La., where they put in a two-hour practice at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. While there, the ECCC crew ran into former Lady Warriors Nikki LaCour and Nicole Cox, who played on the ULM Lady Indians team this year. Nicole's sister, Kim, is a member of the current ECCC squad. Nicole played on ECCC's last team to reach the nationals in 2001.
We also met a couple of ULM players who just got back from the Southland Conference Tournament championship game and were dressed up perfectly to annoy their rival, and Southland Conference champion, Northwestern Louisiana.
Sunday afternoon, the Lady Warriors practiced at St. John's Military School in Salina home of the Muleskinners. I'm not sure how long it takes to skin a mule, and I don't really care to find out.
As for the national tournament, each Lady Warrior was asked to express what it meant to them. Here are some of their responses.
Know this, the Lady Warriors will be facing teams from regions not bound by the limited recruiting districts that Mississippi schools impose on themselves.
Several of the other teams Louisburg, N.C., and Trinity Valley (Texas) have already checked into the same motel with us. We saw the Vincennes, Ind., team at dinner Sunday night.
There are some mighty tall girls in this tournament.
Know this too. The Lady Warriors aren't going to back down.