Men’s, women’s basketball play at junior college March Madness at the NJCAA Tournament. The recipe for a record-making season started at the beginning.By: Spencer Gleason
– Sports Editor –
There are moments in life when someone might reach down deep inside him or herself to find true character. Sometimes, without being aware of it, human instinct takes over and these moments come and go in a blink of an eye, without notice. A person’s tenacity becomes a virtue and the will to reach for the unbelievable can instantly make a heartbreaking moment magical.
Sports can have this effect, showing student athletes and fans of the game a way to overcome obstacles and make the best of the moment at hand.
Setting aside issues that have been brought under the limelight off the court involving athletic offices across STLCC, the men’s and women’s STLCC-Meramec basketball teams gave new meaning to the name Magic over spring break. From March 15 to March 19, they played in the NJCAA National Tournament, a goal set in August 2010 when the teams began practice.
“I think that the student athletes and the coaches deserve a great amount of credit for staying focused on the task at hand,” Bob Bottger, manager of physical education and athletics at Meramec, said after both teams won in the semifinals. “It’s no secret that there are many changes that are in the future in intercollegiate athletics, so I really commend them for doing a great job.”
However, the opportunity to play in the NJCAA Tournament was earned. The recipe for a record-making season started at the beginning.
The Lady Magic began hitting historic milestones early this season by winning the President’s Cup for posting the highest GPA for the fall 2010 semester.
VIDEO: Meramec Women\’s Magic NJCAA Basketball Tournament
“Academics come first with my team and basketball is second, so them receiving the President’s Cup is the best award we could receive,” Shelly Ethridge, head coach of the Lady Magic, said after her team was presented with the award.
Not only did the Lady Magic get the job done in the classroom, but they received high grades on the court as well.
Winning the most games ever in its program history (25) and the fewest losses (6), the 11-girl squad scored more than 2,100 points in their final season wearing the Magic uniform.
The Lady Magic continued their winning ways through the playoffs, winning the Regions XVI Championship and head coach Shelly Ethridge was named the Co-Coach of the Year in the Midwest Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) and Regions XVI Coach of the Year.
“I’m so proud of these kids and everything that they’ve accomplished this year,” Ethridge said after their final home game.
As the women’s team performed their magic on the court, the men’s team did the same.
The men’s Magic team found their way in the headlines early on when head coach Randy Albrecht won his career 700th game.
While in his 34th season coaching Meramec basketball, Albrecht found his way in the top 20 basketball coaches of all time in the NJCAA. Ever since the NJCAA went into divisions, Albrecht has led his team to 27 consecutive winning season beginning in 1985.
This year, the men’s Magic won the most games ever in the history of the program (29). Their Conference Championship was the first since 1991, and they were the first division II team to win the conference since they won it that year.
“We’ve had a lot of kids respond and come through in the clutch for us,” Albrecht said after their final home game. “New people every night…You can’t win without having that little stroke of luck.”
The Magic rode their luck through the Regions XVI Tournament, winning the Region XVI Championship and Albrecht received both the MCCAC and Region XVI Coach of the Year Awards.
Both the men and women’s Magic basketball teams also accomplished a feat no other Meramec basketball team has ever done.
In the final season of Meramec Magic basketball, the Magic combined to go undefeated at home. Both teams entered the NJCAA Tournament and the men came away wvith a seventh place finish when they defeated the Lakeland Community College Lakers, 56-54.
Although the women’s team didn’t finish as high as they hoped, given the circumstances, Ethridge summed up the coaches’ take on the season after their Magic had run out.
“We have a special bond; we’re a close knit family. We’ve been going since August… We get to know each kid as an individual, as a person and the coaches wear a lot of hats… If [the players] ever need anything, we’ll always be there for them,” Ethridge said.
