NEW ORLEANS - For the past seven seasons, Joe Foley has been able to sell consistency when he visits with recruits.
He would like to continue doing that.
UALR’s women’s basketball team opens the Sun Belt Conference tournament at 8:30 tonight against Troy at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Notonly is UALR trying to beat a team it lost to less than two weeks ago, it is trying to put together a run of three victories over four days that would keep alive an unprecedented string of success, created and enhanced by Foley in his 11 seasons as the Trojans’ coach.
The Trojans (17-11) have won at least 20 games the past seven seasons - only 18 of the 347 Division I women’s teams can say that - and have reached the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT each of the past six years.
To extend the string that began with a WNIT appearances in 2008 and 2009 and included NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2012, the Trojans have to win every game they play this weekend, which would earn them the Sun Belt’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s very important,” senior guard Taylor Ford said. “I don’t want to be the one to break tradition.”
UALR finished third in the Sun Belt regular-season standings, which means it won’t earn the league’s automatic bid into the WNIT that goes to the highest regular-season finisher that doesn’t advance to the NCAA Tournament. Sitting at No. 139 in the Ratings Percentage Index, UALR likely won’t earn an at-large berth into either tournament.
Foley has said over the past two weeks that he hadn’t put much thought into keeping alive the string of 20-victory seasons. He has been more concerned with getting his team at its best for the conference tournament, which is the only avenue to the NCAA Tournament for a Sun Belt team with UALR’s resume.
Even Monday night, while on the way to New Orleans, Foley said he wasn’t motivated to win so he can keep his streaks going. It’s more about recruiting and the future.
“When recruiting, you always want to present to them that we’ve been in the conference finals,” Foley said. “I’d like to keep it going for those reasons. Other than that, it’s not a big deal.”
It is to Ford, a senior point guard who was a reserve on the 2011 team that lost to Wisconsin-Green Bay in the NCAA Tournament. Then, she hit the winning shot in overtime to beat Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt finals in 2012 to help UALR earn another NCAA Tournament berth. She’ll likely start today for the 96th time in her career.
She has played with Chastity Reed, Shanika Butler, Asriel Rolfe and Marian Kursh - all of whom were key cogs on NCAA Tournament teams.
“It’s definitely a lot of pressure,” Ford said. “I don’t want to let the people in the past down.”
Foley has tried to minimize the pressure. He said he hasn’t once talked about what’s on the line this weekend.
Instead, he’s emphasized positives for a team that has struggled to fill the void left by expected starters Ka’Nesheia Cobbins, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament before the season, and Hannah Fohne, who has had back troubles all year.
UALR fell to 10-10 overall and 5-5 in the Sun Belt after a loss at South Alabama on Feb. 1, then won 7 of 8 games to finish the regular season. UALR has done it by finding an offensive flow to go along with the consistently good defense the team has played for most of the season.
UALR’s average of 60.4 points per game ranks last in the Sun Belt, but it is averaging 66.3 points over its past eight games, which would rank sixth.
The Trojans have played well enough in the past month, except for an 86-77 loss to Troy on Feb. 26, to show Foley they are capable of advancing to Saturday’s championship game. If the Trojans do that, they’ll be one away from 20 victories and another postseason appearance.
“We are who we are,” Foley said. “We’re hoping that what got us in third place will get us in first place by the end of the week.
“It’s not the time to apply pressure or change things. It’s time to just play.”
Sun Belt Tournament
Lakefront Arena, New Orleans All times Central
TODAY’S GAMES Arkansas State vs. La.-Monroe, noon Texas State vs. Georgia State, 2:30 p.m.
W. Kentucky vs. La.-Lafayette, 6 p.m.
UALR vs. Troy, 8:30 p.m.
All-Sun Belt teams
MEN
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER SCHOOL POS. CLASS
Ryan Harrow Georgia State G Jr.
R.J. Hunter Georgia State G So.
Elfrid Payton Louisiana-Lafayette G Jr.
Reger Dowell Texas-Arlington G Sr.
Shawn Long Louisiana-Lafayette F So.
SECOND TEAM
T.J. Price Western Kentucky G Jr.
Manny Atkins Georgia State F Sr.
Manny Atkins Georgia State F Sr.
Will Neighbour UALR F Sr.
Kirk Van Slyke Arkansas State F Sr.
THIRD TEAM
Devonta White Georgia State G Sr.
Melvin Johnson III Arkansas State G Sr.
Tyler Ongwae Louisiana-Monroe F Jr.
Brandon Edwards Texas-Arlington F Sr.
George Fant Western Kentucky F Jr.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR R.J. Hunter, Georgia State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Elfrid Payton , Louisiana-Lafayette
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Chris Harrison-Docks, Western Kentucky
COACH OF THE YEAR Ron Hunter, Georgia State
WOMEN
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER SCHOOL POS. CLASS
Aundrea Gamble Arkansas State G So.
Taylor Gault UALR G Jr.
Joanna Harden Troy G Sr.
Ashleigh Simmons Louisiana-Monroe F Sr.
Chastity Gooch Western Kentucky F Jr.
SECOND TEAM
Ashley Beverly-Kelley Troy G So.
Kendall Noble Western Kentucky G Fr.
Jane Morrill Arkansas State F Sr.
Desherra Nwanguma Texas-Arlington C Sr.
Ashley Ezeh Texas State C Sr.
THIRD TEAM
Taylor Ford UALR G Sr.
Kendra Long Georgia State G Sr.
Brooklyn Arceneaux Louisiana-Lafayette G So.
Meghan Dunn South Alabama G Sr.
Micah Jones Western Kentucky G So.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Aundrea Gamble, Arkansas State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Chastity Gooch, Western Kentucky
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Kendall Noble, Western Kentucky
COACH OF THE YEAR Brian Boyer, Arkansas State
Sports, Pages 19 on 03/12/2014