Oklahoma State players, coaches show strong team chemistry and a singular focus off the court during their NCAA Tournament run
OSU players, coaches show strong team chemistry and a singular focus

On the bus ride back to the hotel following the first team meal in Des Moines, Iowa, hours after checking into the Downtown Marriott, players spontaneously break into a rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough.”

With this team you never know what to expect. Even in a public setting.

At the press conference the day before the NCAA Tournament opener, coach Kurt Budke is on the platform with Andrea Riley, Maria Cordero and Danielle Green. Budke's face is on a nearby television, a feed that can be downloaded by stations across the country.

"Hey coach, you're on TV,” Green announces.

Budke quips: "That's because they picked the best looking one up here.”

When Riley returns to the locker room, while Budke stays behind for more questions, OSU's All-American point guard is greeted by reserve Ally Clardy, her roommate back on campus.

Clardy chases Riley, flicking a shirt like someone attempting a towel-snapping swat. The same quickness that allows Riley to fly past defenders to become one of the nation's leading scorers enables Riley to foil Clardy's prank.

Meanwhile, over in the corner, a teammate asks Shyvon Spears, a junior forward from Angleton, Texas, who she is today.

To outsiders, it's a strange question. Teammates, though, know Spears is the team comedian. Spears isn't afraid to take friendly verbal shots at Budke or the other coaches. Anything for a laugh.

Spears also has four personalities — Shy (normal), Gly (mean streak), Tiffany (really nice) and Levi (sarcastic, but intense "baller”).

"Shyvon is a nut,” explains academic advisor Agatha Adams, who travels with the team during post-season tournaments. "She's a psychology major. This didn't come about until she began studying multiple personality disorders.

"Of course, I like the Tiffany personality the most.”

Budke said tears flowed during a team meeting the day before Senior Night in late February, one of the most emotional experiences he's witnessed during 17 years of coaching. You get a glimpse of the Cowgirls' team chemistry in Des Moines.

"This is quite a group,” trainer Amy Shipman said. "They're like sisters, so they fight like sisters. They fuss and kid each other all the time. They'll pinch each other. But when it's time for practice or a game, they lock in. You can see how that helps them on the court.”

Coach Kurt Budke's staff confiscates players' cell phones and places them in a plastic bag in the back of the room. He wants to make sure he has their undivided attention during a 30-minute film session in Conference Room H.

Photos of East Tennessee State's five starters, the Bucs' top five reserves, and their season statistics are taped to a wall. Budke starts the session with a brief warning.

"You let these small colleges get off to a good start, they're tough to beat,” Budke says sternly. "You saw it in the men's game last night with Belmont and Duke. This team has won a lot of games the last two months. They'll be confident.

"We've got to be locked in and intense, dominate from the start. We're not here for one game. We're here to win this four-team tournament. To get to the Sweet 16 we have to win this tournament, win two games.”

Assistant head coach Jim Littell, who turned down a Division I-A head coaching job the day of the women's NCAA Tournament selection show, steps to the front of the room and starts pointing to the photos on the wall.

Littell stresses that No. 23 (Nichelle Akers) is the Bucs' best player and handles the ball well. He informs them No. 22 (TaRonda Wiles) goes hard to the basket. "Do not bail her out and foul her!” Littell scolds.

Coaches compare ETSU center Latisha Belcher to Texas' Ashley Lindsay. Get her three feet farther from the basket and she's much less dangerous, they say. Littell stresses No. 20 (Michele DeVault) is a great 3-point shooter, one of the best they've seen all year.

"She has good range, three or four feet behind the line,” Littell says. "We have to know where she is at all times. We can't let her get going.”

Budke interrupts: "She's like (Kimberly) Dietz of K-State. She doesn't need much time to get her shot off. And it seems like they're going in every single time.”

The scouting report is dead-on. The following night, the Cowgirls get several easy baskets in transition, like coaches predicted, to build a 41-29 halftime lead. But one reason the Bucs close to within seven points is DeVault drains six 3-pointers.

Once coach Kurt Budke and his staff leave a film session, players stay in Conference Hall H for study hall. OSU academic advisor Agatha Adams warns players that it's essential they communicate with professors back on campus.

"There's a good chance you'll miss class on Monday,” Adams says, insinuating the Cowgirls will win their first game. "I've already told my assistants back on campus what's going on. We're going into the 10th week. Some of you will have to get your exams re-scheduled.”

Adams has been an athletic academic advisor at OSU for 18 years. The past decade she's worked with women's basketball and soccer. She once worked with football. During road trips she is the liaison between OSU's professors and the women's basketball team.

One-hour study hall sessions are scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Adams sometimes has to give a test during post-season tournaments. This year she gave only one test. And that was during the Big 12 Tournament, a bigger challenge than the NCAA Tournament.

For the conference tournament, the Cowgirls arrived in Kansas City on Monday and stayed the entire week, playing in the finals. The first game of the NCAA Tournament is held during spring break but school is back in session before Monday night's game.

Danielle Green, Meagan Byford and a couple of other players stay in the conference room. Others return to their rooms. Three players study on their laptops in the hotel lobby. Byford took a couple of tests the week before the Big 12 tournament.

"You have to be disciplined to get your work done,” Byford said. "It can be difficult at times. Communicating with your instructors is the most important thing. If you explain to them early in the semester you'll be gone quite a bit they'll work with you.”

The Internet makes life easier for today's student-athletes. Some take Internet classes so it doesn't matter whether they're in Des Moines or Stillwater. Most players are given Internet access in their rooms.

"It's not as hard as you might think,” junior guard Taylor Hardeman said. "The study hall (sessions) help. Our teachers back home usually are pretty lenient if you inform them when you have to miss class. They let us know what we miss. They're excited just like our fans.”

The Oklahoma State pep band blares "Ride 'Em Cowboys” in the hotel lobby as players get off elevators to leave for Wells Fargo Arena.

At the arena, after getting last second instructions from coaches on keys to the game, the Cowgirls exit the locker room. Before she steps out the door, point guard Andrea Riley turns to athletic trainer Amy Shipman and says: "You look like a pumpkin.”

"She does something like that before every game,” Shipman explains. "She has to insult me just before the game. One time she said I looked like Betty Boop. I don't even have dark hair. It's always something silly. It's sort of a good luck thing.”

The Cowgirls use an 18-3 run midway through the first half to build a double-digit lead. They lead by as many as 17 points, withstand an ETSU rally and post an 85-73 win.

The locker room is more subdued than you would expect for a team that hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game in 12 years, back when these players were in the second and third grades.

Budke is disappointed, calling it "our worst game in recent weeks.” But he also realizes only one thing matters in the NCAA Tournament.

Win and advance.

Snow flurries fill the Des Moines sky Easter morning. Coach Kurt Budke, his wife, two sons, daughter, mother and father and assistant coach Miranda Serna, his ace recruiter, attend mass at St. Ambrose a few blocks from the team hotel.

"It's a beautiful church,” Budke said. "When I'm out of town I like to see old churches. I especially like old cathedrals like this one. It was a great service.”

It's an exciting time for a program that has risen from the ashes, a program that was 0-16 in conference play two years ago. But athletes and coaches sometimes have to make sacrifices.

"I feel for the girls that they don't get to be home on Easter,” Budke said. "I was lucky enough to have my wife and kids and mom and dad here with me. This is an Easter I will never forget.”

Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder marvels at how much down time there is at an NCAA Tournament. A long-time golf coach before he became the AD, Holder said it's vastly different from taking a golf team to the NCAA Championships.

Golfers spend much of the day analyzing a course. They get up at dawn and practice before and after rounds. Once the tournament ends, they board a plane and return home.

Basketball teams have much different itineraries. No need to study the Wells Fargo Arena court. It's the same length as the one back home at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Holder has a solution. Play games on back-to-back days/nights on weekends with Saturday-Sunday sessions across the country. It would cut down on travel costs and student athletes would miss fewer classes.

Makes perfect sense. But it will never happen.

CBS and ESPN pay too much money to televise the NCAA basketball tournaments. They want as many "windows” as possible to televise as many games as possible.

Plus, it's tradition. The NCAA Tournament always has featured an off-day between games. When you have such a popular event it has its own name — March Madness — no one dares tinker with the golden goose.

Besides, there's not as much down time as you think. Team meals, film sessions, one-hour study hall sessions, practices and press conferences fill much of the day.

The original plan was to go to the mall early Sunday night, the one time there's three to four free hours. Only one problem. It's Easter Sunday. The mall is closed.

No problem. For college students, killing three or four free hours is never a problem. MySpace, of course, is a big hit.

Sleep is difficult for some. Players have waited their entire lives for this opportunity. If the Cowgirls can post a win over Florida State the following night, they will advance to the Sweet 16 in New Orleans.

OSU defeats Florida State in overtime.

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