McCaffrey's Musings

Usually at this time I’d be unveiling my Top 10 and my dining room table would be covered in the most unintelligible chicken scratches you’d ever see.  While the rankings are generally accurate they also are very time consuming. 

While this season has been, different, there is one story I’d like to see play out.  Don’t look now, but the Concordia women’s basketball team is 4-3.  If things fall right, the Clippers could be a six-seed in the regional.  I know what the faithful readers are thinking, but hear me out.  Concordia hasn’t had much to feel good about of late and what would it matter if the ladies got to experience an NCAA Tournament send off?  Imagine telling the story of a team that had never been in a Big Dance, until after the school announced they would be closing.  Isn’t that the most 2020 thing of 2021 so far?

This week we go in the way back machine to 2019 and the Women’s Regional Final between Le Moyne College and Saint Anselm.  For those who need a refresher, here’s the entire game in 10 minutes for your viewing pleasure! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-xmVnjivik

First of all, wow!  Let’s start at the top with the first player on a losing team to get Most OutStanding Player, Le Moyne’s McKayla Roberts.  The superstar scored 44% of her team’s points in the regional and as a junior scored her then career-high 35 in her biggest game.  While it wasn’t enough, it will be my lasting memory of a great career.  

It’s hard to overshadow the Saint A’s duo of Shannon Ryan and Peyton Steinman, and Roberts may have won the battle, but as the old cliche goes, she wasn’t able to win the war.  Ryan and Steinman made a combined 17-18 free throw chances and that was 10 more makes and eight more attempts than the entire Dolphin squad!

McKayla Roberts scored 35 in a 2-point loss to St. Anselm (photo by David Broytman, courtesy of Criaig Lane, LeMoyne Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information).

Basketball was better for this game.  It was a great regional with a wonderful crew and of course it was in the Bobby Morgan Arena where I hope to be able to watch more basketball from, even if it’s for one season!   

I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the great Ben ‘JR’ Dinallo who is the best hoop analyst the world doesn’t know about….yet!  He’s been a great partner and it’s always fantastic announcing a game with someone that loves basketball (and all sports) the way JR does.   

Over time, we realize it’s the little things and the people you meet along the way.  I want to close the column this week by publicly thanking all of the staff members of the school’s in our region, who have helped grow D2EastHoops just by pushing out our content. We’re here for you, but don’t forget we also can’t do anything without help from SIDs.  For those who don’t know, an SID is a Sports Information Director.  It’s a thankless job often, but done right it’s quite rewarding.  Without SIDs, you get stats that are wrong and sometimes made up.  They are the glue that keeps many departments together and we are lucky to have as good of a group as we have in the region and they are NEVER thanked nearly enough!  So, Thank You! 

Until next time, Stay Warm and safe!