Jan. 18, 2008
By Matt Daniels, Citizen Tribune

For some schools, gaining attention in a national basketball poll is the highlight of any season, but Walters State is not just some school.

Over the years, the basketball programs on the Morristown campus have brought a lot of attention to both the Senators and Lady Senators, and this year is no exception.

Heading into their last pre-TJCCAA Eastern Division matchup of the season this Saturday at Columbia State, both Walters State teams have cracked the top-20 in the latest NJCAA Division I polls.

The Senators, who have raced out to a school best 17-1 start, entered the rankings at No. 15 this week, just one spot ahead of fellow Eastern Division member Motlow State.

The Lady Senators have accumulated 16 wins against three setbacks, and they enter play this weekend as the 19th-rated team in the land.
Western Division leader Southwest Tennessee ranks No. 6 with a 12-0 record.

The balance of hard work and good team play has been the keys for the Senators in their fast start, and freshman guard A.J. Thomas, who leads the team in scoring at 17.9 points per game, is proud to be a part of the early success.

“We’ve worked really hard, and we have to keep working hard to stay there,” Thomas said.

“The voters showed us some love, and we have to deliver now. “Being ranked No. 15 doesn’t mean anything if we don’t play hard, because any team can come in here and win if we don’t show up ready to play.”

Sophomore guard Freeman Pinkney mentioned that it was a big deal to the team, but that they cannot let the ranking go to their heads.

“We’re not really satisfied as a team right now because we know we can still play better than we have so far,” Pinkney said.

“We’re just looking to keep improving every game because it’s like everyone is in the rankings when we get to tournament time. We just want to keep our heads on straight going back into conference play next week and take care of business.”

Senators’ coach Bill Carlyle looked upon the rankings for both teams as an opportunity for the Lakeway area fans to come see two of the better teams in the country.

“I would like to see more people come out and watch us play,” Carlyle said. “We’ve got as good a program as there is in the country, and the rankings prove that.

“Both teams have good records, and we should be filling the stands, so hopefully this will bring more fan support from the community.”

For the men, the ranking is considered just a number and a label for the team at this point, but the ranking for the Lady Senators becomes a meaningful statistic as the tournament draws near.

In the women’s divisions, the rankings serve as a seeding process for the National Tournament in Kansas, and having two teams from the conference ranked and another receiving votes is a huge deal for the league champion according to coach Dave Kragel.

“The region directors look at the rankings at the end of the year and who you have played, and that helps in determining the seeds in the nationals,” Kragel said. “Obviously, you want to be able to get in the poll, but you want to stay there as well to help you if you make it to the national tournament. But right now, the rankings aren’t as big a deal as they will be later on.”

Sophomore forward Tiffany Travis has been through this before a season ago, as the Lady Senators found a way to win the NJCAA Region VII Tournament and make the trip to Salina.

“Getting into the rankings doesn’t mean a whole lot if you can’t back it up,” Travis said. “Having that number attached to your name just makes other teams want to beat you a little more.

“We just have to concentrate on playing our game night-in and night-out, and we can’t let it become a distraction. We’ve done a good job of that so far, and we need to work on becoming a better team as we go into the conference schedule.”

Freshman forward Brittany Mikels has enjoyed the role of being a part of a ranked squad, although she realizes there are still nearly two months of key games left on the schedule.

“It’s pretty awesome to be a part of all of this, and I’m just happy to be a contributor in our success so far,” Mikels said.

“But we do understand that we have a tough road ahead of us going into the Eastern Division games. We have to come to play every night, or we’ll have some struggles.”

Carlyle noted the success of the entire athletic program, not just the basketball teams, as something of which the people around the Walters State community as well as the students should be proud.

“We have two basketball teams that are in the top-20 right now, and we have a tremendous baseball and softball program and golf program as well,” Carlyle said.

“Most schools would like to have success in just one sport, but we have consistent success with all of our programs, and that puts us in an enviable position.”

It is an enviable position for some, but for Walters State, it’s become the norm for the small college nestled at the foot of the Smoky Mountains.