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St. Cloud State University
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Sports
Huskies defined success
By Andy Rennecke
Published:
Monday, March 24, 2003
Andy Rennecke -- Sports Editor
KEARNEY, NEB. -- Once upon a time, a sports writer became too much of a fan.
This writer let his emotions take a hold of him for the team he was covering and wrote a column saying that if this team didn't reach a certain point in the postseason, their season would be a failure. Obviously, this guy had no idea what he was writing about (he may have been going on nine bottles of Mountain Dew when he wrote it late one layout night). He had no idea of just how tough the team he was covering would have it in the postseason.
If you haven't figured out who this idiot was, well it's this person's column you're reading right now. And the team with such a difficult journey to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament was the 2002-03 SCSU men's basketball team. The North Central Regional in Kearney, Neb., was the toughest region in all of the Division II brackets.
It featured the likes of the University of North Dakota and superstar Jerome Beasley, the defending national champion and second-ranked team in the country with Metropolitan State, the best No. 8 seed in the tourney in the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the eighth-ranked team in the nation and top-seed University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (if you're wondering what a Loper is don't feel bad. I didn't figure out it was a nickname for an antelope until I saw a galloping image of the animal on the scoreboard at the Health & Sports Center).
SCSU started out by beating out UND in a nail-biter, 74-69. If it weren't for the play of senior forward Jason Kron down low late, the Huskies' season might have ended in the first round. Beasley had five jaw-dropping, thunderous dunks on his way to 37 points, but a one-man team wasn't enough to survive an actual team effort instead of the one-man show that is Beasley and his "Fighting Sioux."
After the Huskies had disposed of their NCC rival, I'm sure most fans of the team were relieved to play someone from outside the conference. They got their wish in the Metro State Roadrunners from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. However, Metro was the defending national champion and applies more defensive pressure than most NBA teams.
The Huskies had a hard time cracking the Roadrunner press in the first half of the second round game. SCSU had their worst first half of the season only scoring 19, and trailed by 13 at the break. After somewhat figuring out Metro's press and defensive scheme, Kron and the Gang showed the true heart of a team trying to hang onto their season. SCSU cut the lead to four with 53.4 seconds left, but were done in again by Metro's defense at the end - turning the ball over and not hitting from the outside.
This is where my gaffe comes into play. I had no idea that the road to the Elite Eight in Lakeland, Fla., would be such a treacherous one for the Huskies. I didn't take into account that the defending national champion was roaming in the region that late, groggy evening when I made that statement.
Let me say this though - losing to the defending national champions doesn't make SCSU's season a failure. It wouldn't make any team's season a failure. The Huskies showed their mettle by staying in the game with the quicker and more athletic Roadrunners until the final minute.
In addition, Kron's 26-point and 13-rebound performance mirrored his play for his entire collegiate career. Head coach Kevin Schlagel will have a difficult time finding a replacement for the hustle, outstanding defense and work around the basket that Kron brought every single night to his team.
In conclusion, SCSU's 26-5 season was not a failure. They went out in style by going down to a great team. This season was something to cherish. In fact, it was something that dreams are made of.
