One of the reasons Adrienne Pratcher chose to attend Texas A&M is because she felt like the women's basketball program could do some amazing things under coach Gary Blair.
But when the final horn sounded and the Aggies had defeated Notre Dame on Tuesday night, 76-70, to claim their first NCAA national championship, the sophomore point guard from East High was left stunned.
"I was shocked and excited at the same time," Pratcher said, "because I never thought I would be in that situation, on a team that won a national championship.''
Pratcher was a backup point guard to Associated Press honorable mention All-American Sydney Colson. She played in 34 games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds for the 33-5 Aggies.
She enjoyed the NCAA Tournament ride that saw Texas A&M knock off Big 12 rival Baylor, a No. 1 seed that beat the Aggies three times this season, in the Elite Eight, then follow that with a thrilling win over Stanford, another No. 1 seed, in the Final Four semifinal game.
Pratcher's playing time diminished as Texas A&M advanced in the tournament. She played a total of five minutes at the Final Four, where her only disappointment was committing four turnovers.
''I don't think it was so much me being nervous,'' she said. ''I think it was me mentally probably not being ready to play. It was just me going out there and being nonchalant with the ball. The turnovers were very crucial. They were basically things that should never happen.''
Still, all was forgotten when the Aggies cut down the nets at Conseco Fieldhouse, then returned Wednesday to College Station, Texas, where thousands of fans filled Reed Arena to greet the champions.
''It was a great experience,'' Pratcher said. ''It made me realize how the people at this university feel about sports, how they feel about us as people, it was awesome. We had a great crowd. Afterwards, we got to sign autographs and mingle with the kids, so it was cool.''
Pratcher, who was the class valedictorian at East in 2009, looks forward to returning to Memphis later this spring to share her experience with family and friends. She's also already looking forward to next season, when she's expected to replace Colson at point guard.
''I think this offseason I need to work on being a team leader, getting players together and working out,'' she said. ''I need to work on my mid-range jumper and getting everything down pat so I can be ready for next season.''
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.