2008 Woodie Awards
Care to Dance?
BSU plays No. 13 George Washington in NCAA Tournament
KYE JOHNSON
Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 3/15/07 Section: Sports
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As the women’s basketball team gathered together for its NCAA tournament selection ceremony Monday night, the emotion of making it to the “Big Dance” finally began to set in.
“We’re so lucky to be here,” sophomore wing Jenna Galassi said after the selection party. “And for this to happen makes you feel like a little girl saying, ‘oh I want to go there!’ And when it says Boise State on the screen it’s truly a dream come true for all of us. We’re going to do our best and we are very excited.”
Boise State was picked to play in the Dallas, Texas, region of the tournament and drew a fortuitous first round location in Los Angeles, Calif.
“It’s so exciting,” Galassi said. “Especially since my dad and my whole family can go. A lot of us are from California so I know it’s a huge deal to a lot of us.”
Galassi isn’t the only player excited to head back to Southern California. BSU has five players from California - making its first round game a homecoming for many.
“I’m so excited,” Jessica Thompson said. “I’m really excited to be able to see all my family and my relatives and friends, we will have a pretty big crowd so it will be fun.”
The Broncos’ opponent is No. 5 seed George Washington University of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
George Washington won 19-consecutive games before dropping one to Saint Joseph’s in its conference tournament.
The Colonials have played three top-ten opponents this year and have come away with one win in those three contests.
The losses came at the hands of Tennessee and Maryland, the win was against Georgia, ranked No. 10 at the time (Dec. 28).
“George Washington is a great team; every team in here is a great team,” Galassi said. “So we’re going to have to work hard every single game. But just seeing our name on the board was all that mattered, because no matter who we were going play, we’re going to go out and bring it.”
With only a few days to prepare before taking off for California the process of scouting is in fast motion for the coaching staff.
“We need to get as much tape as we can and get the Federal Express thing going as fast as we can so we can get some DVDs in here on them,” BSU Head Coach Gordy Presnell said.
“I’m sure they’re trying to do the same too.”
But before the team got too far ahead of itself by thinking about the opponent, the women enjoyed letting the emotions of the moment sink in.
“It is amazing,” Thompson said. “It’s the stuff you always dream about. We’re just excited, we have come so far throughout the year playing together and just playing like a team.”
The night only got better for Presnell and his players as Coach Presnell was named Regional Coach of the Year - to go along with his Conference Coach of the Year award.
“That’s a team award and it’s a tribute to our players,” Presnell said. “I didn’t make the baskets, I’m honored to be in that group [of coaches honored]. I’m not really in that group. Those kinds of coaches are Gino Auriemma [University of Connecticut] and Pat Summitt [University of Tennessee], so I’m just honored to receive that award.”
For only the second time in school history the women’s hoops team will play in the NCAA tournament.
The last time was in 1994, where BSU was knocked out in the first round of play by the University of Washington .
“I think we are just going to go out and have fun and play hard no matter what and no matter who we play,” Thompson said.
And with a smile she added, “Really the pressure is on our coaches to get this scouting done. But I’m sure they will come through like they always do.”
The BSU game against George Washington will be played Saturday at approximately 1 p.m. (PT).
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