With possibly only one game left in their collegiate women’s basketball careers, UTM will soon bid farewell to three of the most decorated athletes in the history of the University.
Over the last four years, seniors Heather Butler, Jasmine Newsome and Megan White have rewritten the record books for both UTM and the OVC. This past week, the claimed their fourth straight OVC Championship and will soon head to the NCAA Tournament in hopes of finally getting their first tournament victory.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Butler. “We are truly blessed and fortunate to have a team each year to be able to win the OVC Championship. But it’s just a little bit different this year now because we’re so hungry and we’re not satisfied. … We want to [not only] get to the NCAA Tournament, but win a game and continue to prove ourselves to everybody.”
In their last three appearances, the team faced No. 2 seed Duke in 2011, No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 1 seed Notre Dame.
“This will be the best team heading into the tournament that we’ve ever had,” said head coach UTM Kevin McMillan. “For this class to win four championships, I don’t think we ever dreamed of that when I recruited them and told them when they were high school seniors, ‘Hey, we’re going to win some games.’ But, [I’m] very thrilled. There’s a very sad part about this for these guys, and us, because they’ll never play an OVC game again. But I think all of us are pretty happy to be where we are.”
Over the last four seasons, the combination of Butler and Newsome have broken nearly every record in sight. The two now sit first and second on the OVC all-time leading scorers list.
At the conclusion of the OVC Tournament, Newsome was named Tournament MVP for the second straight year and third overall.
From All-American awards, OVC Player of the Year awards and many others, it’s easy to point at the duo as the reason UTM women’s basketball has been as successful as it has been. However, McMillan says that the team wouldn’t be what it is without White.
Last Oct. at OVC Media Day, McMillan said it didn’t matter if White, who was injured at the time, played or not, but not for reasons one might expect.
The thing Megan brings to the table, she is the policeman, or policewoman, on the team,” said McMillan. “You don’t cross Megan. Regardless of whether she plays one minute or not, she’s got a huge role on this team and they all know it.”
This season, White is 10th on the team with 56 points, 10th with five steals and 10th with 19 total rebounds.
“Everybody talks about these two [Butler and Newsome],” said McMillan. “But don’t for a minute think that this team wouldn’t be where it is without Megan.”
After their victory against Belmont, an emotion-filled White explained the feeling looking back at the last four years knowing that her basketball career could be one game away from ending.
“It’s meant the world to me. These are my best friends and they’re the ones that got me the rings. I would never be here if it weren’t for coach McMillan. …It’s been amazing and I’ll take a lot of memories from winning our four championships and playing all the places that we’ve gotten to go. Now we get to go one more place for the NCAA Tournament. So hopefully this year we can win a game and go to the next round,” White said.
Following Belmont’s loss to UTM, Belmont head coach Cameron Newbauer told the team to win one for the conference.
“I told them they can beat somebody,” said Newbauer. “I told them they can win a game. I told them I’ve been at Louisville and Georgia for a long time and I know what the highest level is … and I know [they] can beat somebody. … People outside the OVC don’t understand how good they are and how tough they are to play against,” Newbauer said.
With the season winding down, the legacy that this group of seniors has left is one that isn’t solely on the court. McMillan said at a press conference last fall that if the mentality of these three players made its way into the newcomers heads, they would be a dangerous team when many thought they would drop off.
“They’re poster children for NCAA women’s basketball,” said McMillan.
On Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m. the Skyhawks will find out both who and where they will be headed for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
