Last Thursday Georgia lost to Mississippi 76-72 in the SEC tourney but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have now made the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row and will open as a #8 seed against St. Louis in Buffalo on Thursday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Georgia Dance Dawg Ella Glorioso about being a captain and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Naperville, IL: what made you choose Georgia? As someone who has grown up with all four seasons to the extreme, I knew I wanted to go somewhere warm. Walking to class in the snow and below zero weather was not for me. The strong academics, excellent athletics, and beautiful campus were all just a bonus. Making Dance Dawgs in April before starting my freshman year in August made me feel at home before arriving and I could not have asked for a better experience here over my four years. I am now a firm believer that there is nothing like going to an SEC school and (biasedly) the University of Georgia.
You are majoring in Biomedical Physiology with minors in Exercise & Sport Science/Biology: how did you choose those subjects? The biomedical physiology major intrigued me as a freshman as there was a larger variety of classes available to me. I had to take the typical biology, chemistry, and physics, but the neurophysiology and opportunity to be a peer-learning assistant are unique. I chose a minor in exercise and sport science because as an athlete and more specifically dancer, I wanted to know more about the way my body moved and how to improve my overall performance and health. Taking classes like biomechanics and applied exercise physiology have really connected the science to the sport for me.
You are a SR: what is the post-graduation plan? Being a student athlete and balancing the demands of being pre-med has been both challenging and rewarding. I have learned how to be a leader and manage my time very well while also working in a research lab where I study breast cancer bone metastasis. However, I feel I need to fully immerse myself in a clinical environment before entering medical school to gain a better understanding of how to have meaningful patient interactions and create long-lasting respectful relationships. Thus, I have decided to take a gap year and move home to work as a scribe or medical assistant while applying to medical school this May. I am hopeful for a successful cycle as I continue to grow both professionally and personally.
How did you 1st get into dancing? My journey in sports started with both swimming and soccer before I found my passion for dance. In first grade I joined a cheerleading squad where one of the coaches mentioned to my mom my ability to pick up the choreography quickly and suggested I try dancing. I continued with all three sports for a while until I eventually chose to focus on dance. Competing with my studio, being on my high school’s dance team, and now being a part of an athletics spirit squad at my university has given me some of my favorite memories so I thank ten-year-old me for choosing to pursue dance!
You have been a captain for the past 2 years: what is the key to being a good leader? I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to lead my team for the past two years. Being a good leader is not always about setting an example and making decisions, but about listening to your teammates and adjusting to a course that benefits everyone based on the team dynamics. I feel that being a good leader requires selflessness, flexibility, and accountability because we are all going through different challenges. The uncertainty of entering college as a freshman, taking more difficult classes as a sophomore, trying to figure out your next steps as a junior, and getting ready to graduate as a senior are all different examples of phases we go through as not just college students but as athletes. An abundant amount of circumstances factor into how each teammate shows up for practice or a game, and being able to lean on each other and have a cohesive group is what I have tried to create during my time on the team and as captain.
Georgia was 1 of 10 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney: what is it like to be part of arguably the best basketball conference in the country? I feel that being part of the SEC is unlike anything else. The energy of the fans at every game is unmatched and the level of competition is inspiring. I find myself excited to arrive at Stegman Coliseum and at every tournament game to cheer on the Dawgs: there is never really an easy or predictable game for the team.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? It is very exciting to have the opportunity to travel with the team and support the players on a national stage. Usually, it is the upperclassmen that travel, but it also depends on who is available with regards to school and other possible commitments. The Dance Dawgs and I who are here in Buffalo are very grateful and ready to help impact the game, as are the girls from the team traveling to Iowa City to support our women’s basketball team.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Buffalo? We have coordinated a trip to Niagara Falls!
Any predictions for the Bulldogs this week? I predict that the Bulldogs will get a couple dunks (after all, they are the Dunkyard Dawgs), and the game between Georgia and St. Louis will be fast-paced and entertaining. As always: GO DAWGS!
It’s Wednesday!! During the regular season that would mean we would be recording our Under the Radar Video Podcast tonight!! But, it’s not the regular season. It’s the night before the Round of 64, and doing such a podcast would not make a whole lot of sense.
But, I do want to focus a bit on a topic that often comes up in regard to the Under the Radar conferences. Are conference tournaments unfair?? Do conference tournaments result in wiping out an entire season because of what happened during the last week of it? Do they frequently result in the best team not getting into the NCAA Tournament? I understand these arguments. But I also feel that when you look at it closely, the conclusion is that most of the time the conference tournaments are not unfair at all.
Here is a rundown of all 22 conferences that looks at whether or not their conference tournaments yielded a grossly unfair result. A few general guidelines that I used were: -If the team that ended up with the auto-bid finished the season with as many overall conference wins as the 1st place team, or in some cases was just one game behind, then the result was fair. -If the team that won the auto-bid was ahead in some (or most) of the major metrics, I considered the result fair -and of course, if the 1st place team won the auto-bid, then it was automatically a fair result.
Now before you yell at me about what I don’t know, realize that I probably DO know it! I know conferences each get one auto-bid and they can reward it however they like. They don’t have to have a conference tournament, and if they decide to have a confernece tournament they can format it however they like. I know that! But, even if everyone agreed to it, that doesn’t mean that I have to think it is fair.
Now, let’s get to it…
-AMERICA EAST – UMBC was 1st place team and the team with the best metrics. They finished with 17 total wins, which was two more than what Vermont had, who they beat in the championship game. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-ATLANTIC SUN – Austin Peay and Central Arkansas tied for 1st with 15-3 records. Queens finished 3rd with a 13-5 record. By the end of the conference tournament, Queens had 16 total conference wins, which was the same number that Austin Peay had and just one less than what Central Arkansas had. Central Arkansas had won 17 games and beaten Queens twice, but lost to them in the championship game. Queens was behind both Central Arkansas and Austin Peay in the NET and the WEB, but they weren’t SO far behind that it was a major miscarriage of justice that they won the auto bid. I must say that it would be “more fair” if this league had forced Queens to win two road games instead of two neutral floor games in order to win the conference tournament. It was better and “more fair” when it was at campus sites! (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-BIG SKY – Idaho was just 9-9 and a full four games behind Portland State at the end of the regular season. By the end of the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho had 13 conference wins. Portland State had 14, which put their win total within one game. Idaho’s NET was actually better than Portland State’s by the time the tournament was over. Idaho also finished with the most overall D1 wins out of any Big Sky team. To me, this is not a result that is grossly unfair. Idaho’s whole body of work indicates they are deserving enough of the automatic bid. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-BIG SOUTH – High Point was clearly the best team and won the auto-bid. Had Winthrop won the Big South Tournament, they would have had 16 total conference wins to High Point’s 17, and would have beaten High Point twice during the year. I cannot say this was an unfair result, nor would it have been unfair had Winthrop won the championship game. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-BIG WEST – Hawaii had 16 Big West wins by the end of the tournament, which tied them for the most. They also beat UC Irvine twice during the year. Hawaii had the most overall D1 wins, the best NET, the best WAB, the best SOR, and the best JNG out of any Big West team. They were objectively the best overall season of any team in the conference even though they weren’t the 1st place team. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR)
-CAA – Hofstra won the auto-bid. They finished two games behind UNCW in the regular season, but had matched that total of 15 by the end of the conference tournament. Hofstra also had the best OOC campaign out of all CAA teams and finished with the best NET, the best WAB, the second best SOR, and the second best JNG. They objectively appear to have had the best overall season despite not being the 1st place team. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-CONFERENCE USA – Kennesaw State won the auto-bid despite being 6th in the standings and a full 7 games behind Liberty. Their metrics were nowhere near Liberty and even after their conference tournament run where they finished with 13 conference wins to Liberty’s 18. Liberty did melt down at the end of the season, and that is worth noting, but they were still the most deserving team and it’s hard to make an argument that anyone else should have gotten it. (Puppet Ruling – UNFAIR!!!)
-HORIZON LEAGUE – Wright State was the 1st place team and they won auto-bid. This is an automatic ruling of “Fair!”. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-IVY LEAGUE – Penn won the auto-bid as the 3rd place team. They finished the regular season with 9 wins to Yale’s 11, but had 11 wins to their 12 by the time the tournament was over. Their metrics and D1 win total was way behind Yale and they lost two them twice during the regular season. Even though they meet my genreal standard of being within one total win of the 1st place team, I gotta admit this seems a little unfair. But having said that, Yale should have been better than what they were. Had they played up to their ceiling they could have played their way inside the bubble and not even needed the auto-bid. But, I’m still going against my guideline of a team that was within one of the overall conference win total. Yale was just clearly that much better. (Puppet Ruling – UNFAIR!)
-METRO ATLANTIC – Merrimack finished four games ahead of Siena by the end of the regular season and they had beaten Siena twice during the season. Siena beat them in the championship game, which gave them a total of 17 MAAC wins to Merrimack’s 19. Merrimack was more deserving, but when looking at the whole body of work Siena finished with as many D1 wins as Merrimack (23), were just three spots back in the NET, and less than 8 spots back in the JNG. They weren’t so far distant that that them winning the auto-bid was outrageous. (Puppet ruling – FAIR!)
-MAC – Miami OH went undefeated during the regular season. Akron lost just one game and it was at Miami OH in a very close game. By the end of the tournament, Akron had more conference wins and a better NET. Miami OH also did enough to earn an at-large bid (albeit barely). This result was clearly fair! (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-MEAC – Howard was the 1st place team and won the auto-bid. They were clearly the most talented team throughout the year and no other team’s metrics were close to theirs. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-MISSOURI VALLEY – Belmont won the regular season with a 16-4 conference record and clearly looked like the best team. By the end of the conference tournament, Northern Iowa had 15 MVC wins to Belmont’s 16, which put them within one of the overall conference win total. Northern Iowa had fewer D1 wins (22 to Belmont’s 25), but they were just 10 spots back in the NET and just two spots back in KenPom. Northern Iowa’s ceiling is as high as Belmont’s. They did slip up during the year and blew a few games they should have won, but by the end their overall body of work was close enough to Belmont’s to where their auto-bid win was fair. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-NEC – Long Island was the 1st place team and won the conference tournament. They were clearly the strongest team. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-OHIO VALLEY – Tennessee State tied for 1st place, but by the end of the year they were clearly the strongest team and perhaps the only team that had any chance at all of avoiding the First Four. They blew through the conference tournament and were more deserving of the auto-bid than anyone else. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-PATRIOT LEAGUE – This one I cannot defend. Navy blew through the conference and no team was close to their conference win total or their metrics. They did get to play all their tournament games at home, so they did have an advantage, but I still think that despite losing at home it was a shame they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Lehigh finished 6 games back in the conference standings, by the time the PL Tournament was over they still only had 14 wins to Navy’s 18, and Navy’s metrics were way better. (Puppet Ruling – UNFAIR!)
-SOCON – Furman finished three games behind East Tennessee State in the standings, but then beat them handily in the championship game to bring their SoCon win total to 13 vs ETSU’s 15. This is still a two game difference. ETSU also had 21 total D1 wins to Furman’s 19 and they were virtually better in every metric. I will say that I think Furman underperformed a little during the regular season and when they were at their best they were as good as anyone in the conference, but ETSU’s body of work was clearly better. It’s not grossly unfair, but it is perhaps somewhat unfair. (Puppet Ruling – UNFAIR!)
-SOUTHLAND – I will start by saying that I don’t think it was fair that Stephen F Austin was the outright first place team, but still had to play on the road at McNeese State in the conference tournament. But as a whole, McNeese’s conference win total by the end of the conference tournament was 21, which equalled SFA’s. They also beat SFA rather handily in the championship game. Both teams won 26 D1 games and had good metrics, but McNeese’s were better. McNeese getting the auto-bid was totally fair. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-SWAC – Prairie View was the 8th place team and by the end of the conference tournament their NET was just 300th. I believe this is the lowest metrics of any team that has ever actually made the NCAA Tournament field, and if it weren’t for them winning the conference tournament this doesn’t happen. Bethune Cookman had the best overall season with the best metrics, best SWAC record, and most overall D1 wins, but received no help from the SWAC’s tournament format at all. The SWAC uses a standard seeding format at a predetermined site. There’s no ladder. There’s no home court. To set it up that way, in my opinion, is unfair to the 1st place team. It’s ridiculous for a UTR conference to not give them any advantage at all. And the result of the tournament was also unfair with someone who was so far behind Bethune Cookman winning the auto-bid. (Puppet Ruling – UNFAIR!)
-SUMMIT LEAGUE – North Dakota State was the first place team with the most D1 wins and most of the best metrics, and while they had some scares in the conference tournament, they did win it and were the most deserving team. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-SUN BELT – I’m not going to dissect this entire conference because there is just too much to dissect. One game separated the top 7 teams, and had any of those seven won the auto-bid it would have been fair. Georgia Southern was the 10th place team and played in the championship game, but because of the conference tournament format by the time they reached the championship their win total would have equalled Troy’s had they won beaten them in the championship game. As it worked out, Troy was the 1st place team, and they did win the auto bid, and that results in an automatic ruling of fair, but virtually any other outcome where any of those other seven teams had won it would have been fair as well. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
-WAC – Cal Baptist finished a game behind Utah Valley in the conference standings, but their overall conference win total was 15 by the end of the conference tournament, which matched Utah Valley’s. They were close to even in most of the metrics, and while Utah Valley may have been a little better overall, they weren’t so much better that Cal Baptist winning it was unfair. Cal Baptist also had more total D1 wins than Utah Valley did. The final was a classic, and it is the last WAC final we will ever see, and the fact that the WAC is going away is unfair to us fans who have always loved it, but the result of their last conference tournament was absolutely fair. (Puppet Ruling – FAIR!)
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FINAL TALLEY – 17-5 in favor of FAIR!!
So in conclusion, Are conference tournaments unfair to teams in UTR conferences?? My answer is a RESOUNDING NO!! If anything, more often than not they actually do a better job of getting the best team into the field than simply taking the 1st place team would. Sometimes a team that is clearly better and who had a really strong OOC campaign (Hofstra, for example) hit’s a skid in conference play, but is still the best overall team. By the end of the CAA Tournament, I think the conference got the best team with the best overall body of work in, and had it not been for the conference tournament that would not have happened.
Having said that, while this happens MOST of the time, it certainly does not happen ALL of the time. What happened to Navy felt almost criminal. No one from the Patriot League was remotely close to being as deserving as they were, and because they had a bad day on a very bad day to have a bad day, their whole season was erased. I get that. I sympathize with that. I agree that isn’t fair.
But I will also say this…
As a long time fan of Under the Radar teams and conferences, the OOC portion of the schedule can (or at least SHOULD) allow a very good UTR team to position themselves to not even need the auto-bid. Yale was good enough and had their chances. As did Akron. As did Belmont. As did SFA. As did Liberty. Those teams were perhaps just one or two wins away from not even needing the auto-bid, so it’s not TOTALLY unfair that some of them were left out because they had a chance to be in a position to not even need it.
Puppet’s FINAL ruling – KEEP ALL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS!!
Last Thursday Georgia lost to Mississippi 76-72 in the SEC tourney but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have now made the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row and will open as a #8 seed against St. Louis in Buffalo on Thursday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Georgia cheerleader M’Kaylah Jackson about working in social media and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Flowery Branch, GA: how did you become a Clemson fan while growing up? When I was younger, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney visited our church. Since then, my family has admired the Tigers and the culture he has created. I ran track all through middle and high school with the goal of competing in college, and Clemson was my dream school. I even had 105 Sikes Hall (Clemson’s main address) written on my mirror for years!
What made you choose Georgia instead? When weighing my options, the University of Georgia always stood out to me because of its top-ranked sport management program. I attended a UGA Cheerleading college prep clinic and immediately fell in love with the team’s culture and leadership. After my experience at the clinic and thinking about what I truly wanted from my college experience, I knew Athens was the place for me.
You are majoring in Sport Management with a minor in business and a certificate in sports media: how did you choose those subjects? Growing up, I was always around sports, whether I was playing or just being part of that world. As I got older, I realized I wanted to stay connected to sports, just in a different way than being an athlete. That is what led me to major in Sport Management, with a business minor and a certificate in sports media. It felt like the perfect mix to learn the business side of sports while also understanding how to connect with fans in a meaningful/relatable way.
You are a junior: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? Right now, my plan is to build a career in sports media, with the goal of managing a professional sports team’s social presence. I currently manage the UGA Cheerleading account as well as a local high school soccer team’s account, and I absolutely love it.
How did you 1st get into cheering? I have been cheering since I was 4! Like most kids, my parents put me into every sport they could, from soccer to basketball to t-ball, but cheer is the one that really stuck.
You are Social Media Manager for the cheer team: what does that involve? A few of my teammates and I manage the UGA Cheerleading Instagram account (www.instagram.com/ugacheerleading), so everything you see is created and posted by us. It involves capturing game day highlights, creating engaging posts, and showcasing our team’s energy and personality to fans.
Georgia was 1 of 10 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney: what is it like to be part of arguably the best basketball conference in the country? It is incredible. It is already such a blessing to be able to cheer at the next level, and getting to do that in the SEC makes it even more special. Being part of such a competitive conference means every game has that big-game feel, and that energy is something you cannot replicate.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Getting to cheer on our team on the national stage means the world. As spirit members, we put so much into what we do, and having the chance to do it on a national stage is very special. It is an opportunity to represent our school, share that energy with a wider audience, and be part of such a big moment for our team.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Buffalo? We are planning to visit Niagara Falls: I have never been there before, so I am very excited to experience that with my team!
Any predictions for the Bulldogs this week? It is March so y’all know anything can happen. I have high hopes for Buffalo and am excited for Thursday, and of course hope we advance: Go Dawgs!
Last Friday Iowa State lost to Arizona 82-80 in the Big 12 tourney semifinals on a memorable buzzer-beater (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzOcCJ0dh74) but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Cyclones have now made the NCAA tourney 5 years in a row and will open as a #2 seed against Tennessee State in St. Louis on Friday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Iowa State cheerleader Devon Loken about winning multiple national titles and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Bentonville, AR: how did you choose Iowa State? With the University of Arkansas just 30 minutes away from my house, I felt like it was best for me to get out and broaden my horizons. I started looking at other colleges, and the main ones were KU and Iowa State. I sat down with my freshman science teacher in high school, and he did a lot of research for me on Iowa State. We looked at degrees, campus, but most importantly to me, the cheer team. We found that Iowa State had performed very well year after year at NCA College Nationals in Daytona, FL. From there I was pretty much sold, but what really finalized it was meeting the team/coaches at Iowa State. From day one they have been amazing, always supportive, and pushing us to be our best.
You are pursuing a major in entrepreneurship with minors in marketing/management: how did you choose those subjects? I have always been interested in business and have been taking business classes since I was 12 years old. There is a story of how when I was five years old, I was selling my neighbor’s mulch to another neighbor for $5 a handful! Honestly, I think a lot of it comes from my dad. He and I have always bonded over business, often having phone calls discussing imaginary business plans.
You are a sophomore: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? I have been in talks with a few companies about possible plans. My current plan is to continue working with the National Cheerleaders Association and Varsity Spirit, specifically in their NCA Leadership Camp department.
You have been a competitive cheerleader for almost a decade: how did you 1st get into cheering? Before I became a cheerleader I was a gymnast for 6 years, but I was getting to the point where I fell out of love with it. I decided that since I have committed for such a long time to learning things like tumbling that it would make sense for my next sport to have something like that. Eventually cheerleading appeared, and it has been amazing ever since.
You had a lot of cheer success in the past: what did it mean to you to win multiple national titles? It is the best feeling in the world. Going onto a national stage with your best friends and teammates and knowing that you all put in the work is an indescribable feeling. I am looking forward to hopefully winning my first title with Iowa State this April in Daytona.
1 of your hobbies is traveling: what country is at the top of your wish list? I was lucky enough to travel to Paris, France on my way to Dublin, Ireland this past fall to cheer on the Cyclones football team, so those are now off the wish list. One city I would still love to visit is Rome, Italy.
Iowa State was 1 of 8 Big 12 teams who made the NCAA tourney: what is it like to be part of arguably the best basketball conference in the country? I feel like the Big 12 is the best basketball conference in the country, and I love being part of it. The fans are always the most passionate and the loudest in the arena. I am super-excited for a Big 12 takeover in the NCAA tourney.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? The biggest thing is who is consistently performing well: not just at practice but also in Hilton Coliseum. We always want to bring the best that we can to the tournaments so that way we can hype up both the crowd and our team. I am excited to see my friends and teammates in front of a national TV audience, and am excited to share the hard work we put into cheer on the Cyclones.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for St. Louis? We are planning on incorporating some new dances and more exciting stunts into the tournament. We are excited to bring all our energy into the Enterprise Center and continue to bring the “Hilton Magic” to St. Louis.
Any predictions for the Cyclones this month? There is only one national champion on my bracket and that is the Cyclones of Iowa State!
Last Thursday BYU lost to Houston 73-66 in the Big 12 tourney quarterfinals but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Cougars have now made the NCAA tourney 3 years in a row, and will open as a #6 seed (also for the 3rd year in a row!) against the NC State-Texas winner in Portland on Thursday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with BYU cheerleader Macie Nashif about being a good leader and making the NCAA tourney.
Your father Terry was a basketball player/assistant coach at BYU: how easy was your own decision to attend BYU? It was pretty easy: my mother went here as well so I spent a lot of time on campus as a kid.
You are majoring in computer science: why did you choose that subject? I recently switched my major to cyber security because it is something I am very passionate about.
You are a freshman: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? Not yet: I still have time!
You were Varsity Cheer Captain during your final 2 years of high school: what is the key to being a good leader? Setting a good example for your teammates and showing what it means to represent the program. You must have good communication with the coach/athletes to understand everyone’s needs and make everyone happy.
1 of your hobbies is working out: any tips for our readers who want to get in better shape? Consistency is key. You do not have to be perfect, but setting a goal and sticking to it will take you a long way.
BYU was 1 of 8 Big 12 teams who made the NCAA tourney: what is it like to be part of arguably the best basketball conferences in the country? It is amazing to watch all that athletic talent and cheer on our team. The gameday atmosphere is so fun because our fanbase is so great.
Your fellow BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa led the nation in scoring this year: how have you enjoyed having a front-row seat to watch 1 of the best players in the nation? It has been amazing. Our entire team is awesome and does a great job of representing our school, so it is fun to watch them up close.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Our captains get to put all the travel teams together: some of us have to stay back on campus because we have to balance everything. It will be awesome to represent our school.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Portland? We will just do some pep rallies and spend time with our team.
Any predictions for the Cougars this week? I have been to a lot of games vs. Gonzaga (who could end up being BYU’s 2nd round opponent) during my life, but I have never cheered at 1 before so…GO COUGS!
Last Saturday Cal Baptist beat Abilene Christian 74-58 in the WAC tourney women’s title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Lancers made the NCAA tourney in 2024, lost 19 games in 2025, and are now heading back to the NCAA tourney for the 2nd time in 3 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Cal Baptist SO SG Shawnee Nordstrom about being a great FT shooter and making the NCAA tourney.
You were born/raised in Hamilton, New Zealand: how big is basketball in your home country? Basketball in New Zealand has become a lot bigger over the years. What is really cool is that a lot of kids there (including most of my cousins) play multiple sports like netball/basketball/rugby/etc.
You won 3 straight state titles at Lone Peak High School: did it reach a point where the fans expected you to win every time that you stepped onto the court? I think there was defenitely that kind of standard, but we had the best high school coach in Nancy Warner. She taught us values both on and off the court such as the importance of humility and hard work. I think that was the recipe that made Lone Peak elite.
What made you choose Cal Baptist? I really wanted to play a lot and I loved the playing style her. I also liked that there were a lot of international players so I could kind of play the style I had in New Zealand.
You play for Coach Jarrod Olson: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is never flaky with his points and will tell you straight up how things are going to go, whether that is on or off court. He has been doing this for a lot of years and the points he makes always add up. He told me a quote at the start of my sophomore year that I still hold close to me during every game I play: “It is better to try and fail than fail to try.”
You led the team with 82.4 FT% as a freshman: what is the secret to making FTs? There is no secret: it is just about telling yourself that you are going to make the shot while also remaining calm.
You have teammates from Germany/Portugal/Spain/Sweden: how has the team been able to build chemistry with a roster of players from around the world? That is what has made it easier for us as a team. I feel like when you are an international player you are able to bring a team mindset, a high basketball IQ, and something that America has never really seen. I enjoy having teammates from all around the world: it is really fun both on and off the court.
Last Saturday in the WAC tourney title game you scored 12 PTS in a win over Abilene Christian: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It meant so much and was so rewarding because we have worked so hard. It was awesome that I got to contribute on offense and defense and help us get the win. In the locker room it was all good vibes…but I had to quickly rush out right after the celebration to attend my friend’s wedding in Utah!
You lost 19 games last year: how was your team able to improve so much this year? I think it was because we had a lot of good players this year that were not just talented but also hard-working and bought into the team and its values. Summer conditioning was super-tough, but I saw the vision and attitude that my teammates had and I was like, “This is going to be a very fun year: I want these kind of girls on my team.” We have winners on our team: girls who just really wanted to win and do their jobs with 100% effort.
You father Kalem played rugby at byu and played junior tall blacks, your aunt Noni played basketball at UTEP, and you have multiple uncles who also played pro rugby: who is the best athlete in the family? I like to say that I am, but I have to go with all of them. People say I play a lot like my aunty and my dad. My dad, aunty, and uncles have all been great roles models as athletes, but they are even better people. They support me and I love just being around them. They look like they are all about sports, but they are all about just chilling, hanging out, having long chats, playing the guitar, and singing. I have brought some of their traits along with me while I am at college.
How do you feel about being a #16 seed, and what is the game plan for facing #1 seed UCLA this Saturday? I am not too worried about being a #16 seed. We just want to play with some fight, have some fun, and see what happens. I am looking forward to playing against UCLA PG Charlisse Leger-Walker. She has always been one of my idols and our families are really tight. Her mum Leanne coached me for about 8 years, I did a few training sessions with Charlisse when I was younger, and I played with her little sister. I am grateful to their family for everything I have learned: it has been advantageous since I 1st moved to Utah, and even in college I have carried a lot of those lessons with me, so it should be fun.
