Still More to Play For

Yes, they were thrilled to be the first McNeese State team to win back-to-back regular season basketball league championships in 23 years, but they want more.

Now, they sound like old veterans.

“This is just the start,” said guard Quadir Copeland. “We want to win the conference tournament.”

In two weeks, the Cowboys will play for a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, which is still the focus of this season.

That might not be fair to this group, which won its seventh straight game Monday night. They earned the right to celebrate their accomplishments, which have them 23-6, but it is what they signed up for, and they know it.

“The job is not done,” said guard Javohn Garcia. “This is a great accomplishment, but this wasn’t the goal.”

The goal has always been a second consecutive trip to the big tournament. 

With two games remaining in the regular season, McNeese still has time to enjoy their wins. Over the last two years, the Cowboys have 53 victories and just 10 defeats. They are one win away from tying the all-time school record for that.

With two games left, they also want to ensure they finish the regular season strong. 

“We are playing to win,” said Wade. “We are not doing anything different. Our standards are our standards. 

Those have been really good. Under Wade, McNeese is 31-1 inside the Legacy Center and unbeaten in 22 games against Southland competition. They will again host the league tournament in March.

That is when the success of this season will be decided.

“We know what the expectations are,” said Wade. “We know what we signed up for.”

Still, we should not overlook what this team has already done. To win at any level is tough, but to do it over two years like the Cowboys is something. 

And now they are doing it in a vastly improved conference.

“It feels great to win,” said Sincere Parker. “For a lot of us who weren’t here this year, this is special. It’s our first time.”

Wade wants to make sure everybody understands that.

“We are going to take none of this for granted,” Wade said. “We want to celebrate what we have accomplished here. We just have more we want to do.”