Column: Fans Perspective on SUU's Historic Run
Entering the 2022-23 season, Southern Utah University women’s basketball had a clear cut goal to make a splash in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in hopes of going dancing. They did exactly that. On paper, it was an amazing feat, but as a fan it was a whole different experience
Let’s start with their historic postseason. The T-Birds received a first-round bye and met New Mexico State University in the next round. This game was like every other SUU WBB game this year — another second half comeback. That comeback was bookended with Cherita Daugherty’s wild shot, and to this day I still don’t know how it went in. It was one of those March Madness shots that leaves an entire arena in awe.
Kyle came up with the nickname “comeback kids” - which I thought was the perfect depiction of this team. As a fan, even if the T-Birds were down big, you couldn’t leave the game early because you never knew if it was truly over.
After that game, the team had a completely different energy. It seemed like they realized they could beat anyone in the WAC, no matter the circumstances. The next two games almost felt like they couldn’t lose. I’m not sure if the team felt that way, but as fans, we anticipated nothing but success.
The T-Birds would have to go through GCU and CBU to keep their postseason alive. In the end, they really did control the last two games, which felt like a sigh of relief — SUU WBB finally won their first outright bid to the NCAA Tournament!
The Journey to the Tourney
But how did they get there? I think the team in March was completely different than they were in November, December and even January. One thing that felt like a setback in the moment was Tomekia Whitman’s injury. However, it allowed Samantha Johnston to step up and gain a lot of confidence in the process. I truly believe that Sam would have won Sixth Woman of the Year if Tomekia didn’t.
Although it seemed like every T-Bird fan was waiting for her return, we were able to see Tomekia’s positive impact on the sideline. She was always cheering, giving advice and supporting her teammates. That type of culture really embodied the entire team and was contagious as a fan. They always brought positive energy after every game, win or loss, and the fans could see just how genuine the team was.
The reason I bring up that energy is because you could see this when the team was changing for the better. They started to trust in each other and play for one another as well. Cherita became SUU’s aggressive scorer instead of her original playmaker role, which helped tremendously down the stretch.
Early losses against teams like Gonzaga, Oregon, Utah and Colorado helped the team pinpoint where improvement was needed. SUU started 2-0 and followed that with seven straight losses, but they exploded into conference play with a nine game win streak. It was truly an exciting brand of basketball to watch. The T-Birds always seemed to will their way to victory and it made all 40 minutes a blast to watch.
Throughout all of that, the fans could definitely tell this team was rising as a contender as the season progressed. They’d blown out teams, won in comeback fashion and everything in between. One game that really showed this team's identity was when they outscored Utah Tech 17-2 in a fourth quarter comeback victory on the road.
But it wasn’t only the thrilling comeback victories that kept me intrigued. As a fan and a student it was also really cool to be a part of such a historic season. I already talked about the T-Birds first NCAA Tournament appearance, but even on a smaller scale it was their first Regular Season Championship.
We also witnessed one of the most humble players in Cherita Daugherty become a household name for T-Bird Nation as she broke multiple scoring barriers and career-highs of her own. Fans knew if we were down late, she would be the one to take control and most of the time SUU would come out on top.
The same can be said for Lizzy Williamson as she cemented herself in the top-3 of SUU’s history book for blocks and rebounds in a single season. She also cemented herself as one of the fan favorites because of her presence in the paint as she blocked shots left and right.
Or how head coach Tracy Sanders was able to return the T-Birds to their early-mid 2010’s form of multiple winning seasons. She is the true savior of SUU WBB!
To say the least, it was exciting to be a part of such an amazing season. Last year got off to a rocky start, but the T-Birds showed that uniting as a team and growing from mistakes can be a game changer for any season. It was felt throughout Cedar City, campus and especially the America First Event Center.