Lady Bears Reunite to Celebrate 2005 National Title
1/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Following the lead of their head coach, they talked about being "the shining light" for Baylor University during the darkest of days.
That was 10 years ago, when an upstart Lady Bear basketball team shocked the world by upsetting three No. 1-seeded teams en route to winning the 2005 national championship.
In the wake of an almost unspeakable tragedy in the men's basketball program that had "CNN and ESPN trucks in that parking lot every day," the Lady Bears brought light back to a dark campus and athletic program.
"We definitely remember the bad times, because we were friends with those guys, we knew them," said Chelsea Whitaker, the point guard on the Lady Bears' 2005 national championship team. "Who writes that in your story? Nobody. So, we had to do something to change. We didn't talk a lot of noise, but we knew how good we were and we just had to show everybody."
The bulk of that 33-3 national championship team came back to celebrate the 10-year anniversary with a reunion dinner Friday night at the "B" Association Letterwinner's Room at McLane Stadium and will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State.
"This team really was the shining light for Baylor University at a time when we really needed something to rally around and get excited about," said Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "It did that for Baylor and it did that for Waco and really all of Central Texas. What a proud moment and historic time for Baylor University. The young ladies who were a part of that, you will go down in Baylor history as being truly a part of one of the greatest teams we've ever had in any sport."
Sophia Young-Malcolm, a two-time All-American at Baylor and three-time WNBA all-star with the San Antonio Silver Stars, said the players were too naïve back then to fully understand the significance of what they had done.
"Actually, I don't think we understood it back then, because we were just kids, just playing for the pride of our school and enjoying the moment. We were just being happy being college kids," she said. "But now, as we look back and see where Baylor has come from that moment, we realize that we were the ones who paved the way."
The fact that the reunion dinner was held at the shiny new $266 million riverfront McLane Stadium was a sign of how far Baylor's athletic program has come in the last 10 years.
"This team was the shining light of this university," said Mulkey, repeating the message she sent 10 years ago when the Lady Bears captured the first of their two national titles. "(The 2014-15 team) can't appreciate it. You are receiving the benefits of what they did. This entire university is receiving the benefits of what this program did."
A year that began with a 71-70 loss to third-ranked LSU, when the Lady Bears overcame a 21-point first-half deficit "and had a shot to win it," ended with a redemptive 68-57 win over LSU in the national semifinals and an 84-62 blowout victory over Michigan State in the title game.
"LSU had the best player in the country in Seimone Augustus, the best post player in the country in Sylvia Fowles and the best point guard in the country in Temeka Johnson," Mulkey said. "We were down 24-9 (in the semifinals), and I looked at my coaches and said, 'Not again. We're getting embarrassed on national television.'''
Calling a timeout, Mulkey told her players to "take a deep breath and relax," reminded them of how they came back before, "and then the third thing was to get in a 3-2 zone, because we can't guard them."
Switching to the zone, the Lady Bears contained Augustus and Fowles and dominated the second half.
"I'm not a zone coach. Y'all know I'm not a zone coach," said Mulkey, pointing to this year's team. "But how did we just win in Orlando, Fla.? We had to go to a zone. I'm not stupid. I might be a little prideful, but I want to win."
After beating an LSU team that was expected to win it all, Mulkey was confident that the Lady Bears could knock off Michigan State in the championship game. There was just one problem. She didn't have another outfit to wear.
"I didn't bring two (to the Final Four), because I didn't really know we could beat LSU again," she said. "I packed one outfit for the Final Four. I don't know if people even realize that. With that being said, when these guys look at this stadium and they look at all the things that have happened since they left, they're responsible for it."
While Young earned tournament MVP honors, Niemann hit five first-half 3-pointers against Michigan State and scored 33 combined points in the two Final Four games.
"She is the greatest shooter, hands-down, that I have ever coached," Mulkey said of Niemann. "Emily was the MVP of that national championship game, not by accident. Those five 3's were not luck. This kid could flat-out shoot a basketball, and she worked at her game over and over and over."
With the Spartans back in a zone defense designed to contain Young and senior center Steffanie Blackmon, Niemann hit several transition 3-pointers as the fast-break trailer.
"For me, trailing the break was a strategy and also just a reality," she said. "And it worked out well. My teammates probably knew I was somewhere behind them. The other team probably expected people to be moving a little bit faster than I was."
Young-Malcolm, Whitaker, Chameka Scott, Jordan Davis and Chanelle Fox have come back regularly and several of them were in Denver for the 2012 national championship. But this was the first time back in a while for other members of the championship team.
"It's so crazy. I haven't seen some of these girls since I graduated," Young-Malcom said. "It's so great to see them and see where life has taken us in the last 10 years. It feels like a high school reunion. But it's pretty amazing just to hear the life stories and see what things have been like."
Also back for the reunion dinner were Melanie Hamerly-Schlemmer, Angela Tisdale, student assistant Tiffanie Blackmon and former graduate assistant coach Mike Snaufer, while former players Monique Jones and Latoya Wyatt are expected to be back for Saturday's game.
"We're sisters," Whitaker said. "No matter where we go or what part of the world we're in, if any of us need anything, we'll be there for each other. It's a bond that's created through any sport you play. And it will always be there. It's awesome to see everybody here with their families and growing up and maturing and not just the silly kids we were in college."
The former players were presented with new letter jackets by the "B" Association, along with warm-up sweats and shoes.
