The road to success
Armstrong adds toughness, inside presence to already-talented squad
Jennifer Tavlian | Staff Reporter

Jason Palmer | The Wichitan

A transfer from Kilgore College, junior Jel-ani Armstrong averages more than 13 points and six rebounds per game for the Lady Indians, who are 4-0 in the LSC.

Jel-ani Armstrong may be new to MSU, but she’s no stranger to the game of basketball and is already making herself known to the fans and opposition. The 6-0 junior post from New Orleans has become the team leader in points (232), offensive rebounds (55) and blocked shots (15) in just 17 games. She is also near the top of the steals and defensive rebound categories with 31 and 60 respectively. “Rebounding comes most comfortably to me,” the kinesiology major said. “The scoring comes as a surprise because I’ve never been one to score. I always pass first.” Armstrong has been playing basketball since her freshman year in high school. The first time she played was against her brother when she was 11 years old. “My brother was about nine or 10, and I beat him,” she remembered. “He worked on his game so that next time, he beat me. It was a back and forth thing.” After playing in high school, Armstrong attended Kilgore College and was eventually persuaded to come to MSU by her assistant coach and former Lady Indian, Contina James. “I looked up to her and her coaching style,” she said. “Plus, I came to visit and liked the campus.” Ladies head coach Shannon Burks likes what he sees in his post as well. “She brings a lot of athleticism and an inside presence,” Burks said. “The best teams you come across can shoot inside and out.” Armstrong also likes the basketball program that Midwestern State has to offer. “I love my teammates and coaches,” Armstrong said. “And definitely the fans. “The support of the boosters on and off the court is great too. It’s just a really good atmosphere all around.” One aspect that Armstrong describes is a group of girls called the Little Indians. The Little Indians Club was created for elementary school children and offers everything from a two-hour clinic and pizza party with the Lady Indians to a place to sit together during the games. While there was a YMCA in New Orleans, Armstrong was not interested in sports until the seventh grade and then in basketball until her freshman year. Growing up, there were no programs like the Little Indians. “I love being around the kids,” Armstrong said. “They’re really sweet little girls. When we sign autographs for them, it seems to make their day and I like doing that.” While some of the girls look up to Jel-ani, she, in turn, looks up to teammate Meosha Walker. “She’s really strong with the ball,” Armstrong said. “She’s a strong player in and out of the paint.” Armstrong also admires former Houston Comets guard and two-time WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper and current Comets’ forward Tina Thompson for their strength and ability. Burks helped Armstrong with her face-up game at the beginning of the season. “She’s now able to step out and create something off the dribble,” Burks said. “She’s more athletic than most of the players trying to guard her.” Before going to the gym, Jel-ani visualizes herself being successful in the game. She prays on the bus on the way to a road game and also prays during a game if she’s not playing well. In the middle of December, the day after scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds in an 80-55 win over Cameron, Armstrong’s former assistant coach at Kilgore gave her the good news. She was named the Lone Star Conference South Division women’s basketball player of the week. “It meant a lot,” she said. “I’ve never gotten a lot of offensive awards. I want to be an All-American, so I feel with this, I’m on the right track.” She and the rest of the Lady Indians are on the right track in their run at the championships. Jel-ani is working on her post moves and her face-up game instead of playing with her back to the basket. Burks brought men in to guard her so she would not always play with her back to the basket and, instead, find new ways to go inside. She also feels like her defensive intensity helps her offensive game, which could help the Lady Indians achieve their goals. “Our short term goals include finishing with the second-best record if not the best,” Armstrong said. “Looking ahead, we want to win the conference and then win nationals.” While she admits that everyday she does not want to practice, she would like to play professionally one day. “Everything I do today,” she said, “counts for what I want to do tomorrow.”

Bucs, like predecessors, win with defense

Defense wins championships. Period. End of discussion. Never was that statement so unanimously evident than last Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the No. 1-rated defense) absolutely shut down the Oakland Raiders (the No. 1-rated offense). Some people were surprised by this outcome. Some people figured Raider quarterback Rich Gannon would hit his receivers on the short routes all evening, slowly tormenting the Bucs like a medieval method of torture. But to anyone familiar with past football champions, the final result was a very foreseeable one. And the reason why you ask? Because to hoist the good ole Vince Lombardi, you gotta keep the opposing team out of the end zone. I’m not saying that a stud offense cannot win a Super Bowl with a mediocre defense. The 1998 Denver Broncos rode a versatile offense and John Elway to a title. But whenever an offense as vaunted as the Raiders faces a defense as crippling and stingy as Tampa Bay’s, the stats speak for themselves. Nine times a top three offense had faced a top three defense in the big show, and EIGHT of those times the defensive-minded teams have gone on to win. Even a team with a horrible offense, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, won a Super Bowl. That squad went five games during the regular season without scoring a touchdown. But that defense, arguably the best of all-time, held its four playoff foes to under six points a game. Even though I thought Tampa Bay would win, I was surprised by the Raiders’ early offensive ineptitude. And while the five interceptions Gannon threw were a surprise (and a Super Bowl record I may add), it just made sense that he would make a couple of costly mistakes during the game. Tampa’s defense roams the field like a pack of ravaging pit bulls in search of that tender, juicy steak. That unit finished the regular season with 43 sacks and 38 turnovers, including an astounding 31 interceptions. The Houston Texans scored 17 offensive touchdowns the entire season. Counting the postseason, the Bucs defense scored nine. Linebacker Derrick Brooks, who was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, single-handedly scored five touchdowns during the regular and postseason, or more than wideouts Torry Holt (4) and Troy Brown (3). And it just seemed that when the stakes were higher, the guys in orange and pewter were better. The Bucs gave up three offensive touchdowns in the postseason- they scored four. The crew that twice made superstar Michael Vick look like Ryan Leaf during the regular season, turned phenomenal quarterbacks Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Gannon into mush. Those three signal-callers have combined for 10 Pro Bowls, but against Tampa Bay’s defense, they combined for a piddly two touchdowns and nine INT’s. And the only reason the secondary was able to make those nine interceptions was because of the ferocious defensive line. Gannon, just like McNabb, Garcia and Vick before him, was throwing off his back foot or, even worse, with a 300-pound mammoth named Warren Sapp breathing down his nose. And if you still think that a defense won’t win a thing, look at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which featured Ohio State vs. Miami for the national championship. All the 12-point underdog Buckeyes did was sack Ken Dorsey four times, create five turnovers and hold a powerful Miami attack to 17 points in regulation. Tampa Bay may not repeat as Super Bowl champions next year. But I will bet that whoever wins Super Bowl XXXVIII won’t have a lackluster secondary or weak pass rush. Super Bowls just aren’t won that way.

The Lady Indians remained undefeated in conference play and held onto a spot in the regional rankings after defeating Texas A&M- Kingsville over the weekend. They improved their record to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in the Lone Star Conference as they head into the bulk of the conference schedule. Meosha Walker and Jel-ani Armstrong shot a combined 60 percent on the evening and both put up 17 points in the 74-60 victory in Kingsville. Armstrong also was one rebound shy of a double-double. She went eight for 11 from the field, stole the ball five times and did not commit a turnover in her team-high 39 minutes. “Jel-ani is one part of several components that make up this team. She is an inside scoring complement to the team,” coach Shannon Burks said. The Lady Indians shot efficiently as a team, hitting 47 percent from the field and from three-point range. The team netted eight of the 17 shots they took from behind the arc. MSU is leading the Lone Star Conference in three-point percentage at 37.8 on the season. “It is a big part of our game. Having outside shooters creates problems for teams with soft defenses,” Burks said. MSU held a slight edge in rebounds for the game, 33-30, with Octavia Holmes leading the team with 11. The Lady Javelinas’ Arie Wilson also had 11 on the night. The Lady Indians forced the issue on the defensive side of the ball, causing Kingsville to turn over the ball 24 times on the night. MSU leads the LSC with a 4.24 positive turnover margin on the season. “We used a couple of double team half-court sets during the game. Some of their turnovers were carelessness with the ball,” Burks said. Those turnovers turned into MSU points as the transition game made use of their opportunities. “One of our strengths is our transition game. We ran it pretty hard against them,” Burks said. The Lady Indians also ran an efficient transition game last Thursday. They defeated Texas A&M Commerce 73-61. Haley Hobson erupted for 22 points on the evening, sinking five of her seven shots from three-point range. Hobson was perfect from the free throw line also. MSU trailed by four at the half, 30-26, before drilling 47 points in the the second half to pull away from Commerce. Holmes scored 15 and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the team on the boards. The Lady Indians netted just over 40 percent of their shots and also hit 74 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Indians are riding a four-game winning streak as they head into action this week. They play their next four games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, where they have not lost a game since their season-opener in November. MSU hosts Abilene Christian (10-8) Thursday, and will play Angelo State (15-1) on Saturday. Both games begin at 6 p.m. Angelo State is the only team in the Lone Star Conference with a better overall record above Midwestern. They are ranked second in the region.

Just two days after losing to Texas A&M-Commerce, the Indians stormed back to a 76-72 win Saturday over A&M-Kingsville. The win evened the Indians’ LSC record to 1-1 and pushed their overall record to 6-11. The Indians, who led by 10 points at the end of the first half, were led to victory by junior point guard Marquette Wilkins. Wilkins shot nine-of-13 field goals and made 10-of-15 free throws. He led the team with 29 points and six assists. “We desperately needed to win that game,” head coach Greg Giddings said. “Marquette basically put us on his shoulders. He plays with such heart and dedication, it’s amazing sometimes.” Josh Drumgole scored 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds along with four assists and three blocks. Jovani Allen scored 15 points as well, and sophomore Justin James, two nights after a 13-point, 10-rebound performance, grabbed seven boards of his own plus a steal and a block. “Justin had a nice game,” Giddings said. “I hope those performances spring him into better games.” The Javelinas had four players who scored in double figures and made good on nine-of-14 shots from beyond the arc. Colin Merritt hit four three-pointers en route to a 22-point, 10-rebound performance. William Brown made four of five three-pointers in his 16-point game. With an upcoming stretch of home games, Giddings knows that the next few games could be very important. “There’s a chance that it can be a dramatic change,” Giddings said. “We won a close game, a close conference game on the road. We’ll take that success.” The Indians play the first of four straight home games Thursday night at 8 p.m. against Abilene Christian

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