I guess I’m not supposed to believe my lying eyes as I was in The Barn (Williams Arena) for the March Madness first round game Ole Miss versus Gonzaga.
During the post game press conference, Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier spoke about the “physicality” of the game and said that one of her players was “bear-mauled” on a couple of plays.
Where was the bear, Coach Fortier? I didn’t see one on the floor.
She went on to say that the “physical” style of play is more common in the SEC and it’s not something her girls are used to.
Hark, I hear a dog whistle.
This reminds me of another time during March Madness, not so very long ago, when a LA Times columnist described the UCLA women’s team as “milk and cookies” and LSU as “dirty debutants” and “Louisiana hot sauce” and UCLA’s head coach Cori Close shared that article.
During a pregame press conference, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, a Louisiana native, addressed the column calling it “awful” and “sexist”.
Close later apologized but the damage had been done.
The SEC who takes pride in their tough and physical play is the gold standard of all college sports.
When you’re the best, expect some hatred from the rest.
For SEC women’s basketball programs, there is another layer. They often have to suffer thinly-veiled racial stereotypes from teams whose composition is as darkly hued.
Like Kim, Ole Miss’ head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin aka Coach Yo, addressed the slight retweeting the comment and replying with a facepalm emoji.
She later deleted the post.
I’ll say what Coach Yo can’t. If you are not willing to get your weight up to fully compete, keep those not-too-cute comments in the drafts.
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