The Book: Lady Cajuns 2006-07 basketball

[NewsCopy]

Who would have believed it? UL’s women’s basketball team is on its way to the NCAA Tournament. The Ragin’ Cajuns put a cap on their most successful season in history Monday night when they were selected to the 64-team NCAA field as an at-large selection from the Sun Belt Conference. The Cajuns (25-8) will face Marquette (25-6) in a first-round contest at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. UL, earning its first-ever postseason bid, drew a No. 11 seed in the Dayton Regional as the second selection from the Sun Belt. “We’re part of history,” said Cajun senior forward Yolanda Jones, who gathered with her teammates at the home of co-head coaches J. Kelley and Meredith Hall to watch the ESPN-televised bracket announcement. “I’m so excited, just to be a part of this.” “This is huge for our program,” said Kelley Hall. “It puts us on the map. It solidifies that we’re a basketball program.” The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

The Lady Cajuns are led by Yolanda Jones, a First Team All-SBC selection, who averages a double-double and leads her team in both rebounds and points on 17.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg. Two other Lafayette players have averaged in double figure points this season; Onna Charles and Sonora Edwards with 11.8 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.

[NewsCopy]

UL's women's basketball program has been waiting for 36 years for what the NCAA Tournament likes to call "one shining moment." Regardless of what happens from here on, no moment may ever shine as much as one that came just after 7:30 p.m. Monday at J. Kelley and Meredith Hall's home. When "UL Lafayette" flashed onto television screens across the country during ESPN's selection show for the NCAA Tournament, it shocked the country, the state, the city and the university. It shocked everyone, with the exception of the 20 or so gathered at the Hall home. They, the Cajun coaches and players, thought they had a shot at a bid to the "Big Dance," even if nobody else gave them a chance. There it was, live and in color. All it took was the image on the screen, that one line, because nobody in that living room heard anything that was said about the Cajun squad. There was too much screaming for that. The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns Geaux Dancing for First Time in School History For the first time in school history, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Louisiana (25-8), the no. 11 seed, will play 6-seed Marquette (25-6). The Golden Eagles are ranked no. 22 in the nation in the latest AP Poll. Marquette, the third-place finisher in the Big East, makes their eighth tournament appearance. The game will be the first meeting between the two schools. The first round game in Austin, Texas is slated to begin around 1:30pm on Saturday, March 17 and will be aired live on ESPN and ESPNU. The Cajuns go back to where their season began, as UL opened the 2006-07 slate in the Texas Basketball Classic. UL played three games at the Frank Erwin Center, winning a pair, while falling to then-no. 25 Texas without starters Jeanenne Colbert and Yolanda Jones and reserve Courtney Ratliff. The Sun Belt West Division Champion-Cajuns are one of nine schools making their first NCAA Tournament appearance, joining Belmont, Delaware State, Gonzaga, Maryland-Baltimore County, North Carolina-Asheville, Pittsburgh, Prairie View A&M and Robert Morris. UL and Pittsburgh are the only at-large selections making their first appearance. LOUISIANA SI

[DestinCajun]

AIN"T no such thing as the "lady" Cajuns anymore - we're all Ragin Cajuns!

[spearchucker]

Coach K, gotta give you some green for that statement! It is an absolutely amazing accomplishment!

I look for your boy LG to make some noise this upcoming season!!

L'Ronte'

You know it did not come easy for the Halls, their staff, and players...what a job they have done over the last few years.

Yep, I sure hope LG produces well for Coach Lee...I hope the whole team has started doing all of the things that they need to do now to be successful next year.

[VObserver]

Which Sun Belt school has won a National Championship?

LaTech

[cajunvbmom]

Ladies, there is no one west of Lafayette prouder than I am of the accomplishments you have achieved and your much deserved recognition.

You have overcome tough seasons, set-backs and serious injuries and your reward is just. You've set a precedent for other teams working through the tough stages of adjusting and rebuilding. Enjoy this moment...you earned it!

GEAUX CAJUNS!

cajun VB mom

[RaiderInTheZone]

Congratulations to our friends of Acadiana!!! This is awesome to have two Sun Belt teams in the field!!!! Best of luck against Marquette. We will be cheering for you!

"Let the good times roll!" I don't know how to say it Cajun style, but I felt this moment was appropriate for that comment.

[RaiderInTheZone]

LaTech

And Old Dominion

[RonMexico]

Congratulations to our friends of Acadiana!!! This is awesome to have two Sun Belt teams in the field!!!! Best of luck against Marquette. We will be cheering for you!

"Let the good times roll!" I don't know how to say it Cajun style, but I felt this moment was appropriate for that comment.

"Laissez les bon ton rouler' or some such.

Thanks for the well wishes, best of luck to MT as well.

L'Ronte'

[El Sidonio]

As much as I love our team and knew how good they were, I never in my wildest dreams even imagined we'd get in as high as #12. To get in, as a #11, and at-large, is huge. I had to call my mother who left the message on my phone while i was in class, to make sure I wasn't having ear hallucinations.

Needless to say, I will make every effort possible to make the trip to Austin for the first round on Saturday. Regretably, I won't be able to stay for the 2nd round game on Monday (that's when it is, right?).

God Bless

GEAUX UL LADY CAJUNS BASKETBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Turbine]

AIN"T no such thing as the "lady" Cajuns anymore - we're all Ragin Cajuns!

Once there was no such word as AIN'T . . .

Let’s test how observant we are, how often have we seen headlines use the term “Ragin’ Cajuns for men or women and tell you the sport? Very few if any. It’s because they have limited space and now have to make room for "Women" or "Men" to differentiate. There isn’t enough room.

Unfortunately what has happened is to make room they have almost exclusively dropped use of "Ragin" in all headlines and broadcasts.

So how has this universal move towards the term "Ragin' Cajuns" enhanced the franchise? It hasn't! It has had the opposite affect; it has watered it down to where it is now used less than ever.

I suggest it is a red herring if on the one hand we profess a problem with use of "Lady Cajuns" when the better issue (based on professed goal) might be with the stand alone use of the generic term "Cajuns".

If someone doesn’t have a problem with Cajuns by itself I don’t see where they have a problem with Lady Cajuns. Unless -that is- they also have a problem with Cajun Women.

Lets say the headline were to read "Louisiana’s Ragin' Cajuns Geaux Dancing for First Time in School History" . . . how inaccurate! It would be wrong and needlessly undermine the Men's program. It would be inaccurate unless you added the term women or the specific sport.

Not everyone reads articles, and with the wrong headline there will be those who for whatever reason will wrongly conclude that the MEN are in the tournament, thus robbing the Lady Cajuns of the credit they so richly deserve.

jmo

[BirdofParadise]

Once there was no such word as AIN'T . . .

Let’s test how observant we are, how often have we seen headlines use the term “Ragin’ Cajuns for men or women and tell you the sport? Very few if any. It’s because they have limited space and now have to make room for "Women" or "Men" to differentiate. There isn’t enough room.

Unfortunately what has happened is to make room they have almost exclusively dropped use of "Ragin" in all headlines and broadcasts.

So how has this universal move towards the term "Ragin' Cajuns" enhanced the franchise? It hasn't! It has had the opposite affect; it has watered it down to where it is now used less than ever.

I suggest it is a red herring if on the one hand we profess a problem with use of "Lady Cajuns" when the better issue (based on professed goal) might be with the stand alone use of the generic term "Cajuns".

If someone doesn’t have a problem with Cajuns by itself I don’t see where they have a problem with Lady Cajuns. Unless -that is- they also have a problem with Cajun Women.

Lets say the headline were to read "Louisiana’s Ragin' Cajuns Geaux Dancing for First Time in School History" . . . how inaccurate! It would be wrong and needlessly undermine the Men's program. It would be inaccurate unless you added the term women or the specific sport.

Not everyone reads articles, and with the wrong headline there will be those who for whatever reason will wrongly conclude that the MEN are in the tournament, thus robbing the Lady Cajuns of the credit they so richly deserve.

jmo

Consider this:

We are the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We want to be known as Louisiana and get bent out of shape when folks don't call us what we want to be called.

Yet, our women's coaches, starting with Gay Nix and now with Kelly and Stef, want our womens teams to be called the Ragin Cajuns.

Yet we come up with reasons not to honor that request.

Hypocritical, no?

[Turbine]

Consider this:

We are the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We want to be known as Louisiana and get bent out of shape when folks don't call us what we want to be called.

Yet, our women's coaches, starting with Gay Nix and now with Kelly and Stef, want our womens teams to be called the Ragin Cajuns.

Yet we come up with reasons not to honor that request.

Hypocritical, no?

Not in my opinion.

I don't want to box you in, but I hear certain radio broadcasters use generic "Cajuns" by itself all the time.

[DestinCajun]

Consider this:

We are the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We want to be known as Louisiana and get bent out of shape when folks don't call us what we want to be called.

Yet, our women's coaches, starting with Gay Nix and now with Kelly and Stef, want our womens teams to be called the Ragin Cajuns.

Yet we come up with reasons not to honor that request.

Hypocritical, no?

Good point and now we need Coach Hall to erase Lafayette off his players' jersies.

We are LOUISIANA