Credit Due
Lady Frogs need support from fans

The women’s basketball program is about to enter an unprecedented era of success and it is the responsibility of the TCU students, faculty and staff to support the team.
Only about 2,200 spectators take in an average game, which fills only about one-fourth of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

TCU awarded women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie with a multi-year contract extension Tuesday. Mittie’s extension comes after earning a NCAA Tournament bid last year, a subsequent first round victory and a conference crown. All were firsts in the team’s history.

This season the team is performing even better. They defeated last year’s Conference USA champion Louisville, 57-50 Sunday. The Lady Frogs have the best record in C-USA (14-3, 4-0) and are on the verge of becoming a top-25 team.

In the latest Associated Press Top-25 Rankings they were just one point shy of No. 25 Minnesota. The women’s basketball team has never been ranked in the top 25, but that is about to change.

Last year the largest crowd ever to witness a game in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum came against national powerhouse Tennessee. Those fans were not there to see men’s head coach Billy Tubbs as they play other traditional teams as Southern Methodist University, Nevada-Las Vegas or Fresno State.

That enthusiasm for the women’s program needs to be continued, because the team is on the verge of becoming a national power itself.

The 2001 recruiting class was considered to be one of the top five in the nation by various publications. The extension of Mittie’s contract will help to ensure that the program will continue to rise to the top of the pack amongst women’s basketball programs.

Mittie has also benefited from the hard work of his assistant coaches. Associate head coach Larry Tidwell has received credit for his recruiting skills. Assistant coaches Lonnette Hall and Tonya Benton also deserve credit for the teams success.

A noticeable trait of the team is its hustle. It is likely that they will continue to play hard. Something that remains to be seen is if the students, faculty and staff at TCU will continue to support the women on their rise to national prominence.

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002