No More March
Apr 01, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Where are the buzzer beaters? Where are the sold out arenas? Where are the teams cutting down nets? Where are the trophies? This isn't March; it can't be. For the three seniors of Texas A&M women's basketball this is the last March they will ever know.
No more tournaments, no more moments and no more March.
Cheah Rael-Whitsitt, Shambria Washington and Jasmine Williams have felt what it is like to dance on college basketball's biggest stage.
They've tasted just how sweet the Sweet 16 really is. They have made historic rallies to survive and advance, and they have made shots that will be etched in the minds of the 12th Man forever.
These are their moments. Part of the history that they wrote.
And on March 12 at 3:16 p.m., the three seniors had to find out they would not be adding to their legacy from the bottom line of an ESPN broadcast while eating at a restaurant in College Station.
"It flashed up on ESPN on the ticker at the bottom, and we were having a conversation completely separate from that," Williams said. "Then I looked up and told everyone to look. In that moment, we were shocked. Not that many words were said; we were just speechless. We all went our separate ways to digest it."
Before the cancellation, the plan moving forward was that the tournament would be played without fans. An empty arena with two teams playing for their seasons' lives, sounds odd doesn't it?
Unprecedented times called for unprecedented measures, and as the threat of COVID-19 grew so did the actions of the NCAA. This seems like a small price to pay for Washington, considering what ultimately took place.
"At the time that we received word that we weren't playing with fans, I was disappointed," Washington said. "I got so wrapped up in how it would feel playing without fans that we didn't appreciate that we were going to get to play basketball. But now, I'd do anything to play with my teammates one last time in a Texas A&M uniform without a single fan in the arena. Just us."
For Rael-Whitsitt, she was looking forward to the opportunity of playing in an empty arena. She understood the seriousness of what was going on, and how dangerous the coronavirus was, so for the safety of her family and the fans, she was looking on the bright side.
"When NCAA announced it, I was surprised," Rael-Whitsitt said. "My main thought was 'ok, this virus is serious and do I want my family to travel?' I kind of liked the idea of no fans, the scrimmage mindset of people playing hard and our focus being entirely on us was a nice idea. No outside noise or distractions."
What hurt just as much as the season ending was what was left on the table. A team that came into the season ranked sixth in the nation, but before injuries and bad breaks set it back to a No. 18 finish in the final Associated Press poll. They believed they were a team that could compete with anyone in the country on any given night.
"This team was capable of so much in regards to the tournament," Rael-Whitsitt said. "We could have made it all the way. We could have made it to the Final Four or championship honestly. But we often battled ourselves. When we wanted to do something, and had a drive to do it, amazing things happened."
"Everybody is 0-0 when it comes to March," Williams said. "March is known for its fantastical things, and is the reason why sports are so great. March is known for those moments. We were looking forward to showing people that we were better than what we ended on and better than what we were advertised as. At least I was and a lot of my teammates were going in there with a chip on our shoulder."
Thousands of brackets are filled out each year. No one has ever completed a perfect one. That's the beauty of March Madness; you just don't know. It's magical and all who have their tickets punched to the big dance have a chance to be the last team standing.
For the Aggie seniors, they will miss the madness that we all see on the TV, but they will also miss everything we don't see. The buildup and the preparation are moments they will miss.
"The fantasy of it all," Williams said. "March is reserved for college basketball. People take off work to go watch games. They have games on every moment of the day in every time zone. It is a beautiful thing for basketball lovers to just turn on a TV, and know that someone is playing for their season at any given moment. That just increases the competition and excitement. I will definitely miss that. As far as playing goes, it is such a process to get ready for the tournament. The practices are intense, the walkthroughs are intense, film sessions intense and everything is intensified. It's what you prepare yourself for, because at that point in the year everyone is banged up and tired. It is a test of will and a test for how well your offseason training has helped you. I will miss the competition of it."
Rael-Whitsitt and Washington recounted the travel and the competition of it all. The feeling of going to war with your sisters for the chance to play one more game is unimaginable. To have that taken away also is unimaginable.
Navigating through the uncertain circumstances of COVID-19 is on the mind of every individual in not just our nation, but the world. Our lives have come to a screeching halt, with no clear end in sight. All plans pre-coronavirus have been put on hold, and moving forward is far from a straightforward task for the Aggie seniors.
"Like everyone else in America and across the world I am in a limbo," Williams said. "Between finishing this semester, and starting my professional career I have plans set up. COVID-19 has put a pause on a lot of things. I am hoping that it doesn't affect my plans too much this summer and moving forward."
"I am trusting and leaning on God through this time," Washington said. "By exploring all opportunities that present themselves pertaining to my future. Moving forward, I am working toward receiving my bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in May, 2020."
COVID-19 doesn't care what time of year it is. It isn't a fan of sports, and our plans offer little resistance against it. There is so much to worry about during these times, and many would say that sports should be the last thing on anyone's mind. To that we say it is ok to mourn the loss of the March that never came. It is ok to be sad of the sport careers left unfinished, and for the student-athletes who saw their careers prematurely end. The three Aggie seniors, along with all of us, will move forward, but they will carry the weight of what they left behind forever.
To The 12th Man
To say thank you is not nearly enough. I thank God for the opportunity to attend such a great university with such great values and traditions. There is no other university like Texas A&M and that alone makes me proud to be an Aggie for life.
With great gratitude and humility I would like to send a special thank you to my coaches, teammates, Ross Bjork, the 12th Man, and each individual who helps make the Women's Basketball program here at A&M so special.
-Shambria Washington
You have been nothing but love and family. You're the epitome of what selfless service is. Texas A&M and the 12th Man gives to their student-athletes to make our experience the most elite in building champions. That is something that no other university can replicate. No other university can even come close to our 12th Man and our supporters. The love that they give on and off the court. It has been open arms since my freshman year. I will forever appreciate them and you for that.
-Jasmine Williams
Thank you to the coaches for giving me the opportunity to even be here. Thank you for being willing to take a chance on an undersized post player, I appreciate that. Thank you for never giving up on me and for having those serious talks with me. Thank you to my teammates for always keeping it real with, and for telling me when I need to uplift myself. I am very grateful for this opportunity and experience. I have grown tremendously, and I look forward to who I am going to become in the future.
-Cheah Rael-Whitsitt
On March 30 the NCAA made the decision to grant spring-sport student-athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the cancellation of a majority of their regular season play from COVID-19. Excluded from the decision was winter-sport student-athletes because all or much of their regular seasons were complete.
No more tournaments, no more moments and no more March.
Cheah Rael-Whitsitt, Shambria Washington and Jasmine Williams have felt what it is like to dance on college basketball's biggest stage.
They've tasted just how sweet the Sweet 16 really is. They have made historic rallies to survive and advance, and they have made shots that will be etched in the minds of the 12th Man forever.
- Washington's go-ahead 3-pointer to send the Aggies to the Sweet 16 in 2019.
- The 17-point comeback to defeat Notre Dame in 2018.
- The largest deficit ever overcame in NCAA Tournament history, when A&M came back and won down 21 points against Penn in 2017.
These are their moments. Part of the history that they wrote.
And on March 12 at 3:16 p.m., the three seniors had to find out they would not be adding to their legacy from the bottom line of an ESPN broadcast while eating at a restaurant in College Station.
"It flashed up on ESPN on the ticker at the bottom, and we were having a conversation completely separate from that," Williams said. "Then I looked up and told everyone to look. In that moment, we were shocked. Not that many words were said; we were just speechless. We all went our separate ways to digest it."
Before the cancellation, the plan moving forward was that the tournament would be played without fans. An empty arena with two teams playing for their seasons' lives, sounds odd doesn't it?
Unprecedented times called for unprecedented measures, and as the threat of COVID-19 grew so did the actions of the NCAA. This seems like a small price to pay for Washington, considering what ultimately took place.
"At the time that we received word that we weren't playing with fans, I was disappointed," Washington said. "I got so wrapped up in how it would feel playing without fans that we didn't appreciate that we were going to get to play basketball. But now, I'd do anything to play with my teammates one last time in a Texas A&M uniform without a single fan in the arena. Just us."
For Rael-Whitsitt, she was looking forward to the opportunity of playing in an empty arena. She understood the seriousness of what was going on, and how dangerous the coronavirus was, so for the safety of her family and the fans, she was looking on the bright side.
"When NCAA announced it, I was surprised," Rael-Whitsitt said. "My main thought was 'ok, this virus is serious and do I want my family to travel?' I kind of liked the idea of no fans, the scrimmage mindset of people playing hard and our focus being entirely on us was a nice idea. No outside noise or distractions."
What hurt just as much as the season ending was what was left on the table. A team that came into the season ranked sixth in the nation, but before injuries and bad breaks set it back to a No. 18 finish in the final Associated Press poll. They believed they were a team that could compete with anyone in the country on any given night.
"This team was capable of so much in regards to the tournament," Rael-Whitsitt said. "We could have made it all the way. We could have made it to the Final Four or championship honestly. But we often battled ourselves. When we wanted to do something, and had a drive to do it, amazing things happened."
"Everybody is 0-0 when it comes to March," Williams said. "March is known for its fantastical things, and is the reason why sports are so great. March is known for those moments. We were looking forward to showing people that we were better than what we ended on and better than what we were advertised as. At least I was and a lot of my teammates were going in there with a chip on our shoulder."
Thousands of brackets are filled out each year. No one has ever completed a perfect one. That's the beauty of March Madness; you just don't know. It's magical and all who have their tickets punched to the big dance have a chance to be the last team standing.
For the Aggie seniors, they will miss the madness that we all see on the TV, but they will also miss everything we don't see. The buildup and the preparation are moments they will miss.
"The fantasy of it all," Williams said. "March is reserved for college basketball. People take off work to go watch games. They have games on every moment of the day in every time zone. It is a beautiful thing for basketball lovers to just turn on a TV, and know that someone is playing for their season at any given moment. That just increases the competition and excitement. I will definitely miss that. As far as playing goes, it is such a process to get ready for the tournament. The practices are intense, the walkthroughs are intense, film sessions intense and everything is intensified. It's what you prepare yourself for, because at that point in the year everyone is banged up and tired. It is a test of will and a test for how well your offseason training has helped you. I will miss the competition of it."
Rael-Whitsitt and Washington recounted the travel and the competition of it all. The feeling of going to war with your sisters for the chance to play one more game is unimaginable. To have that taken away also is unimaginable.
Navigating through the uncertain circumstances of COVID-19 is on the mind of every individual in not just our nation, but the world. Our lives have come to a screeching halt, with no clear end in sight. All plans pre-coronavirus have been put on hold, and moving forward is far from a straightforward task for the Aggie seniors.
"Like everyone else in America and across the world I am in a limbo," Williams said. "Between finishing this semester, and starting my professional career I have plans set up. COVID-19 has put a pause on a lot of things. I am hoping that it doesn't affect my plans too much this summer and moving forward."
"I am trusting and leaning on God through this time," Washington said. "By exploring all opportunities that present themselves pertaining to my future. Moving forward, I am working toward receiving my bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in May, 2020."
COVID-19 doesn't care what time of year it is. It isn't a fan of sports, and our plans offer little resistance against it. There is so much to worry about during these times, and many would say that sports should be the last thing on anyone's mind. To that we say it is ok to mourn the loss of the March that never came. It is ok to be sad of the sport careers left unfinished, and for the student-athletes who saw their careers prematurely end. The three Aggie seniors, along with all of us, will move forward, but they will carry the weight of what they left behind forever.
To The 12th Man
To say thank you is not nearly enough. I thank God for the opportunity to attend such a great university with such great values and traditions. There is no other university like Texas A&M and that alone makes me proud to be an Aggie for life.
With great gratitude and humility I would like to send a special thank you to my coaches, teammates, Ross Bjork, the 12th Man, and each individual who helps make the Women's Basketball program here at A&M so special.
-Shambria Washington
You have been nothing but love and family. You're the epitome of what selfless service is. Texas A&M and the 12th Man gives to their student-athletes to make our experience the most elite in building champions. That is something that no other university can replicate. No other university can even come close to our 12th Man and our supporters. The love that they give on and off the court. It has been open arms since my freshman year. I will forever appreciate them and you for that.
-Jasmine Williams
Thank you to the coaches for giving me the opportunity to even be here. Thank you for being willing to take a chance on an undersized post player, I appreciate that. Thank you for never giving up on me and for having those serious talks with me. Thank you to my teammates for always keeping it real with, and for telling me when I need to uplift myself. I am very grateful for this opportunity and experience. I have grown tremendously, and I look forward to who I am going to become in the future.
-Cheah Rael-Whitsitt
On March 30 the NCAA made the decision to grant spring-sport student-athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the cancellation of a majority of their regular season play from COVID-19. Excluded from the decision was winter-sport student-athletes because all or much of their regular seasons were complete.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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