First Visits for Lindenwood & USI
(St. Louis, MO) – Oh to be in two places at once this week. While I’ll be in St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, I truly wish I could also be in Evansville for the OVC Tournament. There is history in the making at Ford Center this week.
During this first season of Division 1 play for both Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, it has been a season of ‘firsts’. They accomplished their first wins, first road and conference victories. Everything they did, they did it for the first time.
Almost shockingly each of the former Great Lakes Valley Conference teams earned a spot in the post season tournament. USI assured themselves of that much earlier than did Lindenwood, but the Lions’ dramatic entrance into the OVC Tournament is nothing short of historic and maybe a little hysteric.
It was a wild week for Lions’ coach Kyle Gerdeman and his pride of Lions. Pride is a key word. This basketball teams fought with pride, determination and passion to stage miracle come backs during their last two games of the season to earn the right to travel to Evansville.
All conference teams are being announced and USI had its first two all-conference players and Lindenwood picked up its first double-winner of a league wide award. Screaming Eagle players Jacob Polakovich and Isaiah Swope were named to the Ohio Valley Conference all-league team. While Lindenwood’s Keenon Cole was named to both the OVC ‘second team’ he was also noted as one of the all-newcomer’ team members.
These were the first Division 1 all-conference mentions for each program’s D1 history.
Lindenwood’s Miracles – Part One
They say you never back a lion into a corner, particularly in his own den. Last week Lindenwood’s Lions were squarely in a corner. Gerdeman’s squad had to win two games to qualify for the OVC Tournament and keep their season alive.
With 14:55 left in Thursday’s game with Southeast Missouri the Lions were backed into a corner in their own den. Down by 20 points, the season appeared to be over. A furious rally ensued and the Lions outscored the Redhawks 35-15 over those final 13:55 forcing an overtime period.
Chris Childs buried a three and hit two clutch free throws during the final 1:05 of regulation to earn the extra session. Seemingly the game was in the bag with a 92-86 lead and just 28 seconds left, but the Redhawks displayed their own heroics, earning a second overtime period.
Trailing by one point and 14 seconds left, seldom used Lion Remy Lemovou hit a game winning layup and Childs sealed it with two free throws.
Lindenwood’s Miracles – Part Two
If it worked once, why not try it twice? Little Rock came to #TheBob (the Hyland Center) for a ‘winner-take-eighth’ battle. The Trojans led by 17 points with just 4:54 remaining. Sitting courtside I started forming my post game questions for coach Gerdeman along the ‘well you guys had a pretty good first season’ lines.
Childs, Kevin Caldwell and Keenon Cole and company had different ideas. A 19-2 closing kick forced overtime again! This time it was Brandon Trimble hitting the game-tying free throws. With 12 seconds left in overtime, Little Rock led by two points.
Gerdeman designed a play that Little Rock twarted and Caldwell had to step up and take the clutch shot.
Well here is your long awaited video of Kevin Caldwell Jr’s game-winning, Evansville earning 3-pointer for @LUMensBball pic.twitter.com/B6qjetdwje
— Harry Schroeder (@FatherHarry1) February 26, 2023
The 97-96 final sends Lindenwood to the OVC Tournament and coach Gerdeman says his players could have given up on the season a long time ago or during either of those games, but their collective mental toughness showed through.
Caldwell says his team has ‘kept with it’ and never gave up on the season. He and Brandon Trimble were really the only two holdovers from last year’s Division 2 team. Their leadership in ‘crunch time’ was very visible on Saturday. Caldwell is looking forward to Evansville.
The Lions’ reward is a Wednesday night rematch with SEMO. Gerdeman says he’s simply glad his team gets to keep on playing.
Southern Indiana Qualifies
USI qualified as the seven seed, but their journey was far less nerve-racking. The Screaming Eagles (16-15, 9-9) won their season finale and are assured a .500 or better Division 1 season. They tied SIUE for sixth and seventh, with the Cougars earning the higher seed via an OVC tie-breaker.
During my late season visit to USI, head coach Stan Gouard told me he is confident about his team presently and in the future, because they are building the program from the inside out.
The Bruce Pearl disciple is a fan favorite and is energetically working to build a legion of Screaming Eagle fans. A recent leap into the crowd was ‘Pearl-esque’.
Thees two teams have added some excitement and fresh blood into the 75-year-old OVC. It will be a week of firsts at the OVC Tournament.
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As we near the closing of the portal window, we've reached 1900. Some of them never to play college basketball again, earn a college degree and some to play at a much lower level than they did last season.
I guess we'll be seeing this in a @RacersHoops uniform this year. Glad AJ is staying in the @ValleyHoops.
