Damien Matlock
March 14, 2017
Local social workers celebrated for service
March 15, 2017
The college basketball regular season is done, and March Madness begins tomorrow at different venues around the country.
Local players had a huge hand in deciding how everything played out.
Several graduates of area schools are on rosters around the country for both men’s and women’s college basketball.
A lot of the locals thrived in the past year and made news at their respective schools.
FRYE GOING TO THE DANCE
One Houma native is going to be playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Houma Christian graduate Nate Frye is a senior contributor for the University of New Orleans, which won the Southland Conference Championship this past week in Katy, Texas.
The Privateers entered the bracket with the No. 1 seed after winning the league’s regular season championship.
With the regular season title, UNO earned a double bye, needing just two wins to punch a ticket into the big dance.
The Privateers scored a comfortable 75-63 victory over Sam Houston State in the semifinals, which set the stage for a winner-take-all game with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday night.
That game was a thriller, and the Islanders led for most of the game. But UNO rallied late to force overtime, then won the game in the extra time, scoring a 68-65 victory.
Frye had 10 points in the semifinals win on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor.
In the championship, Frye scored 9 points in 28 minutes, sinking a few crucial, late-game free throws late in regulation.
Frye said making the NCAA Tournament in his senior season is one of the highlights of his storied career.
“It feels like a dream,” Frye told The Times on Monday afternoon. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before, neither have most of my teammates. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that God has presented me with and I intend to make the most of it this week when I’m on the floor competing in the NCAA Tournament.”
UNO received their bracket draw on Sunday night.
They are a No. 16 seed in the East Region. They played fellow No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s in a play-in game on Tuesday night with no score available at press-time on Monday afternoon.
If successful, UNO will play No. 1 Villanova in the Round of 64. The Wildcats are the defending NCAA Champion.
LESLIE ROLLS AT FULLERTON; FINISHES JUST SHORT OF TITLE
One of Frye’s friends came within a whisker of making the NCAA Tournament, too.
Vandebilt graduate and Cal State Fullerton guard Lionheart Leslie was inches away from the NCAA Tournament, but lost in heartbreaking fashion at the Big West Tournament in Anaheim.
The Titans earned the No. 3 seed in their conference and set up a semifinals showdown with No. 2 UC-Davis. Leslie and the Titans earned their position in the semifinals after pounding
California State-Northridge in the Quarterfinals. Leslie had 24 points, six assists and six steals in that win.
In the semifinals, Leslie was dynamite again, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds and five steals.
But the Titans couldn’t seal the deal on the scoreboard, falling 66-64 in overtime on a last-second putback after a missed shot.
Leslie said the loss hurts because he believes the Titans are the best team in the conference. UC-Davis went on the next day and won the Big West Championship.
The Titans played the entire conference tournament without prolific post player Jackson Rowe, who was the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year.
Leslie was named an All-Conference player in the Big West. For his effort in the conference tournament, he was the only Titan named to the All-Tournament Team.
“It stings. We felt like this was going to be our year,” Leslie said. “But we fell short and that’s just how the ball bounces sometimes. I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of how hard we fought. No one expected us to make it as far as we did. We had a great run.”
The Titans accepted a spot in the CIT, and will host Weber State on Thursday night.
TALBOT SHINES FOR LSU-ALEXANDRIA
Leslie’s teammate in local summer league basketball also won All-Conference honors.
LSU-Alexandria senior post player Gilbert Talbot was named to the All-Red River Athletic Conference First Team this past week, the icing on the cake of a regular season which saw the 6-foot, 10-inch post player average 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Generals.
Talbot shot 63 percent from the floor on the season and was an enforcer in the middle for LSU-Alexandria. The Generals finished the regular season undefeated, winning all 31 of their games.
The next step for LSU-Alexandria is a spot in the 32-team NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship bracket.
The Generals are the No. 1 overall seed and they will take on the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
The game will be played at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.
BARRIOS EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE FOR NICHOLLS
At Nicholls, a Lockport native established herself as one of the best players in the Southland Conference.
Vandebilt graduate Cassidy Barrios was named Third-Team All-Southland Conference this past week after a dominant sophomore season for the Colonels, who made the Southland Tournament again under coach DoBee Plaisance.
Barrios was named to the third team, but she probably should have been a little higher based on her statistics.
She averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game – all figures that led the Colonels.
Barrios was also Nicholls’ most efficient scorer, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor for the season.
Nicholls coach DoBee Plaisance said earlier this season that Barrios’ versatility is what makes her one of the most effective players in the league.
She started every game for the Colonels and played all 40 minutes nine times. She’s also a plus-level defender, averaging 2.2 steals per game.
BROWN TAKES FIRST-TEAM HONORS
A Houma native joined Barrios on the All-Southland list.
UNO junior guard Randi Brown earned First-Team All-Conference honors after having one of the best girls’ basketball seasons in the history of the Privateers program.
Brown led the Southland in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game on the season – a number that was ranked her among the Top 10 in scoring nationally in the NCAA.
This is the third-straight season Brown makes the All-Conference team.
She was the league’s Freshman of the Year two seasons ago and was named to the Third Team last year.
“It’s about improving all the time and making the team better,” Brown said. “It’s amazing to go from eight wins your freshman and sophomore years and now to 14 wins plus post-season and that’s a really big accomplishment. Our team is what’s important and without them, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish or receive anything.”
Brown has a chance to make UNO history next season.
She is currently No. 3 on the Privateers all-time scoring list with 1,449 points. She trails No. 2 on the list, Carvie Upshaw, by just more than 300 points.
“I’m so proud of Randi for all the hard work she has put in,” UNO coach Keeshawn Davenport said. “I’m also very proud for our university to have someone listed on the first team.”
Brown was the first-ever UNO player to earn First-Team honors.
UNO joined the conference in 2013.
‘It feels like a dream. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, neither have most of my teammates. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that God has presented me with …’
NATE FRYE
Houma native and UNO senior guard, talking about his team clinching a spot in this week’s NCAA Tournament
Houma native and UNO senior guard Nate Frye smiles with the Southland Conference Championship trophy his team earned this weekend in Katy, Texas. Frye, a Houma Christian graduate, plays a large role for the Privateers – the Southland Conference’s regular season and tournament champions.
