By Chuck Livingston
The Evening Times Sports Editor
Even when the chips were down on Saturday, I'm not sure that anybody believed that MSCC was going to lose the Region 2 title game against North Arkansas.
You had
Justin Harris, the Nettleton product, went on a personal 8-0 run that also doubled as the Greyhounds' final lead.
There was Shaquille Culbreath rebounding like a much bigger player, finishing with 6 boards, all in the second half.
Then you had
Tony White gamely playing through an undisclosed leg injury sustained in the game, but played through most of the second half because he felt like he had to be out there with his team.
Mark Smith and John Braxton gave MSCC some key minutes while Tasmania Jones and Trent Steen were on the bench. When they weren't in the game, they were as supportive as anyone else.
Here was MSCC's sophomore class leaving it all on the floor, and despite the loss at home to North Arkansas, it's still the most significant class in the Greyhounds' young history, and will remain that way until someone unseats them.
This is a group that was part of 18 wins this season, and 14 last year. Each mark set a school record for wins. Last year's team also won the first Region 2 tournament title for MSCC. No matter how many Regional titles the Greyhounds add to the trophy case, there will be never be another one like the first one.
For Smith and Culbreath, they were actually three-year players for the Greyhounds, guys who redshirted in 2013-2014. "When they (Smith and Culbreath) came, we didn't have a gym," said MSCC head coach Chris Parker. "To think about what we've been through with them, and what they meant to the program, it's incredibly special. I think about some of the times we had at our old practice gym and things like that."
If you're a hoops fan, then you've definitely heard of Michigan's famed "Fab Five." A class that arrived on the scene in 1992 and captured the attention of fans young and old. In a lot of ways, the sophomore class of 2015 was MSCC's "Fab Five."
There's never been a class of Greyhounds more decorated than this class. It's the group that opened The Dog House, MSCC's on-campus gym, and made it home.
If there's one defining moment for this group of Greyhounds, it's White dragging that injured leg around the court during the North Arkansas game. Clearly limited, but unwilling to throw in the towel, doing all he could to turn away the Pioneers.
Maybe the 2014 recruiting class will eclipse this crew, but the 2015 sophomore squad was an original prototype, one that no true Greyhound fan will ever forget.
