Cowboys struggled to make history

It was 11 days before Christmas, and the Cowboys weren’t feeling very jolly.

As they got on the bus to leave Tupelo, Mississippi, they had just let a big fish off their hook.

Mississippi State, ranked 25th at the time, survived a scare, beating McNeese66-63. It could have been a season-changing victory. Instead, the Cowboys were just 5-5 and searching for an identity.

The season of great hope, of Will Wade’s second year on the bench after a historic first season, was at its crossroads.

“This team had some problems,” said Wade. “They didn’t like me, and I didn’t want to be around them.”

The Cowboys looked discombobulated.

“We haven’t come together yet,” said senior forward Javohn Garcia at the time. “If we can come together, we can be a very good team. We can be dangerous.”

Eight days later, the issues continued in a victory over rival Louisiana-Lafayette in the Cajundome. That 64-56 win over a struggling ULL didn’t do much to calm the Cowboy faithful’s nerves. 

McNeese missed 11 of 12 of its 3-point attempts and shot just 28.4 percent from long range on the season. Taking out the two non-Division I games, that number dropped to only 24.8%. 

Sharpshooter DJ Richards was also struggling, hitting on just 16 of 52 from distance, a 30.7%. Frustrated, Richards vowed those numbers would change. 

“I’m going to get hot, I know it,” Richards said. “I haven’t lost my confidence. We just need to find our rhythm as a team.”

That was nothing compared to the struggles of point guard Quadir Copeland, the junior transfer from Syracuse. He was having trouble just getting on the floor.

Then, a couple of injuries and the start of conference play changed everything. Copeland and Richards moved into the starting lineup, and the Cowboys responded. 

They have only lost once since, winning 22 of their last 23 to finish 27-6 and 19-1 in the Southland Conference.

“It was a struggle,” said Copeland. “They knew how to win here. I had to learn how to win.

“I thought I knew how to win, but I have never done it before.”

Copeland still has his bad moments, but he made a name for himself, earning second-team All-SLC honors and making the all-tournament team. He scored 18 to lead all scorers in the title win over Lamar.

“We all went through a lot to get to this point,” said Copeland. “But the goal was always the same: to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s what I came here to do.”

Copeland and the Cowboys have, and Richards has found his shot, too.

Since going 0 for 4 at ULL, Richards has been on fire, making 69 of his 136 3-point attempts since, good for a league-best 50.7%.

“DJ came through his own struggles,” Wade said. “We all have. This team has been through so much I wasn’t sure we would get here. 

“All year, it has felt like we have been sledding uphill. It hasn’t always been pretty, and it hasn’t always looked good, but we have found a way.”

For the first time in their history, the Cowboys will play in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. They earned that with their win over Lamar in the SLC title game.

They are looking to make even more history by winning a tournament game for the first time as well.

“Winning the championship is all that matters,” said ULL transfer Joe Charles. “That’s why I came here. It was the best decision of my life.”

Sunday, Charles and the Cowboys will find out where they are going and who they will play. 

“We are not through,” said Garcia. “We want to win at least a game or two before we are done.”

It’s been a long, bumpy road from Tupelo, but ask any Cowboy holding the trophy, and they will say it was worth it.