ORU Queens of the Court
By April Syko

Once the doors of the Mabee Center close, and the way is made through the labyrinth of darkened hallways, the mission is clear: no baggage from the day allowed - it's time to practice. The next test is only a few days away, one step closer to that final exam: the NCAA Tournament.

In the Mid Continent Conference, the ORU women's basketball team is 5-2. They have an advantage over conference teams as they are bigger, faster and stronger. Oh, and by the way, Krista Ragan is the Mid-Con all-time leading scorer with 1889 career points. However, according to junior Shayne McKenzie, a 6-5 Forward from Haskell, Texas, the Golden Eagles now need to learn how to capitalize on this physical advantage and "finish a team off."

The price isn't cheap - hours each day, exhaustion, frustration - but then victory, sisterhood and priceless moments build character and somehow the strength is found to fulfill their purpose as a team. Mid-Con victories against the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) 74-69, Oakland 64-53 and Indiana University-Purdue University Indiana (IUPUI) 75-67 are evidence that this goal is coming closer. But victory is not their only goal.

Members of the Golden Eagle basketball team signed their contracts with clear understanding to get an education using basketball as a tool. The sobering reality of this contract comes in extremely binding fine print: win first a Mid-Con championship, and then a national basketball championship while being a student.

The choice to play ball at ORU has consequently led each girl down the road less traveled. Then again, is there such a thing as a road more traveled? Everyone wears such hats these days. For the Golden Eagles, there are many.

From the athletic perspective, life is nuts. For example, a high-level basketball player will run three to five miles per game. Do the math: a game is less than two hours and the Golden Eagles practice three to four hours a day. Add to that the fact that within the miles they run there are obstacles to push around such as stocky 6-3 post players.

Add strength training four times weekly (often starting at 6:30 a.m. or after a game), and even an Iron Man champion has to respect these players. Why would anybody want to undergo such insanity and be a full time student as well? The basketball aficionado will answer, "for the love of the game." Upon asking the same question to a core group of freshly played, highly victorious Golden Eagles who had just beaten up on IUPUI, 75-67, the response was that of athletes tired of their sport. At that moment they were playing because basketball is a tool to finance education.

Probing deeper however, there is still a passion for the game. No matter how much they sometimes hate it, they love it and recognize that their love for the sport is as deeply rooted as the talent God gave them. These factors seem to keep the team coming back despite the fact they travel almost every week and work through fall break, Christmas break and spring break.

On the court, the Golden Eagles are neck and neck with Valparaiso (6-1). With a record of 11-9 overall, the Golden Eagles have suffered some loss (primarily to larger, older schools with more history and national recognition such as No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 11 Baylor and No. 17 Colorado). But not to worry - objectives have been set and goals are already being reached to cut down on turnovers, play aggressive defense and keep tight court chemistry by communicating well.

When on campus, normality is regarded as something to be striven for. During their time off, it is not surprising for the girls to be up at the Aerobics Center watching C7 play their intramural games, or even coaching random intramural teams on campus. They are proudly loyal to what belongs to them.

McKenzie explains that being on the team is like having 11 sisters. "Sisters fight, but they've got their backs, too," McKenzie said. The team is a tight knit group. They are friends and stick together. Their support system for one another has to be strong in order to remain unified in all that taxes them physically, mentally and emotionally.

But despite reliance upon each other, no qualms are made with the thought of new friends. "We're nice, approachable girls," McKenzie said. "Please don't be afraid to talk to us."

And don't forget to support them either. Because this season, when the doors of the Mabee Center close and the way is made through the labyrinth of darkened hallways, the mission will be clear: no baggage from the day allowed - it's time to play some ball.

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