By Kyle Roberts
This past Saturday, Louisiana Tech University officially celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most storied women’s basketball programs in NCAA history: the Lady Techsters, a team with three nationals championships, numerous Kodak All-American players and hall of famers throughout these five decades.
Pretty salty, I’d dare say.
The day was made that much sweeter with the team winning number 1,200, putting them as one of only five universities to notch that many over the years.
For me personally, it was a trip down memory lane of the many years I spent running around the Thomas Assembly Center, watching history unfurl before my young eyes and not having any idea at the time.
The Friday night before, Tech hosted an intimate gathering at the Chris Richardson Suite of Joe Aillet Stadium for former and current players, staff and administration. Now in my third season as the radio play-by-play, I was honored to be able to attend with my lovely wife as we walked among giants within the annals of women’s college basketball.
There was Sonja Hogg, the first coach in program history. Given $5,000 in the mid-seventies by then-president Dr. F. Jay Taylor, Hogg held try-outs for a squad that was not able to give scholarships to start the women’s team.
There was Ruston-raised Leon Barmore, who was given the reins to propel the program into the next stratosphere. Now a Naismith Hall-of-Famer, he recounted plenty of tales from his time at the helm, a living history book.
Between Hogg and Barmore, Tech would see three national championships in women’s basketball.
There was Venus Lacy, who commands any room she walks into. In fact, I found myself star-struck as I introduced myself to her, remembering her time in the Techster uniform when I was not yet in the second grade at Cypress Springs.
There was Janice Lawrence, Angela Turner, Brooke Lassiter (now head coach Brooke Stoehr) and so many more that wore the Columbia Blue who graced the suites that night that are now etched into basketball history.
But what warmed my heart the most turned out to be the flood of memories of my late grandmother, Mildred Neal, a diehard Techster fan who would go with her friend Aileen to any game the duo could get to.
It was my grandmother (Mimi to me) who would make sure I had a ride to the game as a grade-schooler. I’d always get first dibs on Ms. Aileen’s extra ticket, of which she was happy to bequeath to me.
That extra ticket saw years of high quality competition and a burning love for what would ultimately be my alma mater and my ever loyal be. I saw UConn, Tennessee, the women’s National Team, NCAA tournament games, and American South and Sun Belt match-ups galore while growing up.
And now, I get the best seat in the house for every Techster game moving forward, proudly from the broadcast booth.
Mimi passed in 2015 following a lengthy dementia battle, six years before my good friend Malcolm Butler handed me the microphone he cherished for the previous 20 years as the voice of the Techsters. I can only imagine how she would have felt knowing that I was a part of the Techster family in an official capacity.
At home games, I still look toward the seats where she and Aileen would always sit. I smile, because she’s a prime reason of why the program means so much to me. Without that ride and the extra ticket, I would not have nearly as much of my own history to bring to each broadcast.
So, I’ll tell everyone who will listen: I certainly love those Lady Techsters: past, present and future.
It’s a program that will forever be remembered for launching women’s basketball nationally, and that’s something we can all celebrate.
