Scott Cacciola has one of the most painful jobs any sports writer can have, he covers the New York Knicks. Just over half way through their season the once proud franchise is just 7-36, and they are not getting any better because they are trying to trade every player they can for draft picks. Because the Knicks are as bad as they are, the New York Times sports editors decided to send Cacciola to places where he could find winning basketball programs.
After hundreds of submissions from places throughout the country, one of the places that caught Cacciola’s eye was Emporia State women’s basketball program. ESU has had a long stint of excellence in both men’s and women’s, but the women’s have been consistently one of the best in their conference and nationally for nearly two decades now, and they don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
The last time the Lady Hornets finished a season under .500 was 18 years ago and with only one loss this season, more than half way through their schedule, it won’t happen this year. Cacciola’s head line for the story,”They don’t rebuild, they replace.” could not be any more accurate as the 18-1 Lady Hornets have seven new players on their roster and continue to dominate the MIAA.
While Cacciola may have one of the worst jobs in all of America as it pertains to covering professional sports, there is certainly something special about covering the Lady Hornets. Jory Collins, fifth year head coach of the Lady Hornets, was a towel boy for them before becoming an assistant. Collins brings that blue collar attitude to White Auditorium and he recruits girls who will do the same. He recruits girls like Merissa Quick, senior center and, Kathryn Flott sophomore power forward from small town 3-A high schools and Division-I transfers like Amber Vandiver to come together and play as one.
They never stray from what they do, it’s tough nosed, in your face, man to man defense and perfection on the offensive end. Every cut, every ball-screen is ran hard and with purpose. This story isn’t about Scott Cacciola, it’s about a group of women and a head coach who bleeds black and gold and who have a very simple philosophy: hard work, and the right chemistry wins over the most talent.
Cacciola has also covered Ballermine University, a school out of Louisville, Kentucky that is one of the best in all of Division-II on the men’s side. They managed to score 142 points while he was there. 142! That’s a lot for an NBA all-star game let alone a Division- II college game. He may cover other impressive teams, but the ESU Lady Hornets will always be the first in the “Not The Knicks,” features and they’ve earned that.
To read Cacciola’s article click here.