It’s been roughly one month since the last post on this site, and if blogs are successful for one reason, it’s because of their continuity. We at the Justice have failed in that regard thus far, but with the two basketball teams prepared to open play in the NCAA Tournament, and the men’s team scheduled to host, it’s the right time to bring JustCourt back.
Last year was special for Brandeis, because it was the first time both the men’s and women’s team made the Tournament together, but this year is arguably even more special considering what both teams have gone through. The men’s team lost Steve DeLuca ‘08 for the season, suffered two heartbreaking home losses to the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis, and had so many other close calls, yet here they are hosting games for the first time in 30 years. Oh sure, last year’s team needed to win its last six games to even make the tournament, but they had least all of their stars (except for Terrell Hollins ‘10). Meanwhile, the women’s team struggled so badly to start the year, struggled to replace Caitlin Malcolm ‘07, and had so much inconsistency in Univeristy Athletic Association play that they had to overcome to get back to the tournament for a third consecutive year. Throughout last year, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the women would be back, but there were so many times this year when that was in doubt. Even if they lose by 30 to a powerful University of Southern Maine squad, I think this was a successful campaign for the women’s team.
The dance starts tomorrow, with the women playing at Kean University in Union, N.J. against Southern Maine at 5:30 p.m., and the men playing in Red Auerbach Arena against Lasell College at 8 p.m. No matter how both teams do in the tournament, tomorrow begins the culmination of two very exciting seasons.
