I don’t know about you, but I feel like dancing right now. It took special players to give our community a special memory. (I added a cute picture at the end of this).
It's a good time to let Troy boosters know about this program. We need to keep this great basketball momentum going!
Troy Announces Fast Break Fundraising Campaign for Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Troy Athletics announced a comprehensive fundraising campaign to support both basketball programs. Fans can donate to the Fast Break Fundraising Campaign at various levels based on the combined 39 wins between the two programs.
“We are proud to be home to two of the best basketball programs in the Sun Belt Conference year after year,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. “The Fast Break Campaign is a great way for our amazing fans to continue to provide championship resources for our championship teams.”
Fans can donate at five different levels based on a dollar amount per combined win after the men’s team won 20 games for a fourth straight season and the women’s team finished with 19 victories.
“Competing at the highest level has become tougher & tougher in this new era of college athletics,” Cross said. “We are very, very thankful for all our Trojans supporters; you have made a difference for us. Please help us continue to build and grow our basketball programs here at Troy so we can continue to compete for championships in men’s and women’s basketball each and every year.”
“In today’s climate of athletics, fan-based supporters are a vital component of any college athletics program seeking to compete at championship levels,” Rigby said. “We appreciate every Troy Athletics supporter who makes winning possible for us, and we hope they will team up with us, once again, through the Fast Break Campaign to keep winning at the forefront of the Troy Trojan brand.”
Men’s basketball earned its first regular season conference championship since 2009-10 on a fourth consecutive 20-plus win season. The Trojans have won double-digit conference games the last seasons as Tayton Conerway led the team with 13.7 points, including 16 per game during league play. The senior guard also set the pace in Troy program history with 91 steals, which is fourth in SBC single-season history.
Women’s basketball entered as the No. 3 seed for the fourth time in head coach Chanda Rigby’s tenure. It’s also the eighth time in the last 10 seasons Troy’s entered as a top three seed and 10th straight year in the top four. Troy dominated the court as the nation’s leader in rebounding with 49 per game, with the league’s leader in rebounds (10.5) and double-doubles (14), Zay Dyer.
The Trojans will find out their destination and opponent for the NCAA First Round during the Selection Sunday show at 5 p.m. CT on CBS. Troy will either open its postseason play next Thursday or Friday.
Thomas Dowd also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after recording 14 points and nine rebounds a day after recording 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jackson Fields also had 10 points on 3-5 shooting.
The Trojans shot 65.2 percent (15-23) in the final 20 minutes to finish the night with a 46.7 percent shooting clip. Troy held the Red Wolves to 38.9 percent in the second half and 41.3 percent in the game.
Bonus Content from Troy's Sports Info Re-Cap story:
Troy (23-10) used a huge final 10 minutes of the game to overcome an eight-point deficit and clinch its third trip to the tournament in program history. The Trojans outscored Arkansas State (24-10) 36-15 over the final 10:07 to pick up its third win over the last three days. All of Troy's tournament wins came by 13 points or more.
Sun Belt Player of the Year Tayton Conerway exploded for 16 second half points, which all came during Troy's huge run to close out the game. Conerway was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording a game-high 21 points and grabbing six rebounds. Conerway averaged 20.3 points over Troy's three tournament victories.
Myles Rigsby also shined for Troy with 20 points on 5-10 shooting. He was 9-10 from the line, including 7-8 in the second half.
Troy first made it to the Big Dance under Coach Maestri in 2003. The Trojans won the conference tournament in 2017 to win another bid.
This is Coach Cross's second trip to the Big Dance. The team he coached before coming to Troy (UT Arlington) made it in 2008. Coach Cross, now 50, was only 33 at the time.
At his alma mater of UT Arlington, Coach Cross presided over the most successful era of men's basketball in UTA history with five postseason appearances and five 20-win seasons.
Troy has now won at least 20 games four consecutive years in a row under Coach Cross. I would say someone made a very good hire six years ago.
Coach Cross trivia: As a player, Coach Cross played for Eddie McCarter, who was the high school basketball coach at CHHS for many years in the 1980s.
In one of my first Troy Citizen dispatches, I wrote a long season preview article on the Trojans. The headline was "Great Expectations: Trojans look loaded."
I agreed with Coach Cross this team could have a very memorable season .... Sometimes your columns hold up and your predictions aren't too shabby!
Troy to Host NCAA Selection Show Watch Party at Baumhower's on Sunday
Troy Athletics is hosting an NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at Baumhower's Victory Grille to celebrate the Sun Belt champion men's basketball team. The Trojans are heading to March Madness for the first time since 2017 after winning both the Sun Belt regular season and tournament titles.
"We are so thankful for our amazing fans and their support all season," head coach Scott Cross said. "We certainly felt their energy Monday night in Pensacola, and they played a critical part in our victory. Getting to the NCAA Tournament is not easy, and we need all of Trojan Nation to come out on Sunday and get behind our guys to celebrate this historic achievement."
Troy Athletics and the entire men's basketball team will be on hand beginning at 4 p.m. ahead of the 5 p.m. television broadcast on CBS. Free Sun Belt Championship mini posters will be available for fans to get autographs from their favorite Trojans. Both of Troy's Sun Belt trophies will be at the restaurant for fans to pose with, and Troy Cheer and T-Roy will also be in attendance to help celebrate the evening.
The men's basketball team will take over the area located right inside the front doors of Baumhower's (Trojan Talk broadcasts location) so fans can easily access their favorite players and coaches for photos and autographs. Baumhower's features more than 60 TVs throughout the restaurant for easy viewing of the Selection Show.
Troy will open play in the NCAA Tournament next Thursday and Friday at one of eight regional locations – Lexington, Ky., Providence, R.I., Seattle, Wash., Wichita, Kan., Cleveland, Ohio, Denver, Colo., Milwaukee, Wisc., or Raleigh, N.C.
Now I have a good "underdog" team to cheer for since the Men's Wolfpack were pathetic this season - but the Lady Wolfpack is going to the dance - who know what might happen!
I'm pulling for this team in the Big Dance! They have shown so much character and your article is superb Bill! Keep up the great work profiling all that's great about Troy!!
I'll bet you shed a few tears this year, and it must have felt fantastic. Next up, how 'bout a first round victory, then, perhaps Sweet Sixteen? The stars sound aligned...🏀 Go Trojans! 🏆
It's a good time to let Troy boosters know about this program. We need to keep this great basketball momentum going!
Troy Announces Fast Break Fundraising Campaign for Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Troy Athletics announced a comprehensive fundraising campaign to support both basketball programs. Fans can donate to the Fast Break Fundraising Campaign at various levels based on the combined 39 wins between the two programs.
“We are proud to be home to two of the best basketball programs in the Sun Belt Conference year after year,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. “The Fast Break Campaign is a great way for our amazing fans to continue to provide championship resources for our championship teams.”
Fans can donate at five different levels based on a dollar amount per combined win after the men’s team won 20 games for a fourth straight season and the women’s team finished with 19 victories.
Fast Break Campaign Donation Levels – TroyTrojans.com/FastBreak
$10 per win = $390
$50 per win = $1,950
$100 per win = $3,900
$250 per win = $9,750
$500 per win = $19,500
“Competing at the highest level has become tougher & tougher in this new era of college athletics,” Cross said. “We are very, very thankful for all our Trojans supporters; you have made a difference for us. Please help us continue to build and grow our basketball programs here at Troy so we can continue to compete for championships in men’s and women’s basketball each and every year.”
“In today’s climate of athletics, fan-based supporters are a vital component of any college athletics program seeking to compete at championship levels,” Rigby said. “We appreciate every Troy Athletics supporter who makes winning possible for us, and we hope they will team up with us, once again, through the Fast Break Campaign to keep winning at the forefront of the Troy Trojan brand.”
Men’s basketball earned its first regular season conference championship since 2009-10 on a fourth consecutive 20-plus win season. The Trojans have won double-digit conference games the last seasons as Tayton Conerway led the team with 13.7 points, including 16 per game during league play. The senior guard also set the pace in Troy program history with 91 steals, which is fourth in SBC single-season history.
Women’s basketball entered as the No. 3 seed for the fourth time in head coach Chanda Rigby’s tenure. It’s also the eighth time in the last 10 seasons Troy’s entered as a top three seed and 10th straight year in the top four. Troy dominated the court as the nation’s leader in rebounding with 49 per game, with the league’s leader in rebounds (10.5) and double-doubles (14), Zay Dyer.
Up Next:
The Trojans will find out their destination and opponent for the NCAA First Round during the Selection Sunday show at 5 p.m. CT on CBS. Troy will either open its postseason play next Thursday or Friday.
More details of the championship game ...
Thomas Dowd also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after recording 14 points and nine rebounds a day after recording 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jackson Fields also had 10 points on 3-5 shooting.
The Trojans shot 65.2 percent (15-23) in the final 20 minutes to finish the night with a 46.7 percent shooting clip. Troy held the Red Wolves to 38.9 percent in the second half and 41.3 percent in the game.
At one point, Arkansas State had hit 9-of-18 three-pointers. Eventually, the Wolves cooled off and hit only 1 of their final eight three attempts.
Bonus Content from Troy's Sports Info Re-Cap story:
Troy (23-10) used a huge final 10 minutes of the game to overcome an eight-point deficit and clinch its third trip to the tournament in program history. The Trojans outscored Arkansas State (24-10) 36-15 over the final 10:07 to pick up its third win over the last three days. All of Troy's tournament wins came by 13 points or more.
Sun Belt Player of the Year Tayton Conerway exploded for 16 second half points, which all came during Troy's huge run to close out the game. Conerway was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording a game-high 21 points and grabbing six rebounds. Conerway averaged 20.3 points over Troy's three tournament victories.
Myles Rigsby also shined for Troy with 20 points on 5-10 shooting. He was 9-10 from the line, including 7-8 in the second half.
Troy first made it to the Big Dance under Coach Maestri in 2003. The Trojans won the conference tournament in 2017 to win another bid.
This is Coach Cross's second trip to the Big Dance. The team he coached before coming to Troy (UT Arlington) made it in 2008. Coach Cross, now 50, was only 33 at the time.
At his alma mater of UT Arlington, Coach Cross presided over the most successful era of men's basketball in UTA history with five postseason appearances and five 20-win seasons.
Troy has now won at least 20 games four consecutive years in a row under Coach Cross. I would say someone made a very good hire six years ago.
Coach Cross trivia: As a player, Coach Cross played for Eddie McCarter, who was the high school basketball coach at CHHS for many years in the 1980s.
In one of my first Troy Citizen dispatches, I wrote a long season preview article on the Trojans. The headline was "Great Expectations: Trojans look loaded."
I agreed with Coach Cross this team could have a very memorable season .... Sometimes your columns hold up and your predictions aren't too shabby!
Here it is if you missed it in mid-November:
https://thetroycitizen.substack.com/p/great-expectations-troy-basketball
College Basketball is the best ! Congrats Trojans !
Just got this from Troy's SID office ...
Troy to Host NCAA Selection Show Watch Party at Baumhower's on Sunday
Troy Athletics is hosting an NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at Baumhower's Victory Grille to celebrate the Sun Belt champion men's basketball team. The Trojans are heading to March Madness for the first time since 2017 after winning both the Sun Belt regular season and tournament titles.
"We are so thankful for our amazing fans and their support all season," head coach Scott Cross said. "We certainly felt their energy Monday night in Pensacola, and they played a critical part in our victory. Getting to the NCAA Tournament is not easy, and we need all of Trojan Nation to come out on Sunday and get behind our guys to celebrate this historic achievement."
Troy Athletics and the entire men's basketball team will be on hand beginning at 4 p.m. ahead of the 5 p.m. television broadcast on CBS. Free Sun Belt Championship mini posters will be available for fans to get autographs from their favorite Trojans. Both of Troy's Sun Belt trophies will be at the restaurant for fans to pose with, and Troy Cheer and T-Roy will also be in attendance to help celebrate the evening.
The men's basketball team will take over the area located right inside the front doors of Baumhower's (Trojan Talk broadcasts location) so fans can easily access their favorite players and coaches for photos and autographs. Baumhower's features more than 60 TVs throughout the restaurant for easy viewing of the Selection Show.
Troy will open play in the NCAA Tournament next Thursday and Friday at one of eight regional locations – Lexington, Ky., Providence, R.I., Seattle, Wash., Wichita, Kan., Cleveland, Ohio, Denver, Colo., Milwaukee, Wisc., or Raleigh, N.C.
Now I have a good "underdog" team to cheer for since the Men's Wolfpack were pathetic this season - but the Lady Wolfpack is going to the dance - who know what might happen!
~
Ken
I'm pulling for this team in the Big Dance! They have shown so much character and your article is superb Bill! Keep up the great work profiling all that's great about Troy!!
I'll bet you shed a few tears this year, and it must have felt fantastic. Next up, how 'bout a first round victory, then, perhaps Sweet Sixteen? The stars sound aligned...🏀 Go Trojans! 🏆