Chancellor Justin Lonon and the Dallas College Board of Trustees welcomed and celebrated both the women’s and men’s basketball teams of Richland on April 7.
Dr. Kay Eggleston, president of the Richland Campus, along with women’s coach Troy Thrasher and men’s coach Jon Havens, briefly spoke about the team’s winning records. The women’s team won the district title and reached the national consolation for the first time. The men’s team finished as national runner-up. The board celebrated, took pictures and listened to two players speak.
Women’s forward Addilyn McNutt said, “This season meant a whole lot to me. Balancing school and basketball haven’t always been easy this season, but I made it through. It taught me how to be disciplined.Making it to the national tournament after winning our region. Especially as a freshman, it is something I won’t forget.”
Although the women’s team successfully made it to the national tournament, McNutt said that it didn’t come easy. “Our season wasn’t perfect, but we had our ups and downs, and there were times when the games weren’t as close as we’d hoped. But when it really counted, we showed up for each other.”
Men’s forward Andrew Huntley thanked the board of Trustees for the ceremony, and talked about his bumpy road to success.
“Throughout my years at Richland, I’ve faced a lot of adversities. Coming into my first year, I fractured my foot early in the season, causing me to miss the rest of the year and my first opportunity to go to the national state tournament. Being able to return to my second year, with the opportunity to compete in the national tournament and play and perform the way we did as a team, was truly a special moment in my life.”
Huntley proceeded to thank his teammates, speaking about the unbreakable bond they shared despite facing many obstacles.
“Even through all of the adversity, we still managed pulling through and having a great season. We ran off 16 wins straight, won our conference, and had a 23-10 season. And although we fell short, we were able to be the national runner-up of the national tournament,” Huntley said.
