Tiffany Coppage- Six Inches of News

The Courts Pro-Am league starts without the Missouri State Lady Bears

Driving to The Courts last Wednesday afternoon you could feel a bit of excitement in having the chance to see your first glimpse of Springfield basketball. For a month now fans had been anticipating June 20, the start date of the annual Pro-Am league here in Springfield, and finally it had arrived. The gym held a nice crowd, some young, lots old but nonetheless it was a wonderful atmosphere. Players for the Lady Bears say they were greeted no less than five times before they made it to the last court and they received the same reaction from every fan that approached them. “It’s really to bad you all aren’t playing, we were really looking forward to seeing you”. The fans were referring to the Lady Bears not being able to participate in the league.

As of last week, June 20, The Courts located at 4136 E. Kearney Street will be occupying three different basketball courts with games from mid-afternoon to late night every Wednesday of the month through August. Players in these games will include college and high school teams from around the Springfield Area, former players, and even some former coaches. While all those participants are enjoying the summer play, members of the Lady Bears team are stuck in the stands due to an error with paper work.

Every year, applications must be submitted for division-one teams to participate in summer leagues. This year, a missed due date caused a lot of disappointment to Lady Bear Fans. Because the team was not certified, it won’t be able to compete in the league until late July when the three day tournament begins. All though this is a little spot of light in the darkness, it’s still not enough to satisfy players.

Sophomore guard Roxie Stiles, for the Lady Bears played in the courts last year and has watched the games there for a couple years now. “It’s really too bad that we can’t play because it’s nice to play and not just workout. I really enjoy it since we get to play other people and not just our teammates,” Stiles said. She is only one of more than 10 girls that have these disappointed feelings. “The courts are a really big deal for the fans because it’s a chance for them to see the fresh new talent and what next year’s team may hold,” states Ashley Lord, another member of the Lady Bears.

Generally the gym is packed shoulder to shoulder but because of the Lady Bears not being present, the number of fans has dropped. Players do expect to see their fan base present in tournament play but until then they are just reassuring everyone that next season won’t be one to miss.