The Daily O’Collegian

Three years ago, the Cowgirl basketball team hired a new coach from Louisiana Tech.

Kurt Budke’s first year was rocky at Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls went 6-22 and 0-16 in the Big 12.

Now a junior, guard Taylor Hardeman remembers her freshman season well.

“I came from a program in Norman where we didn’t lose,” Hardeman said. “Coming up here and losing every game was really hard on me.”

Things would get easier for Hardeman and the rest of the Cowgirls quickly. Budke proved he was a good hire not only because of his coaching ability, but also because of his recruiting ability.

In Budke’s second season as coach, a freshman guard from Dallas named Andrea Riley decided to play basketball at OSU. Juniors Danielle Green and Maria Cordero transferred to OSU from Central Arizona College. They said they were aware of the team’s struggles the previous year and looked forward to the challenge of turning the program around.

It didn’t take them long. That year, the Cowgirls snapped their 31-game losing streak on the road at the Hawaii Invitational and their 29-game road losing streak against conference opponents when they beat Iowa State. OSU was the only team to win in Ames that season.

Riley, the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year, also led the Cowgirls to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

“I wanted to be the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, but my main goal was to get to the NCAA Tournament,” Riley said. “Some had goals of getting into the WNIT (Women’s National Invitation Tournament), but I always expected to make the NCAA Tournament.”

That Budke was able to get such a strong player after going 0-16 in the Big 12 is a testament to his recruiting ability, but he is too modest to acknowledge that.

“I think of all the hard work and all the new kids that came in here and believed,” Budke said. “They came into a program that was 0-16, and they had faith in the coaching staff. They also had faith in the other people we signed.”

Hardeman said Budke and the coaches deserve all the credit, though.

“It’s our coaching staff, obviously,” she said. “We needed players who wanted to win. I think it’s what our coaches have done and how we conduct ourselves in our community.”

Although going from 0-16 to being a No. 10 seed in the Tournament was impressive, the Cowgirls didn’t stop there. This year, the Cowgirls started the season 10-0 and finished 25-7 and 11-5 in the Big 12, earning them a No. 3 seed in the New Orleans regional.

OSU advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen where they fell to LSU. Junior forward Shaunté Smith is the only player besides Hardeman who was on the 0-16 team. She said losing in the Sweet Sixteen was hard, but the team’s transformation is unbelievable.

“It is an amazing difference to be here now compared to where we were two years ago,” Smith said. “It is a great feeling to be here with Taylor Hardeman and the coaches that were here back then. I just give credit to the coaches for sticking with me.”

She also gave credit to Riley, who wasted no time in turning the Cowgirls around. Riley, who stands 5-foot-5, plays as if she is the biggest person on the court.

“She is the heart and soul of this team, and I look up to her more than she probably thinks I do,” Smith said. “She sets the tone and leads this team. I really do look up to her. She is a great person and a great teammate.”