The looks on the faces of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball coach Jim Foster and two of the team's players - senior Aryanna Gilbert and freshman Brooke Burns - said it all.
At a news conference to discuss the Mocs' first-round game in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, Foster was asked how hard the week leading up to the recent Southern Conference tournament was after learning sophomore guard Lakelyn Bouldin's father Kevin had passed away from injuries incurred in a car accident.
Kevin Bouldin died on Feb. 26, a Monday; the Mocs' first game at the tournament was three days later. Playing without the sophomore guard, they lost 70-66 in double overtime to UNC Greensboro.
When posed the question, Foster - thoughtful, as always - took a moment before answering. Gilbert and Burns' eyes trailed downward.
"Difficult," Foster said, before adding, "Some things don't have to be said."
Times are happier now for the Mocs (17-12), whose regular-season success earned them a spot in the WNIT's 64-team field and a trip to Birmingham, Ala., for tonight's first-round game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham (26-6). Tipoff is set for 7 EDT at Bartow Arena, and a stream of the game will be available at conferenceusa.com.
The Mocs never stopped practicing after their quarterfinal loss at the SoCon tournament in Asheville, N.C. Despite its string of SoCon titles and automatic NCAA tournament bids coming to an end with the loss, UTC anticipated playing in a national postseason tournament of some sort, and the Mocs said they've been able to have some good practices.
"This helps the team a lot," Gilbert said. "They've gotten a lot of experience, and the freshmen aren't playing like freshmen anymore, so it's an opportunity to keep playing and getting better."
It also helps to have Bouldin back, and not just for on-court purposes, although the talent that helped her accumulate a per-game average of 12.3 points and make a team-high 59 3-pointers this season was missed.
Gilbert was the first to express regret about the team's loss to UNCG after that defeat, because reaching the semifinals could have meant Bouldin returning the day after her father's funeral. Beyond having a fellow Moc mourning the death of a parent, UTC players took the news of Kevin Bouldin's passing hard because of the relationship he and his family built with them.
But now their teammate is back, and the Mocs are back in the postseason for the seventh consecutive year.
"It obviously gives them an opportunity to have a tournament experience," Foster said. "Now we have Lakelyn back, and (it's good) to have to go on the road, because in the future in the NCAA tournament, you're not going to get a home game because you're not going to be a top-16 seed. How it's constructed, everything is shaped for the Power Five conferences to manage basketball, so you're always going to be on the road, so why not go on the road in that environment, where it's a little bit tougher?
"I thought we were playing really, really well at the end of the year. We fought hard to get an opportunity in Asheville and it didn't happen, but we've been practicing well. We'll see what we come up with."
New commitment
According to news reports, the Mocs recently picked up a commitment from 5-foot-10 Minneapolis South guard Morgan Hill.
She averaged 26.2 points and seven rebounds per game this season and has been named the Minneapolis City Conference player of the year three consecutive times. On Wednesday, she was named one of 11 finalists for Miss Minnesota basketball.
Hill's sister Tayler played for Foster at Ohio State, spending two seasons with current UTC assistant Brittany Johnson on the Buckeyes' roster. Her brother P.J. also played at Ohio State.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.