Both Parkland men’s and women’s basketball prepare for National Tournament
CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — For the first time since 2017, both Parkland men’s and women’s basketball have qualified for the NJCAA DII National Tournament in the same year.
“We don’t want nothing less than the number one spot,” said Springfield native Tye Banks.
After their third district championship in the last five seasons, energy is high for the Parkland men as the Cobras are set to be the seventh seed in this season. They’re headed just down the road to the Mary Miller Gym in Danville for their first game Tuesday.
“I feel like it means a lot because it’s kinda like a home game in a sense cause we’ve played there so often so we know the gym,” sophomore Ken Sallee said.
The Cobras had a standout season in year two under head coach John Bowler, even reaching the No. 1 ranking back in December. They have high hopes for their tournament run.
“We’ve had one national championship,” Bowler said. “I think bringing another one home for all those winning teams and 30 wins, 20 wins, teams that have been able to get there and maybe not gotten over the hump.”
With a combined 54-9 record between the men and the women, it’s a good year to be a Cobra basketball player. National title hopes for the women’s team are still alive after finishing as runners-up in their district.
“We’re going into it with nothing to lose,” sophomore Alyssa Cole said. “I think we have a really good mindset, we have confidence in ourselves.”
“We’re a young team, there’s only four sophomores and two of us coming back from last year,” sophomore Abby Shepard said. “I would love to see all of us come together as one again and bring home the hardware.”
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