The time has come to talk about the Cal State Northridge players who will play in the NCAA tournament, not the ones who won't.
Tie both arms behind your back and try to do a somersault through a Hula-Hoop, and we'll call that an approximation of what the Matadors did to reach their first-round game today against Memphis without their leading scorer or starting point guard.
Meet the Matadors who never folded.
"I've had more people call me and say they can't believe they lost two of their leading scorers in the middle of the season and still end up where they are," Memphis Coach John Calipari said Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo. "It doesn't matter what the score is. With seven or eight minutes to go, if you think this team is going to go away, you're out of your mind. They're going to play."
Maybe it's because they've bounced off the pavement before. Nine of the Matadors are transfers, with Rob Haynes the only player who has spent four seasons at Northridge. Rodrigue Mels, born in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, barely spoke English three years ago. Mark Hill transferred home to Los Angeles after the death of an aunt. Kenny Daniels played for a team at Vashon High in St. Louis that was ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today but stopped at three junior colleges before landing at Northridge. Willie Galick transferred from Pepperdine because of the demands of a coach. And Michael Lizarraga rarely gets into games, but his accomplishment is significant: Lizarraga was born deaf.
"Everybody has their own individual problems at any given time. That's just life," said senior forward Tremaine Townsend, whose 10.9-point average makes him the top remaining scorer after Deon Tresvant was arrested and charged with felony theft and Josh Jenkins suffered internal injuries in a car accident.
"It just brought us together, made us stronger and tougher, just more resilient to go through tough times," Townsend said.
The Matadors can't match the Tigers in talent or size, but they might give them a run in some other categories.
"There's definitely a toughness factor in these guys," said Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell, who is enduring his own ordeal with his 22-year-old son, Jeffrey, facing trial on felony theft charges along with Tresvant.
Every Matador seems to have a tale.
