Can KC Roos coach Marvin Menzies take school’s hoops team to the NCAA Tournament?
Dare to dream of March Madness and the big dance?
The Kansas City Roos do, but longtime basketball coach Marvin Menzies doesn’t have to. He’s led teams to the NCAA Tournament, something UMKC’s men’s and women’s programs have yet to accomplish.
The opportunity for both teams arrives later this week at the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Roos women’s squad opens the tourney on Friday as the No. 8 seed against Omaha.
The men begin play in the quarterfinals on Saturday as the No. 2 seed against Denver, and no team is hotter than the Roos: Menzies and company have won six straight.
They’re also motivated by history. UMKC became a Division I program in 1986 and joined a conference for the first time in 1994. The men have never played in a conference tournament final, the path to the NCAA Tournament for most mid- and low-major conferences.
“I would say it’s a motivator,” Menzies said. “It’s not something to dwell on while we’re going through it. You celebrate that stuff at the end, right?
“We play for championships, we compete for championships, practice and prepare for championships — and we’ve always done that. “If you look at our track record we’ve always played better basketball in late February and March.”
In nine seasons as New Mexico State’s coach, Menzies won five WAC titles to reach the NCAA Tournament. He also was part of tournament staffs at Louisville and San Diego State.
If the KC Roos get added to the list, it will likely happen because of stout defense. The Roos rank second in the Summit in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. They’ve held four of their last six opponents under 40% shooting from the floor.
They lead the Summit in blocked shots, and 6-foot-5 junior forward Jamar Brown, the team’s leader in scoring and rebounding, also tops the Roos in steals.
“The defense is who we are,” Menzies said. “We’re locked in. They’ve bought in.”
Over its six-game winning streak, college basketball analyst Bart Torvik’s power ratings has KC ranked at No. 80, best among the Summit League’s teams.
Carrying that momentum through the conference tournament would enable the Roos to achieve a massive milestone: qualifying for the NCAAs.
“I’m excited to get there (the league tourney) and see if these guys can get a ring,” Menzies said.
Roos women look to repeat effort
From a similar position, KC Roos women’s coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett looks to take the same magic into the tournament as last season.
KC was seeded 10th a year ago. But two upset victories later, the Roos found themselves playing in the semifinals.
“We hoping to bring what we brought last year,” Jackson-Durrett said. “We played our best basketball during the tournament.”
The Roos (12-19) improved their record over last season ‘but didn’t reach the goals we set,” Jackson-Durrett said.
One note of optimism: Two of Kansas City’s three league victories came against Friday’s opponent, Omaha.