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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The West Texas A&M University men's basketball |
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program achieved a new level of success during the 2020-2021 |
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season, as the Buffs advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II |
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national championship game; and |
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WHEREAS, WT compiled a 12-2 record in the regular season and |
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then cruised to three straight double-digit victories in the Lone |
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Star Conference tournament to capture the league title and clinch a |
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berth in the Division II NCAA tournament; and |
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WHEREAS, After defeating Dallas Baptist University and |
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Lubbock Christian University, WT bested Daemen College to earn a |
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trip to the Final Four in Evansville, Indiana; squaring off against |
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Lincoln Memorial University on March 25, WT was down by nine points |
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at the break but rallied in the second half to turn the game into a |
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nip-and-tuck battle; trailing by two points with 13 seconds |
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remaining, the Buffs missed a shot that would have tied the game, |
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but guard Zach Toussaint corralled the rebound beyond the arc and |
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threw up a last-second three-point attempt; the buzzer sounded with |
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the ball in the air, and when it fell through the net, WT claimed a |
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thrilling 87-86 triumph; moving on to the title game against |
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Northwest Missouri State University, the Buffs gave their all but |
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saw their season come to an end just one win short of the national |
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championship; and |
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WHEREAS, Excelling with a true team effort, the Buffs |
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received valuable contributions throughout the year from each |
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member of the roster: John Brown, Qua Grant, JT Warren, Jon'il |
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Fugett, Torian Harris, Parker Nielsen, Kavon Booker, Joel Murray, |
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Mr. Toussaint, Ugo Obineke, Calvin Fugett Jr., Hayden Blankley, and |
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Cameron Bell; these dedicated athletes were guided by head coach |
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Tom Brown, associate head coaches Chris Gove and Quincy Henderson, |
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and student assistant Ty Bryant, and the players also received |
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support from athletic trainer Devin Neill, assistant athletic |
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performance coach Matt Segura, and student manager Derrick |
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Gahimbare; and |
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WHEREAS, With their exceptional skill and unwavering |
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commitment to excellence, the West Texas A&M University Buffs have |
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earned a place among the top Division II basketball teams in the |
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country, and their achievements are a source of great pride for the |
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university's students, alumni, and fans; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the West Texas A&M University men's |
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basketball team on advancing to the 2021 NCAA Division II |
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championship game and extend to the team's players, coaches, and |
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staff sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Buffs as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |