Showing how it’s done

Eleven rows behind the Missouri women’s basketball team’s bench sits 17 seventh- and eighth-grade girls, waving black and gold pompoms and looking at the team picture handed to them with player information and the season’s schedule on the back. They’re eager for the game to end so they can head to the court and get autographs from their favorite players.

Fans get this opportunity every game the Tigers play, but the Tipton Junior High girls basketball team made a special trip Sunday to Mizzou Arena to see Missouri play South Dakota State. Tipton’s coach, Mike Wise, said the best way for his kids to learn is to watch the Tigers play in person.

“We do a lot of stuff that they do,” he said. “They move their offense, defense, find that open person down low. Then there’s (Carlynn) Savant who can pop that 3-pointer any time she wants. I’ve got two girls like that, but they’re timid. So I tell them to watch Savant.”

During halftime, A.J. Clark, 12, and Courtney Wise, 13, stand in the concourse with their arms linked.

“Can we tell you who our favorite player is?” they ask, in unison. “No. 23 (Blair Hardiek), because she’s really good. She works really hard and she just never stops running.”

Hardiek said when she was younger, she used to wait up to an hour to get signatures of players at any college basketball game she went to. Now, she’ll stay as long as she has fans waiting in line for autographs. She smiles after hearing that a younger fan noticed her constant movement, and attributes that to being a hard-nosed and competitive player.

“The one thing I definitely can do is hustle,” Hardiek said. “So that’s something I take pride in. And personally, you’re never going to see me not hustle down the floor. To hear a little girl said that is great.”

Hardiek only had five points Sunday night, but played a lengthy 30 minutes. The Tigers (10-1) had a shaky start against the Jackrabbits, with South Dakota State (8-3) taking an early lead. But after EeTisha Riddle made a layup just under four minutes into the game, the Tigers never lost the lead. Missouri coach Cindy Stein said she was pleased with how her team played, even after a week of finals and rough practices.

“Honestly, I didn’t know if they were wearing out, or we were wearing out,” Stein said. “But we weren’t going to let ourselves wear out. I did feel they were getting a little tired. We had the potential to get a little tired, but our depth came in and gave us some good minutes to help us get over that. I think we’re in good shape. And we’ll keep them in good shape.”

As he builds his program, Mike Wise, a first-year coach, said he has a strenuous program his girls work through, but along with conditioning, he also emphasizes learning by watching. He said he’s already seeing similarities between Hardiek and his neice, Courtney.

“Hardiek, I watched her the last couple of years,” he said. “And this year, she’s just great on the floor. She’s out there fighting and not giving in. Courtney Wise, she’s one of my rotating starters. She will just attack that ball and never give in. It doesn’t matter how tall or how wiggly they are, she just keeps going and going.”

The Tipton Cardinals are 1-9 so far this season, and they play their last game today against School of the Osage. Wise said he hopes his team will apply what they saw while watching the Tigers beat South Dakota State 79-62.

“The biggest thing I get out of it is watching these girls learn,” Wise said. “And as long as they keep their heads in the game and play basketball like the Tigers, and not get angry or frustrated, I think it’ll be fine.”

Stein said she’s always excited to have young basketball teams come to the games to watch and learn from her team.

“We love it,” Stein said. “That’s our future. We love having the young teams here. We cherish those moments. We think the more we can get, the better. You want every young lady growing up in the state of Missouri to want to come to the University of Missouri.”