WKU Athletics: 2020 in Review
2020 is finally on the way out and what a year it’s been.
This has been a hard year on just about everyone. With the pandemic, political tensions high, and so many other things we have all learned and grown a lot this year and have had to adapt as we moved forward.
And move forward the Tops did. I’d like to give some recognition to AD Todd Stewart, coaches, staff, student-athletes, and countless others behind the scenes that were able to keep things going safely in this chaotic year. With some schools and conferences canceling sports we should all be thankful we still were able to watch our Tops play at all this year.
So with this article, I just want to reflect on this year on the Hill and remember this crazy year we’ve all experienced.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Little did I know on February 27th of this year it would be the last Hilltopper basketball game I would go to in person this year. I’ve been a season ticket holder since I graduated from WKU in 2016 and this game against Louisiana Tech is one I’ve thought about a lot this year.
If you don’t remember, the Tops won this game 95–91 in overtime thanks to a spectacular 43 point performance from Taveion Hollingsworth to help the Tops force OT and win in front of a packed Diddle Arena. I left Diddle that night excited for the upcoming C-USA Tournament but little did I know what would occur a few weeks after.
On March 12th of this year, the Tops were slated to take on UAB in Frisco, TX for their first game in the 2020 Conference USA Tournament. Before the teams could enter the arena C-USA officials made the decision to cancel the rest of the tournament due to COVID concerns.
To say the team, along with all the fans, were gutted would be an understatement. The guys were wanting to play for a C-USA title and an NCAA Tournament berth but sadly they wouldn’t get the chance.
COVID left a huge impact on this year all around with all sports. With the Houch and Diddle Arena having their attendance limited, offseason practices limited or delayed, scheduling cancellations and adjustments, and on and on it goes it’s been an unprecedented year and at times it felt impossible to keep up with what’s going on. And as much as I want 2021 to be better, we’ll still have to deal with many of these things for a while. We’ve all had to adapt and think of creative ways to keep things going.
One of my favorites is the fan cutouts in Diddle Arena this year. Even if there wasn’t a pandemic going on, it would’ve been hard for me to have gone to many games this year due to my work schedule but thankfully I’ll still be at every game this year, along with the many others who have bought one.
It’s definitely not ideal compared to being there in person but what a keepsake it will be from 2020.
Football
No matter how you spin it, this year was disappointing for football. With a final record of 5–7 and another program bowl loss to Georgia State, this season wasn’t what we were all hoping it would be after going 9–4 the year before.
The team had struggles on offense scoring. They only had five games with more than 20 points on the year. It’s hard to put blame on someone in such a hard and weird year as this one was (no spring ball and limited practices) but the offense just wasn’t working.
Maryland grad transfer quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome seemed to struggle a lot this year. He was great on the ground but through the air he just never really could do a whole lot for the majority of the season. If there would’ve been spring ball and normal practices he might’ve done better but that’s another “what if?” scenario we will never know.
It was nice to go back to a bowl game especially in a year like this one but sadly the Tops couldn’t pull out a win. As disappointing as it is, the Tops add a new offensive mind in Zach Kittley joining the staff along with his star QB Bailey Zappe and two wide receivers from Houston Baptist. Those changes should give us all more hope moving into next year.
Men’s Basketball
The early part of 2020 ended in sudden fashion but the start of the 2020–2021 season has been the breath of fresh air we needed.
The Tops have started this season 7–2 with some quality non-conference wins against a then-healthy Northern Iowa Panthers squad, Memphis Tigers, Rhode Island Rams, and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Charles Bassey is back and better than ever and has a strong supporting cast that consists of four seniors and some talented young guards. The Tops are approaching conference play with games against Charlotte and if they can all stay healthy, they can make a solid run at a C-USA title this season.
Women’s Basketball
The Lady Tops were victims to all the COVID cancellations along with everyone else. They went 22–7 on the year and were slated to take on Charlotte before the tournament was canceled. Raneem Elgedawy was playing at a high level along with Alexis Brewer and Dee Givens. They had a shot at winning another C-USA title.
Sadly the start of the 2020–2021 season hasn’t been well. With Elgedawy being out due to travel restrictions from Egypt and Brewer and Givens both graduating this team is really young. Entering conference play the Lady Tops are 1–5 with their sole win being against Bellarmine. It’s going to be a hard year without their senior leader but I’m hoping young players like Ally Collett and Hope Sivori can continue to contribute and develop as the season goes on.
Volleyball
After a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament at home in Diddle Arena to Louisville in December of 2019, the Lady Tops look to have another strong season under the helm of coach Travis Hudson.
Volleyball has been effected by COVID a lot since then. They’ve only played two games this season (one that counted against UAB and an exhibition against MTSU) and their next game is scheduled for February 7th, 2021 against FAU. I still have high hopes for volleyball, especially Paige Briggs who was a major factor in that NCAA Tournament run last year.
Baseball
The diamond Tops were doing decently well before all their remaining games were canceled and went 10–6. It was the quickest they had reached ten wins to the date since 1979 and could have finished well.
Obviously with so many games being canceled it’s hard to fully tell how they would’ve done but they’ve got some new signees as well as a strong core entering 2021 and can hopefully have a strong year.
Softball
Perhaps one of the strongest teams in the 2020 season. Softball went 20–5 before all their games were canceled and could’ve made a great run in C-USA play and beyond if given the opportunity.
Thankfully most of the team will be back along with some new signees and Softball America named the Lady Tops one of the mid-major teams to watch for in 2021 and I hope they’re able to come out and dominate next season.
Remembering Those We Lost
There were some notable Hilltoppers that passed this year and we want to remember them and their lives.
- WKU Basketball center Chris Marcus (age 40). Marcus played for the Tops from 1999–2003 and was a premier big man in his time. He averaged 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in his career on the Hill.
- WKU Football lineman Cody Hughes (age 32): Hughes was a left tackle for the Tops from 2006–2009. He went from a walk-on to starter to team captain and will always be respected for his hit on Tim Tebow in their game against Florida when he kept running into the Tops sideline. He always protected his guys.
- WKU Football lineman and coach Joe Bugel (age 80): Bugel was an offensive lineman for the Tops from 1960–1963 and became team captain. He later helped coach the Tops offensive line from 1964–1968 before later moving on and coaching all the way to the NFL level where he helped coach the Washington Redskins offensive line (now Washington Football Team) to win two Super Bowls in his time there.
- WKU Basketball guard and head coach John Oldham (age 97): Oldham was a guard at WKU from 1943 as well as from 1947–1949 after WW2 and later became a second round NBA draft pick. He later became a head coach and coached at WKU from 1964–1971 and is the only coach to lead the Tops to an NCAA Final Four appearance.
- WKU Volleyball star Alyssa Cavanaugh (age 24): Cavanaugh played volleyball at WKU from 2014–2017 and is one of the most decorated players the program has ever had. She fought cancer for over two years and was a champion and a fighter on and off the court.
2020 is a year that will live in infamy for a long time. It’s a year most of us feel like we lost due to everything that has happened but thankfully with a new year on the horizon we can look ahead to better things yet remembering the struggles and pain we felt this year to help us moving forward.
2021 is sure to bring many changes. Even for us at The Towel Rack our longtime writer and editor Ross Shircliffe will be retiring from his position with us and has passed the torch on to me to lead the way. I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going with new content and to continue providing quality coverage free of charge to Hilltopper fans everywhere.
I’m thankful for everyone that has supported us up to this point and I’m looking forward to a strong year on the Hill in 2021!
