ROANOKE, Texas — A trip to the Lone Star State isn’t complete until barbecue is consumed.
The Toledo men’s basketball team checked that item off of its list Tuesday afternoon with a stop at Hard Eight BBQ in historic downtown Roanoke, a quaint, folksy district in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Ribs, brisket, ribeyes, sirloins, corn on the cob, and Texas-sized baked potatoes — enough food to put an elephant to sleep — were had by all.
“Just being outside is a breath of fresh air for everyone,” senior point guard Marreon Jackson said.
Road trips took on a different dimension this year because of the stringent coronavirus protocols. Players are tested daily in Texas, but the state’s guidelines allow Toledo to move more freely.
In MAC cities, they were sequestered in their hotel rooms for almost the entire duration of each trip.
“It’s more fun and more relaxing because we don’t have to be cooped up in our hotel room all the time,” junior forward Setric Millner, Jr., said. “We get to hang with our teammates and stuff. It’s smooth.”
On Tuesday, the trip to Roanoke included dinner and walking around the pedestrian-friendly downtown. If the Rockets beat Richmond on Wednesday, their extended stay in Texas will feature even more activities, perhaps involving horses and cowboy boots as coach Tod Kowalczyk hinted at.
“I’m very excited, especially for our seniors. We know the tradition and the value that the NIT brings to our program,” Kowalczyk said.
A film session inside one of the palatial ballrooms at the Embassy Suites Denton Conference Center and practice at UNT Coliseum filled the late-morning and early-afternoon hours.
The Rockets brought a stimulating attitude with them, fully embracing the continuation of their season and the opportunity to not only play more basketball games but win.
“Winning this tournament is the goal,” Jackson said. “It’s definitely a blessing, especially with the circumstances this year with COVID.
“Obviously, we didn’t get what we wanted, which was making the NCAA tournament. But the NIT is still major. We’re looking forward to it.”
Toledo will be the only college basketball game in the 7 p.m. Wednesday timeslot, and the ESPN2 designation will act as a national platform. Kowalczyk has not been shy in preaching that message to the media and his team.
“Primetime on a Wednesday and we’re the only game in the country,” he said. “People are going to be starving for college basketball. And we’re playing.
“That gives us a chance to help our recruiting, to help our brand, to help the university’s brand. That’s a really cool thing.”
The NIT dates to 1938. There was a time in the 1940s and 50s when it carried more cachet than the NCAA tournament. It’s gone hot and cold with fans in recent decades, but it often acts as a springboard for the next season.
Jackson and fellow senior Spencer Littleson, a 3-point ace, will depart, but a solid nucleus returns. The Rockets bring in a highly-regarded recruiting class, and they could add a piece via the transfer portal. What happens in March of 2022 could begin Wednesday night on the campus of North Texas.
“This is exciting,” Millner said. “We’re not done playing yet. We get at least one guaranteed game to continue our season and put that cherry on top for the seniors.”
First Published March 16, 2021, 11:59 p.m.
