Howard Hoops is seeking its first National Championship title in 16 years
BIG SPRING, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – After winning the Region V Championship last weekend, the Howard Hawks got an automatic bid to the National Tournament. On Monday, they found out they were the number one seed in the tournament. Sophomore guard Daniel Culberson said the team had a feeling they were going to get the top seed.
“I knew it was going to get the 1 seed, ” Culberson said. “I felt like it was much deserved. We won the hardest conference and we won the region.
” “We worked very hard to get into this position,” Freshman forward Kuai Deng said. “I’m just glad to see that the hard work paid off and we got recognized for what we’ve been doing. ” The Hawks had already won the WJCAC conference and the Regional Tournament, and now they are missing the National Championship, which they haven’t won since 2010.
“We’ve been a goal since the start to go win all three,” Deng said. “We’ve won two, it’s just one more to our goal. Just got to keep staying locked in.
” With the Hawks getting the top seed, head coach Kyle Cooper said the team needs to embrace the circumstance, not run from it. “Pressure is a privilege, (and) I think you’ve just got to attack it,” Cooper said. “That’s going to be our mindset.