On Constancy

by Cortney Basham

With the echoes of cheers from NCAA triumphs over Drake and San Diego still ringing in the dells and hollows of south central Kentucky, WKU coach Darrin Horn has hopped over the bumpy Appalachians to Columbia, South Carolina, lickety-split.  The change happened so quickly, it did not even allow us poor writers the time to reflect on the season, congratulate the team, and bask in the bittersweet aura of reaching/losing in the Sweet 16.  Instead, Topper fans are awash in a sea of speculation about the new coach to be named and if we can keep our current players and recruits. 

Such is life at WKU.  Less than successful seasons will always be met with sadness and frustration and criticism of the coach.  Successful campaigns result in fretting over whether or not we can keep the newly heroic coach.  It is a torturous existence in some ways, and an ironic one.  If we are not in transition, it means we are not being successful.  If we have stability, it means the coach is not doing well.  When we make noise in the NCAA tournament, the question becomes, “Do we have enough money to keep our guy?”  The answer is usually, “No.”  Then, we hire the next up-and-comer and see if that coach can successfully navigate the above types of seasons and eventually leave us.

But, the one constant is WKU fans.  Administrations, coaches, and players all come and go, but Hilltopper fans remain.  No administration, coach or player will be here for fifty years, but we have fans that have followed WKU hoops for that long or longer in some cases.  Heck, I have been a WKU fan for “just”13 years and I have seen Kilcullen, Felton, and Horn come through as coaches.  I have seen two different presidents and two different athletic directors.  There have been dozens of players cycle through during that time.  I am the constant.  You are the constant.  WE are the constant.

So, in this time of hand-wringing and Horn-bashing and loss-lamenting, let us not forget who we are.  You probably know the numbers.  We have a rich and storied history, and we will come through this time of uncertainty just fine in the long run.  It is part of who we are.  We are not Kentucky, UCLA, or North Carolina, and we do not play in the ACC or the SEC.  But we are the fertile soil that grows their future coaches that they will pluck from us and, occasionally, we are the “upstart” team that unseats their power for a short while.  What we lack in their overflowing coffers and big-time conferences, we make up for in our stripes, scars, and an existence grounded in doing more with less. And, we are constantly the place where “the spirit makes the master.”   

The worst part of being a WKU fan is the knowing that success will bring loss.  The best part of being a WKU fan is knowing that no one coach or player defines who we are (except maybe Ed Diddle).  So, good luck to those coaches who move onto “bigger” stages from WKU (even if they have a less storied history like South Carolina).  We have become quite good at dealing with both success and loss.  In fact, dealing with loss is important to our continued success.  Grit, determination, overcoming odds, and perseverance are important components of the Hilltopper psyche.  This time of tumult is simply another trial to test our moxie and exercise our ability to embrace change and give yet another coach the chance to understand what it means to be a Hilltopper.

Just remember, in four or five years when this happens again, that WE are the constant.