After a week of leading his team in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ball State women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee is taking a backseat.
Ball State earned a berth in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament after a loss to Akron in the MAC Championship.
It’s a national tournament that forces players to compete against unfamiliar opponents and at a high pace. Sallee said coaching plays less of a role in the WNIT as teams aren’t equipped to game plan against a new opponent.
“The tournaments are a player’s game,” he said. “Conference play is usually steered pretty heavily by coaches.”
Ball State would be in the NCAA Tournament had it defeated Akron on Saturday. Sallee said he’d like to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, but he’s taking this opportunity in stride.
“[Nationally], 128 teams are still playing and 220 aren’t,” he said. “That’s the reality of it and to be a part of that is pretty special.”
Ball State has already played its fair share of tournament games this postseason. In defeating four teams to advance to the MAC Championship, Ball State became the first team to ever play five games in one MAC tournament.
Just one win stood between Ball State and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but Sallee said players are focusing on the positive.
“I don’t sense any bitterness among anybody,” he said. “It’s a true blessing to get this invitation, and we feel like earned it.”
The berth makes Sallee the second coach in program history to lead Ball State to consecutive WNIT berths. He’s looking forward to the extra playing time that not every MAC team will have this season.
Sallee looked forward to the future of the program, saying the team will keep working toward an NCAA Tournament berth. In the meantime, however, he’s focused on a solid run at the WNIT.
“In year two, to have made back-to-back [WNIT appearances] is a pretty neat deal,” he said. “We’re going to take full advantage of it.”
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