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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The West Texas A&M University men's basketball |
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| 6 | 7 | | program achieved a new level of success during the 2020-2021 |
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| 7 | 8 | | season, as the Buffs advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II |
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| 8 | 9 | | national championship game; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, WT compiled a 12-2 record in the regular season and |
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| 10 | 11 | | then cruised to three straight double-digit victories in the Lone |
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| 11 | 12 | | Star Conference tournament to capture the league title and clinch a |
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| 12 | 13 | | berth in the Division II NCAA tournament; and |
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| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, After defeating Dallas Baptist University and |
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| 14 | 15 | | Lubbock Christian University, WT bested Daemen College to earn a |
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| 15 | 16 | | trip to the Final Four in Evansville, Indiana; squaring off against |
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| 16 | 17 | | Lincoln Memorial University on March 25, WT was down by nine points |
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| 17 | 18 | | at the break but rallied in the second half to turn the game into a |
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| 18 | 19 | | nip-and-tuck battle; trailing by two points with 13 seconds |
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| 19 | 20 | | remaining, the Buffs missed a shot that would have tied the game, |
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| 20 | 21 | | but guard Zach Toussaint corralled the rebound beyond the arc and |
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| 21 | 22 | | threw up a last-second three-point attempt; the buzzer sounded with |
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| 22 | 23 | | the ball in the air, and when it fell through the net, WT claimed a |
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| 23 | 24 | | thrilling 87-86 triumph; moving on to the title game against |
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| 24 | 25 | | Northwest Missouri State University, the Buffs gave their all but |
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| 25 | 26 | | saw their season come to an end just one win short of the national |
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| 26 | 27 | | championship; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Excelling with a true team effort, the Buffs |
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| 28 | 29 | | received valuable contributions throughout the year from each |
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| 29 | 30 | | member of the roster: John Brown, Qua Grant, JT Warren, Jon'il |
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| 30 | 31 | | Fugett, Torian Harris, Parker Nielsen, Kavon Booker, Joel Murray, |
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| 31 | 32 | | Mr. Toussaint, Ugo Obineke, Calvin Fugett Jr., Hayden Blankley, and |
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| 32 | 33 | | Cameron Bell; these dedicated athletes were guided by head coach |
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| 33 | 34 | | Tom Brown, associate head coaches Chris Gove and Quincy Henderson, |
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| 34 | 35 | | and student assistant Ty Bryant, and the players also received |
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| 35 | 36 | | support from athletic trainer Devin Neill, assistant athletic |
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| 36 | 37 | | performance coach Matt Segura, and student manager Derrick |
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| 37 | 38 | | Gahimbare; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, With their exceptional skill and unwavering |
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| 39 | 40 | | commitment to excellence, the West Texas A&M University Buffs have |
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| 40 | 41 | | earned a place among the top Division II basketball teams in the |
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| 41 | 42 | | country, and their achievements are a source of great pride for the |
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| 42 | 43 | | university's students, alumni, and fans; now, therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature hereby congratulate the West Texas A&M University men's |
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| 45 | 46 | | basketball team on advancing to the 2021 NCAA Division II |
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| 46 | 47 | | championship game and extend to the team's players, coaches, and |
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| 47 | 48 | | staff sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 49 | 50 | | prepared for the Buffs as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 50 | 51 | | House of Representatives. |
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