USD Men's Basketball 2000-2001

TheBlazersof theCoD~geof St. Benedict are thebrightest stars in the north StarState. By Damian Vega U he Blazers have won five Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles and have made 11 NCAA Tournament appear– Durbin sees even better days ahead for the team and the confer– ence now that both have achieved some national recognition. "I expect the conference to get

better because people are starting to recognize us as a good women's basketball conference in which stu– dents can get a good education," said Durbin. A better conference equals even better postseason results. But it wasn't always this way for the Blazers. After competing in the Midwest Conference, the Blazers moved to the MIAC and found that the level of competition was a little different as they finished their first season with an 8-17 record. While some coaches might have tried to rebuild the program from the ground up, Durbin took a different approach. "I felt we [the coaching staff] inherited a young, but talented group," he said. "When we came in, they were a year older, so they knew what to expect. Their second year they did a lot better. " That's one way to put it. In just two years under Durbin, the Blazers went from newcomer to top dog, winning their first MIAC champi– onship in 1988-89, and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Since then, it has been smooth sailing for the Blazers. Year after year they have returning starters, but like most high-profile

ances. In those 11 appearances they have reached the Final Four twice and the Elite Eight three times. Part of their success can be attributed to the high quality of play in the MIAC, a conference that often sends four teams to the NCAA Tournament. "There is no question about it. I think the conference does an excep– tional job preparing whomever the top team is, going into postseason play," said head coach Mike Durbin, who enters the 2000-01 season with a career record of 317-93 (.773). "I think in the 14 years I've been here the conference had seven teams go to the Final Four." As mind-boggling as the suc– cess of the conference has been, St. Ben's has been that much better. As if the MIAC titles weren't

enough, the Blazers have won 20 or more games in 12 of their last 13 seasons and have almost abused home-court advantage, losing just 13 games at home in the '90s. Ihe Blazers have won five Minnesota

As Mia Peterson races up court with the rock, it's not unusual to see her leaving opponents trailingbadly behind.

Intercollegiate Athletic Conference IMIACI titles and have made 11 NCAA Iournament appearances.

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