bluesooner17
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NORMAN — Standing on the sideline in the aftermath of last year’s home finale, it all finally felt real to Maddie Manning.
As the other senior women’s basketball players stepped out on the court to be honored for their Oklahoma careers, Manning stayed with the underclassmen.
That’s when the reality of her situation sunk in.
While her classmates prepared to move on to the real world, Manning would come back for a sixth season, extending her career to make up for the two seasons cut short by consecutive ACL tears.
The treacherously icy roads kept most fans away from the Lloyd Noble Center for Wednesday night’s 80-71 win against Iowa State (12-15, 6-10 Big 12), but it didn’t matter: Manning finally got her Senior Night.
“I tried to be a part of (last year’s) Senior Night for a little bit, no matter what, if I was coming back or not because that was the class I was really in,” Manning said before the game.
“But this is who I started with on the court and I feel more of a connection to leaving with them in that term.”
Manning scored 12 points in the penultimate home game of the season, fittingly played against Iowa State.
Manning grew up just a couple miles down I-35 from ISU and has maintained a connection with the coaching staff despite playing for a different Big 12 program.
“I have such passion for Iowa. That’s where someday I want to end up for sure,” she said. “I’ve gotten close with coach (Bill) Fennelly. Obviously you gain a respect when you have to scout a team for six years. They always have a great product on the floor.
“It being able to be against Iowa State, a team that’s only 10 minutes from my home, all my hometown people have a tie to them. It’s definitely special.”
The road to get to Manning’s Senior Night was hardly smooth.
Though she’s played in every single game this season, she spent the majority of the year trying to get fully healthy. There was a broken thumb, a bout with mononucleosis and complications from the lingering sickness.
“She’s been a trooper,” coach Sherri Coale said. “She’s been banged up a lot more than she ever let anybody know all season. She’s just perservered through it all and continued to get better.”
Those challenges made Manning’s final year even more special.
“It’s been a weird year,” she said. “It’s been the most difficult year in some aspects, I’ve been banged up, I’ve had some sicknesses, some injuries, and we had a lot to learn early. We had a lot of young guys that needed to contribute and older guys stepping into a different role.
“But it’s also been one of the most rewarding years. I think that you see the product we’re putting on the court now and that’s watching a team grow up.”
Wednesday night, Oklahoma showed some of that growth as the Sooners (15-12, 10-6) put together their first three-game win streak of the season by racing past Iowa State in the second half.
One of four Sooners to score double figures, Manning helped her teammates with three assists and four free throws.
By the end of the night, four seniors scored, including center Vionise Pierre-Louis, who put up her 10th double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds and guard Gabbi Ortiz with 16 points and nine rebounds.
It was a fitting result for Manning and her adopted senior class.
“It’s kind of cool to look back and see, ‘Wow, I never thought I would end with you,’” Ortiz said of Manning. “But she’s one of my best friends and I get to celebrate that with her, so it’s pretty special.”
As the other senior women’s basketball players stepped out on the court to be honored for their Oklahoma careers, Manning stayed with the underclassmen.
That’s when the reality of her situation sunk in.
While her classmates prepared to move on to the real world, Manning would come back for a sixth season, extending her career to make up for the two seasons cut short by consecutive ACL tears.
The treacherously icy roads kept most fans away from the Lloyd Noble Center for Wednesday night’s 80-71 win against Iowa State (12-15, 6-10 Big 12), but it didn’t matter: Manning finally got her Senior Night.
“I tried to be a part of (last year’s) Senior Night for a little bit, no matter what, if I was coming back or not because that was the class I was really in,” Manning said before the game.
“But this is who I started with on the court and I feel more of a connection to leaving with them in that term.”
Manning scored 12 points in the penultimate home game of the season, fittingly played against Iowa State.
Manning grew up just a couple miles down I-35 from ISU and has maintained a connection with the coaching staff despite playing for a different Big 12 program.
“I have such passion for Iowa. That’s where someday I want to end up for sure,” she said. “I’ve gotten close with coach (Bill) Fennelly. Obviously you gain a respect when you have to scout a team for six years. They always have a great product on the floor.
“It being able to be against Iowa State, a team that’s only 10 minutes from my home, all my hometown people have a tie to them. It’s definitely special.”
The road to get to Manning’s Senior Night was hardly smooth.
Though she’s played in every single game this season, she spent the majority of the year trying to get fully healthy. There was a broken thumb, a bout with mononucleosis and complications from the lingering sickness.
“She’s been a trooper,” coach Sherri Coale said. “She’s been banged up a lot more than she ever let anybody know all season. She’s just perservered through it all and continued to get better.”
Those challenges made Manning’s final year even more special.
“It’s been a weird year,” she said. “It’s been the most difficult year in some aspects, I’ve been banged up, I’ve had some sicknesses, some injuries, and we had a lot to learn early. We had a lot of young guys that needed to contribute and older guys stepping into a different role.
“But it’s also been one of the most rewarding years. I think that you see the product we’re putting on the court now and that’s watching a team grow up.”
Wednesday night, Oklahoma showed some of that growth as the Sooners (15-12, 10-6) put together their first three-game win streak of the season by racing past Iowa State in the second half.
One of four Sooners to score double figures, Manning helped her teammates with three assists and four free throws.
By the end of the night, four seniors scored, including center Vionise Pierre-Louis, who put up her 10th double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds and guard Gabbi Ortiz with 16 points and nine rebounds.
It was a fitting result for Manning and her adopted senior class.
“It’s kind of cool to look back and see, ‘Wow, I never thought I would end with you,’” Ortiz said of Manning. “But she’s one of my best friends and I get to celebrate that with her, so it’s pretty special.”
