NAIA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK:

JACKSON, Tenn. — Vanguard University senior Melissa Cook was recognized as the Lions’ Champions of Character award winner before Thursday’s NAIA Division I Tournament-opening victory over Cumberlands of Kentucky.

It is fitting that Cook, a versatile performer who scored a game-high 23 points in her first tournament start, was recognized before ever scoring a point Thursday. She has, in fact, gone above and beyond what most might endure simply to have gotten here.

As a freshman, Cook went down with a torn ACL in the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament. She missed the NAIA Tournament and completed off-season rehabilitation to return as a sophomore.

As a junior, she went down the second-to-last regular-season game with torn meniscus.

Once again, the diagnosis was season-ending surgery.

“Last year was really bad,” said Cook, who after Thursday’s performance is averaging 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals. She leads her team in free throws made and in free-throw accuracy (81.6%) and she has been the Lions’ leading scorer in three of their last five games. “When I found out I was done for the year, I was just sobbing. I just lost it. It’s kind of funny, because it’s just a game. But I’ve poured my life into this sport.”

After tearing the meniscus again in October, another surgery was undertaken to remove the damaged portion.

More sorrow and more rehab followed.

“For a while, I was debating whether or not to redshirt this season,” Cook said. “It has been a very emotional year.”

Cook said she relied on her faith and her prayers were answered with a healthy senior season. She has helped the Lions (25-5) reach the second round of the NAIA Tournament, where they meet defending national champion Lambuth of Tennessee (24-9) today at 2:30 p.m. at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.

“I’ve been praying all year to make it to this tournament, so the Lord’s been great,” Cook said. “It’s just a blessing to be playing. I take these games very personally, because they mean a lot to me.”

And Cook, 6-foot, has helped the Lions. The first-team All-Golden State Athletic Conference performer can and has played all five positions, though mainly contributing at power forward.

“Melissa has played absolutely phenomenal basketball,” Vanguard Coach Russ Davis said. “And she gets healthier each week. It’s exciting to watch her play. She was good enough to start for us last year, but I didn’t want her to. Instead, she was the best sixth man in the nation. She’s a great leader who does so many things for our team. As coaches, you’re not supposed to have favorite players. But with everything she has gone through, it’s tough not to root for her.

“She’s just a great kid to have on your team.”

SCHMIDT LEFT MARK

Just one year removed from a brilliant Vanguard playing career that left her with school career records in points (2,639) and rebounds (1,053), Kelly Schmidt, a first-year assistant coach for the Lions, also left her mark on the NAIA Division I Tournament record book.

Schmidt, a former four-time All-American who was the NAIA Player of the Year as a junior in 2005-06, ranks seventh in tournament history with 304 points, which works out to an average of 21.7 in 14 games.

Schmidt’s 131 career rebounds in the tournament rank fourth overall, an average of 9.4 per game.

Schmidt led all tournament scorers with 28 points per game as a sophomore in 2005. That average ranks 10th in history for one tournament.

HULA HOOPS HYPE

To honor the theme of this year’s tournament, which is “Hula Hoops,” coaches for all 32 participating teams wore grass hula skirts and sang karaoke beach songs at the pre-tournament banquet Tuesday at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson.

What was it like seeing Davis in his hula skirt?

“Scary,” Cook said.

TEXAS TWO-STEP

Vanguard Athletic Director Bob Wilson took an extra day to arrive, after weather forced the closure of the Dallas Airport, where his flight from Orange County was scheduled to connect to another bound for Memphis on Tuesday.

“They closed the tower in Dallas, so they rerouted us to El Paso, where I spent seven hours, before flying back to Dallas, where they were only taking incoming aircraft,” Wilson said. “So, they booked me on a Wednesday morning flight from Dallas to Memphis, but I had to scramble to find a hotel room, because so many people were already stranded there.

“The funny thing was, there was only one newsstand place and one market where you could get anything to eat at the El Paso Airport,” Wilson said. “I think whoever owned those places can now retire, because the lines were blocks long trying to get in all of Tuesday.”

SCOUTING REPORT

Lambuth, which Vanguard plays in the second round today at 2:30 p.m., had not gotten past the second round in its first four tournament appearances, before winning the national title last season.

This season, the Eagles (24-9) have just one senior, have had 10 players start and have been extremely streaky.

The team started 1-4, won eight, lost three, won nine, lost one, won five, then lost its Tran South Conference Tournament semifinal. The Eagles are back on a one-game winning streak.

Lambuth has four players averaging in double figures, including three players 5-8 or shorter.

Vanguard defeated Lambuth, 80-74, in the Rotary Classic on Nov. 15 in Jackson.

“We played them earlier in the year, but they’re going to be different, because they have a new player,” Davis said. “But, like I told our girls, ‘We’re a lot better now, too. We’re playing a completely different offense than we were then, because back then we had Marissa Rivera [a 6-2 junior post who was lost for the season with a knee injury].’ It should be interesting.”

Today’s winner will face either Carroll of Montana (26-5) or Harris-Stowe of Missouri (23-9), in Saturday’s 2 p.m. quarterfinal.

Unranked Harris-Stowe upset Oklahoma City, ranked No. 5 in the final Division I poll, 73-64, in Wednesday’s first round, ending the Stars’ season at 28-5.

ILL.-FATED RUN

The four teams representing Illinois were all eliminated in the first round.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].