Senior Shere’ Cunningham ended herlast season playing basketball with the icing on the cake-alongside herteammates when the Southern University women’s basketball team claimed the 2004Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship.
On March 13, Southern defeatedMississippi Valley State 68-61 in the final game of the SWAC Tournament inBirmingham, Ala. The win earned Southern an automatic bid in the 2004 NCAAWomen’s Basketball Tournament, where the Jags entered the first round as the16th seed in the West Regional Bracket, facing the bracket’s top-seeded TexasLonghorns at home in Austin, Texas.
Although Southern lost to theLonghorns 92-57, Cunningham, the team’s only senior, felt excellent to end herlast year with a SWAC title.
“It’s good to be the only senior,any year you win it (the championship). It feels good,” Cunningham said. “I came out of the program withsomething.”
Out of the nine players on theroster, four were sophomores and the remaining five were freshman.
As Southern’s best three-pointshooter, averaging two shots from beyond the arch per game and a season-high ofeight against Tugaloo College in December, Cunningham has had good times in herlife-but not always.
The Cincinnati native described heryears before college as hard.
“My neighborhood was rough. I wantedto hang around the guys and wanted to play,” Cunningham said.
She attended two junior collegesbefore making Southern her official home. She spent her freshman year at Butler County Community College inEldorado, Kan., then transferred to Gulf Coast Community College in PanamaCity, Fla., where her team won the 2002 Division I National Junior CollegeAthletic Association Championship.
“I’ve been through a lot. Everyonehas their ups and downs in life,” she said. “I finished the season and all of my school work, but theprogram was falling apart.”
Her final game at GCCC wasbittersweet. Two days before the NJCAA Championship Game, Cunningham lost herfriend Dante’ Irving to violence, whom she called her big brother.
As a tribute to her fallen friendshe has a tattoo on her left arm reading “From the cradle, to the grave, inmemory of Faylo,” (his nickname). She also bears a tattooed cross on her rightarm.
“When I got word, my teammates andcoach prayed for me and I figured that basketball is what we enjoy doing, so Iplayed,” she said. “Itreally affected me because I wanted to give up, but he and my mom wanted me tofinish school.”
A first-generation college student,Cunningham picked Southern to complete her education after meeting withSouthern women’s basketball team head coach Sandy Pugh at the NJCAA Nationals.
“Shere’ is a warrior. Here you are asenior playing on a bad leg. You’re injured. Most kids would have taken out andsaid, ‘Well coach, I’m just going to go and concentrate on my studies. I don’twant to finish out,'” Pugh said. ”She played in pain. She could have easily done that, but it’s atestament to her and she wants to accomplish with this team and who she is.She’s not a quitter.”
For the Jags, Cunningham played anaverage of 26.4 minutes on the floor while she shot an average of just over tenpoints per game and .328 from the field.
“She’s made for the sport. I thinkShere’ is a gifted basketball player,” said her mother, Sherry Cunningham. “Thefirst time I saw her play I said, ‘Is that Shere’ out there?'”
When not on the court, she may beseen around campus walking to class in baggy jeans, white t-shirts andTimberland brand boots, of which she is an avid collector. She has practically every boot colorand style that has hit the market.
“Whatever I see that looks good atthe time, I’ll go for it,” she said.
She spends her free time with closefriends or watching basketball.
“Coach Pugh really opened my eyes.As far as everything, she was being a coach. She had high expectations,” Shere’said.
Now Pugh can watch her fulfill herhopes when Cunningham walks across the stage on May 14, Southern’s graduationday.
“She’s going to see this thingthrough the end and going to play at the highest possible level that she canplay,” Pugh said. “My hat’s off to her.”
Cunningham will then have to putclosure on her college basketball career when she accepts her bachelor’s degreein business management.
“I feel that I am doing good,” shesaid.
