TOLEDO, Ohio — It’s been almost a decade since that Toledo women's basketball team went on that incredible run to win the WNIT. They had so many unbelievable memories during that tournament run, and throughout that season. One thing is for certain, they had Savage Arena absolutely rocking.
The team got together on Zoom to relive those moments. During that tournament run, the Rockets beat Delaware with Elena Delle Donne who is now the best player in the world. They beat huge schools like Auburn, Alabama, Syracuse, and USC. The city was just captivated by the entire thing.
"I think it was the last game and people were lining up outside, we were in practice, and coach was like 'alright, you guys come out,' and the line was wrapping around the stairs for the tickets," said Jessica Williams who was one of two seniors on that team. "Coach was like 'go thank them,' because honestly, at the end of the day, their support, the city's support was just crazy."
Jessica Williams was one of the two seniors on that team, she's now working in law enforcement out in Long Beach.
Melissa Goodall was the other senior on that team. She's now working in financial services.
"I know that we had a lot of confidence within ourselves, but then our coaches were just guiding us one step at a time to show us the way," said Goodall. "We could take our confidence and apply it to the game, so, it was obviously a successful combination and a winning formula."
That team was led by Naama Shafir. She had 40 points in that game. It's still one of the best performances in Toledo basketball history.
"What was that moment like in that final game when everybody is running on the court and you guys realized it was all done?"
"We were just really excited," said Courtney Ingersoll. "I don't think anybody was that tired because most of us just sat back and watched Naama do everything the whole game, so I was fine, I was feeling ready to go!"
They may live all over the globe, but when a team this special gets together all these years later, the memories just come flooding back.