Thomas More's men's and women's basketball teams had incredible seasons this year. The men's team made history, and the women's team brought home another national title to Thomas More.
The Women's team finished with a record of 32-4. Winning the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. The Saints played in the national championship on March 22 beating Dordt University 77-65.
Senior Taylor Clos received the 2021- 2022 NAIA Women's Basketball All-American Honorable Mention. Graduate student Alexah Chrisman received NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament MVP. Chrisman was the top scorer in the game with 16 points followed by, Junior Zoie Barth with 12 points and Clos with 11 points. Coach Jeff Hans was also named the NAIA National Coach of the Year.
"Winning the national championship has been the experience of a lifetime. I'm so blessed to get to be a part of something so special with this team. Ending my career off as a national champion is something I get to carry with me the rest of my life, and there is no other way I would rather go out than on top." - Clos
The Men's team had a record-breaking year. They ended their season with a record of 31-5. They made their first appearance in history in the Final Four of the NAIA national tournament. The Saints played in the semifinals on March 21st against Talladega University. Following a hard fight, the Saints fell to Talladega 78-77 in overtime.
Junior Ryan Battè was named to the 2021-2022 NAIA Men's Basketball All-Tournament Team, the 2021-2022 NAIA Men's Basketball First Team All-American, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American Team. The top scorer in the game was Battè with 33 points followed by Junior Noah Pack with 18 points.
"I believe the season went a lot better than we expected. We accomplished a lot of the goals we had set out and exceeded expectations." - Battè
On Wednesday, March 31st there will be a celebration held in the Connor Convocation Center at 7:00 p.m to recognize the teams for their accomplishments this season and a final farewell to the Seniors leaving the programs. Come out and cheer on the Saints one last time this season.