TARR'S TAKE: The Las Vegas Invitational Was an Embarrassment to Women's College Basketball
College basketball is a unique entity; unlike its counterparts within intercollegiate athletics, the hoops season is chalk-full of exciting non-conference matchups, oftentimes taking place in highly-touted showcase tournaments headlined by perennial powerhouses taking on programs hopeful to soon join the ranks of the elites.
For men's and women's hoops alike, these tournaments frequently take place in 'destination' locations — Hawaii and Manhattan come to mind — and provide student athletes with unique experiences they might not be given otherwise.
The 10 women's basketball teams who accepted invitations to play in the 2022 installment of the Las Vegas invitational were afforded no such opportunities.
As a matter of fact, those 10 teams were placed in an environment that was an endangerment to player safety, largely hidden from the general public and a genuine disrespect to the sport of women's basketball.
No team suffered the ill-prepared consequences of the showcase more than the Auburn Tigers; while competing for a rebound, freshman forward Kharyssa Richardson suffered what appeared to be a serious injury upon her collision with the hardwood. After suffering the injury, Richardson was aided by the Tigers' training staff for 45 minutes before paramedics arrived on the scene.
The tournament did not have medical personnel on-site beforehand.
According to head coach Johnnie Harris, Richardson is recovering from the injury.
"She was alert, she was responsive to everything, so I really believe it's precautionary," Harris said. "We're going to make sure she's okay."
Per The News&Observer, Indiana head coach Teri Moren claims that she contemplated pulling her team out of its final competition with Memphis.
“I think there are other people that probably need to apologize as well for wanting us to come and play in this event,” Moren said. “This is not what was described to us as far as what the venue was going to look like, what the setup was going to look like.”
Questions regarding the event's validity began to surface on Friday night when a screenshot of the Flo Hoops broadcast of Auburn versus Indiana was released on Twitter, displaying the area of play — which appeared to be the hotel's ballroom with mere folding chairs set up for spectators.
While it is not uncommon for teams to play non-conference showdowns in hotel ballrooms — the Battle For Atlantis and Cancun Challenge come to mind — the spectacle was inexplainable.
According to multiple reports, teams were promised a setup similar to that used in professional women's basketball.
To add insult-to-injury, teams were asked to bring down towels from their rooms as the event did not provide sweat towels for in-game use.
Calling this showcase a "bad look" does not begin to cover its repercussions. There are over 1,300 women's college basketball teams ranging from Division I to NAIA that are chalk-full of talented young athletes who spend countless hours perfecting their craft; there are thousands more young women who work tirelessly to earn the opportunity to play at this level.
These young women deserve better.
Between the lack of resources and clear disregard for the spectacle of women's hoops, I urge the NCAA to forbid the Las Vegas invitational to continue its operations going forward. Not only did the tournament do a disservice to its teams, student athletes and fans, the event was an embarrassment to the remarkable institution that is women's college basketball.
Related stories
Auburn hires Hugh Freeze to become next head football coach
Hugh Freeze talks about the Auburn job
Auburn basketball defeats St. Louis 65-60
WATCH: Robby Ashford throws a touchdown in the Iron Bowl
Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!
Follow Auburn Daily on Twitter
