How NCAA teams and players celebrated Senior Day
Celebrating seniors for all the ways they’ve impacted their teams, on and off the court
It’s finally March, the time of year when conference tournaments, the selection show, and the NCAA Tournament keep us all on our toes.
But before we get to postseason play, there is another end-of-season tradition that can sometimes get overlooked in all the bracket buzz. Senior Day (or Night) is typically the last home game of the regular season, and teams honor their graduating players for what they have contributed to the program over their entire careers.
Here are some of the best tweets celebrating one of the final milestones in players’ collegiate careers.
Arriving in 𝙎𝙏𝙔𝙇𝙀 on Senior Day! 💁♀️#MIZ #OurTownOurTeam 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/jWuc1BL4rY
— Mizzou Basketball (@MizzouWBB) February 23, 2020
Senior Day Special pic.twitter.com/eaDNOOSzZ9
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 22, 2020
(The shoes say #KeepSueFresh in reference to 39-year-old Sue Bird, a UConn alumna who still plays professionally for the Seattle Storm.)
Some teams asked their underclassmen, staff, or fans to share memories and messages for the seniors:
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑹𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒂.
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) February 29, 2020
Oregon women's basketball fans and UO staff members offer personal messages to Oregon's fourth-year seniors before their final regular-season game Sunday in Matthew Knight Arena. #GoDucks https://t.co/aILJOyw7bh
Senior Day is here this Saturday.
— Northwestern Women’s Basketball (@nuwbball) February 27, 2020
And our underclassmen have some personal messages for every member of the class, starting with Amber Jamison!
Be there early to celebrate a special group. 💜#LockedN x #GoCats pic.twitter.com/iLlW22hwoY
Celebrating our SENIORS!
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) February 28, 2020
Not enough words to describe our 3️⃣-time captain @TyHarris_52 - calm, committed, caring, confident ... (that's just the Cs! 😳)
Share your messages/memories 👇 pic.twitter.com/r9a9vk0yGz
Congratulations Kiki. It’s always been fun watch you play and grow as a player. Mad Kiki is fun to watch because you have so passion. I can’t wait to see you play in the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/U1VWKldzzw
— ɢᴀᴍᴇᴄᴏᴄᴋs ᴠs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏʙᴏᴅʏミ☆ (@xxodejaxxo) February 28, 2020
Some teams got nostalgic:
In case you were wondering, @pivec10 has been grabbing rebounds since a young age!
— Oregon State WBB (@BeaverWBB) February 26, 2020
Here are some pics of a young Mik, as we get ready for Senior Day this weekend! #GoBeavs #WeAreFamily pic.twitter.com/VzHbn1kODu
#CardNation as we prepare for our final #ACC homestand @kfc_yumcenter it’s also time to celebrate @UofLWBB senior week! Let’s look back at Jess, Kylee, Jaz, and Bionca in the 2016-2017 season!
— @coachjeffwalz (@CoachJeffWalz) February 25, 2020
Remember freshman @kylee_shook ?! 2016-2017 pic.twitter.com/BP8KKHayh8
— @coachjeffwalz (@CoachJeffWalz) February 25, 2020
(Walz did the same for Jessica Laemmle, Jazmine Jones, and Bionca Dunham.)
Not much is better than game day, senior day and a birthday. Happy birthday, Julia! 💚🎉💛 pic.twitter.com/qEpojHobbN
— USF Women's Basketball (@USFDonsWBB) February 22, 2020
Tonight I play my last game in TBA. How time flies, I remember my first game & how nervous I was. This is a bittersweet moment for me. It shows that it’s coming to an end but it also shows me how much I overcame. I promised myself to finish what I start and I did just that. pic.twitter.com/amNmnrcalp
— Kamera Harris (@kameraharris) February 27, 2020
Taiye Bello Appreciation Post:
— Lindsay Whalen (@Lindsay_13) February 28, 2020
@tysmoooth5 is the definition of hard work. Her relentlessness to rebound epitomizes what @GopherWBB is all about. She will be successful in anything she does in life because she puts in the work that no one else is willing to do! #SeniorWeek pic.twitter.com/4dYJbeCYLg
Thank you, seniors 💙#BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/oOBk1cfIbQ
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 23, 2020
A special Senior Night surprise for @sara_vujacic! 🇸🇮🇸🇮#TerpFamily pic.twitter.com/87GzjxczmG
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) February 27, 2020
Senior Day is celebrated at every level, not just Division I!
Tomorrow is a special day as we honor our four seniors. Come help us celebrate Hannah, Lauren, Julia, and Amber for their incredible contributions to our program!
— Brandeis Women's Basketball (@BrandeisWBB) February 28, 2020
Senior festivities begin at 12:50 on the dot followed by a matchup with NYU. Be there! #WeAreBWB #RollDeis pic.twitter.com/AuRGkQNHDj
Congrats Kristina on an amazing career! Thank you for following my journey! Keep inspiring and keep impacting those around you! Good luck Saturday! 🙏🏽@CorJesuAcademy @WASHUBears https://t.co/jMDUuCLs5r
— Niele Ivey (@IrishCoachIvey) February 28, 2020
To get to Senior Day, every player has to be resilient. They may go through a coaching change, suffer injuries, go through slumps, or get benched. But few have persisted through as much as Washington’s GiGi Garcia:
Washington senior GiGi Garcia has suffered five ACL tears.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) February 26, 2020
Last weekend, she suited up and started for @UW_WBB for the first time on Senior Day.
Her teammate Amber Melgoza talked about the experience on the @Pac12Network Podcast. #ncaaWpic.twitter.com/YlMiKSFuat
Some teams filmed videos of their seniors reflecting on the past four (or five, or even six!) years:
❤️, Lindsey
— USU Women's Hoops (@USUWBasketball) February 26, 2020
Senior Night 2.27.20#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/BBZqPjjI5w
Senior Imani Wheeler reflects on her four years as an Owl after their 56-46 win over Saint Rose on senior day. pic.twitter.com/PCixFY6N6U
— SCSU Women's Basketball (@SCSU_WBB) February 22, 2020
Denison University might have the most seniors of any team in the country:
🚨🚨🚨 HAPPY SENIOR DAY! DUWB celebrates our TEN seniors today for a 1 pm tip ❤️ introductions begin at 12:45. See you there ⭐️ #GBR #SENIORcircle !!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/F1dHXlLx6t
— Denison Women's Basketball (@DUWBB) February 22, 2020
At least one team publicly celebrated its senior managers:
Some teams even honored their opponents’ seniors!
Prior to today’s game, @Pitt_WBB recognized Yacine Diop in honor of her time as a player & graduate at Pitt.#GoCards pic.twitter.com/9lup7nmJav
— Louisville Women’s Basketball (@LouisvilleWBB) February 24, 2020
I just want to give a big S/O and thank you @LadyVol_Hoops for including me in your senior night festivities. As I play my last few games I’m so thankful to be able to play in this conference and against the best in the country. Thanks again! ❤️💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/yc4xtUxzjf
— Torri Lewis (@airtorri) February 28, 2020
A few teams shared video highlights from victorious Senior Days:
Top plays from the Senior Day dub!#DWBTopPlays 🔵😈 pic.twitter.com/mPtAqyQUDX
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) February 21, 2020
A proper senior send-off ⚪️🔴#iuwbb Never Daunted: Nebraska pic.twitter.com/CCg8jvIVp3
— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) February 28, 2020
One last 🤗🤗🤗 for our seniors in the regular season. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/VCrOEVt0mL
— GW Women's Basketball (@GW_WBB) February 29, 2020
And VCU summed up the emotions of the day with this tweet:
Senior day wins hit different 😤#LetsGoVCU #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/9wPOHzAfpT
— VCU Women's Basketball (@VCUWBB) February 22, 2020
Minnesota’s Senior Night featured a proposal:
Congratulations to all senior student-athletes, whether Senior Day marks the end of your athletic career or simply the closing of one chapter.
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