By now, accomplishing something for the first time in William Woods history is becoming old hat for the 2024-2025 men’s basketball team.
And so it was on the evening of Thursday, March 6, when the Owls joined their fellow students, faculty, staff and other supporters in Anderson Arena for what was believed to be the first-ever selection show “watch party” in William Woods history. After an unprecedented 28-2 season that included the first-ever regular season and tournament conference championships in school history, The Woods would find out where, and against whom, their inaugural trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament would begin.
The Owls’ road to Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium, home of the NAIA finals for decades, will begin in West Palm Beach, Florida this Friday, when the second-seeded Owls will face 15-seed Dillard University of New Orleans at 6 p.m. Gathering as a team with members of the WWU campus community at a watch party like they had seen so many times on television involving NCAA Tournament teams, was another thrill they’ll never forget.
“It felt like a reward for the season we have had to this point, having the rest of campus here on our home court with us to celebrate with us,” said forward Francis Okwuosah ‘25, the Owls leading scorer at 14.9 points per game. “It was also great motivation, a great reminder that we are not done and now can try and get to Kansas City to play again in front of more of our fans.”
“It was amazing to see the support that the student body has for us at the watch party, something I’ll always remember,” said Kevin Taylor ’25, an Acworth, Georgia native who scored 20 points in the Owls’ 85-52 destruction of Central Baptist in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament championship game on March 4. “Before the season, we always had a goal to not just make the national tournament, but to make a statement in the national tournament, and shoot for a championship, and so here we are.”
It will take two victories in West Palm Beach for the Owls to reach the promised land in K.C. for the NAIA version of the Sweet Sixteen, which may at one time have seemed like an impossible team for any William Woods Men’s Basketball team. But first things first, said Jordan Ashton, who has led WWU to an astounding 47-11 record in his two years as Owls head coach.
“We talk about being humble and hungry as a team all the time, staying even-keeled and never being too high or too low, and keeping the big picture in mind,” said Ashton. “We know we have a challenge in the first round, facing a (Dillard University) team that is very athletic and can really get after it and speed you up. They’re different than the teams we have played this season – big, athletic and strong – so seeding doesn’t really matter at this point; everybody you play in this tournament is really good and we expect a really tough challenge.”
You don’t have to tell that to guard D’Mari Wiltz ’25, who grew up just a few miles from the Dillard campus in his hometown of New Orleans.
“I personally know a lot of guys from that team (Dillard), which is actually about five minutes from where I grew up,” said Wiltz, the guy who makes the The Woods’ offense go with a team-leading 197 assists on the season. “Everybody back at home has been talking to me about this match-up, I’ve even got some calls from some of the guys I know on that team. When we hit the court against them, we’ll be ready.”
It was almost a surreal atmosphere as the Owls went through a rare mid-day practice on a Monday at Anderson Arena. Rare because there were no classes to attend, or any other teams still playing that needed to use the arena, because it was the first day of Spring Break at William Woods. Outside the campus was quiet and fairly empty, with warm sunshine hinting at the coming Spring. It felt like March, the time of year when dreams are made in college basketball.
Why not these Owls, who are going where no William Woods team has gone before?
“I haven’t really had the time to sit back and think about everything we have accomplished yet this season, it’s been all go-go-go all the time, and get ready for the next match-up,” said Taylor. “Maybe sometime in the summer, or even years from now, I’ll take a moment to reflect on how special and how fun, this whole year has been. But we aren’t done yet, and excited to see where it all leads.”
“Everything we have done to this point this season, to get it done, is obviously very special,” added Ashton. “Now we have to work toward something even bigger, and we feel like we are in a good spot.”
In a year when William Woods Athletics has made history in so many ways (adding intercollegiate football, joining a new conference for the first time in 32 years), these Owls have soared the highest. Their amazing story has only one more chapter – hopefully, a happy ending right back in the state of Missouri.
