The Ole Miss Women are back in the Big Dance for the first time in 15 years...the last time they were in it, they went all the way to the Elite 8.
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) -- On Friday, the Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball team will play in the big dance for the first time in 15 years.
The last time ole miss went dancing they stayed for a while making it all the way to the Elite 8 before losing to eventual national champion Tennessee.
There are a lot of parallels between that 07 team and the 2022 Rebels. They're both seven-seeds. They're both in the spot of the bracket.
So I reached out to several members of that 07 team to take a quick stroll down memory lane and remember the cherished moments of special team.
"We would sing together we would pray together," current Ole Miss assistant Armintie Herrington said.
"We were sisters and we had this close bond," Alliesha Thomas said.
"We danced and we had fun and we sung a lot," Danetra Forrest said.
"It was always singing, always dancin and we always had fun," Ashley Awkward said.
Four former rebs, even 15 years later, they all keep in touch. That's how tight they are. They were also awesome basketball players, and all played a key roll in making the program's deepest tournament run.
"We had heart, and you always saw on the floor, scrapping for the ball," Thomas said.
"We held each other accountable, we didn't mind saying what we needed to say because we wanted to win," Forrest said.
"It was what we had in our hearts and I think that's what the commonality is between us and this team is our heart," Awkward said.
Another commonality between these two teams, is Coach Herrington, she was Armintie Price back then, she's giving the current Rebs firsthand knowledge of the task ahead...but she's still loyal to her 07 team.
"I definitely want them to go farther then what we did, we went to the Elite 8, so I'm trying to tell em, y'all don't go far, I don't know if y'all would be considered better than our team," Herrington said while laughing. "This a great team, they're in the history books already and they're going to continue to write their own history, I'm just really excited to be a part and be a part of something special."
The journey begins tomorrow night. And Forrest wants these 2022 Rebs to slow it down, remember these moments with this team, because they last a lifetime.
"My greatest advice to them would be just to soak up every moment like take all the pictures you can, to, to cherish the moment," Forrest said.
Cherish those moments! Tip-off for Ole Miss against the 10-seeded South Dakota Coyotes is at 12:30 tomorrow afternoon.
