THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2024 VOLUME 99 ISSUE 6
SPORTS
LA VIDA
OPINION
Texas Tech men’s basketball guard Elijah Hawkins embodies leadership in the point guard position, a spot head coach Grant McCasland needed filled this season.
Two friends now are calling each other family after traveling across the world for higher education.
The DT’s Cameron Zapata details what it takes for a video game adaptation to score high in the minds of its users.
Residents of Lubbock discuss how they are preparing for changing temperatures in the area.
After a freeze warning, Texas Tech turned into a winter wonderland. View photos of the icy campus inside.
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NEWS
PHOTO
LEGACY
Lady Raiders mark 50 years of impact, success By KEITH INGLIS Staff Writer
Fifty years ago, Texas Tech women’s basketball was just beginning. Today, the Lady Raiders are a symbol of opportunity, pride and resilience in West Texas. Established in 1974, the Lady Raiders program gave women in West Texas an opportunity to play collegiate basketball on a bigger stage. Former coach Marsha Sharp began building on the Lady Raider legacy in 1982 and spent the next 24 seasons raising Tech into a powerhouse. Under her leadership, the Lady Raiders made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, multiple conference championships and a national title, according to Sports Reference, that put the program on the map. A West Texas native who built the women’s basketball program from the ground up, Sharp’s vision exceeded accolades and championships. It was about making an impact on young lives to inspire and uplift her student-athletes. “I really want people to know that it was so important to me to create opportunities for kids,” Sharp said. “Not just necessarily women, but for kids to better their worlds and to come out of it on
the other end with some skills and some things that are going to help them for the rest of their lives.” With the pillars constructed by Sharp, current Tech head coach Krista Gerlich said she wants to meet the standards that were set before her by providing continuity in a new day and age of Lady Raider basketball. From being a Lady Raider during Tech’s championship run in 1993 to her fifth year as the current head coach of the Lady Raiders, Gerlich has accumulated the accolades over the years to embed her name into the history of Tech. “The whole reason I wanted to come back and coach here is to put the program in a place where the former Lady Raiders can be proud of it,” Gerlich said. For Gerlich, coaching the Lady Raiders is about more than wins — it’s about maintaining the culture and values that have made the program special for the past 50 years. “There’s a lot of tradition in Lady Raider basketball,” Gerlich said. “I remember growing up and watching the Lady Raiders play when it was a new program. I watched coach Sharp and how she built it, and I dreamt of playing here.” The program Gerlich remembers fondly is one Sharp said was
MAKAYLA PEREZ/The Daily Toreador
Texas Tech freshman guard Kalysta Martin (7) and junior guard Kilah Freelon (2) celebrate with their teammates on the sidelines of the United Supermarkets Arena after points were scored against Brigham Young University Jan. 18, 2025.
built with the help of many. “It took a village to build this program,” Sharp said. “We have such a huge fan base. For many years, we led the country in attendance. It was really the thing to do in Lubbock.” This commitment to mentorship and development is something that still resides with the Lady Raiders today. Tech junior guard Jasmine Shavers has spent her last three years as a part of the
program. Shavers said she embodies the mindset by recognizing the deeper meaning behind what it means to play women’s basketball at Tech. “Just to put on this jersey, you're playing for more than yourself, " Shavers said. “You're playing for the people that played before you. You're playing for your sisters.” Though the landscape of college athletics has changed throughout
GLOBAL
recent years, the Lady Raiders have remained true to themselves by continuing to build on a legacy with a rich history. “In this day and age, with the transfer portal, it’s easy to leave,” Gerlich said. “But I think they (the team) really love what Lady Raider basketball is about, and that’s what we’re going to continue to celebrate.” @KeithInglisDT
COMMITMENT
Climate exhibit depicts barren landscapes Students
avoid making resolutions By NOAH DAVILA Staff Writer
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador
Martin Stupich’s photo of the Mesita Crater in Colorado received the first-place ribbon and hangs on the wall of the International Affairs’ Office as part of the High and Dry Exhibition. Photos from the gallery are available for the public to view for free until Feb. 20.
By ELIJAH FARIAS Staff Writer
The International Affairs Office is hosting the 24th Annual High and Dry Exhibition in the International Cultural Center, highlighting semiarid and arid lands across the globe through
photos. These types of lands receive little to no precipitation throughout the year, and photographers submitted content of the dry landscapes for the exhibition that ranged from West Texas, Colorado, Saudi Arabia `and more.
“Hopefully people will look at it (High and Dry gallery) and say, ‘Maybe if I took a 10-minute shower instead of a 15-minute shower, I can save this water for that purpose, or I can do this, or if I can recycle that,’” said Clifford Fedler, the director of the International Center for Arid
and Semiarid Land Studies and associate vice provost for the International Affairs Office. Fedler encourages people to visit the gallery because he said bringing as much attention to these lands that don't receive a SEE GLOBAL PG. 3
As January comes to an end and the holiday season winds down, people across the globe are left to their own devices to maintain any New Year’s resolutions they made. Research shows that not only are some young people giving up on their resolutions, but more and more choose not to make them at all every year. The western practice of New Year’s resolutions is believed to reach back to 17th century Europe as a way for knights and gentry to renew their vows to God and their station every year, but hundreds of cultural variations can be found, according to Merriam-Webster. In the modern day, resolutions do not carry nearly as much symbolic value. According to a 2024 YouGov research survey, participants are mostly young adults trying to break old habits, improve health and set financial goals. However, in recent years data shows a weaker effort in keeping resolutions and a decreased interest in even making a resolution. SEE COMMITMENT, PG. 5
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