Miles College women’s basketball builds championship culture with third straight SIAC title

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) — The sound of basketballs bouncing across the hardwood echoes through the gym at Miles College. Teammates laugh between drills. Coaches call out instructions from the sideline.

Inside the program, there is a growing sense that something special is happening.

For the third straight year, the Miles College women’s basketball team sits atop the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — a historic run built on more than talent alone.

Players and coaches say it starts with culture.

“Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real,” senior Madison Lee said.

That disbelief reflects the magnitude of the moment.

Head coach Pete Asmond said winning the program’s first conference championship was already a milestone. Repeating the feat, and then doing it again with a different group of players, has made the moment even more meaningful.

“Winning one, first in school history, was an amazing feat,” Asmond said. “To go back and do it twice with that last group we pretty much had from day one — to do it with a whole other group is just a whole different feeling.”

Championships are difficult to win.

Three in a row is even rarer.

Last Saturday afternoon, the Lady Golden Bears defeated Lane College 59-52 to secure their third consecutive SIAC title. The victory made Miles the first program to win three straight conference championships since Fort Valley State accomplished the feat from 2000 to 2003.

For the players, the motivation behind the run has been clear.

“They all wanted that feeling,” Asmond said. “They all wanted to accomplish that same goal.”

That shared mission — one team, one goal — has become a defining principle for the program.

Asmond said that collective mindset is the foundation of the team’s success.

Few players understand that journey better than Lee, the only athlete on the roster who has spent four full seasons with the program.

Lee said she arrived at Miles determined to trust the vision coaches were building.

“I came straight out of high school like, I’m their first player, like you said, four years,” Lee said. “I was trying to be the example that you can put your trust into these coaches.”

Trust and chemistry have helped transform the roster into a tightly connected group, something players say is critical to sustaining success.

“They enjoy being around each other,” Asmond said. “And I think that’s one of the biggest factors when it comes to a team kind of bonding, is them liking each other, wanting to be around each other, wanting to play for each other.”

The bond did not develop overnight.

Like many teams, the early days of preseason came with tension as players pushed through difficult practices and learned how to compete together.

“We were kind of bumping heads like preseason, all that,” Lee said. “You know, conditioning, things get hard, everybody bumping heads. I was really proud with that, how we all came together. And like, I’m really excited for him next year because everybody is still going to be here.”

Now, the Lady Golden Bears are turning their focus toward the next challenge, one that extends beyond conference play.

With a roster that blends freshmen, transfers and returning players, Miles is preparing for the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Lee said the team understands the level of competition will rise significantly.

“I’m really trying to get them to know like, hey, this not the SIAC no more,” Lee said. “We’re about to go play some big girls — the girls who really do this. So, it’s like we can really make history winning a round at least in the tournament.”

For Lee, the message to her teammates is simple: stay focused on the moment ahead.

“Honestly, getting everyone to focus back in. Last week was last week, this week is this week,” Lee said. “Like approaching it with a whole different attitude and focus of the game.”

The Lady Golden Bears will begin that next chapter Friday night in Huntsville, where they are scheduled to face Nova Southeastern at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

After three straight championships, the team believes the story of this season may still have more to write.

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