WBI doesn’t extend invitation to Winthrop women

Winthrop women’s basketball coach Kevin Cook received a call Monday evening from a representative of the Women Basketball Invitational, but it was not the call he was expecting. His Eagles were informed they are not one of the 16 teams selected to play in the tournament that gets underway this week.

Winthrop was among the teams considered for the tournament, which is entering its sixth year. Cook was not told which 16 teams were selected. The official bracket was released late Monday night. Winthrop did return a signed contract last week to Sports Tours International, the organizing body for the tournament, to indicate it would participate in the event if extended an invitation.

Cook said that Winthrop stipulated the Eagles would only play on the road. The 16-team event will take place over two weeks with all games being played on campus sites.

Winthrop was hoping to extend its postseason opportunities to three straight years after participating in the 2013 WNIT, in which it earned the program’s first NCAA Div. I postseason victory over Florida Gulf Coast and hosted Florida in a home game, and the 2014 NCAA tournament at Duke after capturing the Big South Conference Championship and an automatic bid for the first time in the program’s Division I history.

The Eagles’ season ends with a 17-13 record.

This story was originally published March 17, 2015 at 10:32 AM with the headline "WBI doesn’t extend invitation to Winthrop women."