LAKE CHARLES – "Whatever happens, our program at McNeese is in a great shape. We have a plan to keep this program rolling."
 
Those were the words of Will Wade in the postgame press conference after McNeese fell to Purdue in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament.
 
To those doubters the winning was done. Guess what? A dynasty has now been born.
 
McNeese completed the Hat Trick on Wednesday, beating Stephen F. Austin 76-59 to claim its third-straight Southland Conference Tournament Championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Cowboys are sitting a 28-5 as they await their opponent which will be revealed on Sunday at 5 p.m.
 
McNeese is one of just eight teams in Division I ball with 28 or more wins. It's .848 winning percentage is tied as the sixth-best in the nation. The current 10-game winning streak is the 4^th-longest in the country.
 
Over the last three years, McNeese Basketball has recorded an 86-16 record ranking as the fourth-most wins in that span behind Houston (93), Duke (91), and UConn (88). It's .843 winning percentage is ranked as the third-best in the nation behind Houston (.861) and Duke (.858), while better than recent national champion UConn (.830) and Florida (.794).
 
As someone from a rival in-state school posted after the Cowboys bowed out of last year's NCAA Tournament, "Bye Will Wade and hello to mediocrity again to my friends in LC."
 
Well sir, the joke's on you and all the others who lost faith in the McNeese administration and especially Vice President and Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer who has given everything he has to build this program into not only a winner, but a dynasty.
 
The thought by many were with Wade gone, McNeese would fall back into the days of being average on the court. They don't know these Bayou Bandits very well.
 
Schroyer brought in Bill Armstrong to lead the program and continue the winning. Armstrong was Wade's right-hand man at LSU when the Tigers were dominating the court then went on to win a national championship at Link Academy, one of the top prep level basketball programs in the nation that has produced many NBA players.
 
Armstrong has not only continued the dominance on the court, he's put together one of the best rosters in school history.
 
Last year's league Player of the Year Javohn Garcia returned for a third season along with DJ Richards Jr. Garcia was named the tournament MVP for the second straight year after sinking 31 points in the championship game. Richards Jr. is ranked sixth all-time in three-pointers made and second in career 3-point field goal percentage.
 
Larry Johnson was named the league's Freshman of the Year and earned first team all-conference honors as well as second team NABC DI All-District honors. He broke a record not many thought would ever be touched, Joe Dumars' freshman scoring record. Johnson shattered that 44-year-old mark that stood at 527 points, with 577 on the season, the 17^th-most points scored in school history and 23 points from 600 to become only the 12^th player to do that at McNeese.
 
Tyshawn Archie was named to the All-SLC first team while Garwey Dual earned a spot on the league's All-Defensive team.
 
With the championship win, McNeese became the first team in the league to three-peat since SFA did it from 2014-16 and only third team ever. ULM won four straight titles from 1990-93. McNeese is joined by Southern as the only two programs in Louisiana to win their conference tournament championship three straight seasons. The Jaguars won the SWAC title from 1987-89.