Last season Dave Simmons said his team was lost in a storm.

This year his Cowboys appear to be searching for answers.

It was not supposed to be this way.

All of last year’s hardships were supposed to lead to more rewards this winter.

“We never thought we would be in this position,” said Simmons, whose team is 7-11 overall and 1-6 in the Southland Conference.

Unable to close the deal on a couple of close games, the Cowboys find themselves on the verge of a much more disappointing season than the last one.

“It is very disappointing, not only to me and the coaches but to our kids as well,” Simmons said. “Don’t tell me how rough the seas are, you bring the ship in.”

That has been a problem for McNeese. On Monday, the Cowboys blew a 13-point second-half lead and lost at the wire to Incarnate Word.

“For 37 minutes we were the better team,” Simmons said. “We had our chances to finish that game and didn’t. We are playing just close enough to lose basketball games.”

That is not a good thing.

A year ago the Cowboys never really had a chance. A tough early schedule that saw McNeese traveling all over the country to play nationally ranked teams was too much to overcome.

This year was different. A more home-friendly schedule led to early success and confidence. There was senior leadership in Kevin Hardy and Desharick Guidry, two local products who have become voices for the program in their final campaigns.

Each of them proclaimed there was a new attitude on the team. There was also much more energy in the program.

An early win over rival Louisiana-Lafayette, a tournament team last March, also helped raise the bar.

Then came a victory at Mississippi State, an SEC school, and the record improved to 6-5 as we rang in 2015 and Southland Conference play began.

What followed was a conference-opening loss to defending champ Stephen F. Austin that made one believe more good was going to follow.

That has not been the case.

Since the new year, McNeese has won just once, a home victory over Abilene Christian.

“When you beat Mississippi State and then play Stephen F. so close, you think things are going to be all right in the conference,” Simmons said. “But we have not found a way to get it done. We have to take control of the things we can control.

“I think maybe it is a different mind-set if we win that Stephen F. game, but we have to find a way to turn this around.”

There is a lot on the line for Simmons and the Cowboys.

Granted, they are already in the Southland tournament thanks to only eight teams being eligible this year, but more was expected. This club is also playing for the program’s future.

With a new arena coming, they want to have positive momentum heading in that direction.

While there is still plenty of time to turn this season around let alone the direction of the future, a positive finish to the season sure would help raise the level of excitement as the new home starts being built.

“I think we are just one win from turning this around,” Simmons said. “That’s all it will take. We have proven we can play good at times and control games, we just need that one win to get us going.”

The Cowboys’ schedule is favorable for a winning finish, even if finishing has not been their strong point.

If they can do that, then they may finally come in from the storm.

“Last year we were in a storm,” Simmons said of the tough schedule that saw McNeese open against the then top-ranked team in the nation, Michigan State, and travel to San Diego State.

“We are coming out of the storm.”

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Jim Gazzolo is managing sports editor. Email him at jgazzolo@americanpress.com

(Rick Hickman/American Press)

Rick Hickman