Ricks College walked off with the sportsmanship trophy and a fifth-place national finish, while planting gospel seeds and "making a difference" at the NJCAA Women's Basketball Tournament here March 14-18.

A banner that the Ricks spirit team, an enthusiastic pep squad, brought to the tournament and hung at all of the Ricks College games read, "Ricks: Make a difference."Initially, few in attendance seemed to know its meaning. But by the end of the tournament, the Ricks College women's basketball team had made its presence felt in a positive way, and it wasn't just because of three impressive wins and a high finish.

With so many college scouts, coaches and fans at the tournament for the week, Ricks players and coaches felt there would be a unique opportunity to share the gospel. They were able to do that, as well as let people know that Ricks College is a special place.

After the championship game March 18, the Vikings were awarded the Alberta L. Cox Sportsmanship Award. "It was a tribute to our program and to Ricks College," said Ricks coach Trent Shippen. "Coaches came up and were saying such nice things. They would ask about Ricks, and we'd tell them about it. It was a great way to share the gospel."

One coach from Central Michigan University was so impressed after watching Ricks win its opening-round game over Sullivan College, 90-64, that she offered Shippen and assistant coach Cindy Lindsay coaching jobs on the spot. She made the point that it wasn't just the quality of play that impressed her, but the quality of people that Ricks had. They were truly making a difference.

Lindsay had come up with the idea before the tournament that every coach and player would bring a copy of The Book of Mormon with them to give away. They placed a team photo, along with a testimony, in each copy.

"We planted some seeds and placed some copies of the Book of Mormon and helped people realize that Ricks is a place with high standards," said Lisa Thueson, a sophomore from Imbler, Ore., who was named to the all-tournament team.

Another experience that the Ricks team members especially enjoyed was a fireside they put on for the youth of the Tyler (Texas) 1st ward. At the fireside, the team members rendered a musical number, shared their testimonies and answered questions from the youth.

"It was a very spiritual day," said guard Shelby Benson, a freshman from Idaho Falls, Idaho. "My testimony grew and was strengthened. We were not there only to play ball."

Local Church members rallied around Ricks during the tournament. Many members attended the games at Tyler Junior College. Gary and JaLynne Murray, members of the Tyler 1st ward, hosted a dinner party for the team, as well as helped spread the word to the members about the games. The Vikings won three games, with one loss in the week. Besides the Sullivan win, Ricks also defeated Pearl River, Miss., 91-74 and Anderson, S.C., 92-73.

"What a positive way to go out," Shippen said. "It was a great way to finish."