Disappointed … check.

Frustrated … check.

Discouraged … check.

Irritated … check and check.

Post season out of the picture … well, that’s a little harsh.

What happened? Where did the team go wrong? The Southern Miss/UCF road trip was a reminder to all of us that this team’s weakness – their youth and lack of leadership – could still be its Achilles heel when it is time for postseason play.

Rhonda Rompola's passion for winning is never in question, but which player will carry that passion on to the court? (photo by Travis Johnston).

Against Southern Miss last Thursday, the Mustangs looked great … for the first 15 minutes of the game. The team was composed, confident and playing great team ball. But then Southern Miss surged and there was no response from the Mustangs. There was no apparent leadership on the floor to get the team back on track. As Rhonda (Rompola) said going into halftime, the team lost its hustle and the idea of “team basketball.”

The missing leadership was just as lost in the second half as it was at the end of the first. During the timeouts, as the camera scanned the team, the only one showing passion and desire to turn the game around was Rhonda. There never seemed to be a player who was vocal about what was needed to get them back on track.

Back in my playing days, there was nothing worse than having (current assistant coach) Karen Blair, when she was a player, get on to you to start hustling or making a mental error on the floor. You wanted to prove to yourself, and the team, that you could do it without Rhonda having to say something.

Who is that player this year? Who is the one who is going to demand her teammates rally when things are down?

The team only has six games left in the season, including Thursday’s game at Memphis, before the Conference USA Tournament in New Orleans. It is imperative that the Mustangs find their mojo going into this part of the season. They lost two games on the trip to Hattiesburg and Orlando. Yes, it stunk. Yes, they should have won, but it will be how they bounce back this week that goes a long way toward determining if there will be any hope of postseason play.

Who will make sure that happens? Who will be the one to show she wants it more than the rest? Who will be the one who calls out her teammate when she makes a selfish error?

I hope that player emerges, as this team has shown too much talent and potential to hit a brick wall at this point in the season.