PROVIDENCE, R.I.-For Brandeis, the stage just keeps getting bigger.It wasn't too long ago that sports at the University were something of a joke. Teams hibernated in mediocrity or worse. National exposure was scarce.

Things sure are different now. Gradually, teams have been winning more and more. At first, it was just in small regional tournaments. But this weekend, Brandeis arrived on the big stage-and did so with the competitive grace that makes collegiate athletics great.

The most revered competition in college sports is the NCAA basketball tournament, and for the first time in University history, both basketball teams earned a trip there. It was the second berth in as many seasons for the women's team, and another step forward for a program that has unquestionably made a permanent spot for itself in the national spotlight. It was the first trip in 29 years for the men's team, the culmination of an amazing effort to rebuild a shattered program. Both teams had the campus electrified before being eliminated in the second round Saturday. [See Story]

"I think it's safe to say when people think of Brandeis, they don't usually think of us as a sports school," Sousa wrote in an e-mail.

"Hopefully, the athletic success we are enjoying this year will demonstrate that we value sports at Brandeis," she added.

Even though she rarely finds herself in the spotlight, it's Sousa, a former Brandeis athlete herself, who has been behind much of the athletics resurgence on campus. As she has worked continuously to improve recreational opportunities for every student, she has also brought a sorely-needed commitment to fielding competitive varsity programs.

One needs to look no further than her hire of men's basketball coach Brian Meehan, who fans can thank for breathing life into a team that had dwelled in the cellar for years. (In the interest of full disclosure, I tried out to play for Meehan my sophomore year, but did not make the team.)

Former NBA coach Chris Ford couldn't revive this team. He tried haphazardly for a couple of years before he got bored and went back to the pros. Meehan is far less famous than Ford, but if the last several years are any indication, he's twice the college basketball man Ford is.

Meehan came from Salem State College, where he built one of the most successful programs in the region and compiled what was, at the time, the best record among active Division III coaches. He immediately brought in a recruiting class that raised eyebrows on and off campus. And as those players that I affectionately named the "Young Guns" have grown together, so have sports at Brandeis.

Trailing by 18 points in their second-round game against Rhode Island College, eight minutes away from elimination, the Judges showed why people should respect Brandeis on the court as much as in the classroom. They clawed back against a bigger, faster team and created opportunities to win. After the game, Meehan called the Judges' comeback "fast and furious," but it really wasn't. It was meticulous and calculated, the same way Sousa, Meehan and the rest of the staff down at Gosman are forcing people to take Brandeis athletes seriously.

As he walked into the press conference after his team was eliminated, Meehan, in typical fashion, still had a smile on his face.

"Where are the bright lights?" he joked.

They're already on you, coach.