Head of the Class
The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team arrived at a collective epiphany as it began preparations for the 2005-06 season. It was high time that these student-athletes returned to the "Head of the Class" in the collegiate basketball world.
As students of the game, they enjoyed a great deal of success during the 2004-05 season - a 30-5 overall record, an SEC Tournament title, the Philadelphia NCAA Regional Championship and a trip to the 2005 NCAA Final Four. However, the returnees realized that they had failed at one of the most basic components of Lady Vol Basketball 101 at season's end. They didn't cut down the nets at the Final Four.
Because at Tennessee...
We educate.
We graduate.
And along the way, we cut down championship nets.
That philosophy has not changed during the three-decade long tenure of University of Tennessee Lady Vol Head Basketball Coach Pat Summitt. The legend moved to the head of the coaching class on March 22, 2005, when she passed former University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith for the most all-time coaching victories of any NCAA hoops skipper with 880. This philosophy of education, graduation and cutting down championship nets has been embedded into the fiber of the 138 women who have proudly worn the orange and white jersey since Summitt arrived on campus in 1974.
The 11 student-athletes who will take to the hardwood for the Lady Vols in 2005-06 spent their off-season focusing on academics, accountability, initiative, sweat equity on the court and in the weight room and embracing a new sense of leadership.
"Following the end of last season, I saw an instant commitment to getting better each and every day from this group," said Summitt. "I'd have to say it was perhaps the hardest working off-season team in my 31 years of coaching. It was their idea from day one to get in the gym...to hit the track...to be committed in the weight room. They took ownership and became accountable to each other. It wasn't just a couple of players; all 11 committed to working hard on their own.
"On one hand you had players who knew what it was like to be in an NCAA title game, and they were extremely disappointed that they lost a big lead and didn't make it to the championship game in Indianapolis. On the other hand you had a mixture of younger players and injured players who got a taste of the Final Four for the first time and were excited to be there."
Nonetheless, both groups shared common denominators - the desire to be at the head of the class and cut down championship nets.
And the lessons learned from the past? Lesson #1, leadership has to be a constant - every practice, every game, from opening day to the final horn in April. Leaders don't take days off. You can be a vocal leader, you can lead by example, but you must lead. Lesson #2, improved math skills are a priority - simple division and percentages. If you repeat as the worst field goal shooting team in Tennessee history, as the 2004-05 squad did (41.6 percent), it will be hard to win BIG games. Lesson #3, develop a balanced attack. Make opponents pick their poison. With so many potentially outstanding scorers on the floor in 2005-06, become hard to guard. Lesson #4, the Summitt script hasn't changed. Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, rebounding wins championships. If you rebound, you can run and dictate the flow of the game.
Summitt cites senior leadership from 5-10 guard Shanna Zolman (12.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg) and 6-5 center Tye'sha Fluker (7.4 and 5.4 rpg) as keys to the off-season success and outstanding preparation for the 2005-06 campaign.
"To be sure, Shanna and Tye will make sure that the lessons are learned from the past," said Summitt. "This is their last go-round as seniors, and they want to end their careers with a Championship. Without question, Shanna is a terrific leader by example, and she has earned the respect of her teammates and coaching staff. It's time for her to turn up the volume.
"Tye now understands that in order for us to be successful from beginning to end, we must have a consistent anchor inside. We have size, speed and athleticism, but we need to have a player give us that game-in game-out factor in the paint. Tye's responsibility is to take our posts and serve as their leader and help develop that unit into our anchor on the court. Tye, along with Nicky Anosike, Sybil Dosty and Alex Fuller, have to develop into the most consistent and productive post game in America. "They have the size, the defensive skills and board presence - they just have to get it done every game."
A good problem to have, for the coach beginning her 32nd season, is that all 11 players want to get to the head of the class.
"With the talent and competitiveness on this team, everyone will want to sit on the front row. Not everyone can sit there - there just are not enough seats," Summitt said. "I see our players defining their roles and decisions being made every day in practice as to who will sit in the front row. It's up to their individual hard work and commitment to our team game."
This season Summitt and her staff welcome back 10 players and add newcomer Lindsey Moss. Summitt shared that the off-season was also a time for her staff to reflect, regroup, refresh and retool their coaching approach as they entered the 2005-06 campaign.
"I think when we reflected back on last season, as a coaching staff, we realized that we may have given young players too much information early," Summitt said. "We had such a large group of players transitioning from high school to collegiate basketball that we may have overloaded them a bit. Everything was new from terminology to the pace of the game.
"Initially, this year will be more of a refresher course - teach, re-teach and repetition - followed by an advanced class but covering the same material...collegiate basketball, Lady Vol style. They are more comfortable with the subject matter, and we'll be able to work on the key components of the game in a very productive manner."
Right off the bat, Tennessee's veteran lineup will be looking for players to step into the vacancies created by the graduation of 6-2 All-America forward Shyra Ely (14.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg), 6-0 guard/forward Brittany Jackson (8.3 ppg and 2.1 rpg) and 5-9 guard Loree Moore (5.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 3.3 apg). The trio became just the third Lady Vol class to attend the Final Four each year of their careers and posted a phenomenal 55-1 record in regular season SEC play. "Shyra, Loree and Brittany had productive careers and were part of an outstanding run of victories in SEC play," Summitt remarked. "Dropping just one regular season SEC game in four years really sets the bar high for anyone who follows that kind of performance. It's a great challenge and legacy to pass on."
Certainly ready to accept that challenge is Zolman, who returns as the Lady Vols' leading scorer at 12.5 ppg. As a junior, Zolman connected on 68 three-pointers and buried 86 percent of her charity tosses while recording 25 games in double figures, including two break-out contests where she dropped in 28 points. Once again, "Z" showed that she can extend a defense in a hurry. Let her step back, and she will drain treys all night long. Play her too close, and she will drive to the bucket. Get there too late and foul her, and her free throws are automatic points.
"Shanna has proven to be a big-game player, and she is definitely a `go-to'," said Summitt. "Leadership, extending the defense and getting to the free throw line are keys for her. Additionally, she is very improved at the defensive end of the floor. She plays great position defense and is committed to it - it's a priority for her."
Zolman's senior classmate is Fluker, who stepped up her game and earned 22 starts as a junior in the paint, posting 7.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Intimidating on defense, she was credited for 28 blocks - second-best on the team. As indicated, Fluker has been asked to take on the role of helping to establish the "anchor" on the block. Last year, she improved four of her five career marks and returns as the second-leading rebounder on the squad.
"We are asking a lot from Tye'sha in the coming season, but I think she is ready to take on the challenge," said Summitt. "First, she needs to be consistent, and we must be able to count on her in every game. For us to be successful, we need Tye to be there from the start to establish the anchor. Second, she has the size, strength, mobility, touch and post skills to be a productive package in the paint," continued Summitt.
Tennessee's seniors, along with juniors Sidney Spencer (5.2 ppg and 4.0 rpg) and Dominique Redding (4.0 ppg and 1.6 rpg), take the "Head of the Class" theme very seriously from an academic standpoint. All four have been on the Dean's List at UT, earned All-SEC Academic honors, and Zolman secured a spot on the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America District team. Got GPA? These four sure do.
Spencer, a 6-3 forward, had earned a spot in the starting lineup and was playing the best basketball of her career when she was felled by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee on Feb. 23, 2005, and missed the final 10 games of the season.
"A healthy Sidney gives us a different dimension to our post game," Summitt said. "She is very skilled and can extend and confuse the defense with her ability to play the 3, 4 or 5 spot. Sid is a smart player but needs to develop an aggressive mindset on the offensive end and be willing to be a go-to player. As a defender, she has a great presence and understands the nuances of position play," remarked Summitt.
Mention Redding to the coach and a quick smile appears. As a sophomore, the 6-1 forward doubled her playing time while serving yeoman duty in a back-up role. Redding showed that she could be a cool customer under pressure, coming off the bench to tally seven points in as many minutes in the SEC Championship game against top-ranked LSU. As a junior, she is penciled in for a bigger role.
"Dom appears to be ready to contribute in a significant way and have an impact on the play of this team," Summitt said. "She has always been a player that would come off the bench and make shots. She is committed to being solid defensively and rebounding at both ends of the floor for us. I'm excited for her."
Likewise, Summitt is equally enthusiastic about the four sophomores and the two redshirt freshmen in the second-year class. While Anosike (6.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg), Dosty (2.5 ppg and 2.4 rpg), Alexis Hornbuckle (8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 3.1 apg) and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood (3.9 ppg and 1.5 rpg) were wowing Lady Vol fans during their rookie season, classmates Candace Parker and Fuller were sidelined rehabbing knee ailments. The good news is that all are healthy and ready to go.
Anosike, a physically-imposing 6-4 center, registered 25 starts, tallied a team-high 33 blocked shots and made 181 trips to the charity stripe as she was named to the SEC All-Rookie Team. Additionally, an excellent student, she was also selected to the SEC All-Freshman Honor Roll. She returns as UT's leading rebounder after spending a summer helping the USA win the U19 World Championship gold medal.
"Nicky's work ethic, intensity and competitiveness have a great impact on our team," said Summitt. "To elevate her game, offensively, Nicky must be a consistent scorer, and defensively, she has tremendous potential to be an enforcer in the paint. She is a versatile defender who can guard on the perimeter or in the post and fits into our scheme as a full-court defender as well," said Summitt.
Hornbuckle, a rangy guard at 5-11, was just plain fun to watch as a rookie and begins her sophomore year as a seasoned veteran with 21 starts. She led the team in assists (110) and steals (64) in her first season and emerged as one of the best rebounding guards (5.4 rpg) in Lady Vol history en route to All-SEC Rookie Team status. She claimed SEC Player of the Week honors after leading the Lady Vols with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win at Connecticut.
"Alexis has natural leadership qualities, and is a great combo guard and an outstanding rebounder from her position" Summitt said. "She can score inside and out and is great at putting the ball on the floor and penetrating to the basket. Additionally, we will be asking more from her defensively this season with the graduation of Loree Moore," explained Summitt.
Hornbuckle's sidekick in the backcourt is 5-9 guard Wiley-Gatewood, who saw action in just 13 games as a rookie due to nagging patella tendonitis which eventually required surgery in March. Glimpses of her game found a player who could thread the needle, nail treys under pressure and step to the charity stripe with ice water in her veins. She did a little of each, scoring the final six points en route to a career high of a dozen in the win over Connecticut last January. She was UT's best free throw shooter for the season, connecting at a 91.7 percent clip.
"We're excited to have her back," Summitt said. "Sa'de is a naturally-gifted point guard with a terrific feel for the game. She makes timely decisions that you can't teach - she sees and delivers. She is physically and mentally tougher since her surgery, and she is ready to step in and run this team. Sa'de is a big play person. She can create or take and make shots," said Summitt.
Dosty is a 6-3 post who was the most accurate shooter on the team last year, connecting on 56.5 percent of her shots. She showed that she is capable of making things happen in a hurry with an 11-point and 11-rebound outburst in 14 minutes of playing time in the win over DePaul. She appeared in 27 games and averaged 2.5 ppg and 2.4 rpg.
"This season Sybil is more prepared for an up-tempo game" Summitt said. "Last year she was our most accurate post player, offensively, and had a very good off-season preparing to contribute to our front line attack. I would call Sybil one of our most improved post players," commented Summitt.
Impatiently waiting in the wings while tenaciously rehabbing their knees, Fuller and Parker are sophomores academically and rookies in eligibility. Tennessee fans have been anticipating Parker's arrival and her ability to wow the crowd with dunks since she inked her scholarship papers in November 2003.
Parker's high school accolades could fill their own section in this media guide. Suffice it to say she earned a double tractor-trailer load of honors on the prep level but is anxiously awaiting to make her mark in the women's collegiate game.
"Having been off the court with her injury, Candace is just getting comfortable with her team, herself and the game," said Summitt. "She has great presence and instincts. Candace can play inside or out, handle and pass. She has developed and all-around game and the skills to go with it. Defensively, she has a terrific presence and loves to start her offense with her defense," emphasized Summitt.
Parker had a rehab buddy in Fuller, who arrived at Tennessee realizing that she was going to redshirt. A 6-3 forward, Fuller is the lone Tennessean on the roster hailing from the high school hotbed of Shelbyville. A multi-dimensional player and a prep All-American, Fuller knows all about cutting down championship nets.
"I'm pleased with the progress Alex has made since getting back on the floor," Summitt said. "She's a frontline player who gives us both a face-up and post-up option. Alex has a good feel for the game and a nice shooting touch. She is different from other post players since she has solid forward skills to add to the post game. She'll help us stretch defenses," said Summitt.
The Lady Vols' lone newcomer is 6-1 guard Lindsey Moss, who hails from Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee H.S.). Moss went to both sessions of summer school and quickly assimilated herself with her teammates and the collegiate game.
"Lindsey is a skilled shooter and a solid passer with great open court vision," Summitt said. "We're excited about her offensive game and her ability to step out and shoot the three. As our only true freshman, she has blended in quickly with her teammates," said Summitt.
Eleven Lady Vol players are anxious and excited about the prospect of getting to the "Head of the Class." Along the way, they had better consult their syllabus and be prepared at a moment's notice for pop quizzes along the way to mid-term, final and comprehensive exams. Their report card at season's end will certainly reflect their work ethic and attention to detail.
The opposition, well, the 29 tests, during the regular season will again grade the depth of this Lady Vol team and the development of the offensive and defensive games almost immediately. In addition to the perennial Southeastern Conference powerhouses, the Lady Vols will also tangle with a slew of top rivals, including Michigan State, Gonzaga and Maryland in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands at Thanksgiving, as well as regular season meetings with Connecticut, Duke, Stanford, Texas, Louisiana Tech, Notre Dame, Temple and Old Dominion.
"You know, I say this every year," chuckled Summitt, "but this year the SEC - from top to bottom - will be stronger than it's ever been. There are several teams who are greatly improved, and I see us in the thick of things as we try to defend our SEC Tournament title and hope to regain the top spot in the league during the regular season. To be sure, the SEC schedule will be extremely challenging, no matter if we are in Knoxville or on the road," said Summitt.
The SEC regular season schedule will seem like one midterm exam after another, 14 challenging tests in all, due to the continued high level caliber of players, coaches and teams in the league.
Final exams will start in the postseason, as the 2006 Southeastern Conference Tournament will return to the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., Mar. 2-5. The Lady Vols will then be on the road for all NCAA postseason play in First/Second Round and Regional contests in March before culminating with comprehensive final exams scheduled at the NCAA Final Four in Boston, Mass., April 2-4 at the TD Banknorth Garden.
If the 2005-06 Tennessee Lady Vols are students of their sport and pass their 29 tests throughout the regular season, are proficient during their mid-term exams and pass their final exams with flying Orange and White colors, then they will certainly go to the "Head of the Class."
And if they find themselves in that lofty position, perhaps then they can lecture about the
2006 Boston T Party...Tennessee Lady Vols' style.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
NCW - Top 25 breakdown: No. 2 Tennessee
Parker ready to play for Lady Vols
If Duke is a sure thing at No. 1 in ESPN.com's preseason top 25, then Tennessee is an easy pick at No. 2.
Despite losing three key players (Shyra Ely, Loree Moore and Brittany Jackson) who led Tennessee to four consecutive Final Four appearances, the Lady Vols are loaded this season -- although the biggest piece of the Lady Vols' title aspirations still hasn't actually played college ball yet. Redshirt freshman Candace Parker, the national high school player of the year two years ago, sat out last season because of lateral meniscus and lateral articular cartilage knee surgery. Now, Parker is finally healthy. Need proof? In a pickup game last week, Parker dunked over Ryan Childress, a 6-foot-9, 248-pound freshman on the Tennessee men's basketball team.
Parker is expected to be the team's leading scorer right away, and her coaches believe she will change the way women's basketball is played. Like Julius Erving, Parker is expected to take the game above the rim. She could play every position on the court at some point during the season, but will start at small forward.
The backcourt will consist of Alexis Hornbuckle, Shanna Zolman and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood. Hornbuckle is a very quick guard with excellent scoring ability and Zolman is the team's best outside shooter and leading returning scorer (12.5 ppg). Wiley-Gatewood, who is nursing patellar tendinitis, is the instant offense off the bench, and could assume the starting role at some point. She is a pass-first point guard with scoring ability.
Post Tye'sha Fluker gives Tennessee much-needed vocal leadership, something that was lacking last season.
The front court will be solid, as well. In addition to Parker, Nicky Anosike and Tye'sha Fluker will play in the post. After a season in which she was awful shooting the ball (36.8 percent accuracy from the field), Anosike worked tirelessly -- her work ethic has been compared to that of former Lady Vols star Tamika Catchings -- in the offseason to improve herself. Anosike is fearless under the boards and is projected to be breakout player this season. In fact, her given name, Nkolika, means "All's well that ends well" in Nigerian.
Fluker will provide the team with some much-needed vocal leadership, something that was a weakness last season.
This will not be a rebuilding year for Tennessee. The Lady Vols will go 11 deep this season and use rotations much like they did in 1997-98, when Tennessee went 39-0 and won its last national title. Substitution patterns will be very similar to lines in hockey, when 3-5 players are changed at a time. This team is going to come at you in waves. And they are waves of solid players.
All this and no mention of the coach? Pat Summitt starts her 32nd season with an NCAA-record 882 wins. Last season's Lady Vols were the worst shooting team (41.6 percent from the field) of her coaching career, and Summitt spent all offseason waiting for the pieces to fall into place. Injuries took a team that had 15 scholarship players on opening day down to just nine at the end of the season. Everyone should be healthy when Tennessee opens 2005-06 at home against Stetson on Nov. 20, and the offense Summitt built for last season might now become a reality.
TENNESSEE TIDBITS
Key additions:
Candace Parker, redshirt-fr., 6-3
Lindsey Moss, fr., 6-1
Alex Fuller, redshirt-fr., 6-3
Key losses:
Shyra Ely, 14.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Brittany Jackson, 8.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Loree Moore, 5.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Projected starters:
G -- Alexis Hornbuckle
G -- Shanna Zolman
F -- Candace Parker
F -- Nicky Anosike
C -- Tye'sha Fluker
If Duke is a sure thing at No. 1 in ESPN.com's preseason top 25, then Tennessee is an easy pick at No. 2.
Despite losing three key players (Shyra Ely, Loree Moore and Brittany Jackson) who led Tennessee to four consecutive Final Four appearances, the Lady Vols are loaded this season -- although the biggest piece of the Lady Vols' title aspirations still hasn't actually played college ball yet. Redshirt freshman Candace Parker, the national high school player of the year two years ago, sat out last season because of lateral meniscus and lateral articular cartilage knee surgery. Now, Parker is finally healthy. Need proof? In a pickup game last week, Parker dunked over Ryan Childress, a 6-foot-9, 248-pound freshman on the Tennessee men's basketball team.
Parker is expected to be the team's leading scorer right away, and her coaches believe she will change the way women's basketball is played. Like Julius Erving, Parker is expected to take the game above the rim. She could play every position on the court at some point during the season, but will start at small forward.
The backcourt will consist of Alexis Hornbuckle, Shanna Zolman and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood. Hornbuckle is a very quick guard with excellent scoring ability and Zolman is the team's best outside shooter and leading returning scorer (12.5 ppg). Wiley-Gatewood, who is nursing patellar tendinitis, is the instant offense off the bench, and could assume the starting role at some point. She is a pass-first point guard with scoring ability.
Post Tye'sha Fluker gives Tennessee much-needed vocal leadership, something that was lacking last season.
The front court will be solid, as well. In addition to Parker, Nicky Anosike and Tye'sha Fluker will play in the post. After a season in which she was awful shooting the ball (36.8 percent accuracy from the field), Anosike worked tirelessly -- her work ethic has been compared to that of former Lady Vols star Tamika Catchings -- in the offseason to improve herself. Anosike is fearless under the boards and is projected to be breakout player this season. In fact, her given name, Nkolika, means "All's well that ends well" in Nigerian.
Fluker will provide the team with some much-needed vocal leadership, something that was a weakness last season.
This will not be a rebuilding year for Tennessee. The Lady Vols will go 11 deep this season and use rotations much like they did in 1997-98, when Tennessee went 39-0 and won its last national title. Substitution patterns will be very similar to lines in hockey, when 3-5 players are changed at a time. This team is going to come at you in waves. And they are waves of solid players.
All this and no mention of the coach? Pat Summitt starts her 32nd season with an NCAA-record 882 wins. Last season's Lady Vols were the worst shooting team (41.6 percent from the field) of her coaching career, and Summitt spent all offseason waiting for the pieces to fall into place. Injuries took a team that had 15 scholarship players on opening day down to just nine at the end of the season. Everyone should be healthy when Tennessee opens 2005-06 at home against Stetson on Nov. 20, and the offense Summitt built for last season might now become a reality.
TENNESSEE TIDBITS
Key additions:
Candace Parker, redshirt-fr., 6-3
Lindsey Moss, fr., 6-1
Alex Fuller, redshirt-fr., 6-3
Key losses:
Shyra Ely, 14.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Brittany Jackson, 8.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Loree Moore, 5.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Projected starters:
G -- Alexis Hornbuckle
G -- Shanna Zolman
F -- Candace Parker
F -- Nicky Anosike
C -- Tye'sha Fluker
Saturday, October 15, 2005
LADY VOLS BEGIN OFFICIAL BASKETBALL PRACTICE :: First Exhibition Game In Less Than Four Weeks
Just four weeks away from their first exhibition game, the Lady Vol basketball team took the floor for the first official practice of the 2005-06 season. A crowd of several hundred fans welcomed the squad to "The Summitt" in the christening of the new court.
The two hour session began with basic skill work drills, including shooting from various ranges, passing and spacing. Assistant coach Dean Lockwood worked with the post players on box out drills.
"I liked our early play," said Lockwood. "We slipped a bit towards the end of practice but I liked our physicality and our energy early on. We'll continue to refine and polish our technique and skills as the season approaches."
The team played five-on-five full court, using team members as the defenders for the first time since workouts began in August. The workout featured high energy and was met by enthusiastic applause from the onlookers.
Sybil Dosty, still nursing a strained quadricep, worked on endurance by riding the exercise bike on the sidelines.
"The first hour and fifteen minutes we looked strong and sharp," said head coach Pat Summitt. "The second half of practice, you could tell that we were a little over-anxious, we went emotionally flat early in the evening."
The Lady Vols return to the hardwood Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The two hour session began with basic skill work drills, including shooting from various ranges, passing and spacing. Assistant coach Dean Lockwood worked with the post players on box out drills.
"I liked our early play," said Lockwood. "We slipped a bit towards the end of practice but I liked our physicality and our energy early on. We'll continue to refine and polish our technique and skills as the season approaches."
The team played five-on-five full court, using team members as the defenders for the first time since workouts began in August. The workout featured high energy and was met by enthusiastic applause from the onlookers.
Sybil Dosty, still nursing a strained quadricep, worked on endurance by riding the exercise bike on the sidelines.
"The first hour and fifteen minutes we looked strong and sharp," said head coach Pat Summitt. "The second half of practice, you could tell that we were a little over-anxious, we went emotionally flat early in the evening."
The Lady Vols return to the hardwood Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
It's a 'Rocky Top' season for Flaute, Tennessee teammates
The chant comes near the finish line, a sure sign that the University of Tennessee women's cross country team has accomplished its mission.
"Rocky Top, you'll always be/Home sweet home to me/Good ol' Rocky Top/Rocky Top, Tennessee."
Katie Flaute and her teammates sing the Vols' anthem passionately.
"I knew the words before I came here," the 2002 Carroll graduate said. "My brother Kevin gave me the lyrics as a graduation present. Singing it after a big win makes you feel good. I love it down here in Knoxville."
Flaute, a junior, is enjoying a breakout season for the nationally ranked Vols. She earned Southeastern Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week honors after she finished ninth out of 310 runners in the Paul Short Run on Oct. 1. The distance dynamo clocked 20:53 over 6,000 meters. It was her third straight personal-record performance. She hopes to help 18th-ranked Tennessee to its third consecutive SEC title and another trip to the NCAA Championships.
"I'm running with more confidence and my times are 30 seconds faster than they were a year ago at the same time," said Flaute, who carries a 3.92 GPA in exercise science. "I rely on my stamina more than speed. I'm pretty strong in the middle of my races and I can run aggressively when I need to."
A highlight of the Vols' season always comes when they compete against the tradition-rich Arkansas cross country team. The Vols have outdistanced Arkansas the last two years under coach J.J. Clark and silenced the Razorbacks' own victory chant, "Whoo, pig! Sooey!"
"We don't like each other," said Flaute. "It's always a spirited meet with them."
After claiming the SEC title, members of the Big Orange Pack (they wear bright orange singlets) received a special invitation to a picnic at Pat Summitt's home. Summitt is the legendary coach of the Vols' women's basketball team.
"Coach Summitt sets the standard here with what she has accomplished and is an inspiration to every athlete," Flaute said. "She honored all five of our SEC championship teams (cross country, track, volleyball, soccer and women's basketball) at her house and it was really an exciting day."
Quick hitters
• Junior midfielder Karen Beers (Bellbrook) has set the Otterbein career goal-scoring record.
"My two most memorable goals came against Denison my freshman year when I hit the game-winner in double overtime, and then in last year's OAC tournament, I scored the game-winner against Capital that put us in the national tournament," Beers said. "I have an attack mentality and I'm very competitive."
Beers broke the Otterbein record with a pair of goals in a 5-0 victory over Baldwin-Wallace last Saturday. She has 31 career goals.
• Tennessee volleyball player Chelsea Noble (Vandalia) registered 17 digs against No. 5-ranked Florida last week. Noble has excelled as a defensive specialist/libero.
"Rocky Top, you'll always be/Home sweet home to me/Good ol' Rocky Top/Rocky Top, Tennessee."
Katie Flaute and her teammates sing the Vols' anthem passionately.
"I knew the words before I came here," the 2002 Carroll graduate said. "My brother Kevin gave me the lyrics as a graduation present. Singing it after a big win makes you feel good. I love it down here in Knoxville."
Flaute, a junior, is enjoying a breakout season for the nationally ranked Vols. She earned Southeastern Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week honors after she finished ninth out of 310 runners in the Paul Short Run on Oct. 1. The distance dynamo clocked 20:53 over 6,000 meters. It was her third straight personal-record performance. She hopes to help 18th-ranked Tennessee to its third consecutive SEC title and another trip to the NCAA Championships.
"I'm running with more confidence and my times are 30 seconds faster than they were a year ago at the same time," said Flaute, who carries a 3.92 GPA in exercise science. "I rely on my stamina more than speed. I'm pretty strong in the middle of my races and I can run aggressively when I need to."
A highlight of the Vols' season always comes when they compete against the tradition-rich Arkansas cross country team. The Vols have outdistanced Arkansas the last two years under coach J.J. Clark and silenced the Razorbacks' own victory chant, "Whoo, pig! Sooey!"
"We don't like each other," said Flaute. "It's always a spirited meet with them."
After claiming the SEC title, members of the Big Orange Pack (they wear bright orange singlets) received a special invitation to a picnic at Pat Summitt's home. Summitt is the legendary coach of the Vols' women's basketball team.
"Coach Summitt sets the standard here with what she has accomplished and is an inspiration to every athlete," Flaute said. "She honored all five of our SEC championship teams (cross country, track, volleyball, soccer and women's basketball) at her house and it was really an exciting day."
Quick hitters
• Junior midfielder Karen Beers (Bellbrook) has set the Otterbein career goal-scoring record.
"My two most memorable goals came against Denison my freshman year when I hit the game-winner in double overtime, and then in last year's OAC tournament, I scored the game-winner against Capital that put us in the national tournament," Beers said. "I have an attack mentality and I'm very competitive."
Beers broke the Otterbein record with a pair of goals in a 5-0 victory over Baldwin-Wallace last Saturday. She has 31 career goals.
• Tennessee volleyball player Chelsea Noble (Vandalia) registered 17 digs against No. 5-ranked Florida last week. Noble has excelled as a defensive specialist/libero.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Smallbone will climb to Rocky Top
SOUTH BEND -- Being the cornerstone in the building of an elite women's college basketball program was tempting.
But being a key component of one of the best that's already established was too good to pass up.
Sydney Smallbone weighed her options, but didn't have to think too long. Once Tennessee called, the 5-foot-10 junior sharpshooter from St. Joseph's High School answered.
Tuesday, she called coach Pat Summitt back to commit to play for the Volunteers starting in the fall of 2007. She chose Tennessee over Notre Dame, Indiana and Purdue. Coaches aren't allowed to comment on recruits until they've actually signed a letter-of-intent.
"I met with the (Tennessee) coaches and the players last weekend and it was the right fit," said Smallbone, who has had correspondence with the Vols since she was in eighth grade. "I want to win. The other programs were great, but playing at Tennessee has always been a dream of mine."
Smallbone shares that dream with another former area athlete, Wawasee High School grad Shanna Zolman. The Tennessee senior guard was Smallbone's host on the trip and personal confidante.
"Shanna took me aside, one-on-one, and told me what it really takes to play there," Smallbone said. "She told me about the homesickness you go through as a freshman being so far away."
Zolman didn't sugarcoat what it takes to survive. She's had her share of struggles before emerging as a leader.
"Shanna said that every day is constant work, whether it's practice or a game," Smallbone said. "There's never a day off, but you love it so much you find a way to get through it."
Smallbone, a solid shooter who can catch fire and take over a game, averaged 13 points a game each of the last two seasons. She played a key role in St. Joe's run to the Class 3-A state championship as a sophomore last year and is hoping for a repeat this season.
"One week after the state championship game, Sydney was playing in an AAU tournament," Indians coach Mike Megyese said. "That's the kind of competitor she is. She's not one to rest on her laurels. She knows what she's in for at a place like Tennessee."
One of the expectations will be to add a little defense to her offensive skills.
"I need to pick up my defense," Smallbone said. "That's a big part of the college game."
"If there's one big area that any player going into college has to work on it's defense," Megyese said. "I've had many college coaches tell me that Sydney will be outstanding because of her attitude. She has a body that's built so well to withstand the physical demands of college basketball."
But being a key component of one of the best that's already established was too good to pass up.
Sydney Smallbone weighed her options, but didn't have to think too long. Once Tennessee called, the 5-foot-10 junior sharpshooter from St. Joseph's High School answered.
Tuesday, she called coach Pat Summitt back to commit to play for the Volunteers starting in the fall of 2007. She chose Tennessee over Notre Dame, Indiana and Purdue. Coaches aren't allowed to comment on recruits until they've actually signed a letter-of-intent.
"I met with the (Tennessee) coaches and the players last weekend and it was the right fit," said Smallbone, who has had correspondence with the Vols since she was in eighth grade. "I want to win. The other programs were great, but playing at Tennessee has always been a dream of mine."
Smallbone shares that dream with another former area athlete, Wawasee High School grad Shanna Zolman. The Tennessee senior guard was Smallbone's host on the trip and personal confidante.
"Shanna took me aside, one-on-one, and told me what it really takes to play there," Smallbone said. "She told me about the homesickness you go through as a freshman being so far away."
Zolman didn't sugarcoat what it takes to survive. She's had her share of struggles before emerging as a leader.
"Shanna said that every day is constant work, whether it's practice or a game," Smallbone said. "There's never a day off, but you love it so much you find a way to get through it."
Smallbone, a solid shooter who can catch fire and take over a game, averaged 13 points a game each of the last two seasons. She played a key role in St. Joe's run to the Class 3-A state championship as a sophomore last year and is hoping for a repeat this season.
"One week after the state championship game, Sydney was playing in an AAU tournament," Indians coach Mike Megyese said. "That's the kind of competitor she is. She's not one to rest on her laurels. She knows what she's in for at a place like Tennessee."
One of the expectations will be to add a little defense to her offensive skills.
"I need to pick up my defense," Smallbone said. "That's a big part of the college game."
"If there's one big area that any player going into college has to work on it's defense," Megyese said. "I've had many college coaches tell me that Sydney will be outstanding because of her attitude. She has a body that's built so well to withstand the physical demands of college basketball."
Physical changes taking place
KNOXVILLE -- Change is in the air at Thompson-Boling Arena, and it extends to things beyond the opening of men's basketball season under new head coach Bruce Pearl next month.
Those drill rigs in the parking lot aren't aiming for oil, though athletics director Mike Hamilton might enjoy supplementing his budget with a wildcat strike or two (in basketball as well as in crude).
Soil samples are being taken to gauge the abilty of the porous earth in that location to sustain a new practice facility next to the arena, and although that project lies in the future, changes have also been made in the arena itself, including a return to orange and white only logos on the court floor, a resurrection of the Ray Mears room and an attempt to move the student section closer to the floor.
In addition, the media room will be relocated farther from donors and closer to the river, with hopes of eventually moving it into or across the river, but that part of the plan for resurrection of the arena is secret...so shhh, for now.
``We're looking at renovating this building and making it not just the largest but the best facility in the country,'' Pearl said at Tuesday's basketball media day on campus.
``You won't recognize the Ray Mears room next time you see it. We're moving forward on a new practice facility, which is an absolute necessity. We're changing the student section and with the new court with Pat Summitt's name, this is going to become one of the best facilities in college basketball. This will be a place we can recruit to and be as attractive as any place in the SEC.''
The Volunteers this season will also occasionally be wearing throwback uniforms reminiscent of the height of men's basketball a UT -- the Ernie and Bernie era.
Cosmetic changes aside, the familiar yet new Bruce Pearl Vols will be playing a different brand of basketball this season, with an emphasis on speed and defense that they say is unprecedented in their experience in the program.
``I love the fast pace. It's a style that opens things up for a lot of players,'' senior Stanley Asumnu said. ``Defense is the key. On offense, I'll be able to show more of what I can do.''
Point guard C.J. Watson, who will be the Vols' only other eligible senior when the season opens, says this team is going to use everyone in uniform.
``I think everybody is doing quite well,'' Watson said. ``At first, we weren't quite sure how everybody would fit into it, but now everybody is fitting in pretty good. Everybody's knowing their spots and knowing their roles.''
But how can optimism not reign at this point, among players, coaches and fans?
``It's a new opportunity for everyone,'' Asumnu says.
And Pearl is now the focus of all that is new and positive.
``I think people are going to give us a shot,'' he said. ``I think people are excited about men's basketball, and I tell you, we can win big here in men's basketball.''
Those drill rigs in the parking lot aren't aiming for oil, though athletics director Mike Hamilton might enjoy supplementing his budget with a wildcat strike or two (in basketball as well as in crude).
Soil samples are being taken to gauge the abilty of the porous earth in that location to sustain a new practice facility next to the arena, and although that project lies in the future, changes have also been made in the arena itself, including a return to orange and white only logos on the court floor, a resurrection of the Ray Mears room and an attempt to move the student section closer to the floor.
In addition, the media room will be relocated farther from donors and closer to the river, with hopes of eventually moving it into or across the river, but that part of the plan for resurrection of the arena is secret...so shhh, for now.
``We're looking at renovating this building and making it not just the largest but the best facility in the country,'' Pearl said at Tuesday's basketball media day on campus.
``You won't recognize the Ray Mears room next time you see it. We're moving forward on a new practice facility, which is an absolute necessity. We're changing the student section and with the new court with Pat Summitt's name, this is going to become one of the best facilities in college basketball. This will be a place we can recruit to and be as attractive as any place in the SEC.''
The Volunteers this season will also occasionally be wearing throwback uniforms reminiscent of the height of men's basketball a UT -- the Ernie and Bernie era.
Cosmetic changes aside, the familiar yet new Bruce Pearl Vols will be playing a different brand of basketball this season, with an emphasis on speed and defense that they say is unprecedented in their experience in the program.
``I love the fast pace. It's a style that opens things up for a lot of players,'' senior Stanley Asumnu said. ``Defense is the key. On offense, I'll be able to show more of what I can do.''
Point guard C.J. Watson, who will be the Vols' only other eligible senior when the season opens, says this team is going to use everyone in uniform.
``I think everybody is doing quite well,'' Watson said. ``At first, we weren't quite sure how everybody would fit into it, but now everybody is fitting in pretty good. Everybody's knowing their spots and knowing their roles.''
But how can optimism not reign at this point, among players, coaches and fans?
``It's a new opportunity for everyone,'' Asumnu says.
And Pearl is now the focus of all that is new and positive.
``I think people are going to give us a shot,'' he said. ``I think people are excited about men's basketball, and I tell you, we can win big here in men's basketball.''
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Talk the talk
An integral part of learning to walk the walk, Lady Vols Center Nicky Anosike also must talk the talk
The words came from basic English and yet they sounded like a faraway foreign dialect to Nicky Anosike.
Seal, pin and spin, leg whip, drop step ...
"It was like a whole other language,'' Anosike said.
She was a freshman women's basketball player at Tennessee, eager to learn and hanging on coach Pat Summitt's every word.
Anosike thought that she was right where she wanted to be. And suddenly she was lost.
"I had no clue what Pat was talking about,'' Anosike said. "... You get here and you find out you don't know anything. It's the worst feeling.''
Anosike was laughing as she recounted her bewildering encounter with the basketball vernacular of post play. The comfort comes from being more fluent.
"In basketball speak and post lingo,'' Lady Vols assistant coach Dean Lockwood said, "she's gone from first-year student to third year.''
Wherever Anosike is going with her basketball career, she is following the words and the accompanying voices. They are the cadence for a determined journey that's heading into her sophomore season.
Lockwood has been coaching for 27 years. He has one year's worth of experience with Anosike. Already she ranks as one of the best listeners he's ever coached.
"Her antenna is always up,'' said Lockwood, who works primarily with UT's post players. "She's not afraid to ask questions and challenge something in a positive way. A player like that is going to grow by leaps and bounds.''
During Thursday's basketball workout, Lockwood introduced a shot fake to a shooting drill. Anosike immediately asked for a more detailed explanation.
Lockwood thinks he knows the scope of Anosike's attentive nature. But he really doesn't know. Last season, she pulled herself up from a player who had never played a true post position to an SEC All-Freshman team honoree with double-double potential for points and rebounds. She did so, in large part, by clinging tightly to a few early season words of encouragement from Lockwood.
He told her, "You have great potential. Never lose hope. Never stop fighting.''
"That meant so much to me when Dean said that to me,'' Anosike said. "I don't know if he even remembers what he said to me.''
Be careful what you say to Anosike. Every single world is being processed and refined as fuel for her engine. A timely insight or a thoughtful compliment is, in her words, "like feeding you confidence.''
Anosike built enough confidence last season and during the summer playing for the U.S. U19 World Championship team to approach Summitt about having a bigger scoring role.
In the meantime, she's listening to Summitt's advice on how to best marshal her abilities and achieve her objective.
"Coach, she's harping on the idea that post players need to have composure,'' Anosike said.
Ultimately, Anosike's journey will speak not only for her ambitions but also the coaching she receives. The Lady Vols pledged to develop her into a post player. It was part of her recruitment. Since he wasn't on the staff then, Lockwood wasn't privy to the sales pitch. Anosike brought him up to speed during an individual meeting last season.
"They said they were going to teach me to be a post player,'' Lockwood recalled Anosike telling him. "You have to be patient with me.''
Lockwood is a good listener, too. Last June, during a UT basketball camp, Lockwood came back to Thompson-Boling Arena late one evening to turn out the lights.
He heard the sound of a basketball on the arena floor. Thump. Thump. Thump.
He went up to his office to do some work and wait out a player's work session. Occasionally, he would come down the steps, listen and go back upstairs.
The thump-thump of the basketball carried past midnight until nearly 1 a.m.
It was the sound of Anosike. She was right where she wanted to be.
Notebook: Center Sybil Dosty missed Thursday's workout with a left quadriceps strain. ... The Lady Vols are practicing this morning at the arena. ... Junior prospect Sydney Smallbone, a guard from South Bend, Ind., is making an unofficial visit this weekend. ... Guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, who sat out some basketball workouts last month with a tendinitis flare-up, took part in Thursday's workout.
The words came from basic English and yet they sounded like a faraway foreign dialect to Nicky Anosike.
Seal, pin and spin, leg whip, drop step ...
"It was like a whole other language,'' Anosike said.
She was a freshman women's basketball player at Tennessee, eager to learn and hanging on coach Pat Summitt's every word.
Anosike thought that she was right where she wanted to be. And suddenly she was lost.
"I had no clue what Pat was talking about,'' Anosike said. "... You get here and you find out you don't know anything. It's the worst feeling.''
Anosike was laughing as she recounted her bewildering encounter with the basketball vernacular of post play. The comfort comes from being more fluent.
"In basketball speak and post lingo,'' Lady Vols assistant coach Dean Lockwood said, "she's gone from first-year student to third year.''
Wherever Anosike is going with her basketball career, she is following the words and the accompanying voices. They are the cadence for a determined journey that's heading into her sophomore season.
Lockwood has been coaching for 27 years. He has one year's worth of experience with Anosike. Already she ranks as one of the best listeners he's ever coached.
"Her antenna is always up,'' said Lockwood, who works primarily with UT's post players. "She's not afraid to ask questions and challenge something in a positive way. A player like that is going to grow by leaps and bounds.''
During Thursday's basketball workout, Lockwood introduced a shot fake to a shooting drill. Anosike immediately asked for a more detailed explanation.
Lockwood thinks he knows the scope of Anosike's attentive nature. But he really doesn't know. Last season, she pulled herself up from a player who had never played a true post position to an SEC All-Freshman team honoree with double-double potential for points and rebounds. She did so, in large part, by clinging tightly to a few early season words of encouragement from Lockwood.
He told her, "You have great potential. Never lose hope. Never stop fighting.''
"That meant so much to me when Dean said that to me,'' Anosike said. "I don't know if he even remembers what he said to me.''
Be careful what you say to Anosike. Every single world is being processed and refined as fuel for her engine. A timely insight or a thoughtful compliment is, in her words, "like feeding you confidence.''
Anosike built enough confidence last season and during the summer playing for the U.S. U19 World Championship team to approach Summitt about having a bigger scoring role.
In the meantime, she's listening to Summitt's advice on how to best marshal her abilities and achieve her objective.
"Coach, she's harping on the idea that post players need to have composure,'' Anosike said.
Ultimately, Anosike's journey will speak not only for her ambitions but also the coaching she receives. The Lady Vols pledged to develop her into a post player. It was part of her recruitment. Since he wasn't on the staff then, Lockwood wasn't privy to the sales pitch. Anosike brought him up to speed during an individual meeting last season.
"They said they were going to teach me to be a post player,'' Lockwood recalled Anosike telling him. "You have to be patient with me.''
Lockwood is a good listener, too. Last June, during a UT basketball camp, Lockwood came back to Thompson-Boling Arena late one evening to turn out the lights.
He heard the sound of a basketball on the arena floor. Thump. Thump. Thump.
He went up to his office to do some work and wait out a player's work session. Occasionally, he would come down the steps, listen and go back upstairs.
The thump-thump of the basketball carried past midnight until nearly 1 a.m.
It was the sound of Anosike. She was right where she wanted to be.
Notebook: Center Sybil Dosty missed Thursday's workout with a left quadriceps strain. ... The Lady Vols are practicing this morning at the arena. ... Junior prospect Sydney Smallbone, a guard from South Bend, Ind., is making an unofficial visit this weekend. ... Guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, who sat out some basketball workouts last month with a tendinitis flare-up, took part in Thursday's workout.
Athletes roll over UT's finest
Some of the state's best wheelchair basketball players took UT coaches, players, and administrators to school Thursday night for a good cause.
October is disability awareness month, with a basketball game between wheelchair all stars and some of UT's finest highlighted the power of perseverance.
Outside was an example of why so many focused on the HPER building on the UT campus.
"One of the worst spots I know," says Cody Joss, referring to a pothole that most people could walk over.
Joss does not have such a luxury. A broken neck four years ago robbed him of his ability to walk, but gave him the ability to overcome obstacles few could fathom.
"They've cleaned it up a lot in the last few years," Cody says about handicap accessibility on the UT campus. "They really have."
Still, he says there are plenty of trouble spots that still remain. Parking particularly bothers him, as do bumps that makes his navigation around campus more complex than his fellow students.
"It's just a matter of taking a detour," he says. "Once you learn a bad route, you know that bad route, and you always have to go differently."
To hopefully prevent other students from going through what he has, Cody kept his wheels in motion by heading over to watch the game and show some support. It is support the wheelchair all stars appreciate, but do not need.
"It's usually somewhat lopsided," Anthony Ryan said about games like these.
Ryan says those sitting in a chair and playing for the first time end up feeling like their arms are on fire. In the first half, it was the wheelchair all stars who were on fire, passing, stealing, and scoring at will. It put UT basketball players and coaches on the wrong side of lopsided.
"Just their reaction time and their quickness to the ball, these guys on the other side have no chance, not a chance," said Lady Vols Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, referring to some of the players she coaches.
Summitt met with the visitors before the game. While they appreciated the kind words, their focus remained relentless, focusing solely on what they can do now
"Sports are sports whether you play in a chair or not," said Ryan.
Ken Johnson's best sport Thursday was being a good sport. The Director of Basketball Operations operated on his backside, falling head over heals trying to navigate the court.
"It's a whole different experience," he said. "You don't use those muscles everyday."
The score board operator did not use many muscles either counting up the UT total. They had two baskets in the first half.
"They have no mercy," said Coach Summitt. "I just marvel at their athleticism, intensity, and competitiveness."
In the end, the wheelchair all stars won 22-8. To those that supported them, it was just another win.
"Able bodied people are going to be in wheelchairs," Joss said.
To those that watched, it was a lesson about determination.
"They have been able to overcome," said Coach Summitt.
Added Johnson, "It takes a lot of skill."
October is disability awareness month, with a basketball game between wheelchair all stars and some of UT's finest highlighted the power of perseverance.
Outside was an example of why so many focused on the HPER building on the UT campus.
"One of the worst spots I know," says Cody Joss, referring to a pothole that most people could walk over.
Joss does not have such a luxury. A broken neck four years ago robbed him of his ability to walk, but gave him the ability to overcome obstacles few could fathom.
"They've cleaned it up a lot in the last few years," Cody says about handicap accessibility on the UT campus. "They really have."
Still, he says there are plenty of trouble spots that still remain. Parking particularly bothers him, as do bumps that makes his navigation around campus more complex than his fellow students.
"It's just a matter of taking a detour," he says. "Once you learn a bad route, you know that bad route, and you always have to go differently."
To hopefully prevent other students from going through what he has, Cody kept his wheels in motion by heading over to watch the game and show some support. It is support the wheelchair all stars appreciate, but do not need.
"It's usually somewhat lopsided," Anthony Ryan said about games like these.
Ryan says those sitting in a chair and playing for the first time end up feeling like their arms are on fire. In the first half, it was the wheelchair all stars who were on fire, passing, stealing, and scoring at will. It put UT basketball players and coaches on the wrong side of lopsided.
"Just their reaction time and their quickness to the ball, these guys on the other side have no chance, not a chance," said Lady Vols Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, referring to some of the players she coaches.
Summitt met with the visitors before the game. While they appreciated the kind words, their focus remained relentless, focusing solely on what they can do now
"Sports are sports whether you play in a chair or not," said Ryan.
Ken Johnson's best sport Thursday was being a good sport. The Director of Basketball Operations operated on his backside, falling head over heals trying to navigate the court.
"It's a whole different experience," he said. "You don't use those muscles everyday."
The score board operator did not use many muscles either counting up the UT total. They had two baskets in the first half.
"They have no mercy," said Coach Summitt. "I just marvel at their athleticism, intensity, and competitiveness."
In the end, the wheelchair all stars won 22-8. To those that supported them, it was just another win.
"Able bodied people are going to be in wheelchairs," Joss said.
To those that watched, it was a lesson about determination.
"They have been able to overcome," said Coach Summitt.
Added Johnson, "It takes a lot of skill."
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Sydney Cleared To Play
Just eight days before the official start of the 2005-06 season, the Lady Vol basketball team enjoyed a two-hour practice Thursday morning in Thompson-Boling Arena. Head coach Pat Summitt and her 11-member squad will again hit the hardwood Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
The morning session consisted of open shooting drills and post-position skill work. Assistant coach Dean Lockwood kept a close eye on Nicky Anosike, Alex Fuller and Tye’sha Fluker, as they posted-up against defenders and took three-footers from both sides of the basket.
Assistants Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell paid particular attention to the guards and forwards as they took turns shooting from all angles outside the paint.
The team walked through several offensive plays, then combined the defense and shot clock to simulate a real game. Sidney Spencer, now cleared to play by the team trainer Jenny Moshak, was particularly effective in this drill, connecting on numerous three pointers and beating defenders to find herself open in the paint.
“We’ve cleared Sidney to participate in contact drills now,” said Moshak. “She will gradually increase her workload as the season draws closer.”
“Sidney brings a different dimension to the team,” said Summitt. “She looked good today, not hesitant at all to get right in there.”
Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood and Lindsey Moss made several beautiful passes inside the lane, zipping the ball through the traffic for easy two-pointers for the Lady Vols.
Sybil Dosty nursed a nagging left quadricep strain on the sideline most of the morning. She rode the exercise bike but did not join in the team drills.
“We are trying to rest Sybil until her injury shows signs and symptoms of dissipating,” said Moshak.
Summitt noted “it’s apparent that the team has not been practicing basketball skills in a week, and that they are in the ‘let’s start the season’ mode. We’ll work out again on Saturday and then with the exception of Monday, the ladies will have next week off in preparation for our opening practice on Friday.”
The Lady Vols will return to Thompson-Boling from 10 a.m. – Noon on Saturday. The first official practice will be in the arena from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, October 14.
The morning session consisted of open shooting drills and post-position skill work. Assistant coach Dean Lockwood kept a close eye on Nicky Anosike, Alex Fuller and Tye’sha Fluker, as they posted-up against defenders and took three-footers from both sides of the basket.
Assistants Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell paid particular attention to the guards and forwards as they took turns shooting from all angles outside the paint.
The team walked through several offensive plays, then combined the defense and shot clock to simulate a real game. Sidney Spencer, now cleared to play by the team trainer Jenny Moshak, was particularly effective in this drill, connecting on numerous three pointers and beating defenders to find herself open in the paint.
“We’ve cleared Sidney to participate in contact drills now,” said Moshak. “She will gradually increase her workload as the season draws closer.”
“Sidney brings a different dimension to the team,” said Summitt. “She looked good today, not hesitant at all to get right in there.”
Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood and Lindsey Moss made several beautiful passes inside the lane, zipping the ball through the traffic for easy two-pointers for the Lady Vols.
Sybil Dosty nursed a nagging left quadricep strain on the sideline most of the morning. She rode the exercise bike but did not join in the team drills.
“We are trying to rest Sybil until her injury shows signs and symptoms of dissipating,” said Moshak.
Summitt noted “it’s apparent that the team has not been practicing basketball skills in a week, and that they are in the ‘let’s start the season’ mode. We’ll work out again on Saturday and then with the exception of Monday, the ladies will have next week off in preparation for our opening practice on Friday.”
The Lady Vols will return to Thompson-Boling from 10 a.m. – Noon on Saturday. The first official practice will be in the arena from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, October 14.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Joint Action
Lady Vols will have to collaborate on treating Wiley-Gatewood's sore knee
Tennessee Lady Vols point guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood continues to battle through tendinitis in her left knee.
When Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood lays her head down to sleep at night, she counts questions, not sheep.
How can I be a leader?
How can I build trust with my teammates?
How am I going to get in sync with my teammates if I'm getting pulled from practice?
There are so many questions, but no easy answers.
Wiley-Gatewood, a Tennessee women's basketball sophomore, had offseason surgery to address a severe case of tendinitis in the patella tendon of her left knee. The condition curtailed her rookie season.
The point guard rehabbed during the summer and cruised through the first three weeks of preseason basketball and conditioning workouts.
Then her knee flared up. And the vicious cycle of inquiries ensued.
Lady Vols athletic trainer Jenny Moshak described tendinitis as "very complicated, very never-ending."
While the surgery addressed Wiley-Gatewood's condition, it obviously couldn't change the forces that helped create the condition in the first place.
"The sport is just brutal on the patella tendon,'' Moshak said.
In turn, it can be pretty tough on the player, too.
"I thought this was going to be the year," Wiley-Gatewood said. "It was going to be perfect.''
While it doesn't hurt to be hopeful, Wiley-Gatewood is better served by being realistic.
"This is something that's not going to go away,'' she said.
Therefore, only one question really matters: How does she deal with this?
"I think it's like you have to take her pulse every day and see how she's feeling,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said.
The care will be long term. The first order of business was re-emphasizing the proper line of communication. It runs from Wiley-Gatewood's knee through her to Moshak and then on to Summitt.
"They want me to tell them right away when it starts bothering me,'' Wiley-Gatewood said. "When (the knee) talks to me, I have to go talk to Jenny.''
Last week's dialogue resulted in Wiley-Gatewood doing conditioning rather than basketball when she was unable to endure consecutive days.
The months of down time last year were costly to her stamina. When she played, Wiley-Gatewood said that she was good for only two trips up the court before being winded.
Above all, she wants to preserve the endurance she built during the summer.
That's an easier choice now. As the season draws closer, the tug of the sport will be stronger.
At the root of Wiley-Gatewood's restless nights are the responsibilities of her position. She wants to build a rapport with coach and teammates. The yearning will grow stronger when real practice starts in less than two weeks. Any down time will be downright painful, apart from any knee discomfort.
"That's the hard part," Summitt said, "listening to your body when you want to establish your place with the team.''
It's easier if Wiley-Gatewood also listens to a teammate.
"Everyone is fully aware of what she can do,'' Lady Vol Nicky Anosike said. "I've talked to her. She seems to have a pretty positive attitude. Sometimes that's all you need to pull through is a positive attitude. I'm confident she'll be back.''
A 13-game glimpse of Wiley-Gatewood last season amounted to an eyeful. She hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers and scored nine of her 12 points in the final five minutes of a 68-67 victory at Connecticut, including the decisive driving layup and subsequent free throw with 15 seconds left.
The Lady Vols might be able to cover for Wiley-Gatewood's point-guard duties, but they can't replace her skills or her fearlessness.
Summitt said a mouthful by simply saying: "She can hit the open shots. She's a natural.''
Wiley-Gatewood doesn't need to establish a presence. She needs to try her best to maintain one. That should be her sole concern.
She managed to put together consecutive days of work this week. That ought be worth a restful night.
Notebook: Tennessee's game at South Carolina has been moved up a day to Jan. 4. The change allows for an extra day before the Jan. 7 home game with Connecticut. ... Lady Vol Sidney Spencer, who is recovering from knee surgery, was on the court for Thursday's workout. ... Kentucky, which is coached by former Lady Vol assistant Mickie DeMoss, has received a verbal commitment from Christian County (Ky.) forward Arnika Brown, a consensus top 50 national prospect.
Tennessee Lady Vols point guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood continues to battle through tendinitis in her left knee.
When Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood lays her head down to sleep at night, she counts questions, not sheep.
How can I be a leader?
How can I build trust with my teammates?
How am I going to get in sync with my teammates if I'm getting pulled from practice?
There are so many questions, but no easy answers.
Wiley-Gatewood, a Tennessee women's basketball sophomore, had offseason surgery to address a severe case of tendinitis in the patella tendon of her left knee. The condition curtailed her rookie season.
The point guard rehabbed during the summer and cruised through the first three weeks of preseason basketball and conditioning workouts.
Then her knee flared up. And the vicious cycle of inquiries ensued.
Lady Vols athletic trainer Jenny Moshak described tendinitis as "very complicated, very never-ending."
While the surgery addressed Wiley-Gatewood's condition, it obviously couldn't change the forces that helped create the condition in the first place.
"The sport is just brutal on the patella tendon,'' Moshak said.
In turn, it can be pretty tough on the player, too.
"I thought this was going to be the year," Wiley-Gatewood said. "It was going to be perfect.''
While it doesn't hurt to be hopeful, Wiley-Gatewood is better served by being realistic.
"This is something that's not going to go away,'' she said.
Therefore, only one question really matters: How does she deal with this?
"I think it's like you have to take her pulse every day and see how she's feeling,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said.
The care will be long term. The first order of business was re-emphasizing the proper line of communication. It runs from Wiley-Gatewood's knee through her to Moshak and then on to Summitt.
"They want me to tell them right away when it starts bothering me,'' Wiley-Gatewood said. "When (the knee) talks to me, I have to go talk to Jenny.''
Last week's dialogue resulted in Wiley-Gatewood doing conditioning rather than basketball when she was unable to endure consecutive days.
The months of down time last year were costly to her stamina. When she played, Wiley-Gatewood said that she was good for only two trips up the court before being winded.
Above all, she wants to preserve the endurance she built during the summer.
That's an easier choice now. As the season draws closer, the tug of the sport will be stronger.
At the root of Wiley-Gatewood's restless nights are the responsibilities of her position. She wants to build a rapport with coach and teammates. The yearning will grow stronger when real practice starts in less than two weeks. Any down time will be downright painful, apart from any knee discomfort.
"That's the hard part," Summitt said, "listening to your body when you want to establish your place with the team.''
It's easier if Wiley-Gatewood also listens to a teammate.
"Everyone is fully aware of what she can do,'' Lady Vol Nicky Anosike said. "I've talked to her. She seems to have a pretty positive attitude. Sometimes that's all you need to pull through is a positive attitude. I'm confident she'll be back.''
A 13-game glimpse of Wiley-Gatewood last season amounted to an eyeful. She hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers and scored nine of her 12 points in the final five minutes of a 68-67 victory at Connecticut, including the decisive driving layup and subsequent free throw with 15 seconds left.
The Lady Vols might be able to cover for Wiley-Gatewood's point-guard duties, but they can't replace her skills or her fearlessness.
Summitt said a mouthful by simply saying: "She can hit the open shots. She's a natural.''
Wiley-Gatewood doesn't need to establish a presence. She needs to try her best to maintain one. That should be her sole concern.
She managed to put together consecutive days of work this week. That ought be worth a restful night.
Notebook: Tennessee's game at South Carolina has been moved up a day to Jan. 4. The change allows for an extra day before the Jan. 7 home game with Connecticut. ... Lady Vol Sidney Spencer, who is recovering from knee surgery, was on the court for Thursday's workout. ... Kentucky, which is coached by former Lady Vol assistant Mickie DeMoss, has received a verbal commitment from Christian County (Ky.) forward Arnika Brown, a consensus top 50 national prospect.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Summitt joins SafeHarbor's cause
Area residents have been hard at work laying the groundwork for the SafeHarbor Child Advocacy Center. And this week, their hard work as recognized when Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt has agreed to serve as spokeswoman.
The child advocacy center would assist children who are victims of suspected sexual or physical abuse and severe neglect. It would serve children in Sevier, Jefferson, Cocke and Grainger counties.
Summitt has volunteered to record public service announcements encouraging support of the center. She will also serve as keynote speaker at a fund-raising event to be held in the spring, Koester said.
With Summitt's help, the center may get the help it needs to get up and running. Thanks coach.
The child advocacy center would assist children who are victims of suspected sexual or physical abuse and severe neglect. It would serve children in Sevier, Jefferson, Cocke and Grainger counties.
Summitt has volunteered to record public service announcements encouraging support of the center. She will also serve as keynote speaker at a fund-raising event to be held in the spring, Koester said.
With Summitt's help, the center may get the help it needs to get up and running. Thanks coach.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Lady Vols work to get back their shooting touch
Shanna Zolman didn't make a suggestion. Tennessee's senior guard didn't utter a single word.
She and fellow Lady Vol Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood were headed down to Thompson-Boling Arena earlier this month to get in some extra shooting
And several of their women's basketball teammates followed.
"I was so excited,'' Zolman said. "I've never had that. You didn't even have to say anything.''
Maybe the message has been received. If so, it's about time.
Tennessee's field-goal percentage has been dropping for two seasons. It plunged to the depths last season, bottoming out at a program-worst 41.6 percent.
The Lady Vols would've needed weeks of sizzling shooting just to reach the previous low mark of 44 percent in 1992-93.
Oddly enough, they would've needed just 50 more playing minutes of decent accuracy last season to possibly win a national championship.
They were so far off the mark and yet they were so close to the ultimate bull's-eye.
The lasting memory of the Lady Vols blowing a 16-point, second-half lead and losing a national semifinal game to Michigan State was them missing 11 of 12 shots during a crucial second-half stretch. One or two baskets might have staved off Michigan State's comeback.
One or two baskets, think about it. Better yet, do something about it.
UT assistant coach Dean Lockwood said that the coaches divvied up game video and spent the offseason reviewing virtually every shot taken last season.
Their conclusion was shot selection wasn't as big of a problem as execution.
Therefore, there's been no overhaul of the offense. For the first time in four seasons, UT essentially will start a season with the same offensive framework as the previous season.
Standing pat should help. The Lady Vols spent much of last season cobbling together an offensive plan B after the original strategy proved to be confusing.
"I was so worried doing this thing right, doing that thing right,'' guard Alexis Hornbuckle said. "I didn't get any (shooting) confidence going.''
A shooter's performance is built on repetition and self-assurance. A workable balance between effort and mindset is achieved only with time and great care -- until it's virtually instinctive.
"Shooting is mental'' Zolman said. "If you think about your shot, it's not going in. If you think about the mechanics of it, it's not going in. It's too robotic.''
Presumably, the players devoted a suitable portion of their summer to this crucial work. They entered the preseason with a nod of approval from their most demanding critic.
"I will say this,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said, "I think this group is very committed to their game and to this team.''
During a shooting drill in Thursday's basketball workout, Hornbuckle nailed 10 of 10 from about 16 feet on the right wing. On her best day last season, she couldn't have achieved such accuracy.
Obviously, she's put in some work.
Hornbuckle then moved about five feet to her left and reloaded. The same shooting sequence produced just one basket.
Obviously, she's a work in progress.
Hornbuckle and the Lady Vols still have time and repetitions to burn. They need to make the most of it.
Summitt is staying true to her word and devoting large portions of the preseason workouts to shooting.
Some of the work has been exacting. Assistant coaches Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell stopped a visibly frustrated Candace Parker in the middle of a drill last week and worked with her on her guiding hand, which was adversely affecting her jumper. Moments later, she was back on target.
Lockwood was creative on Thursday, fishing a small rubber ball out of a box at his home and putting it in the hands of the post players. The idea was to enhance their aggressiveness to the rim.
The drill developed a macho-like throw-down quality. Senior Tye'sha Fluker, who needs to be more forceful and more accurate, actually dunked the ball once. The gym erupted.
Nice shot.
No wonder everyone was so excited.
Training Room Update: The Lady Vols already are having to limit Wiley-Gatewood, who had offseason surgery on her left knee for patella tendinitis. She sat out both basketball workouts this week in order to do the conditioning workouts.
"She can't take both right now,'' athletic trainer Jenny Moshak said. "We have to back her off.''
Notebook: Former Lady Vol Shalon Pillow has been named director of basketball operations at South Florida. ... Middle Tennessee State will play at UT in November of 2006.
She and fellow Lady Vol Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood were headed down to Thompson-Boling Arena earlier this month to get in some extra shooting
And several of their women's basketball teammates followed.
"I was so excited,'' Zolman said. "I've never had that. You didn't even have to say anything.''
Maybe the message has been received. If so, it's about time.
Tennessee's field-goal percentage has been dropping for two seasons. It plunged to the depths last season, bottoming out at a program-worst 41.6 percent.
The Lady Vols would've needed weeks of sizzling shooting just to reach the previous low mark of 44 percent in 1992-93.
Oddly enough, they would've needed just 50 more playing minutes of decent accuracy last season to possibly win a national championship.
They were so far off the mark and yet they were so close to the ultimate bull's-eye.
The lasting memory of the Lady Vols blowing a 16-point, second-half lead and losing a national semifinal game to Michigan State was them missing 11 of 12 shots during a crucial second-half stretch. One or two baskets might have staved off Michigan State's comeback.
One or two baskets, think about it. Better yet, do something about it.
UT assistant coach Dean Lockwood said that the coaches divvied up game video and spent the offseason reviewing virtually every shot taken last season.
Their conclusion was shot selection wasn't as big of a problem as execution.
Therefore, there's been no overhaul of the offense. For the first time in four seasons, UT essentially will start a season with the same offensive framework as the previous season.
Standing pat should help. The Lady Vols spent much of last season cobbling together an offensive plan B after the original strategy proved to be confusing.
"I was so worried doing this thing right, doing that thing right,'' guard Alexis Hornbuckle said. "I didn't get any (shooting) confidence going.''
A shooter's performance is built on repetition and self-assurance. A workable balance between effort and mindset is achieved only with time and great care -- until it's virtually instinctive.
"Shooting is mental'' Zolman said. "If you think about your shot, it's not going in. If you think about the mechanics of it, it's not going in. It's too robotic.''
Presumably, the players devoted a suitable portion of their summer to this crucial work. They entered the preseason with a nod of approval from their most demanding critic.
"I will say this,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said, "I think this group is very committed to their game and to this team.''
During a shooting drill in Thursday's basketball workout, Hornbuckle nailed 10 of 10 from about 16 feet on the right wing. On her best day last season, she couldn't have achieved such accuracy.
Obviously, she's put in some work.
Hornbuckle then moved about five feet to her left and reloaded. The same shooting sequence produced just one basket.
Obviously, she's a work in progress.
Hornbuckle and the Lady Vols still have time and repetitions to burn. They need to make the most of it.
Summitt is staying true to her word and devoting large portions of the preseason workouts to shooting.
Some of the work has been exacting. Assistant coaches Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell stopped a visibly frustrated Candace Parker in the middle of a drill last week and worked with her on her guiding hand, which was adversely affecting her jumper. Moments later, she was back on target.
Lockwood was creative on Thursday, fishing a small rubber ball out of a box at his home and putting it in the hands of the post players. The idea was to enhance their aggressiveness to the rim.
The drill developed a macho-like throw-down quality. Senior Tye'sha Fluker, who needs to be more forceful and more accurate, actually dunked the ball once. The gym erupted.
Nice shot.
No wonder everyone was so excited.
Training Room Update: The Lady Vols already are having to limit Wiley-Gatewood, who had offseason surgery on her left knee for patella tendinitis. She sat out both basketball workouts this week in order to do the conditioning workouts.
"She can't take both right now,'' athletic trainer Jenny Moshak said. "We have to back her off.''
Notebook: Former Lady Vol Shalon Pillow has been named director of basketball operations at South Florida. ... Middle Tennessee State will play at UT in November of 2006.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
WNBA title is special for Lawson
Former Lady Vol's voice mail filled up by calls from friends
Kara Lawson could learn to like sleep deprivation.
"I'm not one to stay up late at all,'' the former Tennessee women's basketball guard said.
That was before she won a WNBA championship as a member of the Sacramento Monarchs. She played a key role in the team's title march, which concluded with Tuesday night's 62-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
The joyous celebration for Lawson and her teammates was spilling into a second day on Thursday morning. The Monarchs were making the rounds of the local morning television shows in Sacramento.
"We haven't really slept,'' Lawson said. "It hasn't sunk in.''
Lawson has started the process by reviewing the video of her performance in the postgame celebration. Again, she was a key player, dancing on the scorer's table and slapping hands with courtside fans.
In a phone message, a friend of Lawson's described her as a "raving idiot.''
"It was the first time for a lot of us,'' Lawson said. "We didn't care how we looked.''
Lawson's voice mail is serving as a generous source of perspective. She's received messages from every Tennessee coach (Pat Summitt and assistants) she played for and, by her estimation, at least half of her former UT teammates.
"Maybe more,'' she said, "I didn't count.''
Lawson recognized ex-Lady Vol Shyra Ely's voice only by her message ID.
"Ely didn't say a word,'' Lawson said. "She just screamed all the time.''
Everyone from former UT team managers to former roommates have crowded into her cell phone.
"It means a lot,'' Lawson said. "A lot of them said they feel like they won, too. They're very happy for me.
"So much of who I am as a person and a player is because of what happened when I was in college.''
Or what didn't happen. Despite playing in two national championship games, Lawson never won a title at UT.
She left Tennessee with a great appreciation for the difficulty of the quest. As if she needed any reinforcement, this season has deepened her appreciation. It began with a sprained ankle that cost her seven games and required nearly two months of rehabilitation. The season nearly ended prematurely with a shoulder injury right before the playoffs.
"I think you envision everything going right and you having your best year,'' Lawson said of a championship season, "or at least a good year.''
But that's just how it ended for her as well as the team. The third-year player set playoff game career highs for minutes (35), points (18), field goals made (six), field goals attempted (13), 3-pointers made (four) and free throws made (six).
"I have a championship,'' Lawson said. "I was part of something special.''
Kara Lawson could learn to like sleep deprivation.
"I'm not one to stay up late at all,'' the former Tennessee women's basketball guard said.
That was before she won a WNBA championship as a member of the Sacramento Monarchs. She played a key role in the team's title march, which concluded with Tuesday night's 62-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
The joyous celebration for Lawson and her teammates was spilling into a second day on Thursday morning. The Monarchs were making the rounds of the local morning television shows in Sacramento.
"We haven't really slept,'' Lawson said. "It hasn't sunk in.''
Lawson has started the process by reviewing the video of her performance in the postgame celebration. Again, she was a key player, dancing on the scorer's table and slapping hands with courtside fans.
In a phone message, a friend of Lawson's described her as a "raving idiot.''
"It was the first time for a lot of us,'' Lawson said. "We didn't care how we looked.''
Lawson's voice mail is serving as a generous source of perspective. She's received messages from every Tennessee coach (Pat Summitt and assistants) she played for and, by her estimation, at least half of her former UT teammates.
"Maybe more,'' she said, "I didn't count.''
Lawson recognized ex-Lady Vol Shyra Ely's voice only by her message ID.
"Ely didn't say a word,'' Lawson said. "She just screamed all the time.''
Everyone from former UT team managers to former roommates have crowded into her cell phone.
"It means a lot,'' Lawson said. "A lot of them said they feel like they won, too. They're very happy for me.
"So much of who I am as a person and a player is because of what happened when I was in college.''
Or what didn't happen. Despite playing in two national championship games, Lawson never won a title at UT.
She left Tennessee with a great appreciation for the difficulty of the quest. As if she needed any reinforcement, this season has deepened her appreciation. It began with a sprained ankle that cost her seven games and required nearly two months of rehabilitation. The season nearly ended prematurely with a shoulder injury right before the playoffs.
"I think you envision everything going right and you having your best year,'' Lawson said of a championship season, "or at least a good year.''
But that's just how it ended for her as well as the team. The third-year player set playoff game career highs for minutes (35), points (18), field goals made (six), field goals attempted (13), 3-pointers made (four) and free throws made (six).
"I have a championship,'' Lawson said. "I was part of something special.''
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Fever F Catchings named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, who led the WNBA in steals this season, was named Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Catchings received 35 votes from a national panel of 50 writers and broadcasters. She easily outdistanced three-time winner Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets, who received seven votes.
Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks, who won last year's award, was third with three votes.
Catchings' average of 2.65 steals per game was more than one-half steal better than Swoopes (2.00 spg). Catchings, 26, tallied five or more steals in 13 of 34 games, including a league-high eight in a July 17 game against Connecticut.
The 6-1 Catchings also ranked third in the league in defensive rebounds (5.7 per game) and helped the Fever hold opponents to 62.7 points, the second-fewest points allowed in the league.
Yolanda Griffith of the Sacramento Monarchs, the 1999 winner of the award, and Katie Douglas of the Connecticut Sun received two votes apiece. Douglas' teammate Margo Dydek got one vote.
Catchings received 35 votes from a national panel of 50 writers and broadcasters. She easily outdistanced three-time winner Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets, who received seven votes.
Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks, who won last year's award, was third with three votes.
Catchings' average of 2.65 steals per game was more than one-half steal better than Swoopes (2.00 spg). Catchings, 26, tallied five or more steals in 13 of 34 games, including a league-high eight in a July 17 game against Connecticut.
The 6-1 Catchings also ranked third in the league in defensive rebounds (5.7 per game) and helped the Fever hold opponents to 62.7 points, the second-fewest points allowed in the league.
Yolanda Griffith of the Sacramento Monarchs, the 1999 winner of the award, and Katie Douglas of the Connecticut Sun received two votes apiece. Douglas' teammate Margo Dydek got one vote.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Lady Vols Basketball Hits Hardcourt for First Time
New NCAA Rules Allow Up To Four Hours of Full Team Practice Before Oct. 14
Head coach Pat Summitt welcomed one new freshman and 10 returning players to the court in Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday morning for the Lady Vols' first full-team practice. The session will be one of many during the next few weeks before the season officially begins on Oct. 14.
In previous years, the NCAA did not allow full-team practices to begin until mid-October. Instead, no more than four players could be on the court with coaches at one time and groups were limited to two hours of practice each week during the off-season. The new NCAA rules (17.1.5.2 (E) and 17.1.5.2.3) allow for more than four members of a women's basketball team to practice up to four hours a week during the off-season months of the academic school year.
"The ladies had great energy today," said Summitt. "The communication was key, and I could definitely see an improvement in their physical condition. They had an incredible off-season in the weight room."
The majority of the team remained in Knoxville this summer to attend summer classes, during that time they worked especially hard on conditioning and strength.
Head strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason noticed the difference as well. "I am excited to see them take the intensity they showed me this summer in the weight room onto the court today," said Mason. "They all worked very hard during the off-season, and they showed the results in this morning's practice."
Sidney Spencer, still nursing a knee injury, worked on cardio fitness by riding the exercise bike during the non-controlled types of team exercises.
"Overall they looked good," said head athletic trainer Jenny Moshak. "We're still dealing with some recovering injuries, especially ones that prevent the athletes from full contact, non-controlled exercises. We are working on adjusting from off-court rehab to in-season practices. Sidney still needs to get a bit stronger. She and I have Oct. 14 as a goal date for her to be fully released."
Freshman Lindsey Moss also spent much of today's practice on the sidelines with Moshak and her staff.
"Lindsey has a mild strain of her hamstring," said Moshak. "It's nothing to be overly concerned about at this point, but we want to be conservative nonetheless."
Candace Parker and Alex Fuller, the first two Lady Vol basketball players to be red-shirted during the Pat Summitt era, participated in the full practice. Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood was also healthy throughout the two-hour session.
"We got about a week's worth of work done today," said assistant coach Holly Warlick. "The energy and intensity was outstanding, which was very encouraging. It was also great to see those who were injured last year be able to make a full practice." The practice featured a lot of transition work, as well as baseline and perimeter shooting drills.
"We'll continue to do a lot of teaching and skill work in the next few weeks," said Summitt, "but this already feels more like a veteran team."
Head coach Pat Summitt welcomed one new freshman and 10 returning players to the court in Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday morning for the Lady Vols' first full-team practice. The session will be one of many during the next few weeks before the season officially begins on Oct. 14.
In previous years, the NCAA did not allow full-team practices to begin until mid-October. Instead, no more than four players could be on the court with coaches at one time and groups were limited to two hours of practice each week during the off-season. The new NCAA rules (17.1.5.2 (E) and 17.1.5.2.3) allow for more than four members of a women's basketball team to practice up to four hours a week during the off-season months of the academic school year.
"The ladies had great energy today," said Summitt. "The communication was key, and I could definitely see an improvement in their physical condition. They had an incredible off-season in the weight room."
The majority of the team remained in Knoxville this summer to attend summer classes, during that time they worked especially hard on conditioning and strength.
Head strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason noticed the difference as well. "I am excited to see them take the intensity they showed me this summer in the weight room onto the court today," said Mason. "They all worked very hard during the off-season, and they showed the results in this morning's practice."
Sidney Spencer, still nursing a knee injury, worked on cardio fitness by riding the exercise bike during the non-controlled types of team exercises.
"Overall they looked good," said head athletic trainer Jenny Moshak. "We're still dealing with some recovering injuries, especially ones that prevent the athletes from full contact, non-controlled exercises. We are working on adjusting from off-court rehab to in-season practices. Sidney still needs to get a bit stronger. She and I have Oct. 14 as a goal date for her to be fully released."
Freshman Lindsey Moss also spent much of today's practice on the sidelines with Moshak and her staff.
"Lindsey has a mild strain of her hamstring," said Moshak. "It's nothing to be overly concerned about at this point, but we want to be conservative nonetheless."
Candace Parker and Alex Fuller, the first two Lady Vol basketball players to be red-shirted during the Pat Summitt era, participated in the full practice. Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood was also healthy throughout the two-hour session.
"We got about a week's worth of work done today," said assistant coach Holly Warlick. "The energy and intensity was outstanding, which was very encouraging. It was also great to see those who were injured last year be able to make a full practice." The practice featured a lot of transition work, as well as baseline and perimeter shooting drills.
"We'll continue to do a lot of teaching and skill work in the next few weeks," said Summitt, "but this already feels more like a veteran team."
Friday, August 19, 2005
Knoxville Hall inducts 10
The Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame grew by 10 Thursday night.
The Hall's annual induction drew a large class and an even larger crowd; some 1400 people attended the banquet.
The inductees were: Bill Bates, Ted Davis, Fred Gladding, Steve Golliher, Jeff Gollier, Gary Lundy, Reggie McKenzie, Raleigh McKenzie, Pat Shires, and Faye Rogers Stafford.
In addition, Tim Mack was honored as the pro athlete of the year, Anthony McAlister and Cade Thompson the male high school athletes of the year, and Erin Ogan was the female high school athlete of the year.
The Hall also had a special recognition for Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt.
Former Notre Dame and South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz was the featured speaker.
The Hall's annual induction drew a large class and an even larger crowd; some 1400 people attended the banquet.
The inductees were: Bill Bates, Ted Davis, Fred Gladding, Steve Golliher, Jeff Gollier, Gary Lundy, Reggie McKenzie, Raleigh McKenzie, Pat Shires, and Faye Rogers Stafford.
In addition, Tim Mack was honored as the pro athlete of the year, Anthony McAlister and Cade Thompson the male high school athletes of the year, and Erin Ogan was the female high school athlete of the year.
The Hall also had a special recognition for Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt.
Former Notre Dame and South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz was the featured speaker.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Graduate Assistants Join Lady Vol Basketball Staff :: Angel Elderkin and Pam Owens will help out the Lady Vols this year
University of Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Pat Summitt announced Wednesday the addition of Angel Elderkin and Pam Owens as basketball graduate assistants for the 2005-06 campaign. The two join a program that went 30-5 last season and reached the NCAA Final Four for the fourth consecutive year.
"Pam Owens and Angel Elderkin are two of the most experienced graduate assistants we have ever had in our program," said Summitt. "Angel has Division I experience and Pam has been coaching on the high school level for the past 16 years. Both Pam and Angel are excited about the opportunity to work in the Lady Vol basketball program, and we are thrilled that they are joining our staff and the Lady Vol family."
Elderkin comes to Rocky Top after four years as an assistant coach at Siena College, where she was an integral part of recruiting some of the best classes in program history at Siena. In addition to her recruiting responsibilities at Siena, Elderkin also oversaw academics for the Saints. She helped to coordinate study hall, tutoring and monitoring the academic progress for the student-athletes. Her primary on-court assignment was working with the back court.
Prior to her stint at Siena, Elderkin spent two seasons at East Tennessee State, where she served as a special assistant to the head coach. There, she oversaw many aspects of the women's basketball operation, including the coordination of summer camps and working with the compliance office.
"I am really excited to be a part of the Lady Vol family," said Elderkin. "The opportunity to learn from Coach Summitt and her staff is going to be an invaluable experience and a great addition to my coaching career."
Elderkin was a four-year letter-winning guard for the University of Southern Maine women's basketball team. She led the Huskies to three conference championships and an astounding 104-15 overall record. In 1998, the Huskies were the national runner-up. She helped lead her team to the Division III NCAA Tournament during each of her four years. Elderkin also played on the softball team from 1996-1998.
She was a two-time recipient of the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Award and in 1997 was named to the All-Little East Honor Roll. Most recently, her 1997-98 Husky basketball team was inducted into the New England Hall of Fame (September 2004).
Elderkin earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Southern Maine in 1999 with a minor in education. She received her master of arts in physical education and exercise science from East Tennessee State in 2001.
Pam Owens joins the program after spending eight years as the head coach at Taft High School in San Antonio, Texas. She guided the Taft program to six Region IV-5A Tournaments in seven seasons and three state tournaments in the past four campaigns. Prior to her stint at Taft, she spent two years coaching at Bandera High School. Owens' career record is 264-79.
"This is an unbelievable opportunity," said Owens. "I've been coaching high school for 16 years and to have the opportunity to work with Coach Summit and her staff is like a dream come true for me."
Owens has been a regular at Summitt's clinics through the years and worked one of her camps in Knoxville, Tenn., for the first time last summer. It was then that Summitt, 882-172 in 31 seasons at Tennessee, asked Owens if she would be interested in someday joining her staff as a graduate assistant.
A shooting guard from 1986-88 for the Buckettes, Owens graduated from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor's degree in education. In 1994, she earned her master's from the University of Texas at San Antonio in education and supervision.
Owens and her husband, Joseph, reside in Knoxville.
"Pam Owens and Angel Elderkin are two of the most experienced graduate assistants we have ever had in our program," said Summitt. "Angel has Division I experience and Pam has been coaching on the high school level for the past 16 years. Both Pam and Angel are excited about the opportunity to work in the Lady Vol basketball program, and we are thrilled that they are joining our staff and the Lady Vol family."
Elderkin comes to Rocky Top after four years as an assistant coach at Siena College, where she was an integral part of recruiting some of the best classes in program history at Siena. In addition to her recruiting responsibilities at Siena, Elderkin also oversaw academics for the Saints. She helped to coordinate study hall, tutoring and monitoring the academic progress for the student-athletes. Her primary on-court assignment was working with the back court.
Prior to her stint at Siena, Elderkin spent two seasons at East Tennessee State, where she served as a special assistant to the head coach. There, she oversaw many aspects of the women's basketball operation, including the coordination of summer camps and working with the compliance office.
"I am really excited to be a part of the Lady Vol family," said Elderkin. "The opportunity to learn from Coach Summitt and her staff is going to be an invaluable experience and a great addition to my coaching career."
Elderkin was a four-year letter-winning guard for the University of Southern Maine women's basketball team. She led the Huskies to three conference championships and an astounding 104-15 overall record. In 1998, the Huskies were the national runner-up. She helped lead her team to the Division III NCAA Tournament during each of her four years. Elderkin also played on the softball team from 1996-1998.
She was a two-time recipient of the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Award and in 1997 was named to the All-Little East Honor Roll. Most recently, her 1997-98 Husky basketball team was inducted into the New England Hall of Fame (September 2004).
Elderkin earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Southern Maine in 1999 with a minor in education. She received her master of arts in physical education and exercise science from East Tennessee State in 2001.
Pam Owens joins the program after spending eight years as the head coach at Taft High School in San Antonio, Texas. She guided the Taft program to six Region IV-5A Tournaments in seven seasons and three state tournaments in the past four campaigns. Prior to her stint at Taft, she spent two years coaching at Bandera High School. Owens' career record is 264-79.
"This is an unbelievable opportunity," said Owens. "I've been coaching high school for 16 years and to have the opportunity to work with Coach Summit and her staff is like a dream come true for me."
Owens has been a regular at Summitt's clinics through the years and worked one of her camps in Knoxville, Tenn., for the first time last summer. It was then that Summitt, 882-172 in 31 seasons at Tennessee, asked Owens if she would be interested in someday joining her staff as a graduate assistant.
A shooting guard from 1986-88 for the Buckettes, Owens graduated from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor's degree in education. In 1994, she earned her master's from the University of Texas at San Antonio in education and supervision.
Owens and her husband, Joseph, reside in Knoxville.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Lady Vols Release 2005-2006 Hoops Schedule
The Lady Vols Will Tangle With A Number Of Traditional Top Rivals
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball schedule has been finalized for the 2005-06 season.
Besides running the gauntlet of the perennial Southeastern Conference powerhouses, the Lady Vols will also tangle with a number of traditional top rivals, including Connecticut, Texas, Duke, Stanford and Louisiana Tech. In addition, a trip to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, will find UT facing NCAA runner-up Michigan State, highly-regarded Maryland and a first-ever meeting with Gonzaga.
"Our schedule for the coming season is exciting and challenging," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 32nd season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the season at 882-172. "We have a great blend of youth and experience coming back," continued Summitt. "And we're excited to see a healthy squad out on the court. We can't wait to get started," she said.
Tennessee, third-place finisher at the 2005 NCAA Final Four, opens the 2005-06 campaign at home hosting a pair of exhibition games against Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and nearby Carson Newman College. Dr. Carolyn Savoy, Dalhousie head coach since 1977, studied for her PhD at Tennessee and observed Summitt's teams while working on her doctorate, 1990-92. She brings her Tiger team to Knoxville for the first time for an exhibition.
Following the exhibition tune-ups, the Lady Vols officially open the season at home with back-to-back games on Nov. 20 facing Stetson and on Nov. 21 taking on UT Chattanooga.
"I really wanted us to have some solid game experience before we traveled to the Paradise Jam," related Summitt. "We will be tested early by three outstanding teams in Michigan State, Maryland and Gonzaga. Not only will it be some great basketball games but an exciting adventure for our team, staff and fans to the Virgin Islands during the Thanksgiving break, Nov. 24-26."
Tennessee starts the December portion of its schedule in Knoxville trying to break a four-game losing skein to the University of Texas on Dec. 1 in a game televised by ESPN2. Other home match-ups in the final month of the year will see the Lady Vols facing Louisiana Tech on Dec. 15 and entertaining first-time opponent Princeton on Dec. 20 in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT has four road games in December starting with the "Battle of the Titans" at Stanford on Dec. 7 (ESPN2). The Lady Vols then travel to George Washington University on Dec. 7, Temple University on Dec. 28 and conclude the 2005 portion of the schedule at Notre Dame on New Year's Eve in South Bend, Indiana.
In January, the Lady Vols will face three more non-conference foes before settling into the SEC battle. Old Dominion travels to Knoxville on Jan. 2; later in the week, BIG EAST foe Connecticut visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 7 (CBS) and finally, the Lady Vols travel to Duke on Jan. 23 (ESPN2).
January is a light SEC month at home for the Lady Vols with only Georgia (Jan. 12) and Alabama (Jan. 29) coming to town. Conference road games in the first month of the year find UT traveling to South Carolina (Jan. 5), Mississippi State (Jan. 15), Vanderbilt (Jan. 19), and Kentucky (Jan. 26).
February is almost the reverse schedule for Tennessee as the Lady Vols will enjoy home games against Arkansas (Feb. 5), an ESPN "Rivalry Week" contest against LSU (Feb. 9, ESPN2), an ESPN "February Frenzy" match-up versus Vanderbilt (Feb. 12, ESPN2), and a pair of home finales against Auburn (Feb. 23) and Florida (Feb. 26). February road trips include jaunts to Mississippi (Feb. 2), Georgia (Feb. 16) and to Alabama (Feb. 19). Tennessee has picked up home-and-home SEC games with Alabama and Georgia this season to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"It's no surprise that we've taken on another challenging schedule for the coming season," said Summitt. "I'm excited that our fans will get to enjoy such a great line-up of games in Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Once again this year, the SEC - from top to bottom -- will be as strong as it has ever been," professed Summitt. "Not only do I expect to see four SEC teams ranked among the nation's top 10 but there are several teams that are greatly improved, and pushing to get into the top-half of the league. To be sure, the SEC schedule will be extremely challenging."
In the postseason, the 2006 Southeastern Conference Tournament will return to North Little Rock, Ark., Mar. 2-5. While the NCAA festivities kicks-off with First/Second Round games Mar. 18-21 and four NCAA Regionals, Mar. 25-28. The season will culminate with the 2006 NCAA Final Four at the FleetCenter in Boston, Mass., April 2 & 4.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball schedule has been finalized for the 2005-06 season.
Besides running the gauntlet of the perennial Southeastern Conference powerhouses, the Lady Vols will also tangle with a number of traditional top rivals, including Connecticut, Texas, Duke, Stanford and Louisiana Tech. In addition, a trip to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, will find UT facing NCAA runner-up Michigan State, highly-regarded Maryland and a first-ever meeting with Gonzaga.
"Our schedule for the coming season is exciting and challenging," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 32nd season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the season at 882-172. "We have a great blend of youth and experience coming back," continued Summitt. "And we're excited to see a healthy squad out on the court. We can't wait to get started," she said.
Tennessee, third-place finisher at the 2005 NCAA Final Four, opens the 2005-06 campaign at home hosting a pair of exhibition games against Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and nearby Carson Newman College. Dr. Carolyn Savoy, Dalhousie head coach since 1977, studied for her PhD at Tennessee and observed Summitt's teams while working on her doctorate, 1990-92. She brings her Tiger team to Knoxville for the first time for an exhibition.
Following the exhibition tune-ups, the Lady Vols officially open the season at home with back-to-back games on Nov. 20 facing Stetson and on Nov. 21 taking on UT Chattanooga.
"I really wanted us to have some solid game experience before we traveled to the Paradise Jam," related Summitt. "We will be tested early by three outstanding teams in Michigan State, Maryland and Gonzaga. Not only will it be some great basketball games but an exciting adventure for our team, staff and fans to the Virgin Islands during the Thanksgiving break, Nov. 24-26."
Tennessee starts the December portion of its schedule in Knoxville trying to break a four-game losing skein to the University of Texas on Dec. 1 in a game televised by ESPN2. Other home match-ups in the final month of the year will see the Lady Vols facing Louisiana Tech on Dec. 15 and entertaining first-time opponent Princeton on Dec. 20 in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT has four road games in December starting with the "Battle of the Titans" at Stanford on Dec. 7 (ESPN2). The Lady Vols then travel to George Washington University on Dec. 7, Temple University on Dec. 28 and conclude the 2005 portion of the schedule at Notre Dame on New Year's Eve in South Bend, Indiana.
In January, the Lady Vols will face three more non-conference foes before settling into the SEC battle. Old Dominion travels to Knoxville on Jan. 2; later in the week, BIG EAST foe Connecticut visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 7 (CBS) and finally, the Lady Vols travel to Duke on Jan. 23 (ESPN2).
January is a light SEC month at home for the Lady Vols with only Georgia (Jan. 12) and Alabama (Jan. 29) coming to town. Conference road games in the first month of the year find UT traveling to South Carolina (Jan. 5), Mississippi State (Jan. 15), Vanderbilt (Jan. 19), and Kentucky (Jan. 26).
February is almost the reverse schedule for Tennessee as the Lady Vols will enjoy home games against Arkansas (Feb. 5), an ESPN "Rivalry Week" contest against LSU (Feb. 9, ESPN2), an ESPN "February Frenzy" match-up versus Vanderbilt (Feb. 12, ESPN2), and a pair of home finales against Auburn (Feb. 23) and Florida (Feb. 26). February road trips include jaunts to Mississippi (Feb. 2), Georgia (Feb. 16) and to Alabama (Feb. 19). Tennessee has picked up home-and-home SEC games with Alabama and Georgia this season to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"It's no surprise that we've taken on another challenging schedule for the coming season," said Summitt. "I'm excited that our fans will get to enjoy such a great line-up of games in Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Once again this year, the SEC - from top to bottom -- will be as strong as it has ever been," professed Summitt. "Not only do I expect to see four SEC teams ranked among the nation's top 10 but there are several teams that are greatly improved, and pushing to get into the top-half of the league. To be sure, the SEC schedule will be extremely challenging."
In the postseason, the 2006 Southeastern Conference Tournament will return to North Little Rock, Ark., Mar. 2-5. While the NCAA festivities kicks-off with First/Second Round games Mar. 18-21 and four NCAA Regionals, Mar. 25-28. The season will culminate with the 2006 NCAA Final Four at the FleetCenter in Boston, Mass., April 2 & 4.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Anosike finds the time to hand down her lessons
Tennessee sophomore leads series of clinics after a busy summer with Team USA
Take one look at Nicky Anosike's resume these days and you couldn't blame her if she wanted to take some down time in the month of August.
When you're a member of perennial powerhouse University of Tennessee women's basketball team and recently completed a trip to Tunis, Tunisia after competing for gold medal-winning Team USA at the under-19 World Championships, a break would appear necessary.
Except Anosike wouldn't hear of it. Instead, the former St. Peter's star has decided to spend time sharing her experiences and teaching the game she loves to youngsters at the PAL Beacon Center-sponsored clinic at Staten Island Tech in New Dorp.
The 6-foot-4 Anosike held the second of her five sessions, dubbed Nicky's Project, yesterday, first for girls 13-and-under and later 16-and-under. Now 19, Anosike demonstrated drills, then observed from midcourt with a stopwatch in hand.
"A lot of people on Staten Island helped me get to where I am today," said Anosike, who averaged 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in eight games at the World Championships. "I figured I'd come back and help out as much as I can.
"The PAL Diamonds were the first (team) I ever played competitive ball for and I just thought there was no better way to give back."
PAL borough director Joseph Loughran and Beacon director Tom Marshall couldn't be happier to have the two-time Jaques Award winner on their staff.
"Role model is an over used term, but Nicky fits under that category in its true meaning," said Loughran. "Not only does she have a great work ethic, but she's in high standing academically and she shares it with the children of the Beacon Center."
"The girls are very much into listening to Nicky," added Marshall. "She walks around focusing on each kid and she takes the time to teach them when they make mistakes.
"She's doing a terrific job."
Anosike, who will be a sophomore at Tennessee in the fall, said her experience with the Lady Vols has had a direct impact on the clinic.
"Every drill we do here we do at Tennessee," said Anosike, who currently resides in East Orange, N.J., when she's not at school. "(Tennessee assistant coach) Dean Lockwood gave me a lot of ideas and we've been using drills that I do.
"These kids are young and we want them to be alert and involved."
As successful as Anosike was at St. Peter's, the four-time Advance All Star had to do some learning herself upon joining the Lady Vols last fall. But not only did she wind up averaging 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Final Four participants, she started the final 21 games.
"By the middle of last season, the (coaching staff) considered me a sophomore, which is great," Anosike said. "But last year, my role was more of being a defensive stopper.
"Now I'm looking to be in more of a scoring-type role this season. I had a meeting with coach (Pat Summitt) and I told her I wanted more of a responsibility.
"She said she trusted me."
Anosike said her experience with Team USA, which was like a college all-star team, will help her prepare herself for next season.
"It was a great experience," she said. "I was motivated because I got cut when I tried out the year before.
"I think the biggest thing was I had more confidence, especially after playing one season of collegiate ball. Playing in the Final Four definitely helped me get ready to play (for Team USA)."
Speaking of the Final Four, Anosike said she's planning on using last year's disappointing finish (a loss to upstart Michigan St. in the semifinals) as a springboard to a strong 2005-05 campaign. In addition to Anosike, the Lady Vols are returning several other key players and will likely make another run for Summitt's seventh national title.
"We've got to finish what we started last season," said the former Parade All-American and Southeast Conference All-Freshmen team member last year. "We let it slip away by looking past Michigan St.
"But no doubt about it. Our goal this season is a national championship and I think we have the team to do it."
Take one look at Nicky Anosike's resume these days and you couldn't blame her if she wanted to take some down time in the month of August.
When you're a member of perennial powerhouse University of Tennessee women's basketball team and recently completed a trip to Tunis, Tunisia after competing for gold medal-winning Team USA at the under-19 World Championships, a break would appear necessary.
Except Anosike wouldn't hear of it. Instead, the former St. Peter's star has decided to spend time sharing her experiences and teaching the game she loves to youngsters at the PAL Beacon Center-sponsored clinic at Staten Island Tech in New Dorp.
The 6-foot-4 Anosike held the second of her five sessions, dubbed Nicky's Project, yesterday, first for girls 13-and-under and later 16-and-under. Now 19, Anosike demonstrated drills, then observed from midcourt with a stopwatch in hand.
"A lot of people on Staten Island helped me get to where I am today," said Anosike, who averaged 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in eight games at the World Championships. "I figured I'd come back and help out as much as I can.
"The PAL Diamonds were the first (team) I ever played competitive ball for and I just thought there was no better way to give back."
PAL borough director Joseph Loughran and Beacon director Tom Marshall couldn't be happier to have the two-time Jaques Award winner on their staff.
"Role model is an over used term, but Nicky fits under that category in its true meaning," said Loughran. "Not only does she have a great work ethic, but she's in high standing academically and she shares it with the children of the Beacon Center."
"The girls are very much into listening to Nicky," added Marshall. "She walks around focusing on each kid and she takes the time to teach them when they make mistakes.
"She's doing a terrific job."
Anosike, who will be a sophomore at Tennessee in the fall, said her experience with the Lady Vols has had a direct impact on the clinic.
"Every drill we do here we do at Tennessee," said Anosike, who currently resides in East Orange, N.J., when she's not at school. "(Tennessee assistant coach) Dean Lockwood gave me a lot of ideas and we've been using drills that I do.
"These kids are young and we want them to be alert and involved."
As successful as Anosike was at St. Peter's, the four-time Advance All Star had to do some learning herself upon joining the Lady Vols last fall. But not only did she wind up averaging 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Final Four participants, she started the final 21 games.
"By the middle of last season, the (coaching staff) considered me a sophomore, which is great," Anosike said. "But last year, my role was more of being a defensive stopper.
"Now I'm looking to be in more of a scoring-type role this season. I had a meeting with coach (Pat Summitt) and I told her I wanted more of a responsibility.
"She said she trusted me."
Anosike said her experience with Team USA, which was like a college all-star team, will help her prepare herself for next season.
"It was a great experience," she said. "I was motivated because I got cut when I tried out the year before.
"I think the biggest thing was I had more confidence, especially after playing one season of collegiate ball. Playing in the Final Four definitely helped me get ready to play (for Team USA)."
Speaking of the Final Four, Anosike said she's planning on using last year's disappointing finish (a loss to upstart Michigan St. in the semifinals) as a springboard to a strong 2005-05 campaign. In addition to Anosike, the Lady Vols are returning several other key players and will likely make another run for Summitt's seventh national title.
"We've got to finish what we started last season," said the former Parade All-American and Southeast Conference All-Freshmen team member last year. "We let it slip away by looking past Michigan St.
"But no doubt about it. Our goal this season is a national championship and I think we have the team to do it."
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Colleagues, teammates remember Gunter's influence
Pokey Chatman had plenty of anecdotes to share about her mentor, but she also knew Sue Gunter would've wanted her to keep it short.
"I could go on and on," Chatman said Monday at Gunter's memorial service. "Sue's still the boss today and she wouldn't like that."
About 500 people gathered at First United Methodist Church to say goodbye to Gunter, who died at her home Thursday. She was 66.
Gunter will have one final service with visitation set from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Wilcox Funeral Home in Carthage, Miss. Interment will follow at Mount Zion Cemetery in her hometown of Walnut Grove, Miss.
"I feel really blessed that Sue Gunter was a part of my life," Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt said. "I'm a better person and obviously a better teacher because of her."
Summitt was among several college coaches in attendance along with Jody Conradt of the University of Texas, Kim Mulkey-Robertson of national champion Baylor and former U.S. Olympic coach Billie Moore.
Chatman and ESPN women's basketball analyst and former Olympian Ann Meyers Drysdale both delivered eulogies.
"To all who knew Sue she was the best friend that anybody could ever have," Meyers Drysdale said. "She was a sister, a mother, a daughter to so many. She died so young. We weren't ready for her to die. But there was one lesson that we did learn was that she was ready and she knew it."
More than 20 of Gunters former players from LSU were on hand. Former All-American point guard Temeka Johnson, a member of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, boarded a plane 6:45 a.m. Monday after a late-night televised game.
"I was at the game, but I wasn't there mentally," Johnson said. "My mind was on coach Gunter the entire time, having to come back and say my last good-bye."
Gunter, whose career also included stops at Middle Tennessee State and Stephen F. Austin, concluded her career as the third winningest coach (708-308) in womens basketball history, trailing only Summitt and Conradt. She also ranks third in games coached (1,016) and sixth in 20-win seasons (22).
Gunter has already been inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. She will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in September.
Meyers Drysdale, an All-America guard at UCLA, played for Gunter on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, the start of a 30-year friendship.
Gunter, then an assistant coach to Moore on the U.S. team, carried a notorious habit for smoking and Meyers tried several time to get her to quit.
"I used to hide them or as soon as she put one in her mouth I would break it," Meyers said. "Then Id steal her lighter or blow out the match."
To which Meyers recalled Gunter saying: "Dammit."
"I could go on and on," Chatman said Monday at Gunter's memorial service. "Sue's still the boss today and she wouldn't like that."
About 500 people gathered at First United Methodist Church to say goodbye to Gunter, who died at her home Thursday. She was 66.
Gunter will have one final service with visitation set from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Wilcox Funeral Home in Carthage, Miss. Interment will follow at Mount Zion Cemetery in her hometown of Walnut Grove, Miss.
"I feel really blessed that Sue Gunter was a part of my life," Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt said. "I'm a better person and obviously a better teacher because of her."
Summitt was among several college coaches in attendance along with Jody Conradt of the University of Texas, Kim Mulkey-Robertson of national champion Baylor and former U.S. Olympic coach Billie Moore.
Chatman and ESPN women's basketball analyst and former Olympian Ann Meyers Drysdale both delivered eulogies.
"To all who knew Sue she was the best friend that anybody could ever have," Meyers Drysdale said. "She was a sister, a mother, a daughter to so many. She died so young. We weren't ready for her to die. But there was one lesson that we did learn was that she was ready and she knew it."
More than 20 of Gunters former players from LSU were on hand. Former All-American point guard Temeka Johnson, a member of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, boarded a plane 6:45 a.m. Monday after a late-night televised game.
"I was at the game, but I wasn't there mentally," Johnson said. "My mind was on coach Gunter the entire time, having to come back and say my last good-bye."
Gunter, whose career also included stops at Middle Tennessee State and Stephen F. Austin, concluded her career as the third winningest coach (708-308) in womens basketball history, trailing only Summitt and Conradt. She also ranks third in games coached (1,016) and sixth in 20-win seasons (22).
Gunter has already been inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. She will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in September.
Meyers Drysdale, an All-America guard at UCLA, played for Gunter on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, the start of a 30-year friendship.
Gunter, then an assistant coach to Moore on the U.S. team, carried a notorious habit for smoking and Meyers tried several time to get her to quit.
"I used to hide them or as soon as she put one in her mouth I would break it," Meyers said. "Then Id steal her lighter or blow out the match."
To which Meyers recalled Gunter saying: "Dammit."
Friday, August 05, 2005
UT'S PAT SUMMITT COMMENTS ON THE PASSING OF FORMER LSU COACH SUE GUNTER
Summitt played under Gunter during the 1976 Olympics in Montreal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - "Sue Gunter was a wonderful friend, an exceptional person and an incredibly talented basketball coach," said Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee Lady Vol head basketball coach, on the passing of her longtime friend on Thurs., Aug. 4, in Baton Rouge, La.
Gunter, head coach at Louisiana State University for 22-years, stepped down from her coaching duties for health reasons during the 2003-04 season. She died this morning at 8:30 a.m. at her home. Gunter was 66-years old.
Summitt, reached in Los Angeles, Calif., where she was speaking at Collegiate Business Conference, was deeply saddened by the news.
"Definitely one of the pioneers of women's collegiate basketball," said Summitt. "She was one of my mentors. Sue was the assistant coach to Billie Moore when I played on the 1976 USA Olympic Team (silver medalist) in Montreal. Four years later, I had the privilege of serving as her assistant when she was named head coach of the 1980 USA Olympic Team to the boycotted Moscow games.
"I learned so much from Sue about the X's and O's of the game of basketball. But more importantly, she taught me about the delicate balance of coaching and teaching the game and the value of great player-coach relationships. She made playing basketball fun due to her ability to connect with her players. Personally, I am going to miss her tremendously and I know the game is going to miss her," concluded Summitt.
Summitt first faced Gunter's teams while she was coaching at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Gunter posted a 2-1 record over Summitt's Tennessee teams during that span. In 1982, Gunter became the head coach at LSU and the two lifelong friends faced each other 30 times on the Southeastern Conference hardwood.
Gunter never made it to the Final Four as a head coach. In the season that she had to step aside for health reasons, interim head coach and former LSU standout Pokey Chatman led the Lady Tigers to the 2004 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, La., where, ironically, they lost to Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, 52-50, on April 4, 2004.
Gunter completed her career among the leaders in several NCAA coaching categories: seasons coached (No. 1 - 40); games coached (No. 3 - 1,016); wins (No. 3 - 708); and 20-win seasons (No. 4 - 22).
Born May 22, 1939, in Leake County, Miss., Gunter was a native of Walnut Grove, Miss. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lovette Golden Gunter and Ivadean Barham Gunter. She is survived by two aunts, cousins and numerous friends and admirers.
According to LSU officials, arrangements are pending for a special visitation service. She will be buried alongside her parents at Mount Zion Cemetery in Walnut Grove, Miss.
Gunter was respected for her contributions to women's sports, however, she was also revered throughout collegiate athletics for her impact on the sport of basketball regardless of gender. She was named as a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and will be inducted posthumously into the prestigious Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2005.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - "Sue Gunter was a wonderful friend, an exceptional person and an incredibly talented basketball coach," said Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee Lady Vol head basketball coach, on the passing of her longtime friend on Thurs., Aug. 4, in Baton Rouge, La.
Gunter, head coach at Louisiana State University for 22-years, stepped down from her coaching duties for health reasons during the 2003-04 season. She died this morning at 8:30 a.m. at her home. Gunter was 66-years old.
Summitt, reached in Los Angeles, Calif., where she was speaking at Collegiate Business Conference, was deeply saddened by the news.
"Definitely one of the pioneers of women's collegiate basketball," said Summitt. "She was one of my mentors. Sue was the assistant coach to Billie Moore when I played on the 1976 USA Olympic Team (silver medalist) in Montreal. Four years later, I had the privilege of serving as her assistant when she was named head coach of the 1980 USA Olympic Team to the boycotted Moscow games.
"I learned so much from Sue about the X's and O's of the game of basketball. But more importantly, she taught me about the delicate balance of coaching and teaching the game and the value of great player-coach relationships. She made playing basketball fun due to her ability to connect with her players. Personally, I am going to miss her tremendously and I know the game is going to miss her," concluded Summitt.
Summitt first faced Gunter's teams while she was coaching at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Gunter posted a 2-1 record over Summitt's Tennessee teams during that span. In 1982, Gunter became the head coach at LSU and the two lifelong friends faced each other 30 times on the Southeastern Conference hardwood.
Gunter never made it to the Final Four as a head coach. In the season that she had to step aside for health reasons, interim head coach and former LSU standout Pokey Chatman led the Lady Tigers to the 2004 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, La., where, ironically, they lost to Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, 52-50, on April 4, 2004.
Gunter completed her career among the leaders in several NCAA coaching categories: seasons coached (No. 1 - 40); games coached (No. 3 - 1,016); wins (No. 3 - 708); and 20-win seasons (No. 4 - 22).
Born May 22, 1939, in Leake County, Miss., Gunter was a native of Walnut Grove, Miss. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lovette Golden Gunter and Ivadean Barham Gunter. She is survived by two aunts, cousins and numerous friends and admirers.
According to LSU officials, arrangements are pending for a special visitation service. She will be buried alongside her parents at Mount Zion Cemetery in Walnut Grove, Miss.
Gunter was respected for her contributions to women's sports, however, she was also revered throughout collegiate athletics for her impact on the sport of basketball regardless of gender. She was named as a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and will be inducted posthumously into the prestigious Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2005.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Nashville City Paper - Business Calendar
Wednesday, Aug. 17
CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) Southeastern Conference, Wednesday to Friday. “Building on Success,” featuring workshops and a luncheon on Thursday with keynote speaker Pat Summitt. Marriott Nashville at Vanderbilt University, 2555 West End Ave. $149. http://midtin.ccimnet.com or 850-2708
CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) Southeastern Conference, Wednesday to Friday. “Building on Success,” featuring workshops and a luncheon on Thursday with keynote speaker Pat Summitt. Marriott Nashville at Vanderbilt University, 2555 West End Ave. $149. http://midtin.ccimnet.com or 850-2708
Sunday, July 31, 2005
DelleDonne leads her team to AAU national title
Another basketball season, another championship for Elena DelleDonne.
The 15-year-old, 6-foot-4 star from Centreville led her AAU team to a second consecutive national title on Wednesday in Clarksville, Tenn., scoring 40 points in Fencor's 78-67 victory over the Fairfax (Va.) Stars.
According to AAU officials, DelleDonne's 40 points were a record for a girls championship game.
Fencor, based in Fort Washington, Pa., won the 15-and-under title after taking the 14-and-under championship last summer. DelleDonne also led Ursuline to state titles in her first two seasons of high school ball.
"It's pretty much the same feeling every time," DelleDonne said of playing on four championship teams in two years. "It's amazing and you can't describe it unless you've been through it."
Other tournament teams made a point of sticking around to watch DelleDonne play. And opposing players asked DelleDonne to sign autographs and pose for photos as Fencor dominated the 95-team event at Austin Peay University.
Fencor, which also includes Ursuline guard Erin Edwards, finished 11-0. DelleDonne averaged 22 points per game while sitting out much of the second halves.
Only one Fencor victory was by fewer than double digits. In that game, with her team trailing by four with 1:45 to play, DelleDonne scored eight of her team's final 10 points in a 65-61 win.
In the championship, Fencor faced the Fairfax team that beat them in the final of the 13-and-under tournament two years ago. Facing Jasmine Thompson, the Virginia high school player of the year, DelleDonne went off.
"She was unstoppable," said Fencor coach Veronica Algeo. "They threw different people at her -- little people, big people -- and none of it worked. Elena was hitting from all over the place."
The title helped make up for a rough summer for DelleDonne, who missed a month of play while fighting an infection and a fever. She attended a prestigious 22-player Nike camp, the only sophomore there, but couldn't participate.
She's back now. Algeo said University of Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt watched nine of DelleDonne's 11 games, while Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma watched the final five.
"When I walk in, I see them," DelleDonne said. "I know it's good that they're taking the time to come and see me. But when I'm on the court, they don't exist."
The 15-year-old, 6-foot-4 star from Centreville led her AAU team to a second consecutive national title on Wednesday in Clarksville, Tenn., scoring 40 points in Fencor's 78-67 victory over the Fairfax (Va.) Stars.
According to AAU officials, DelleDonne's 40 points were a record for a girls championship game.
Fencor, based in Fort Washington, Pa., won the 15-and-under title after taking the 14-and-under championship last summer. DelleDonne also led Ursuline to state titles in her first two seasons of high school ball.
"It's pretty much the same feeling every time," DelleDonne said of playing on four championship teams in two years. "It's amazing and you can't describe it unless you've been through it."
Other tournament teams made a point of sticking around to watch DelleDonne play. And opposing players asked DelleDonne to sign autographs and pose for photos as Fencor dominated the 95-team event at Austin Peay University.
Fencor, which also includes Ursuline guard Erin Edwards, finished 11-0. DelleDonne averaged 22 points per game while sitting out much of the second halves.
Only one Fencor victory was by fewer than double digits. In that game, with her team trailing by four with 1:45 to play, DelleDonne scored eight of her team's final 10 points in a 65-61 win.
In the championship, Fencor faced the Fairfax team that beat them in the final of the 13-and-under tournament two years ago. Facing Jasmine Thompson, the Virginia high school player of the year, DelleDonne went off.
"She was unstoppable," said Fencor coach Veronica Algeo. "They threw different people at her -- little people, big people -- and none of it worked. Elena was hitting from all over the place."
The title helped make up for a rough summer for DelleDonne, who missed a month of play while fighting an infection and a fever. She attended a prestigious 22-player Nike camp, the only sophomore there, but couldn't participate.
She's back now. Algeo said University of Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt watched nine of DelleDonne's 11 games, while Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma watched the final five.
"When I walk in, I see them," DelleDonne said. "I know it's good that they're taking the time to come and see me. But when I'm on the court, they don't exist."
Angels reaching for the heights
Kenner team is attracting a lot of attention
Completely confident in her Kenner Angels, Caitlin Cleveland looked straight ahead and answered the question with ease.
This group of 15- and 16-year-old girls has won two Amateur Athletic Union national championships, in 2000 and 2001. They didn't become that good just from practicing whenever they had spare time between homework and home room.
There's something else to it.
"It was bred within us to annihilate everyone we played," Cleveland said.
Don't believe her?
When the Angels were eighth-graders, they couldn't find any suitable competition their age, so they played in high school camps.
The Angels didn't just win, they beat every team they faced. The high schoolers would lose by as much as 30 points to Kenner, Cleveland recalled.
"We were a very good team," Angel forward Adrienne Johnson said. "We just wanted better competition."
During the six years this core group of Angels has been together, they have placed in the final four of the national tournament five times. Their worst finish was eighth. That's out of 100 teams from across the country that qualify for the field.
They have six or seven players who likely will play NCAA Division I basketball, Angels coach Alan Frey said, and a few others could wind up playing at smaller colleges.
Cleveland, the team's point guard, has received questionnaires from Baylor, Tennessee, Florida and Connecticut. Colleges can't send letters to prospective student-athletes until Sept. 1 of the player's junior year of high school.
Adrienne Johnson, the Angels' leading scorer, has received mailings from Tulane, Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.
But this confident group of Angels doesn't let what comes in the mail go to their heads. They don't really talk about it.
"They try to play it cool," Frey said.
At most gymnasiums where the Angels play, college recruiters chart their every move. Earlier this week, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt watched three Angels games.
Talk about pressure.
"I was definitely star-struck," Johnson said of playing in front of Summitt.
The Angels, founded in the late 1980s, have nine AAU national titles. Nearly 50 players who went through the Angels program played NCAA Division I basketball, including assistant coach Shondra Johnson, who led the team to five AAU titles, including the 1996 AAU Junior Olympic Games. She was the AAU Joel Ferrell Award winner for most outstanding player in her sport.
On Friday, Kenner won two games in the double-elimination tournament at the Alario Center. The championship game for girls basketball is Tuesday.
Completely confident in her Kenner Angels, Caitlin Cleveland looked straight ahead and answered the question with ease.
This group of 15- and 16-year-old girls has won two Amateur Athletic Union national championships, in 2000 and 2001. They didn't become that good just from practicing whenever they had spare time between homework and home room.
There's something else to it.
"It was bred within us to annihilate everyone we played," Cleveland said.
Don't believe her?
When the Angels were eighth-graders, they couldn't find any suitable competition their age, so they played in high school camps.
The Angels didn't just win, they beat every team they faced. The high schoolers would lose by as much as 30 points to Kenner, Cleveland recalled.
"We were a very good team," Angel forward Adrienne Johnson said. "We just wanted better competition."
During the six years this core group of Angels has been together, they have placed in the final four of the national tournament five times. Their worst finish was eighth. That's out of 100 teams from across the country that qualify for the field.
They have six or seven players who likely will play NCAA Division I basketball, Angels coach Alan Frey said, and a few others could wind up playing at smaller colleges.
Cleveland, the team's point guard, has received questionnaires from Baylor, Tennessee, Florida and Connecticut. Colleges can't send letters to prospective student-athletes until Sept. 1 of the player's junior year of high school.
Adrienne Johnson, the Angels' leading scorer, has received mailings from Tulane, Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.
But this confident group of Angels doesn't let what comes in the mail go to their heads. They don't really talk about it.
"They try to play it cool," Frey said.
At most gymnasiums where the Angels play, college recruiters chart their every move. Earlier this week, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt watched three Angels games.
Talk about pressure.
"I was definitely star-struck," Johnson said of playing in front of Summitt.
The Angels, founded in the late 1980s, have nine AAU national titles. Nearly 50 players who went through the Angels program played NCAA Division I basketball, including assistant coach Shondra Johnson, who led the team to five AAU titles, including the 1996 AAU Junior Olympic Games. She was the AAU Joel Ferrell Award winner for most outstanding player in her sport.
On Friday, Kenner won two games in the double-elimination tournament at the Alario Center. The championship game for girls basketball is Tuesday.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Conference room to bear Campbell's name
Refurbished suite will be for Lady Vols' use
Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team will not let the memories of longtime and faithful fan Gerry Campbell slip away.
Their new conference room - to be designed for team meetings, film sessions and staff meetings - will be named in memory of Campbell, a Lady Vols fan almost from the time Summitt was hired by UT in 1974. A portrait of Campbell and a plaque will be displayed.
The room will be in the Lady Vols basketball suite of Thompson-Boling Arena - an area which once served as Summitt's office.
Several of Campbell's close friends are heading a fund-raiser for the project, which is expected to be completed sometime in September.
"Gerry was, without question, one of the most-loyal Lady Vol fans," Summitt said Thursday. "From the time I started coaching, he started watch our basketball team - but not just basketball. He was a fan of all Lady Vols sports.
"The Olympics was his passion and I was fortunate to see him just before he left for Athens (Greece)," Summitt said.
Campbell became ill as he prepared to return home from the Olympics and died Oct. 7, 2004 in an Athens hospital. He was 74.
"Gerry was a wonderful friend to me and to the Lady Vols athletes," Summitt said. "So, for us to just have something in his memory is truly special. I miss him so much. He was a wonderful friend."
The project was recommended to UT by Campbell's longtime friend Martha Winkler. Contributions may be sent to Lady Vol Development, McKenzie-Lawson Athletic Center - Level 1, Gerry Campbell Project/Attn. Dara Worrell, P.O. Box 15016, Knoxville, Tn. 37901-5016.
Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team will not let the memories of longtime and faithful fan Gerry Campbell slip away.
Their new conference room - to be designed for team meetings, film sessions and staff meetings - will be named in memory of Campbell, a Lady Vols fan almost from the time Summitt was hired by UT in 1974. A portrait of Campbell and a plaque will be displayed.
The room will be in the Lady Vols basketball suite of Thompson-Boling Arena - an area which once served as Summitt's office.
Several of Campbell's close friends are heading a fund-raiser for the project, which is expected to be completed sometime in September.
"Gerry was, without question, one of the most-loyal Lady Vol fans," Summitt said Thursday. "From the time I started coaching, he started watch our basketball team - but not just basketball. He was a fan of all Lady Vols sports.
"The Olympics was his passion and I was fortunate to see him just before he left for Athens (Greece)," Summitt said.
Campbell became ill as he prepared to return home from the Olympics and died Oct. 7, 2004 in an Athens hospital. He was 74.
"Gerry was a wonderful friend to me and to the Lady Vols athletes," Summitt said. "So, for us to just have something in his memory is truly special. I miss him so much. He was a wonderful friend."
The project was recommended to UT by Campbell's longtime friend Martha Winkler. Contributions may be sent to Lady Vol Development, McKenzie-Lawson Athletic Center - Level 1, Gerry Campbell Project/Attn. Dara Worrell, P.O. Box 15016, Knoxville, Tn. 37901-5016.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Anosike's on the rise
Building on an impressive freshman season at the college level, Lady Vol basketball player Nicky Anosike appears to be stepping her game up another notch against international competition this summer.
Anosike, a 6-4 post player, produced 14 points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action Sunday as the U.S. thumped Serbi and Motenegro 94-68 in the FIBA Women's Under-19 World Championships at Tunis, Tunisia.
Anosike came on strongly near the end of her first season with Tennessee last winter. She led all Lady Vol scorers in back-to-back games against Alabama (19 points on Feb. 27) and Auburn (15 points on March 4).
The talented New Yorker then turned in an imposing showing in the NCAA Tournament. She scored 11 points with 6 rebounds in the Round of 32 game against Purdue, then produced a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the Sweet 16 win over Texas Tech. After a 14-point, 7-rebound effort against Rutgers in the Elite Eight, she closed with a 7-point, 13-rebound outing against Michigan State in the Final Four semifinals.
Anosike finished the season with averages of 6.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game. She grabbed nearly half (104) of her 214 total rebounds off the offensive board. She also recorded 50 assists (including seven in one game against Arkansas) and 60 blocked shots.
Clearly, this is a budding star whose stock is on the rise.
Anosike, a 6-4 post player, produced 14 points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action Sunday as the U.S. thumped Serbi and Motenegro 94-68 in the FIBA Women's Under-19 World Championships at Tunis, Tunisia.
Anosike came on strongly near the end of her first season with Tennessee last winter. She led all Lady Vol scorers in back-to-back games against Alabama (19 points on Feb. 27) and Auburn (15 points on March 4).
The talented New Yorker then turned in an imposing showing in the NCAA Tournament. She scored 11 points with 6 rebounds in the Round of 32 game against Purdue, then produced a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the Sweet 16 win over Texas Tech. After a 14-point, 7-rebound effort against Rutgers in the Elite Eight, she closed with a 7-point, 13-rebound outing against Michigan State in the Final Four semifinals.
Anosike finished the season with averages of 6.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game. She grabbed nearly half (104) of her 214 total rebounds off the offensive board. She also recorded 50 assists (including seven in one game against Arkansas) and 60 blocked shots.
Clearly, this is a budding star whose stock is on the rise.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Paradise Jam
Never afraid to play a game anywhere, Pat Summitt will take her 2005-06 Lady Vols to the U.S. Virgin Islands to open their season -- and celebrate Thanksgiving. Tennessee, which lost 68-64 to Michigan State in the semifinals of the Final Four last March, could face the Spartans again in the Paradise Jam Nov. 22-27. The Lady Vols are in the St. John field, which includes Maryland, Gonzaga and Michigan State. The other half of the tournament, the St. Thomas field, features Alabama, Minnesota, Nevada and Virginia. Travel packages for the event are $1,000/person for a double room or $1,500/person for single occupancy. What's a little pocket change when coconut shrimp and umbrella drinks can replace turkey on Thanksgiving menus?
Friday, July 01, 2005
Hornbuckle preparing for heavier workload
Alexis Hornbuckle had an outstanding freshman season at the University of Tennessee.
But she is going to be asked to do more for the Lady Vols this year, so she is getting ready. Hornbuckle has spent the majority of the summer in Knoxville preparing for the upcoming basketball season.
“I have been working on my shooting,” Hornbuckle said. “Coach Pat [Summitt] asked me to work on that aspect of my game because I think I’ll be called on [to shoot] more.”
There has been little rest in the offseason for Hornbuckle.
“I’ve been taking classes, which ends this week,” she said. “And I have been working camps and working out. Shooting has been No. 1, but I have also been working on my strength and conditioning.”
The former Capital and South Charleston Class AAA all-stater and three-time West Virginia girls player of the year led the Lady Vols in assists, steals and defensive rebounds for the season, though she started just 21 of 35 games.
But even if Hornbuckle wasn’t penciled in the starting lineup, it wasn’t long before she made it to the scorer’s table.
“We had some injuries, but we were a pretty deep team to begin with,” she said.
Hornbuckle grabbed high-point honors in three high-profile games — against Louisiana Tech, UConn and a NCAA semifinal loss to Michigan State. For her efforts, Hornbuckle was a two-time Lady Vol Player of the Week and Co-Southeastern Conference Player of the Week once.
Playing for Summitt proved quite an experience last season as the coach reached the NCAA all-time basketball win record. Summitt finished the season with 882 career victories, breaking Dean Smith’s record of 879 career Division I victories with the North Carolina men.
“That was fun,” Hornbuckle said. “After the game, they announced the court was named for her and she was caught completely by surprise.”
Tennessee reached the NCAA Women’s Final Four before bowing out to Michigan State.
“It was great [making it to the Final Four],” said Hornbuckle. “But the atmosphere wasn’t much different from our regular-season games [at Tennessee], though. It was fun.’’
Never timid with her skills, Hornbuckle admitted that her confidence level is still growing.
“It’s an honor to play here,” she said. “It’s a whole new level of confidence. It adds a whole new swagger to your game.”
With former high school teammate Renee Montgomery heading to UConn this year, the possibility of matching two former West Virginia players of the year is an intriguing one.
“I can’t wait,” said Hornbuckle. “We still try to stay in touch. We haven’t played against each other since eighth grade when I was at Dunbar and she was at Hayes.”
The results?
“We won twice,” Hornbuckle said.
But she is going to be asked to do more for the Lady Vols this year, so she is getting ready. Hornbuckle has spent the majority of the summer in Knoxville preparing for the upcoming basketball season.
“I have been working on my shooting,” Hornbuckle said. “Coach Pat [Summitt] asked me to work on that aspect of my game because I think I’ll be called on [to shoot] more.”
There has been little rest in the offseason for Hornbuckle.
“I’ve been taking classes, which ends this week,” she said. “And I have been working camps and working out. Shooting has been No. 1, but I have also been working on my strength and conditioning.”
The former Capital and South Charleston Class AAA all-stater and three-time West Virginia girls player of the year led the Lady Vols in assists, steals and defensive rebounds for the season, though she started just 21 of 35 games.
But even if Hornbuckle wasn’t penciled in the starting lineup, it wasn’t long before she made it to the scorer’s table.
“We had some injuries, but we were a pretty deep team to begin with,” she said.
Hornbuckle grabbed high-point honors in three high-profile games — against Louisiana Tech, UConn and a NCAA semifinal loss to Michigan State. For her efforts, Hornbuckle was a two-time Lady Vol Player of the Week and Co-Southeastern Conference Player of the Week once.
Playing for Summitt proved quite an experience last season as the coach reached the NCAA all-time basketball win record. Summitt finished the season with 882 career victories, breaking Dean Smith’s record of 879 career Division I victories with the North Carolina men.
“That was fun,” Hornbuckle said. “After the game, they announced the court was named for her and she was caught completely by surprise.”
Tennessee reached the NCAA Women’s Final Four before bowing out to Michigan State.
“It was great [making it to the Final Four],” said Hornbuckle. “But the atmosphere wasn’t much different from our regular-season games [at Tennessee], though. It was fun.’’
Never timid with her skills, Hornbuckle admitted that her confidence level is still growing.
“It’s an honor to play here,” she said. “It’s a whole new level of confidence. It adds a whole new swagger to your game.”
With former high school teammate Renee Montgomery heading to UConn this year, the possibility of matching two former West Virginia players of the year is an intriguing one.
“I can’t wait,” said Hornbuckle. “We still try to stay in touch. We haven’t played against each other since eighth grade when I was at Dunbar and she was at Hayes.”
The results?
“We won twice,” Hornbuckle said.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Gunter true pioneer for women's basketball
Eight of Louisiana's all-time sports greats will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame today at a 6 p.m. banquet at Northwestern State University's Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches.
This year's inductees include jockey Randy Romero, baseball standout Albert Belle, basketball's Sue Gunter, Rudy Macklin and Janice Lawrence, and footballers Hoyle Granger, Mark Duper and Tom Hinton.
This year's eight inductees bring to 237 the number of state athletes, coaches and administrators awarded the state's highest athletic honor.
Tickets for the induction banquet are $25 and are available by calling the Hall of Fame office at (318) 357-6467.
Sue Gunter was women's basketball before there was women's basketball.
Before national television contracts, 64-team NCAA Tournament brackets, sellout crowds at the Women's Final Four, Gunter was a player. A player on the ground floor of women's basketball as an All-American guard for Nashville Business College, then a successful coach at Stephen F. Austin and LSU along with forays into the international game.
"Sue laid the foundation," said LSU athletics director Skip Bertman, who arrived as the Tigers' baseball coach a year after Gunter showed up in 1982-83. "Jody Conradt, Pat Summitt, Leon Barmore and others all say, 'I learned a lot from Sue Gunter.' There weren't many mentors, but she was one of them."
Gunter started playing basketball when the women's game was only played on half the court and its appeal didn't extend far beyond the gym door. But someone had to start.
From the beginning, from before the beginning, Gunter was there.
"She was an administrator," said current LSU women's coach Pokey Chatman, an All-American point guard for Gunter in 1991 and her assistant until becoming her successor last year. "She probably taught a class. She drove the bus. She coached the team.
"I remember she told me when she became head coach at Stephen F. Austin she was making $6,500 a year and she thought she'd hit the lottery."
The beginning of Gunter's career is lost in the mists of the stone age of women's basketball. She started at Middle Tennessee in the mid-1960s, leading the Blue Raiders to a pair of undefeated seasons.
She then moved on to Stephen F. Austin, in the piney woods of eastern Texas. Gunter coached four sports at SFA — women's basketball, softball, tennis and track. It was with the women's basketball program that Gunter made her name — and established SFA's identity among the nation's trendsetters in the sport as Gunter guided the Ladyjacks to a 266-87 record in 12 seasons.
In 1976, Gunter was an assistant coach on the first U.S. Olympic women's basketball team. One of her players was Pat Head Summitt. Together, they helped Team USA capture a silver medal.
"When I started being coached by her I had just taken the job at Tennessee when I was 22," said Summitt, the winningest coach in college basketball history with a record of 882-172. She was 23 when she began playing for Gunter on the national team and 24 when they went to Montreal for the 1976 Olympics.
"I just enjoyed it," Summitt said. "I had so much fun but I learned a lot from an opportunity to be coached by her as an assistant in Montreal. Then she asked me to be her assistant in 1980."
Gunter was named head coach for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, a team that didn't get to compete because of President Carter's ordered boycott of the Moscow Games after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
"It was difficult for the kids to understand," Gunter said in 2000. "For 90 percent of the athletes, it was their one chance. I just felt I missed my shot."
Summitt succeeded Gunter as Olympic coach in 1984 and led the U.S. to gold in Los Angeles, fielding a team that included 2005 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee Janice Lawrence. By that time, Gunter was already at LSU, resuming her college coaching career after a brief hiatus because of her duties as Olympic coach.
"She had to do a lot in terms of changing from the way she was brought up playing the game to where it is now, where it's more of a contact sport," said LSU senior Seimone Augustus, the consensus national player of the year last season. "Just her being able to evolve with the changes in basketball is something important."
Gunter didn't just evolve with women's basketball, she thrived.
In 22 years at LSU her Lady Tigers recorded 14 20-win seasons and made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Final Four in 2004 and the Elite Eight in 1986, 2000 and 2003 along with SEC Tournament championships in 1991 and 2003, and the 1985 WNIT title.
In 2000, Gunter was a member of the second class inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. Gunter attended that induction ceremony, and when LSU played at Tennessee she would bring her Lady Tigers to the hall to learn something about the game — and her. The players, who could scarcely imagine a game before they began playing it, laughed and joked when Gunter would show them photos of her young playing self in her shiny Nashville Business College uniform.
Midway through the 2003-04 season, Gunter stepped aside due to a serious lung ailment that eventually ended her career. Chatman succeeded her as interim coach, leading LSU to its first appearance in the Final Four. Though Chatman was on the bench, Gunter got credit for the season and the Final Four appearance. Her final career record stood at 708-308, including a 442-221 record in 22 seasons at LSU.
This year, Gunter is being inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and in August, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., going in with such coaching legends as Jim Calhoun of Connecticut, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and long-time NBA coach Hubie Brown.
Unfortunately, Gunter won't likely be able to attend either induction ceremony. Like being the Olympic coach in 1980 and putting together the first LSU team to reach the Women's Final Four, Gunter was once again able to get within sight of the promised land but couldn't cross over.
"Life is not always fair," Summitt said, "and it doesn't seem like it's been fair for someone who broke new ground and really worked so hard for this game, only to be denied both opportunities. When she couldn't coach (the 2004 Final Four) in New Orleans, it just broke my heart. But I'm very happy for her now."
This year's inductees include jockey Randy Romero, baseball standout Albert Belle, basketball's Sue Gunter, Rudy Macklin and Janice Lawrence, and footballers Hoyle Granger, Mark Duper and Tom Hinton.
This year's eight inductees bring to 237 the number of state athletes, coaches and administrators awarded the state's highest athletic honor.
Tickets for the induction banquet are $25 and are available by calling the Hall of Fame office at (318) 357-6467.
Sue Gunter was women's basketball before there was women's basketball.
Before national television contracts, 64-team NCAA Tournament brackets, sellout crowds at the Women's Final Four, Gunter was a player. A player on the ground floor of women's basketball as an All-American guard for Nashville Business College, then a successful coach at Stephen F. Austin and LSU along with forays into the international game.
"Sue laid the foundation," said LSU athletics director Skip Bertman, who arrived as the Tigers' baseball coach a year after Gunter showed up in 1982-83. "Jody Conradt, Pat Summitt, Leon Barmore and others all say, 'I learned a lot from Sue Gunter.' There weren't many mentors, but she was one of them."
Gunter started playing basketball when the women's game was only played on half the court and its appeal didn't extend far beyond the gym door. But someone had to start.
From the beginning, from before the beginning, Gunter was there.
"She was an administrator," said current LSU women's coach Pokey Chatman, an All-American point guard for Gunter in 1991 and her assistant until becoming her successor last year. "She probably taught a class. She drove the bus. She coached the team.
"I remember she told me when she became head coach at Stephen F. Austin she was making $6,500 a year and she thought she'd hit the lottery."
The beginning of Gunter's career is lost in the mists of the stone age of women's basketball. She started at Middle Tennessee in the mid-1960s, leading the Blue Raiders to a pair of undefeated seasons.
She then moved on to Stephen F. Austin, in the piney woods of eastern Texas. Gunter coached four sports at SFA — women's basketball, softball, tennis and track. It was with the women's basketball program that Gunter made her name — and established SFA's identity among the nation's trendsetters in the sport as Gunter guided the Ladyjacks to a 266-87 record in 12 seasons.
In 1976, Gunter was an assistant coach on the first U.S. Olympic women's basketball team. One of her players was Pat Head Summitt. Together, they helped Team USA capture a silver medal.
"When I started being coached by her I had just taken the job at Tennessee when I was 22," said Summitt, the winningest coach in college basketball history with a record of 882-172. She was 23 when she began playing for Gunter on the national team and 24 when they went to Montreal for the 1976 Olympics.
"I just enjoyed it," Summitt said. "I had so much fun but I learned a lot from an opportunity to be coached by her as an assistant in Montreal. Then she asked me to be her assistant in 1980."
Gunter was named head coach for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, a team that didn't get to compete because of President Carter's ordered boycott of the Moscow Games after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
"It was difficult for the kids to understand," Gunter said in 2000. "For 90 percent of the athletes, it was their one chance. I just felt I missed my shot."
Summitt succeeded Gunter as Olympic coach in 1984 and led the U.S. to gold in Los Angeles, fielding a team that included 2005 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee Janice Lawrence. By that time, Gunter was already at LSU, resuming her college coaching career after a brief hiatus because of her duties as Olympic coach.
"She had to do a lot in terms of changing from the way she was brought up playing the game to where it is now, where it's more of a contact sport," said LSU senior Seimone Augustus, the consensus national player of the year last season. "Just her being able to evolve with the changes in basketball is something important."
Gunter didn't just evolve with women's basketball, she thrived.
In 22 years at LSU her Lady Tigers recorded 14 20-win seasons and made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Final Four in 2004 and the Elite Eight in 1986, 2000 and 2003 along with SEC Tournament championships in 1991 and 2003, and the 1985 WNIT title.
In 2000, Gunter was a member of the second class inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. Gunter attended that induction ceremony, and when LSU played at Tennessee she would bring her Lady Tigers to the hall to learn something about the game — and her. The players, who could scarcely imagine a game before they began playing it, laughed and joked when Gunter would show them photos of her young playing self in her shiny Nashville Business College uniform.
Midway through the 2003-04 season, Gunter stepped aside due to a serious lung ailment that eventually ended her career. Chatman succeeded her as interim coach, leading LSU to its first appearance in the Final Four. Though Chatman was on the bench, Gunter got credit for the season and the Final Four appearance. Her final career record stood at 708-308, including a 442-221 record in 22 seasons at LSU.
This year, Gunter is being inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and in August, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., going in with such coaching legends as Jim Calhoun of Connecticut, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and long-time NBA coach Hubie Brown.
Unfortunately, Gunter won't likely be able to attend either induction ceremony. Like being the Olympic coach in 1980 and putting together the first LSU team to reach the Women's Final Four, Gunter was once again able to get within sight of the promised land but couldn't cross over.
"Life is not always fair," Summitt said, "and it doesn't seem like it's been fair for someone who broke new ground and really worked so hard for this game, only to be denied both opportunities. When she couldn't coach (the 2004 Final Four) in New Orleans, it just broke my heart. But I'm very happy for her now."
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Pursuing degree in game at Summitt
Pam Owens' goal when she graduated from the University of New Orleans in 1989 was to coach college basketball someday.
But as the John Lennon song goes, life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.
Sixteen years and an outstanding high school coaching career later, Owens finally is getting the opportunity she pursued with the drive that defines so much of her character.
Owens, who built a girls basketball power at Taft High School in only eight seasons, resigned Monday to take a job as a graduate assistant at Tennessee.
Her boss will be Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who is synonymous with women's basketball.
Summitt has seen a lot of coaches come and go in 31 seasons with the Lady Vols. But she's getting someone special in Owens, whose passion for basketball, particularly Tennessee basketball, is well known.
"I called her a Pat Summitt stalker because she went to all of her clinics," former coaching rival Tina Camacho said with a chuckle.
Owens, 39, makes no apologies for her unbridled enthusiasm.
"I'm going to go up there and be the best graduate assistant I can be," she said. "If you want to be a college coach, what better place to start than at Tennessee? I've always been a huge Pat Summitt fan. She's just awesome."
Summitt (882-172) passed North Carolina icon Dean Smith this year as college basketball's career leader in coaching victories.
Is it any wonder why Owens has taped every Tennessee game that's been on TV each of the past eight seasons?
If you're a student of the game, as Owens surely is, you want to learn from the master.
"She does things right," Owens said of Summitt. "She has a reputation as a hard, stern coach — and she is when that line is crossed. But off the court, she's a great person to be around."
Although she coached at Taft for less than a decade, Owens undoubtedly left her own mark on San Antonio girls basketball.
The Raiders always reflected their coach. They were fundamentally sound, disciplined, mentally tough and, above all, well prepared.
Owens' professionalism reflected her strong commitment to be a positive influence on the girls she coached.
The Raiders went 226-57 under Owens and advanced to the state tournament three of the past four seasons.
Not bad for someone who didn't think she would be a high school coach.
Owens planned to work as a graduate assistant after earning her degree, but she had to put her college career on hold to care for her maternal grandmother in San Antonio. Owens said the decision was a no-brainer, which reveals a lot about her character.
Owens was raised by Pearl Kempin, and she wasn't about to turn her back on her beloved grandma.
"She was always the major influence on my life," Owens said. "She taught me to work hard and treat people the right way. She told me to just be a good person and good things will happen."
Kempin died in 1997.
Owens joined Don Evans' staff at Judson in 1989, staying with him until becoming girls basketball coach at Bandera in 1995. She led the Bulldogs to the playoffs in her first year and was 38-22 in two seasons.
Owens moved to Taft in 1997 and began laying the foundation for one of the state's most consistent winners.
Evans, who coached Owens at Lee through her junior season, said he wasn't surprised when she went into coaching.
"Pam was always eager to learn about basketball and coaching, and always took every opportunity to do just that," Evans said. "I know that coaching in college has been her longtime dream. She will do well."
Agreed.
Owens has the right temperament to be an excellent college coach. A straight shooter with a down-home touch, she will make a good recruiter.
I will miss her intensity and passion for basketball.
Owens made San Antonio girls basketball better. That is the legacy she leaves.
But as the John Lennon song goes, life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.
Sixteen years and an outstanding high school coaching career later, Owens finally is getting the opportunity she pursued with the drive that defines so much of her character.
Owens, who built a girls basketball power at Taft High School in only eight seasons, resigned Monday to take a job as a graduate assistant at Tennessee.
Her boss will be Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who is synonymous with women's basketball.
Summitt has seen a lot of coaches come and go in 31 seasons with the Lady Vols. But she's getting someone special in Owens, whose passion for basketball, particularly Tennessee basketball, is well known.
"I called her a Pat Summitt stalker because she went to all of her clinics," former coaching rival Tina Camacho said with a chuckle.
Owens, 39, makes no apologies for her unbridled enthusiasm.
"I'm going to go up there and be the best graduate assistant I can be," she said. "If you want to be a college coach, what better place to start than at Tennessee? I've always been a huge Pat Summitt fan. She's just awesome."
Summitt (882-172) passed North Carolina icon Dean Smith this year as college basketball's career leader in coaching victories.
Is it any wonder why Owens has taped every Tennessee game that's been on TV each of the past eight seasons?
If you're a student of the game, as Owens surely is, you want to learn from the master.
"She does things right," Owens said of Summitt. "She has a reputation as a hard, stern coach — and she is when that line is crossed. But off the court, she's a great person to be around."
Although she coached at Taft for less than a decade, Owens undoubtedly left her own mark on San Antonio girls basketball.
The Raiders always reflected their coach. They were fundamentally sound, disciplined, mentally tough and, above all, well prepared.
Owens' professionalism reflected her strong commitment to be a positive influence on the girls she coached.
The Raiders went 226-57 under Owens and advanced to the state tournament three of the past four seasons.
Not bad for someone who didn't think she would be a high school coach.
Owens planned to work as a graduate assistant after earning her degree, but she had to put her college career on hold to care for her maternal grandmother in San Antonio. Owens said the decision was a no-brainer, which reveals a lot about her character.
Owens was raised by Pearl Kempin, and she wasn't about to turn her back on her beloved grandma.
"She was always the major influence on my life," Owens said. "She taught me to work hard and treat people the right way. She told me to just be a good person and good things will happen."
Kempin died in 1997.
Owens joined Don Evans' staff at Judson in 1989, staying with him until becoming girls basketball coach at Bandera in 1995. She led the Bulldogs to the playoffs in her first year and was 38-22 in two seasons.
Owens moved to Taft in 1997 and began laying the foundation for one of the state's most consistent winners.
Evans, who coached Owens at Lee through her junior season, said he wasn't surprised when she went into coaching.
"Pam was always eager to learn about basketball and coaching, and always took every opportunity to do just that," Evans said. "I know that coaching in college has been her longtime dream. She will do well."
Agreed.
Owens has the right temperament to be an excellent college coach. A straight shooter with a down-home touch, she will make a good recruiter.
I will miss her intensity and passion for basketball.
Owens made San Antonio girls basketball better. That is the legacy she leaves.
Butts Moving On
Lady Vols' graduate assistant basketball coach Tasha Butts will not be on the sidelines at Thompson-Boling Arena next season. The Lady Vols' basketball office telling Sports Overtime she will pursue other coaching interests.
Published reports state Pam Owens will fill Butts' spot on UT head coach Pat Summitt's bench. Owens has been a high school coach in San Antonio the past eight seasons.
Butts played for Tennessee from 2000-2004.
Published reports state Pam Owens will fill Butts' spot on UT head coach Pat Summitt's bench. Owens has been a high school coach in San Antonio the past eight seasons.
Butts played for Tennessee from 2000-2004.
Friday, June 03, 2005
UT softball players reach Summitt
Basketball coach cheers team through World Series win
OKLAHOMA CITY - University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt kept her promise, and the Lady Vols softball team delivered a World Series win.
"Throughout the recruiting process, since (co-head coaches) Ralph and Karen Weekly took over the program, I've met with almost all, if not all, the recruits,'' Summitt said. "I made this team a promise that if they got here, I'd be here.''
Summitt flew in from the Southeastern Conference spring meetings in Destin, Fla., on Thursday along with UT women's athletic director Joan Cronan and her husband, Tom, and Lady Vols assistant basketball coach Holly Warlick.
Karen Weekly said Summitt's presence made a difference Thursday - a 1-0 win over Arizona - but perhaps not as much as the talk Summitt delivered to the softball team after Georgia had taken two of three games from UT in April.
"She told our girls how important it was to stick together,'' Weekly said. "Her thing was, you've got to have better huddles and get close.
"You see how our girls interlock arms during the national anthem? That started after their talk with Pat.''
Summitt, who flew back to Destin on Thursday night, said she enjoyed watching the softball program score the breakthrough victory.
"Once you get to this level, you leave that door open forever,'' Summitt said. "You know what's out there and what it takes to go through that door. When we started going to Final Fours, it changed the whole scope of our program, and I think that will happen for the softball program as well.''
Summitt said she was impressed particularly with pitcher Monica Abbott, who recorded a shutout in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Arizona in the opening game of the World Series. Abbott leads the nation with 578 strikeouts and 48 wins.
"She's their (Chamique) Holdsclaw,'' Summitt said, referring to the former UT basketball All-American who led the Lady Vols to three consecutive national championships. "When you have a player who can just dominate she's taken this program to a whole other level. That's what Chamique did for our program.''
UT football coach Phillip Fulmer, who attended the Lady Vols regional championship, phoned Ralph Weekly to congratulate him after the game. Fulmer's daughter, Allison, will attend UT and play for the Lady Vols next season.
OKLAHOMA CITY - University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt kept her promise, and the Lady Vols softball team delivered a World Series win.
"Throughout the recruiting process, since (co-head coaches) Ralph and Karen Weekly took over the program, I've met with almost all, if not all, the recruits,'' Summitt said. "I made this team a promise that if they got here, I'd be here.''
Summitt flew in from the Southeastern Conference spring meetings in Destin, Fla., on Thursday along with UT women's athletic director Joan Cronan and her husband, Tom, and Lady Vols assistant basketball coach Holly Warlick.
Karen Weekly said Summitt's presence made a difference Thursday - a 1-0 win over Arizona - but perhaps not as much as the talk Summitt delivered to the softball team after Georgia had taken two of three games from UT in April.
"She told our girls how important it was to stick together,'' Weekly said. "Her thing was, you've got to have better huddles and get close.
"You see how our girls interlock arms during the national anthem? That started after their talk with Pat.''
Summitt, who flew back to Destin on Thursday night, said she enjoyed watching the softball program score the breakthrough victory.
"Once you get to this level, you leave that door open forever,'' Summitt said. "You know what's out there and what it takes to go through that door. When we started going to Final Fours, it changed the whole scope of our program, and I think that will happen for the softball program as well.''
Summitt said she was impressed particularly with pitcher Monica Abbott, who recorded a shutout in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Arizona in the opening game of the World Series. Abbott leads the nation with 578 strikeouts and 48 wins.
"She's their (Chamique) Holdsclaw,'' Summitt said, referring to the former UT basketball All-American who led the Lady Vols to three consecutive national championships. "When you have a player who can just dominate she's taken this program to a whole other level. That's what Chamique did for our program.''
UT football coach Phillip Fulmer, who attended the Lady Vols regional championship, phoned Ralph Weekly to congratulate him after the game. Fulmer's daughter, Allison, will attend UT and play for the Lady Vols next season.
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