University of Tennessee Lady Vol rising sophomore Cait McMahan’s mother, Teresa, passed away on Tuesday, May 29 after a courageous battle with cancer. Ms. McMahan is survived by her children, son Reese and daughter Cait.
“This is a sad day for the McMahan and Lady Vol families,” said Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt. “Having had the opportunity to know Teresa – she had incredible faith and fight and truly was a great mother. Our thoughts go out to Cait, Reese and the McMahan family.”
Cait, a native of Maryville, Tennessee, just completed her rookie season on the Lady Vol Basketball Team where she helped lead the squad to the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Championships.
There will be no receiving of friends for Ms. McMahan. Instead, family and friends may gather for a graveside service at 2:00p Thursday at Grandview Cemetery.
McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home in Maryville is handling the arrangements.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Anosike and Hornbuckle Named as Finalists for 2007 USA Basketball Women's Pan Am Games Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Basketball announced today that 15 athletes had been selected as finalists for the 2007 USA Women's Pan American Games Team following the May 17-20 USA National Team Trials that featured 45 athletes vying for a coveted roster spot. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee, which is chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA's vice president of Division I women's basketball.
"I'm very excited about the players that have been selected," said USA and Temple University head coach Dawn Staley, an assistant on the 2007-08 USA Women's Senior National Team. "It's a very versatile group that can do a lot of things on both sides of the basketball court. It's a group that's used to playing in big basketball games and that's something we're going to have to play in during the five games down in Brazil. We're going to see some tough competition in Rio and I think the committee did a tremendous job of putting us in the best possible situation to go down there and win the gold.
"I think it's going to be a hard task to get this group down to 12. I'm glad I'm not the one that is choosing the team. Certainly all of us, Kathy (Delaney-Smith), Bill (Gibbons) and I will put our best foot forward and give everyone an equal opportunity to be a part of the 12 players that make it."
The 14 athletes still in contention for a spot on the final 12-member USA Pan Am Games Team include: Jessica Adair (George Washington / Washington, D.C.); Matee Ajavon (Rutgers / Newark, N.J.); Nicky Anosike (Tennessee / Staten Island, N.Y.); Jayne Appel (Stanford/Pleasant Hill, Calif.) Marissa Coleman (Maryland / Cheltenham, Md.); Krystal Ellis (Marquette / Racine, Wis.); Emily Fox (Minnesota / Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Amber Holt (Middle Tennessee / Duluth, Ga.); Alexis Hornbuckle (Tennessee / Charleston, W.Va.); Chardé Houston (Connecticut / San Diego, Calif.); Tasha Humphrey (Georgia / Gainesville, Ga.); Erlana Larkins (North Carolina / Riviera Beach, Fla.); Angel McCoughtry (Louisville / Baltimore, Md.); Mel Thomas (Connecticut / Cincinnati, Ohio) and Candice Wiggins (Stanford / San Diego, Calif.).
The finalists include 10 athletes who have previously competed for USA Basketball. Appel won a gold medal in aiding the 2006 USA U18 National Team to a perfect 4-0 slate at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Larkins was a member of the 2006 USA U20 National Team that captured the gold medal in Mexico City, Mexico; in 2005 Anosike, Coleman, Larkins and Wiggins captured the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship. Prior to the U19 Worlds those four won the 2005 International Sports Invitational gold medal. In 2004 Coleman, Houston, Larkins and Wiggins started their age group off on the right foot by sweeping the competition at the 2004 FIBA Americas U18 Championship to collect the gold medal.
Coleman got her start in a USA Basketball uniform at the 2004 USA Youth Development Festival; while Ajavon, Hornbuckle, Houston, Humphrey, Thomas and Wiggins all competed in the 2003 USA Youth Development Festival.
Nine USA Pan American Games Team finalists earned 2007 All-America honors. McCoughtry and Wiggins, both of whom were Wade Trophy finalists, were named to the Associated Press All-America second team, Humphrey and Larkins earned A.P. All-America third team honors and Ajavon, Coleman, Ellis, Hornbuckle and Houston were A.P. All- America honorable mentions. The 2007 Kodak/WBCA All-America Team featured Wiggins, while Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention went to Humphrey and Larkins.
The USA Pan Ams finalists will reconvene on July 6 in Washington, D.C., and the eventual 12-member squad will be named prior to the team departing for Brazil on July 16.
The Pan American Games women's basketball tournament will be held July 20-24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will feature eight national teams from FIBA Americas. The U.S., placed in Group B, opens preliminary play against Columbia on July 20. Facing Argentina on July 21, the USA will close the preliminary round with a contest against defending Pan American Games gold medalists Cuba on July 22. Semifinals are slated for July 23 and the gold medal will be contested July 24. Also competing in the 2007 Pan Ams women's basketball tournament are Group A nations Brazil, Canada, Jamaica and Mexico.
Assisting Staley are collegiate head coaches Kathy Delaney-Smith of Harvard University (Mass.) and Bill Gibbons of College of the Holy Cross (Mass.).
"I'm very excited about the players that have been selected," said USA and Temple University head coach Dawn Staley, an assistant on the 2007-08 USA Women's Senior National Team. "It's a very versatile group that can do a lot of things on both sides of the basketball court. It's a group that's used to playing in big basketball games and that's something we're going to have to play in during the five games down in Brazil. We're going to see some tough competition in Rio and I think the committee did a tremendous job of putting us in the best possible situation to go down there and win the gold.
"I think it's going to be a hard task to get this group down to 12. I'm glad I'm not the one that is choosing the team. Certainly all of us, Kathy (Delaney-Smith), Bill (Gibbons) and I will put our best foot forward and give everyone an equal opportunity to be a part of the 12 players that make it."
The 14 athletes still in contention for a spot on the final 12-member USA Pan Am Games Team include: Jessica Adair (George Washington / Washington, D.C.); Matee Ajavon (Rutgers / Newark, N.J.); Nicky Anosike (Tennessee / Staten Island, N.Y.); Jayne Appel (Stanford/Pleasant Hill, Calif.) Marissa Coleman (Maryland / Cheltenham, Md.); Krystal Ellis (Marquette / Racine, Wis.); Emily Fox (Minnesota / Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Amber Holt (Middle Tennessee / Duluth, Ga.); Alexis Hornbuckle (Tennessee / Charleston, W.Va.); Chardé Houston (Connecticut / San Diego, Calif.); Tasha Humphrey (Georgia / Gainesville, Ga.); Erlana Larkins (North Carolina / Riviera Beach, Fla.); Angel McCoughtry (Louisville / Baltimore, Md.); Mel Thomas (Connecticut / Cincinnati, Ohio) and Candice Wiggins (Stanford / San Diego, Calif.).
The finalists include 10 athletes who have previously competed for USA Basketball. Appel won a gold medal in aiding the 2006 USA U18 National Team to a perfect 4-0 slate at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Larkins was a member of the 2006 USA U20 National Team that captured the gold medal in Mexico City, Mexico; in 2005 Anosike, Coleman, Larkins and Wiggins captured the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship. Prior to the U19 Worlds those four won the 2005 International Sports Invitational gold medal. In 2004 Coleman, Houston, Larkins and Wiggins started their age group off on the right foot by sweeping the competition at the 2004 FIBA Americas U18 Championship to collect the gold medal.
Coleman got her start in a USA Basketball uniform at the 2004 USA Youth Development Festival; while Ajavon, Hornbuckle, Houston, Humphrey, Thomas and Wiggins all competed in the 2003 USA Youth Development Festival.
Nine USA Pan American Games Team finalists earned 2007 All-America honors. McCoughtry and Wiggins, both of whom were Wade Trophy finalists, were named to the Associated Press All-America second team, Humphrey and Larkins earned A.P. All-America third team honors and Ajavon, Coleman, Ellis, Hornbuckle and Houston were A.P. All- America honorable mentions. The 2007 Kodak/WBCA All-America Team featured Wiggins, while Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention went to Humphrey and Larkins.
The USA Pan Ams finalists will reconvene on July 6 in Washington, D.C., and the eventual 12-member squad will be named prior to the team departing for Brazil on July 16.
The Pan American Games women's basketball tournament will be held July 20-24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will feature eight national teams from FIBA Americas. The U.S., placed in Group B, opens preliminary play against Columbia on July 20. Facing Argentina on July 21, the USA will close the preliminary round with a contest against defending Pan American Games gold medalists Cuba on July 22. Semifinals are slated for July 23 and the gold medal will be contested July 24. Also competing in the 2007 Pan Ams women's basketball tournament are Group A nations Brazil, Canada, Jamaica and Mexico.
Assisting Staley are collegiate head coaches Kathy Delaney-Smith of Harvard University (Mass.) and Bill Gibbons of College of the Holy Cross (Mass.).
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt to Receive New York Athletic Club's Winged Foot Award
Summitt won her 7th NCAA Tournament this year
NEW YORK - Pat Summitt, coach of the University of Tennessee's NCAA champion women's basketball team, and Billy Donovan, who guided the University of Florida to the men's crown, will receive the New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award on May 23 at a dinner at the NYAC. The award is presented annually to the coaches of the men's and women's NCAA basketball champions.
New York Athletic Club President Val Taubner said, "Both of our Winged Foot Award winners this year accomplished amazing feats, with Coach Donovan winning in consecutive years, and Coach Summitt guiding Tennessee to its seventh national crown in her incredible 33-year reign as coach."
Summitt's squad beat North Carolina in the semi-finals, 56-50, then topped Rutgers in the championship game, 59-46. This was Summitt's first national title since 1998. The other championships came in 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1996, 1997 and 1998. Summitt is the all-time winningest coach-man or woman-in NCAA basketball history, with 947 victories and only 180 losses (34-3 this season). By comparison, Bobby Knight has the most victories for a men's Division I coach, 58 less than Summitt at 889.
In addition, the Lady Vols under Summitt have made 26 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 and produced 12 Olympians. Summitt has a 100% graduation rate among all Lady Vols who have completed their eligibility. Her entire coaching career has been spent at Tennessee. Summitt graduated from Tennessee-Martin in 1974 and became coach of Tennessee beginning with the 1974-75 season.
Florida became the first men's team to win back-to-back titles since Duke accomplished the feat in 1991-92. In the Final Four, Florida defeated UCLA, 76-66 in the semi-finals, then topped Ohio State 84-75 in the championship game. Florida's balanced team has rightfully been lauded because several players returned this season instead of going on to the NBA.
Donovan starred at St. Agnes High School in Rockville Centre, Long Island and at Providence College, where he played for Rick Pitino. He has a career coaching record of 296-123, and a mark of 261-103 in 11 seasons at Florida (35-5 this season). He has guided the Gators to nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Donovan worked as a graduate assistant under Pitino at Kentucky in 1989, became a full-time assistant in 1990 and then became head coach at Marshall in 1994. He began at Florida in 1997.
Past winners of the men's New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award, in addition to Donovan last year, are: Rick Pitino, Kentucky (1996), Lute Olson, Arizona (1997), Tubby Smith, Kentucky (1998), Jim Calhoun, Connecticut (1999), Tom Izzo, Michigan State (2000), Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (2001), Gary Williams, Maryland (2002), Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (2003), Jim Calhoun, Connecticut (2004) and Roy Williams, North Carolina (2005).
This is the ninth time the women's award has been presented since the NYAC recognition began in 1999. Past winners of the women's award are Carolyn Peck, Purdue (1999), Geno Auriemma, Connecticut (2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004), Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame (2001), Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor (2005) and Brenda Frese, Maryland (2006).
NEW YORK - Pat Summitt, coach of the University of Tennessee's NCAA champion women's basketball team, and Billy Donovan, who guided the University of Florida to the men's crown, will receive the New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award on May 23 at a dinner at the NYAC. The award is presented annually to the coaches of the men's and women's NCAA basketball champions.
New York Athletic Club President Val Taubner said, "Both of our Winged Foot Award winners this year accomplished amazing feats, with Coach Donovan winning in consecutive years, and Coach Summitt guiding Tennessee to its seventh national crown in her incredible 33-year reign as coach."
Summitt's squad beat North Carolina in the semi-finals, 56-50, then topped Rutgers in the championship game, 59-46. This was Summitt's first national title since 1998. The other championships came in 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1996, 1997 and 1998. Summitt is the all-time winningest coach-man or woman-in NCAA basketball history, with 947 victories and only 180 losses (34-3 this season). By comparison, Bobby Knight has the most victories for a men's Division I coach, 58 less than Summitt at 889.
In addition, the Lady Vols under Summitt have made 26 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16 and produced 12 Olympians. Summitt has a 100% graduation rate among all Lady Vols who have completed their eligibility. Her entire coaching career has been spent at Tennessee. Summitt graduated from Tennessee-Martin in 1974 and became coach of Tennessee beginning with the 1974-75 season.
Florida became the first men's team to win back-to-back titles since Duke accomplished the feat in 1991-92. In the Final Four, Florida defeated UCLA, 76-66 in the semi-finals, then topped Ohio State 84-75 in the championship game. Florida's balanced team has rightfully been lauded because several players returned this season instead of going on to the NBA.
Donovan starred at St. Agnes High School in Rockville Centre, Long Island and at Providence College, where he played for Rick Pitino. He has a career coaching record of 296-123, and a mark of 261-103 in 11 seasons at Florida (35-5 this season). He has guided the Gators to nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Donovan worked as a graduate assistant under Pitino at Kentucky in 1989, became a full-time assistant in 1990 and then became head coach at Marshall in 1994. He began at Florida in 1997.
Past winners of the men's New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award, in addition to Donovan last year, are: Rick Pitino, Kentucky (1996), Lute Olson, Arizona (1997), Tubby Smith, Kentucky (1998), Jim Calhoun, Connecticut (1999), Tom Izzo, Michigan State (2000), Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (2001), Gary Williams, Maryland (2002), Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (2003), Jim Calhoun, Connecticut (2004) and Roy Williams, North Carolina (2005).
This is the ninth time the women's award has been presented since the NYAC recognition began in 1999. Past winners of the women's award are Carolyn Peck, Purdue (1999), Geno Auriemma, Connecticut (2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004), Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame (2001), Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor (2005) and Brenda Frese, Maryland (2006).
Friday, April 27, 2007
Pat Summitt to lead charity golf tournament
Fresh off a national championship win, Lady Vols Head Coach Pat Summitt isn't slowing down.
In an interview Friday morning on "10 News Today," Coach Summitt said she will briefly trade a basketball for a golf club next month to encourage people to help out the Helen Ross McNabb Center.
The center specializes in mental health care services for adults, children and families in East Tennessee.
The tournament will be held May 7 at the Cherokee Country Club.
For more information about the tournament and how to sign up, click on the link below.
Play golf with Coach Pat Summitt.
In an interview Friday morning on "10 News Today," Coach Summitt said she will briefly trade a basketball for a golf club next month to encourage people to help out the Helen Ross McNabb Center.
The center specializes in mental health care services for adults, children and families in East Tennessee.
The tournament will be held May 7 at the Cherokee Country Club.
For more information about the tournament and how to sign up, click on the link below.
Play golf with Coach Pat Summitt.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
State Legislature Honors Tennessee Women
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The state Capitol was awash in orange Wednesday as lawmakers honored the Lady Vols basketball team for winning the 2007 NCAA National Championship.
Coach Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee President John Petersen and most of the Lady Vols team were greeted by legislators with applause and whistles to be honored with orange roses and a lengthy resolution detailing the season's highlights.
"Any time I've been able to come into this room and be recognized, it gives me chills," Summitt said.
The Lady Vols beat Rutgers 59-46 on April 3 in Cleveland to claim the national title.
Summitt and Petersen came to the House decked out in orange blazers reminiscent of men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl's favorite attire. A few legislators wore orange ties and House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower wore bright orange pants for the occasion.
The Lady Vols signed autographs before returning to Knoxville with Petersen to study for exams. Tournament MVP Candace Parker did not travel with the team because of illness.
House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry, D-Memphis, announced that at the University of Tennessee "the men are men and the women are national champions."
Summitt replied: "I love your enthusiasm. I may want to sign you up. Do you have any eligibility left?"
Coach Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee President John Petersen and most of the Lady Vols team were greeted by legislators with applause and whistles to be honored with orange roses and a lengthy resolution detailing the season's highlights.
"Any time I've been able to come into this room and be recognized, it gives me chills," Summitt said.
The Lady Vols beat Rutgers 59-46 on April 3 in Cleveland to claim the national title.
Summitt and Petersen came to the House decked out in orange blazers reminiscent of men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl's favorite attire. A few legislators wore orange ties and House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower wore bright orange pants for the occasion.
The Lady Vols signed autographs before returning to Knoxville with Petersen to study for exams. Tournament MVP Candace Parker did not travel with the team because of illness.
House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry, D-Memphis, announced that at the University of Tennessee "the men are men and the women are national champions."
Summitt replied: "I love your enthusiasm. I may want to sign you up. Do you have any eligibility left?"
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Pat Summitt with Jay Leno
NBC viewers all over the country enjoyed a visit from a big orange celebrity last night. Our very own National Championship coach glided onto the set of the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
The two talked about a wide range of topics from her early career to the controversy surrounding the Rutgers women's basketball team and former radio host Don Imus.
Then Jay just 'had' to ask about being a cheerleader. Which lead into the tape of Pat singing Rocky Top at the men's basketball game, after which Pat remarked " that looked like Minnie Pearl to me."
Jay said he was going to mention the Minnie Pearl resemblance...but he was afraid he would get slapped.
Click here to watch the video.
The two talked about a wide range of topics from her early career to the controversy surrounding the Rutgers women's basketball team and former radio host Don Imus.
Then Jay just 'had' to ask about being a cheerleader. Which lead into the tape of Pat singing Rocky Top at the men's basketball game, after which Pat remarked " that looked like Minnie Pearl to me."
Jay said he was going to mention the Minnie Pearl resemblance...but he was afraid he would get slapped.
Click here to watch the video.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Summitt booked for Tonight Show
Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt will be a guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday.
Along with Summitt, the show’s lineup Monday will include Zach Braff, known primarily for his role as medical intern John "J.D." Dorian on the NBC sitcom "Scrubs." The musical guest will be Joss Stone, the British singer/songwriter who has sold more than 7.5 million albums worldwide.
Summitt guided the Lady Vols to a seventh national championship in basketball on April 3 with a 59-46 victory over Rutgers in Cleveland.
Given the show’s format, Summitt’s turn as the singing cheerleader during a break in a Tennessee men’s basketball home game against Florida Feb. 27 likely will be revisited. Summitt, along with her assistant coaches, appeared in cheerleading attire at that game and Summitt sang "Rocky Top."
Along with Summitt, the show’s lineup Monday will include Zach Braff, known primarily for his role as medical intern John "J.D." Dorian on the NBC sitcom "Scrubs." The musical guest will be Joss Stone, the British singer/songwriter who has sold more than 7.5 million albums worldwide.
Summitt guided the Lady Vols to a seventh national championship in basketball on April 3 with a 59-46 victory over Rutgers in Cleveland.
Given the show’s format, Summitt’s turn as the singing cheerleader during a break in a Tennessee men’s basketball home game against Florida Feb. 27 likely will be revisited. Summitt, along with her assistant coaches, appeared in cheerleading attire at that game and Summitt sang "Rocky Top."
Monday, April 16, 2007
Chris Yandek Interviews Pat Summitt
Click here to read/listen to Chris Yandek's interviews with Pat Summitt. The interviews were conducted February 13, 2007 and April 10, 2007.
Friday, April 13, 2007
US Senate Passes Resolution Honoring Lady Vols
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution congratulating the UT Lady Vols for their NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship title.
The resolution, sponsored by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN) recognizes the Lady Vols for their 59-46 win over Rutgers in Cleveland and head coach Pat Summitt for her seventh such title.
“We’re very proud of our Lady Vols because they are true student athletes – Coach Summitt puts a serious focus on the academic achievement of her players, which sets a tone that the rest of the NCAA would do well to emulate,” Alexander said in a release. “I know how proud I was as president of the University of Tennessee that one of the most visible symbols of our university had such high values.”
“As a UT grad, I’m especially proud to join Senator Alexander in honoring the Lady Vols basketball team for winning Tennessee’s seventh national title under coach Pat Summitt,” said Corker. “I congratulate this exceptional group of young women and Coach Summitt for bringing another championship back to Knoxville.”
The resolution passed by unanimous consent late Thursday evening.
The resolution, sponsored by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN) recognizes the Lady Vols for their 59-46 win over Rutgers in Cleveland and head coach Pat Summitt for her seventh such title.
“We’re very proud of our Lady Vols because they are true student athletes – Coach Summitt puts a serious focus on the academic achievement of her players, which sets a tone that the rest of the NCAA would do well to emulate,” Alexander said in a release. “I know how proud I was as president of the University of Tennessee that one of the most visible symbols of our university had such high values.”
“As a UT grad, I’m especially proud to join Senator Alexander in honoring the Lady Vols basketball team for winning Tennessee’s seventh national title under coach Pat Summitt,” said Corker. “I congratulate this exceptional group of young women and Coach Summitt for bringing another championship back to Knoxville.”
The resolution passed by unanimous consent late Thursday evening.
West Virginia names Randall
Semeka Randall, a former Tennessee All-American and a four-year veteran of the WNBA, has joined the West Virginia University women's basketball coaching staff, coach Mike Carey said Thursday.
"I hope I can come in and contribute and give to the program any way I can," Randall said. "One of the things I see that is similar between Mike [Carey] and Pat [Summitt] is their hard work. I want to get in here and work my tail off and be part of a team that works hard."
Randall, a Cleveland native who was Parade Magazine's Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 1997 while starring at Trinity High School, has spent the last three seasons on the Michigan State staff, where the Spartans played for the national championship (2005), advanced to the Sweet 16 (2006) and made it to the NCAA second round (2007).
Randall was also Ohio's Miss Basketball in 1996 and 1997.
Before her tenure at Michigan State, Randall served as an assistant coach at Cleveland State.
Randall's playing career at Tennessee includes All-America honors and a national championship. Randall was the first player chosen in the second round (17th overall) of the 2001 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. In 2004, she completed her four-year WNBA career, which included stops in Utah (2002) and San Antonio (2003-04). She also played in professional leagues in Israel (2001-02) and Greece (2002-03).
"I hope I can come in and contribute and give to the program any way I can," Randall said. "One of the things I see that is similar between Mike [Carey] and Pat [Summitt] is their hard work. I want to get in here and work my tail off and be part of a team that works hard."
Randall, a Cleveland native who was Parade Magazine's Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 1997 while starring at Trinity High School, has spent the last three seasons on the Michigan State staff, where the Spartans played for the national championship (2005), advanced to the Sweet 16 (2006) and made it to the NCAA second round (2007).
Randall was also Ohio's Miss Basketball in 1996 and 1997.
Before her tenure at Michigan State, Randall served as an assistant coach at Cleveland State.
Randall's playing career at Tennessee includes All-America honors and a national championship. Randall was the first player chosen in the second round (17th overall) of the 2001 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. In 2004, she completed her four-year WNBA career, which included stops in Utah (2002) and San Antonio (2003-04). She also played in professional leagues in Israel (2001-02) and Greece (2002-03).
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Summitt Announces Departure of Lady Vol
Moats played in nine games this season
KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- Pat Summitt, head coach of the 2007 NCAA Champion University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team, announced today that freshman Nicci Moats had elected to leave the program.
"Nicci has decided to leave the Lady Vol basketball team," said Summitt. "I wish her success in all of her future endeavors."
Moats, a 6'2" forward from Daleville, Va., played in nine games this season and averaged 0.8 ppg and 0.9 rpg. On Jan. 27, 2007, Summitt announced that Moats would remain on medical leave from the team for the remainder of the season. At the time, Moats remarked, "After talking with the medical staff, I decided to take a leave from playing with the team for the remainder of the season so my focus can be on getting healthy and concentrating on my academics."
On the season, she recorded a career high four points against George Washington Univ., grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots against Chattanooga for other high-water marks.
"This was personally a difficult year for me at Tennessee, and I feel it is in my best interest to pursue playing opportunities closer to home and my family," said Moats.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- Pat Summitt, head coach of the 2007 NCAA Champion University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team, announced today that freshman Nicci Moats had elected to leave the program.
"Nicci has decided to leave the Lady Vol basketball team," said Summitt. "I wish her success in all of her future endeavors."
Moats, a 6'2" forward from Daleville, Va., played in nine games this season and averaged 0.8 ppg and 0.9 rpg. On Jan. 27, 2007, Summitt announced that Moats would remain on medical leave from the team for the remainder of the season. At the time, Moats remarked, "After talking with the medical staff, I decided to take a leave from playing with the team for the remainder of the season so my focus can be on getting healthy and concentrating on my academics."
On the season, she recorded a career high four points against George Washington Univ., grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots against Chattanooga for other high-water marks.
"This was personally a difficult year for me at Tennessee, and I feel it is in my best interest to pursue playing opportunities closer to home and my family," said Moats.
A Needed Conversation
I don't want Don Imus fired. Instead, I want him to buy season tickets to Rutgers women's basketball and sit in the front row wearing a sweat shirt with a big letter R on it at every home game.
It serves no purpose to call for Imus's job; that's mere harsh vengeance and we've had enough undue harshness. If you shut down Imus's show, silence him, the conversation ends there. What's needed in the Rutgers-Imus affair, and on the subjects of racism and sexism in general, is not silence but talk, lots of it, and what's needed in women's basketball is a promoter. I know just the guy for the job.
When Essence Carson took the microphone to speak for the Rutgers team, you saw Imus's problem and why it hasn't gone away. In comparison with that blameless face and voice, his slur seemed tangibly, specifically abhorrent, and you felt it all over again. How could any intelligent person conjure such verbiage as "nappy-headed hos" in the first place, much less apply it to such a nice kid? Carson and the Scarlet Knights didn't lecture, they didn't say that injustice is what happens when you treat someone as an abstraction, a stranger, an "other." Instead, they simply demonstrated the point by introducing themselves, one by one, and made clear that the central sin and fallacy in any -ism, whether racism or sexism, is that it fails to take into account the individual qualities of an Essence Carson.
As Heather Zurich said, "What hurts the most about this situation is that Mr. Imus knows not one of us personally."
It's only fitting, then, that Imus should have to get to know each and every player, learn the particulars of their characters and details of their lives, and one way to do that is to go to their games. Carson is a straight-A student, a classical pianist, a composed speaker and someone's child. "Before the student comes the daughter," she said. Point guard Matee Ajavon sat out for two months with a stress fracture and has a steel rod in her leg. Coach C. Vivian Stringer has surmounted a series of tragedies over her Hall of Fame career. Her daughter was crippled by spinal meningitis, and she was widowed early. "My heart has never been light in going to a Final Four," she said. "It took me personally 25 years to come to a championship game."
Asked in a radio interview yesterday if she thought Imus was a racist, Stringer pointedly replied that she would wait to meet him in person before deciding.
The Scarlet Knights have decided to meet Imus face to face. And personally, I believe it's the right thing to do. They aren't looking for a punishment that fits the crime, or to join a mob action, and they can reach their own conclusions without being stampeded by Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson into demanding Imus's resignation. They have a chance to get something more meaningful from him: a full-fledged conversion.
To their credit, the Rutgers players seem to feel that it's no more right to paint Imus with a broad brush than it was to paint them with one. Imus seems sincerely ashamed of mouthing such unpardonable garbage, and it's legitimately hard to categorize him as an out-and-out racist. While I don't particularly know him, I've been on his show, and I listened to him champion Harold E. Ford Jr. during his run for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, and bitterly decry the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina. He's a shock-satirist who takes verbal baseball swings at piñata-size personalities for their pretensions, often as not powerful white people.
But regardless of what anyone thinks of Imus, you don't cure prejudice by curbing speech. Clearly, as a society we've made the uneasy decision that censorship is more dangerous than sensitivity, otherwise Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh wouldn't get work. Words are hurtful, but for the most part they're inactive. Censorship is an action. As columnist John Leo succinctly put it, "No insults means no free speech."
Just because words don't constitute acts, however, doesn't mean they're without effect, and that's where the Rutgers players have a chance to turn an evil incident into something beneficial. If nothing else, we've all learned that words aren't ephemeral, they hang around, in bits, texts and instant messages. Some things stay said. You can argue about whether Imus "scarred me for life," as Ajavon maintains, but he left a mark. The Rutgers kids assumed that the winner's circle was colorless and genderless, and Imus disabused them, abruptly, of that notion with one harsh sentence. He cost them that ideal. To a certain extent, he hardened their hearts, and he has to live with that.
It's not frivolous, then, to suggest that one way for Imus to make amends to the Scarlet Knights is to use his microphone to promote and defend a deserving sport. Female ballplayers still fight enormous prejudice: They deal with a daily drumbeat of small degrading remarks, false assumptions and acts of stubborn little meanness; their looks and skills are derided; and at some schools they even have to fight for time on the practice court. An example: Back in 1998, when Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt was being celebrated for her sixth national championship -- her sixth, mind you -- she returned to campus and in the hallway of her own arena, she ran into an aging male administrator, who went out of his way to insult her. He stared at her coolly. "Did you win?" he asked. It was his way of telling her it wasn't worth watching.
The truth is, the fallout from the Imus controversy is the most publicity the women's game ever has gotten. Some of the male sports columnists who weighed in this week annually neglect the women's Final Four, and most of them failed to witness a single game in which Rutgers played.
So how is the Rutgers team better served? By demanding Imus be fired, or by converting him into an ally and employing his powerful voice and platform? By silencing his microphone, or by engaging him in sustained and badly needed conversation about race and gender? By refusing his contrition, or by suggesting that he come and watch, close-up and firsthand, and get to know them and the game they love? Preferably, wearing a scarlet sweat shirt.
It serves no purpose to call for Imus's job; that's mere harsh vengeance and we've had enough undue harshness. If you shut down Imus's show, silence him, the conversation ends there. What's needed in the Rutgers-Imus affair, and on the subjects of racism and sexism in general, is not silence but talk, lots of it, and what's needed in women's basketball is a promoter. I know just the guy for the job.
When Essence Carson took the microphone to speak for the Rutgers team, you saw Imus's problem and why it hasn't gone away. In comparison with that blameless face and voice, his slur seemed tangibly, specifically abhorrent, and you felt it all over again. How could any intelligent person conjure such verbiage as "nappy-headed hos" in the first place, much less apply it to such a nice kid? Carson and the Scarlet Knights didn't lecture, they didn't say that injustice is what happens when you treat someone as an abstraction, a stranger, an "other." Instead, they simply demonstrated the point by introducing themselves, one by one, and made clear that the central sin and fallacy in any -ism, whether racism or sexism, is that it fails to take into account the individual qualities of an Essence Carson.
As Heather Zurich said, "What hurts the most about this situation is that Mr. Imus knows not one of us personally."
It's only fitting, then, that Imus should have to get to know each and every player, learn the particulars of their characters and details of their lives, and one way to do that is to go to their games. Carson is a straight-A student, a classical pianist, a composed speaker and someone's child. "Before the student comes the daughter," she said. Point guard Matee Ajavon sat out for two months with a stress fracture and has a steel rod in her leg. Coach C. Vivian Stringer has surmounted a series of tragedies over her Hall of Fame career. Her daughter was crippled by spinal meningitis, and she was widowed early. "My heart has never been light in going to a Final Four," she said. "It took me personally 25 years to come to a championship game."
Asked in a radio interview yesterday if she thought Imus was a racist, Stringer pointedly replied that she would wait to meet him in person before deciding.
The Scarlet Knights have decided to meet Imus face to face. And personally, I believe it's the right thing to do. They aren't looking for a punishment that fits the crime, or to join a mob action, and they can reach their own conclusions without being stampeded by Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson into demanding Imus's resignation. They have a chance to get something more meaningful from him: a full-fledged conversion.
To their credit, the Rutgers players seem to feel that it's no more right to paint Imus with a broad brush than it was to paint them with one. Imus seems sincerely ashamed of mouthing such unpardonable garbage, and it's legitimately hard to categorize him as an out-and-out racist. While I don't particularly know him, I've been on his show, and I listened to him champion Harold E. Ford Jr. during his run for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, and bitterly decry the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina. He's a shock-satirist who takes verbal baseball swings at piñata-size personalities for their pretensions, often as not powerful white people.
But regardless of what anyone thinks of Imus, you don't cure prejudice by curbing speech. Clearly, as a society we've made the uneasy decision that censorship is more dangerous than sensitivity, otherwise Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh wouldn't get work. Words are hurtful, but for the most part they're inactive. Censorship is an action. As columnist John Leo succinctly put it, "No insults means no free speech."
Just because words don't constitute acts, however, doesn't mean they're without effect, and that's where the Rutgers players have a chance to turn an evil incident into something beneficial. If nothing else, we've all learned that words aren't ephemeral, they hang around, in bits, texts and instant messages. Some things stay said. You can argue about whether Imus "scarred me for life," as Ajavon maintains, but he left a mark. The Rutgers kids assumed that the winner's circle was colorless and genderless, and Imus disabused them, abruptly, of that notion with one harsh sentence. He cost them that ideal. To a certain extent, he hardened their hearts, and he has to live with that.
It's not frivolous, then, to suggest that one way for Imus to make amends to the Scarlet Knights is to use his microphone to promote and defend a deserving sport. Female ballplayers still fight enormous prejudice: They deal with a daily drumbeat of small degrading remarks, false assumptions and acts of stubborn little meanness; their looks and skills are derided; and at some schools they even have to fight for time on the practice court. An example: Back in 1998, when Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt was being celebrated for her sixth national championship -- her sixth, mind you -- she returned to campus and in the hallway of her own arena, she ran into an aging male administrator, who went out of his way to insult her. He stared at her coolly. "Did you win?" he asked. It was his way of telling her it wasn't worth watching.
The truth is, the fallout from the Imus controversy is the most publicity the women's game ever has gotten. Some of the male sports columnists who weighed in this week annually neglect the women's Final Four, and most of them failed to witness a single game in which Rutgers played.
So how is the Rutgers team better served? By demanding Imus be fired, or by converting him into an ally and employing his powerful voice and platform? By silencing his microphone, or by engaging him in sustained and badly needed conversation about race and gender? By refusing his contrition, or by suggesting that he come and watch, close-up and firsthand, and get to know them and the game they love? Preferably, wearing a scarlet sweat shirt.
Star in Metro Cincinnati commits to join Lady Vols
CINCINNATI — When Amber Gray talked with Tennessee women's basketball Coach Pat Summitt on Sunday and told her, "I want to be a Lady Volunteer," a weight was lifted off the Lakota West junior's shoulders.
Instead of taking the summer and possibly next season to ponder where she wanted to play college ball, the Firebirds standout knew where she wanted to go. Gray said she "felt it deep inside" that UT was the place for her to be.
Duke and LSU — two of her other top possible choices — are making coaching changes.
That "played a big factor," Gray said.
Stability at UT
And at UT, there aren't many more stable coaching situations than Summitt's. Last week, Summitt guided the Lady Vols to their seventh national title, improving to 945-180 over 33 seasons.
"Every girls' basketball player wants to play for Tennessee and Coach Summitt," Gray said.
The 6-foot-1 guard/forward averaged 20.9 points and 8.5 rebounds her junior season.
Now Gray can concentrate on her senior season without the weight of a college decision lingering.
"I can have fun without worrying about which coach is watching me," Gray said.
Instead of taking the summer and possibly next season to ponder where she wanted to play college ball, the Firebirds standout knew where she wanted to go. Gray said she "felt it deep inside" that UT was the place for her to be.
Duke and LSU — two of her other top possible choices — are making coaching changes.
That "played a big factor," Gray said.
Stability at UT
And at UT, there aren't many more stable coaching situations than Summitt's. Last week, Summitt guided the Lady Vols to their seventh national title, improving to 945-180 over 33 seasons.
"Every girls' basketball player wants to play for Tennessee and Coach Summitt," Gray said.
The 6-foot-1 guard/forward averaged 20.9 points and 8.5 rebounds her junior season.
Now Gray can concentrate on her senior season without the weight of a college decision lingering.
"I can have fun without worrying about which coach is watching me," Gray said.
Moats remains a Lady Vol for now, but may transfer
Former Lord Botetourt basketball star Nicci Moats might transfer from Tennessee, according to her mother, Annette Moats.
Moats, a freshman, played in nine games for the Lady Vols before Christmas. In late January, she took a medical leave from the team for the rest of the season. Her parents have said she was too weak to play because of a weak immune system.
Annette Moats said Nicci is mulling over whether to remain on the Lady Vols or transfer. She said Nicci will meet with coach Pat Summitt, whose team recently won the NCAA tournament.
Moats, who did not attend the Final Four, is still going to classes at Tennessee. She has not obtained a release from Tennessee, which she would need to talk to other schools.
Moats could wind up at James Madison.
JMU senior Shirley McCall, a Bassett graduate who recently concluded her college basketball career, said JMU coaches have told the team Moats might be joining the Dukes. McCall has also heard that from JMU forward Brentney Moore; McCall said Moore and Moats are close friends.
Annette Moats said JMU is only one option for Nicci.
"She's had a bunch of schools that have contacted Tennessee the last couple months," Annette Moats said. "There's a lot of interest from ACC schools."
She said Nicci will have to get back into basketball shape.
"Her immune system is still down, it's not the best, but she's doing better," she said.
Moats, a freshman, played in nine games for the Lady Vols before Christmas. In late January, she took a medical leave from the team for the rest of the season. Her parents have said she was too weak to play because of a weak immune system.
Annette Moats said Nicci is mulling over whether to remain on the Lady Vols or transfer. She said Nicci will meet with coach Pat Summitt, whose team recently won the NCAA tournament.
Moats, who did not attend the Final Four, is still going to classes at Tennessee. She has not obtained a release from Tennessee, which she would need to talk to other schools.
Moats could wind up at James Madison.
JMU senior Shirley McCall, a Bassett graduate who recently concluded her college basketball career, said JMU coaches have told the team Moats might be joining the Dukes. McCall has also heard that from JMU forward Brentney Moore; McCall said Moore and Moats are close friends.
Annette Moats said JMU is only one option for Nicci.
"She's had a bunch of schools that have contacted Tennessee the last couple months," Annette Moats said. "There's a lot of interest from ACC schools."
She said Nicci will have to get back into basketball shape.
"Her immune system is still down, it's not the best, but she's doing better," she said.
Summitt gets United Way's Puett award
Jim Haslam didn't need a script to introduce the recipient of the United Way's Sammie Lynn Puett Community Volunteer Award for 2007 - University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt.
All you needed to know about Summitt was this, he said: "She never missed a day of school from kindergarten to high school. to do this you have to set a high goal."
The United Way of Greater Knoxville met the organization's goal and raised $12.5 million this year.
Summitt talked about how work with the United Way had gotten her involved in the community beyond coaching basketball and what an influence the late Sammie Lynn Puett had on her. She said she was thinking about Puett on Wednesday as she traveled to the United Way luncheon.
"She loved and cared about the people of this community," Summitt said.
All you needed to know about Summitt was this, he said: "She never missed a day of school from kindergarten to high school. to do this you have to set a high goal."
The United Way of Greater Knoxville met the organization's goal and raised $12.5 million this year.
Summitt talked about how work with the United Way had gotten her involved in the community beyond coaching basketball and what an influence the late Sammie Lynn Puett had on her. She said she was thinking about Puett on Wednesday as she traveled to the United Way luncheon.
"She loved and cared about the people of this community," Summitt said.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Pat Summitt comments on Don Imus' controversial remarks
KNOXVILLE -- UT Lady Vols head basketball coach Pat Summitt issued a statement Tuesday afternoon about the racially insensitive comments Don Imus made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
"The inappropriate comments directed toward the student-athletes of Rutgers University were very disappointing," said Summitt in the statement. "Their head coach, C. Vivian Stringer, and I have been friends for a number of years, and I have tremendous respect for her and the great young women in her program. These student-athletes deserve a lot of credit for what they have accomplished, and it saddens me that they were treated with such disrespect.
"Never should there be a time when student-athletes are in a position to receive this kind of verbal abuse. I applaud Rutgers University, Coach Stringer and the Scarlet Knight student-athletes and the exemplary way they conducted themselves in their national press conference today. The University of Tennessee women's basketball program commends Rutgers' handling of this situation. It is emblematic of the outstanding caliber of student-athletes and coaches in women's collegiate basketball."
The Lady Vols beat Rutgers on April 3 in Cleveland to win the 2007 NCAA Championship.
Earlier Tuesday, members of the Rutgers team said they have agreed to meet with Imus to discuss his comments.
During a recent radio broadcast Imus called the Rutgers players "nappy-headed hos" while discussing the championship game.
"The inappropriate comments directed toward the student-athletes of Rutgers University were very disappointing," said Summitt in the statement. "Their head coach, C. Vivian Stringer, and I have been friends for a number of years, and I have tremendous respect for her and the great young women in her program. These student-athletes deserve a lot of credit for what they have accomplished, and it saddens me that they were treated with such disrespect.
"Never should there be a time when student-athletes are in a position to receive this kind of verbal abuse. I applaud Rutgers University, Coach Stringer and the Scarlet Knight student-athletes and the exemplary way they conducted themselves in their national press conference today. The University of Tennessee women's basketball program commends Rutgers' handling of this situation. It is emblematic of the outstanding caliber of student-athletes and coaches in women's collegiate basketball."
The Lady Vols beat Rutgers on April 3 in Cleveland to win the 2007 NCAA Championship.
Earlier Tuesday, members of the Rutgers team said they have agreed to meet with Imus to discuss his comments.
During a recent radio broadcast Imus called the Rutgers players "nappy-headed hos" while discussing the championship game.
‘Lady’ name will stay, top UT ladies say
At the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland last week, a reporter generated some discussion about women’s basketball teams using the word “Lady” to differentiate themselves from the men’s programs. Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, for instance, dropped the “Lady” from the Scarlet Knights nickname when she joined the program 12 years ago.
Pat Summitt, coach of the Lady Vols, said the nickname would never change at Tennessee. The reporter, and some officials in women’s basketball, scoffed.
The argument is simple: No men’s team goes by “Gentleman,” it’s 2007 and women are striving for equality.
And dropping the “Lady” would be a great idea except for the pesky little problem that it doesn’t make sense and very few, if any, women at Tennessee want to see the name changed. Good for them.
What’s so wrong with being called a lady?
I posed the question Monday to the head lady of the Lady Vols, the queen of the most successful women’s athletic program in the country. Joan Cronan is the women’s athletic director at Tennessee, and she looked at her three consecutive SEC all-sports trophies as she spoke.
“It’s never really bothered me to be called a lady,” she said. “I don’t think that’s demeaning.”
And you, Pat Summitt?
“Nicky Anosike would be the first to tell you that we’re proud to be called ladies and Lady Vols,” Summitt said, referring to her fierce and competitive center.
As someone who would like to see women’s sports succeed, I realize the game needs better marketing and promoting to flourish. Dropping the “Lady” from nicknames, while possibly being more politically correct in a world where people are offended so easily, does not accomplish either.
Many programs, like Rutgers, canned the term in recent years. Who noticed? What did it change? Not much. “Lady” or no “Lady,” there will always be people like radio personality Don Imus, whose recent descriptions of the Rutgers players are so troubling I will not repeat them here.
Tennessee, meanwhile, has brilliantly marketed and branded the “Lady Vols” name and logo. It gives Tennessee fans a separate identity that spurs pride, not feelings of patronization. You could argue that, by dropping the “Lady,” Tennessee would be hurting its brand and, as the most recognized women’s team in the country, damaging the sport.
“That Lady Vol logo is known throughout this country and throughout the world,” Summitt said.
And it’s doubtful anyone believes the bullying Anosike, the talented Candace Parker or the trashtalking Shannon Bobbitt are any less tough because they wear the name “Lady” with pride.
Sue Donohoe, vice president for Division I women’s basketball at the NCAA, said if a push existed for the NCAA to consider eliminating “Lady” from all nicknames, “it would have to be something certainly that would be driven from our membership up to be activated and discussed on a national platform.” Could a change be enforced?
No way, Cronan said.
“Would McDonald’s give up their arches?” she said. “If you have a logo and you have a brand, why would you change it?”
If women’s teams were tagged by one of Imus’s traits, then we have a problem. But tagging a nickname with “Lady” doesn’t appear to disrespect anyone at Tennessee. They are proud to possess their own identity. They are proud to be ladies. Women’s sports are different. In many regards, they are far more representative of the NCAA’s mission than men’s sports.
Cronan doesn’t need to drop the “Lady” to prove her program outpaces the men.
Those three SEC allsports trophies are plenty.
Pat Summitt, coach of the Lady Vols, said the nickname would never change at Tennessee. The reporter, and some officials in women’s basketball, scoffed.
The argument is simple: No men’s team goes by “Gentleman,” it’s 2007 and women are striving for equality.
And dropping the “Lady” would be a great idea except for the pesky little problem that it doesn’t make sense and very few, if any, women at Tennessee want to see the name changed. Good for them.
What’s so wrong with being called a lady?
I posed the question Monday to the head lady of the Lady Vols, the queen of the most successful women’s athletic program in the country. Joan Cronan is the women’s athletic director at Tennessee, and she looked at her three consecutive SEC all-sports trophies as she spoke.
“It’s never really bothered me to be called a lady,” she said. “I don’t think that’s demeaning.”
And you, Pat Summitt?
“Nicky Anosike would be the first to tell you that we’re proud to be called ladies and Lady Vols,” Summitt said, referring to her fierce and competitive center.
As someone who would like to see women’s sports succeed, I realize the game needs better marketing and promoting to flourish. Dropping the “Lady” from nicknames, while possibly being more politically correct in a world where people are offended so easily, does not accomplish either.
Many programs, like Rutgers, canned the term in recent years. Who noticed? What did it change? Not much. “Lady” or no “Lady,” there will always be people like radio personality Don Imus, whose recent descriptions of the Rutgers players are so troubling I will not repeat them here.
Tennessee, meanwhile, has brilliantly marketed and branded the “Lady Vols” name and logo. It gives Tennessee fans a separate identity that spurs pride, not feelings of patronization. You could argue that, by dropping the “Lady,” Tennessee would be hurting its brand and, as the most recognized women’s team in the country, damaging the sport.
“That Lady Vol logo is known throughout this country and throughout the world,” Summitt said.
And it’s doubtful anyone believes the bullying Anosike, the talented Candace Parker or the trashtalking Shannon Bobbitt are any less tough because they wear the name “Lady” with pride.
Sue Donohoe, vice president for Division I women’s basketball at the NCAA, said if a push existed for the NCAA to consider eliminating “Lady” from all nicknames, “it would have to be something certainly that would be driven from our membership up to be activated and discussed on a national platform.” Could a change be enforced?
No way, Cronan said.
“Would McDonald’s give up their arches?” she said. “If you have a logo and you have a brand, why would you change it?”
If women’s teams were tagged by one of Imus’s traits, then we have a problem. But tagging a nickname with “Lady” doesn’t appear to disrespect anyone at Tennessee. They are proud to possess their own identity. They are proud to be ladies. Women’s sports are different. In many regards, they are far more representative of the NCAA’s mission than men’s sports.
Cronan doesn’t need to drop the “Lady” to prove her program outpaces the men.
Those three SEC allsports trophies are plenty.
Fans greet UT coaches during Milan visit
MILAN - From the second he arrived Monday in Milan for the first stop of this year's Big Orange Caravan, Bruce Pearl heard the pleas from University of Tennessee fans.
"I've never been thanked as much as I have today for keeping my shirt on," said UT's head men's basketball coach. He earned national headlines in January for cheering shirtless in the student section during a Lady Vols basketball game.
"I'm going to keep my shirt on, but the 'Vols' is still painted on my chest," he said.
Much to the relief of a sell-out crowd of orange-clad West Tennesseans, Pearl kept his word and just signed autographs along with UT women's basketball coach Pat Summitt and Vols football coach Phillip Fulmer. They attended a 7:30 a.m. breakfast in the First Baptist Church gymnasium.
Summitt, who wore an orange cheerleader uniform and sang "Rocky Top" in support of the UT men's basketball team during a home game in March, also played it cool. The former Tennessee Martin basketball standout left her cheerleader uniform at home in favor of an orange blazer.
Instead of wasting all day talking about her wardrobe, Summitt spent most of her time discussing the Lady Vols, who won the program's first national title in nine years last week with a 59-46 victory over Rutgers. Summitt also shared what she told her players during a timeout facing a 12-point deficit against North Carolina in the national semifinals.
"I looked at each one of them and screamed 'We're not leaving here without a national championship,'" said Summitt, who has won more games (947) than any other coach in college basketball history and more national titles (seven) than any women's coach. "And we didn't."
Pearl had nothing but kind words for Summitt, a Hall-of-Famer who is the only person to have two courts used by NCAA Division I basketball teams named in her honor (UT Martin and UT). Summitt has coached the Lady Vols for 33 years.
"How about those Lady Vols?" Pearl said. "Pat keeps setting the bar so high."
Pearl, though, has done OK in his own right, taking the UT men's basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons. The Vols advanced to the "Sweet 16" this season before falling to eventual runner-up Ohio State. They finished with the second-most wins (24) in school history.
They lose senior Dane Bradshaw to graduation, but expect junior Chris Lofton to return after averaging 20.8 points per game.
Pearl credited a lot of this season's success to a recruiting class that included three top-50 recruits in Ramar Smith, Duke Crews and Bolivar graduate Wayne Chism.
Chism, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward/center, became a starter midway through the season and finished as UT's top-rebounder (5.2 per game) and fourth-leading scorer (9.1 points per game). Despite his size, Chism showed an ability to step out and hit shots from the perimeter, making 26 3-pointers this season.
Pearl said Chism is capable of expanding his game next season.
"Offensively, I think you'll continue to see him face the basket more and more," Pearl said. "I think his game is going to continue to evolve, and his body is going to get bigger, stronger and more flexible."
Speaking of recruits, Pearl said he always knows what kind of players to expect from West Tennessee, known for its run-and-gun style.
"There's no question West Tennessee is where most of the best high school basketball is being played," Pearl said. "We're trying to play West Tennessee basketball in East Tennessee. I know if I get a player from out this way, there's not going to be a big adjustment."
Fulmer, who has been head coach of UT football since 1992, is also familiar with West Tennessee athletes, having coached area products such as Chad Clifton and Justin Harrell from Martin and Al Wilson, Trey Teague and Jabari Greer from Jackson.
Coming off a 9-4 season and an appearance in the Outback Bowl, the Vols added another area standout in this year's recruiting class in Huntingdon linebacker Chris Donald. Fulmer's mention of Donald drew cheers during Monday's breakfast. Donald is a Parade and USA Today All-American, who is rated the nation's top linebacker by Rivals.com.
"I don't know if they were cheering because he's coming to Tennessee or because they don't have to play against him again," said Fulmer, still unsure whether Donald will play or redshirt next fall. "He does bring a level of ability we're looking for and we do have a need for his immediate service. He has tremendous instincts that you can build on."
"I've never been thanked as much as I have today for keeping my shirt on," said UT's head men's basketball coach. He earned national headlines in January for cheering shirtless in the student section during a Lady Vols basketball game.
"I'm going to keep my shirt on, but the 'Vols' is still painted on my chest," he said.
Much to the relief of a sell-out crowd of orange-clad West Tennesseans, Pearl kept his word and just signed autographs along with UT women's basketball coach Pat Summitt and Vols football coach Phillip Fulmer. They attended a 7:30 a.m. breakfast in the First Baptist Church gymnasium.
Summitt, who wore an orange cheerleader uniform and sang "Rocky Top" in support of the UT men's basketball team during a home game in March, also played it cool. The former Tennessee Martin basketball standout left her cheerleader uniform at home in favor of an orange blazer.
Instead of wasting all day talking about her wardrobe, Summitt spent most of her time discussing the Lady Vols, who won the program's first national title in nine years last week with a 59-46 victory over Rutgers. Summitt also shared what she told her players during a timeout facing a 12-point deficit against North Carolina in the national semifinals.
"I looked at each one of them and screamed 'We're not leaving here without a national championship,'" said Summitt, who has won more games (947) than any other coach in college basketball history and more national titles (seven) than any women's coach. "And we didn't."
Pearl had nothing but kind words for Summitt, a Hall-of-Famer who is the only person to have two courts used by NCAA Division I basketball teams named in her honor (UT Martin and UT). Summitt has coached the Lady Vols for 33 years.
"How about those Lady Vols?" Pearl said. "Pat keeps setting the bar so high."
Pearl, though, has done OK in his own right, taking the UT men's basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons. The Vols advanced to the "Sweet 16" this season before falling to eventual runner-up Ohio State. They finished with the second-most wins (24) in school history.
They lose senior Dane Bradshaw to graduation, but expect junior Chris Lofton to return after averaging 20.8 points per game.
Pearl credited a lot of this season's success to a recruiting class that included three top-50 recruits in Ramar Smith, Duke Crews and Bolivar graduate Wayne Chism.
Chism, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward/center, became a starter midway through the season and finished as UT's top-rebounder (5.2 per game) and fourth-leading scorer (9.1 points per game). Despite his size, Chism showed an ability to step out and hit shots from the perimeter, making 26 3-pointers this season.
Pearl said Chism is capable of expanding his game next season.
"Offensively, I think you'll continue to see him face the basket more and more," Pearl said. "I think his game is going to continue to evolve, and his body is going to get bigger, stronger and more flexible."
Speaking of recruits, Pearl said he always knows what kind of players to expect from West Tennessee, known for its run-and-gun style.
"There's no question West Tennessee is where most of the best high school basketball is being played," Pearl said. "We're trying to play West Tennessee basketball in East Tennessee. I know if I get a player from out this way, there's not going to be a big adjustment."
Fulmer, who has been head coach of UT football since 1992, is also familiar with West Tennessee athletes, having coached area products such as Chad Clifton and Justin Harrell from Martin and Al Wilson, Trey Teague and Jabari Greer from Jackson.
Coming off a 9-4 season and an appearance in the Outback Bowl, the Vols added another area standout in this year's recruiting class in Huntingdon linebacker Chris Donald. Fulmer's mention of Donald drew cheers during Monday's breakfast. Donald is a Parade and USA Today All-American, who is rated the nation's top linebacker by Rivals.com.
"I don't know if they were cheering because he's coming to Tennessee or because they don't have to play against him again," said Fulmer, still unsure whether Donald will play or redshirt next fall. "He does bring a level of ability we're looking for and we do have a need for his immediate service. He has tremendous instincts that you can build on."
Monday, April 09, 2007
Sports Illustrated to Publish Special Collector's Edition Commemorating Tennessee's 2007 NCAA Title
Lady Vols Keepsake Issue to Hit Newsstands Beginning Today
New York - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PRESENTS has published a special collector's issue commemorating the Lady Vols' 7th National Championship. The 80-page magazine, with a limited press run of 110,000 copies, will begin hitting newsstands throughout the state of Tennessee today at area retailers including Kroger, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Food City, Food Lion and Ingles. The special edition, which will be sold at a price of $6.99, features NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Candace Parker on its cover with a billing that reads, "2007 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS...LADY VOLS."
Highlights of the special issue include:
A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME:
* Women's basketball has made enormous strides thanks in larger part to a certain mother and coach in Tennessee orange, writes Andrew Lawrence.
THE 2006-07 SEASON IN PICTURES:
* Tennessee tamed a typical tough nonconference schedule and went undefeated in the SEC for the eighth time.
2007 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP:
* Tournament Brackets: Several early-round upsets cleared the path to Cleveland for Tennessee.
* Hitting the Road: The Lady Vols made a rare trip out of Tennessee for the first two rounds, but it was Drake and Pittsburgh who were sent packing, writes Andrew Lawrence.
* Two Over Easy: The big, bad Lady Vols hammered Cinderella's Marist and Ole Miss and continued their own fairy tale by advancing to the Final Four, writes Andrew Lawrence.
* About a Team: Exhorted by their coach and inspired by one another, the Lady Vols refused to leave Cleveland without delivering to coach Pat Summit her seventh national championship, writes Kelli Anderson.
* The Belle of the Ball: At the Big Dance, Candace Parker showed why she is the most talented player in the history of women's basketball, writes Andrew Lawrence.
TENNESSEE HISTORY:
* The Greatest Lady Vols of All Time: The Lady Vols' rich basketball history includes seven NCAA titles, three players of the year, the Naismith Player of the Century and the winningest college basketball coach ever. So assembling an all-time Tennessee team from the dozens of deserving candidates is a task for which no one would volunteer.
* Eyes of the Storm: What's behind the steely-eyed focus of Pat Summit, college basketball's winningest coach and the whirlwind force that has carried the Lady Vols to seven national titles? - By Gary Smith
As with all SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PRESENTS commemorative issues, this special collector's edition is separate from the current weekly issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, which features an action shot of Florida's Corey Brewer and is dated April 9, 2007.
New York - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PRESENTS has published a special collector's issue commemorating the Lady Vols' 7th National Championship. The 80-page magazine, with a limited press run of 110,000 copies, will begin hitting newsstands throughout the state of Tennessee today at area retailers including Kroger, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Food City, Food Lion and Ingles. The special edition, which will be sold at a price of $6.99, features NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Candace Parker on its cover with a billing that reads, "2007 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS...LADY VOLS."
Highlights of the special issue include:
A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME:
* Women's basketball has made enormous strides thanks in larger part to a certain mother and coach in Tennessee orange, writes Andrew Lawrence.
THE 2006-07 SEASON IN PICTURES:
* Tennessee tamed a typical tough nonconference schedule and went undefeated in the SEC for the eighth time.
2007 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP:
* Tournament Brackets: Several early-round upsets cleared the path to Cleveland for Tennessee.
* Hitting the Road: The Lady Vols made a rare trip out of Tennessee for the first two rounds, but it was Drake and Pittsburgh who were sent packing, writes Andrew Lawrence.
* Two Over Easy: The big, bad Lady Vols hammered Cinderella's Marist and Ole Miss and continued their own fairy tale by advancing to the Final Four, writes Andrew Lawrence.
* About a Team: Exhorted by their coach and inspired by one another, the Lady Vols refused to leave Cleveland without delivering to coach Pat Summit her seventh national championship, writes Kelli Anderson.
* The Belle of the Ball: At the Big Dance, Candace Parker showed why she is the most talented player in the history of women's basketball, writes Andrew Lawrence.
TENNESSEE HISTORY:
* The Greatest Lady Vols of All Time: The Lady Vols' rich basketball history includes seven NCAA titles, three players of the year, the Naismith Player of the Century and the winningest college basketball coach ever. So assembling an all-time Tennessee team from the dozens of deserving candidates is a task for which no one would volunteer.
* Eyes of the Storm: What's behind the steely-eyed focus of Pat Summit, college basketball's winningest coach and the whirlwind force that has carried the Lady Vols to seven national titles? - By Gary Smith
As with all SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PRESENTS commemorative issues, this special collector's edition is separate from the current weekly issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, which features an action shot of Florida's Corey Brewer and is dated April 9, 2007.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Tennessee's Parker wins Wooden Award
LOS ANGELES - Candace Parker completed her own version of the triple crown.
Parker captured the John R. Wooden Award on Saturday, becoming the youngest women's player to win the award.
A redshirt sophomore, the 20-year-old Parker led Tennessee to its seventh national championship Tuesday night, scoring 17 points in a 59-46 victory over Rutgers.
Parker, who also was named the Most Outstanding Players of the Final Four, earned her first major honor on March 31 when she won the Wade Trophy.
The 6-4 Parker averaged 19.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in leading the Lady Vols to a 34-3 record.
"I want to thank the John R. Wooden committee, my teammates, coaches, family and opponents," Parker said. "This is such an honor. I am so blessed to be a part of women's basketball and its growth."
Parker had to beat out a stellar field of finalists, including Naismith Award winner Lindsey Harding of Duke, sophomore center Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, senior point guard Ivory Latta of North Carolina and junior center Sylvia Fowles of Louisiana State.
Parker is the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game, accomplishing the feat twice against Army in a first-round game in 2006.
A native of Naperville, Illinois, and one of the most highly publicized recruits in women's basketball history, Parker already holds school single-season records for blocked shots (99), free throws attempted (232) and free throws made (166).
Parker captured the John R. Wooden Award on Saturday, becoming the youngest women's player to win the award.
A redshirt sophomore, the 20-year-old Parker led Tennessee to its seventh national championship Tuesday night, scoring 17 points in a 59-46 victory over Rutgers.
Parker, who also was named the Most Outstanding Players of the Final Four, earned her first major honor on March 31 when she won the Wade Trophy.
The 6-4 Parker averaged 19.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in leading the Lady Vols to a 34-3 record.
"I want to thank the John R. Wooden committee, my teammates, coaches, family and opponents," Parker said. "This is such an honor. I am so blessed to be a part of women's basketball and its growth."
Parker had to beat out a stellar field of finalists, including Naismith Award winner Lindsey Harding of Duke, sophomore center Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, senior point guard Ivory Latta of North Carolina and junior center Sylvia Fowles of Louisiana State.
Parker is the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game, accomplishing the feat twice against Army in a first-round game in 2006.
A native of Naperville, Illinois, and one of the most highly publicized recruits in women's basketball history, Parker already holds school single-season records for blocked shots (99), free throws attempted (232) and free throws made (166).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)