Desperate measures

Sporting News, The, March 16, 1998 by Lori Riley

The tournament is one last chance for Iowa's top-ranked '94 recruiting class to rise above key injuries and past failures

On the cover of the Iowa women's basketball media guide, senior Angela Hamblin hangs in midair, caught in the act of shooting a jumper. Her look is anxious and a little desperate.

All season, a sense of urgency has haunted this Iowa team.

Hamblin, a 6-0 guard/forward, was part of the Hawkeyes' top-ranked recruiting class in 1994, following their last Final Four appearance. The class has fallen short of expectations, partly because of injuries and partly because of their own failings.

Iowa (17-10) won the Big Ten regular season but failed to defend its Big Ten Tournament title. The Hawkeyes lost to eventual Big Ten Tournament champ Purdue, 61-60, on a last-second shot by freshman Katie Douglas in the semifinals.

"I think sometimes we have a tendency not to have that killer instinct right down to the buzzer," coach Angie Lee says. "We get a comfortable lead, and we tend to relax a little bit."

In December, Iowa's record was 3-6. Three of the six players from that recruiting class were injured. Hamblin, the MVP of last year's Big Ten Tournament, played sparingly because of a bad hamstring strain. Forward Tiffany Gooden tore her anterior cruciate ligament--again--last summer. Center Malikah Willis was attempting to come back from two knee injuries--one from her freshman year and one last season.

"When we went home over Christmas, each individual found something in themselves," Lee says. "They said, `Let's make this the start of a new season. Let's not let the past drag us down.' It seems like the preseason was two years ago."

Two years ago, Iowa went 27-4 and advanced to the regional semifinals, and Lee was named The Associated Press Coach of the Year. Then the injury bug bit. The Hawkeyes haven't been the same--until the Penn State game February 15, when all 12 players dressed for the first time in a long time. Iowa won 14 of its last 17 games.

HOME SWEET HOME

Over the past few years, Texas Tech seems to have had the toughest draw in the tournament. This could be the year for the Red Raiders to return to the Final Four for the first time since their Sheryl Swoopes-led team won it all in 1993.

Three years ago, the Red Raiders went 33-4 only to run into Tennessee in the regional final in Knoxville. The next year was similar: 27-5 and a Midwest Regional semifinal loss to Louisiana Tech. That was followed by a 20-9 record last season and an invitation to the subregional in Palo Alto, where Tech lost to Stanford in the second round. Tech finally gets a break this year, as the Midwest Regional tournament host.

RIDING THE TIDE

Can anyone beat Tennessee? In the Vols' 33 wins, only two games were decided by less than 10 points.

Alabama did it both times-falling by seven, then four in the SEC Tournament final to the Vols, a team that some have called the best women's college team ever. How did the Tide (22-9) do it? Tempo, tempo, tempo.

Senior point guard Brittany Ezell didn't allow turnovers to rattle her team or Tennessee to go on any of its patented scoring runs. Brian Morgan of the Alabama sports information office suggests that senior Alabama forward Dominique Canty is "Player 1B" in the SEC to Chamique Holdsclaw's "IX status. Canty matched Holdsclaw's 30 points in their first game and had 25 to Holdsclaw's 21 in their latest duel. When they were freshmen, Canty was the MVP of the SEC Tournament, though Holdsclaw's team won the game.

A CONFUSING CONFERENCE

The ACC, which has five teams ranked in the top 20 to the SECs four, is just too confusing to figure out If North Carolina's Tracy Reid stays out of foul trouble and freshman Nikki Teasley plays to her vast potential, the Heels could fare well. They ended the season with a rush, coasting through the ACC Tournament with wins against three ranked teams.

Duke needs its inside players--Payton Black, Purdue transfer Michele Van Gorp and Lauren Rice--to shoot better than 1-for-15 like they did in their ACC Tournament loss to North Carolina.

NC State, Clemson and Virginia round out the rest of the league's powers.

WESTWARD GLANCE

Memphis' inside-outside threat of Tamika Whitmore and LaTonya Johnson could lead the Conference USA Tournament champion Tigers to a successful tournament. Both can hit 3-pointers, go inside and rebound, and they are difficult to guard.

Oh, that wacky WAC. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise that Hawaii lost in the first round of the WAC Tournament to New Mexico, considering the Wahine had been on the road since February 19. Also, the Wahine play in the Pacific Division, which was not that tough this year.

The caliber of the Big 12 isn't quite where it was last season, but it's still pretty good. Iowa could have used sharp-shooting sophomore guard Stacy Frese, who was named Newcomer of the Year in the Big 12 after transferring from Iowa to Iowa State. Frese, one of the nation's top 3-point shooters, has the Cyclones atop the nation in 3-point field goals made per game.