All things being equal: Taurasi leads UConn to victory

Women's Basketball, May/Jun 2003 by Wheelock, Helen

COMPETITION

The 2003 Women's Final Four in Atlanta will undoubtedly be remembered for the exquisite battles among Connecticut, Texas, Duke and Tennessee as they squared off for the MCAA National Championship. But the diversity and quality of the basketball world on display throughout the days preceding the games highlighted the depth, breadth and future challenges of the women's game.

We call this the Super Bowl of women's basketball," said Beth Bass, chief executive officer of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). "From grassroots to professional, this is the place to be."

The WBCA's National Convention, held in conjunction with the Final Four, drew over 2,000 attendees, including coaches from the college, high school, AAU and professional ranks. The convention provides opportunities for coaches to network and learn from their peers. The WBCA also hosted the "Night of All-Stars," featuring the WBCA High School All-Star game, an exhibition by a National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Women's team, and the All-- Star Challenge, spotlighting 20 of this past season's top college seniors.

Though the All-Star Challenge was played under the cloud cast by news the WNBA had canceled its combine, the seniors seemed unconcerned about their future as professionals.

"What will come will come," said Clemson's Chrissy Floyd. Instead, they were content simply to enjoy their final collegiate game and the chance to get to know some of their fellow stars from around the nation.

"You knew what kind of player they were," said Villanova's Trish Juhline, "but you didn't know what kind of person they were."

The NWBA game was a chance for wheelchair athletes to "showcase our skills and introduce our sport to women's basketball fans," explained program director Todd Hatfield. The team played a second game at Hoop City, the fan festival where visitors could test their basketball skills. Afterwards, the players participated in some of the shooting activities, trailed by a group of interested fans. "A couple of us made it in the 'Around the World` shooting," noted player Angela Madsen. The reactions of the fans? "They were in awe," she said with a grin.

The high school game was scheduled in conjunction with the WBCA's National Convention for the first time. A deliberate choice, explained Bass. "For those kids to be around the [college] All-Star game and the Kodak All-Americans," she said, "that's the 'cradle to denture' code of honor we can build with the WBCA. Bring them through the proper infrastructureget the right education, be around the right mentors and role models. That's what it's all about."

It is a measure of the game's growth that the WBCA game, presented by Nike, had a counter event: the 2003 L'adidas Roundball Classic co-sponsored by the All-Star Girls Report. Played on the Sunday of the NCAA semifinals, the game featured 24 ranked players and was scheduled when, says Cathy Andruzzi of Druzz Ltd., "we realized there were so many top players left off the WBCA team."

Andruzzi has deep roots in women's basketball, as both player and coach and, more recently, as executive director of the 2000 Philadelphia Final Four. She's watched the evolution of women's basketball since the early AIAW days and sees the commitment of sponsors to the game as a positive step.

"Adidas gives credibility to the women's game," she explained. "They're committed to helping this sport grow." Andruzzi understands growth fosters change - and change can be perceived as positive or negative. "You can't control change," Andruzzi said. "You can try and shape it."

That philosophy certainly applies to Sharon Shields, incoming president of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports, as she and current GWS executive director Athena Yiamouyiannis outlined present day challenges to Title IX in a report to the WBCA convention. Recalling her own basketball experiences 32 years ago, when playing in the NIT meant that players received a $3 per them for food and bought their own shoes and second uniforms, Shields reflected: "I recognized the inequities then and fought for Title IX. I never thought 30 years later I'd be fighting for Title IX again."

To that end, Shields outlined the second phase of a grassroots advocacy program to save Title IX: "Backyards and Beyond." The goal is to engage coaches in educating their athletes about the history and importance of Title IX because, she explained, "they don't realize what's at stake." To support coaches in their efforts, GWS will make meeting agendas and presentations available on its Website (www:nagws.org) by late August.

Shields couldn't have asked for a better advertisement for her cause than the Final Four games. "That women's basketball has the privilege of being a showcase to see what Title IX can do is something that you take as a responsibility," said Cheryl Marra, chairwoman of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee. "We want to make sure we support the women who are playing the sport, the coaches and administrations that are doing the best job they can to provide the great opportunities and experiences as something like Title IX and the Final Four represents."