Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 29, 1994 TAG: 9403290073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And who can forget Sheryl Swoopes' 47 points in last year's championship game, the most in the Division I finals by a man or woman.
But one thrilling basketball play is still missing from the premier event in the women's game - the dunk.
Women have dunked in college games. It just hasn't happened with the CBS cameras rolling and the women's audience at its peak.
Yet.
The national semifinals in Richmond, on Saturday will have North Carolina playing Louisiana Tech and Purdue meeting Alabama. North Carolina has two players who can dunk - 6-foot-5 Sylvia Crawley and 6-foot leaper Charlotte Smith - and they'll definitely do it in warmups.
"We dunk in every warmup," coach Sylvia Hatchell said Monday. "I've told them that if the opening is there [in a game], they have the green light. Just make sure we have a good enough lead so it didn't matter if they missed."
While interest in the women's game has grown dramatically in recent years, it could always use another boost. Hatchell said a dunk could provide it.
If nothing else, the play certainly would make all the highlight films. Fans have seen countless clips of Shaquille O'Neal dunking. Seeing a 6-foot woman do it would be something special.
"People would all of a sudden stop and say, `Wow, women dunked the ball in a basketball game,' " Hatchell said. "I think it would give more recognition to the game.
"One thing we need to do nationwide is educate the public about what a great game it is. I've had people say to me every day they didn't know women could play like that, that it's so much fun to watch. A dunk probably would help a lot more people to stop and take notice."
Yes it would, CBS analyst Ann Meyers said. But she said dunking isn't essential for the women's game to grow.
"To me, it isn't going to make or break the game," Meyers said. "How exciting was Sheryl Swoopes? She didn't dunk. How exciting was Cheryl Miller? She didn't dunk. There are great players out there and they don't need to dunk.
"But I feel, too, that if it were to happen, it's going to draw a lot more interest."
While a dunk would be nice, the women's coaches would much rather see something else in the Final Four - a day between the semifinals and championship game. Saturday's winners must come back Sunday and play for the national title without a day of preparation like the men have.
This arrangement has been in effect since 1991, when CBS began televising the semifinals, which used to be on Friday night.
"It's certainly not the thing we need to do," Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore said.
Tech is in the Final Four for the eighth time, but it will be the first experience with the Saturday-Sunday format for the Lady Techsters, who won NCAA titles in 1982 and 1988 and finished second in '83 and '87.
"Watching the last couple of years, I've been amazed at the stamina and performance of the kids in the second game, especially the game Swoopes had last year," Barmore said. "But it definitely has to be changed. Putting kids in that position is too tough."
Ideally, the women would like to play their championship game on Monday night before the men's finals. CBS officials, however, are reluctant to say if that would ever happen. Playing the game then would require a 7 p.m. start - a key hour for local programming.
"For us to move the championship game . . . would involve the whole CBS network," said Lynn Pecci, manager of program administration for the network. "There are sales and affiliate considerations that would have to be reviewed company-wide.
"I can't answer that beyond the current contract. It's something we would have to review."
by CNB