Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 4, 1994                   TAG: 9404040106
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

HATCHELL TO GET BLUE MAKEOVER

There was that little promise their coach made if they would win the NCAA Tournament - which they did, 60-59 over Louisiana Tech in made-for-TV, North Carolina fashion.

"They're going to paint my hair blue," said coach Sylvia Hatchell, after recovering from Charlotte Smith's 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Tar Heels their first national championship. "It's not going to be permanent or anything, but it's definitely going to be blue."

The title caps a remarkable turnaround for the North Carolina program, often overshadowed by the success of the school's men's team. Hatchell's Tar Heels finished the season 33-2, the best record in school history.

Only three years ago, the Tar Heels went 10-20 overall and 1-13 in the ACC in Hatchell's third season. They have posted three consecutive 20-victory seasons since then.

"Right now, I'm not sure what kind of impact this is going to make on the program," said Hatchell, USA Today's national coach of the year.

"My dream was to come to North Carolina. . . . It took me a long time to get things the way I wanted, but it was worth it."

Hatchell, whose record is 142-96 at UNC and 414-176 overall, said she hoped the Tar Heels wouldn't be the only ones whooping it up Sunday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.

"I hope they're partying it up on Franklin Street, because that's what they do when the men win," she said.

For Tonya Sampson, one of two seniors on the team, that didn't matter.

"If I'm the only one there, I'll be partying my butt off," Sampson said. "They [UNC students] finally started believing in us and not just the men. They probably still thought we were going to lose, but now we'll get the respect we deserve."