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Notebook Summitt says UConn team one of best ever
Posted: Monday April 03, 2000 01:05 AM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Tennessee's 1998 team is widely considered the best ever. Pat Summitt, who coached the Lady Vols to a 39-0 record and the national championship that year, thinks Connecticut compares favorably to her '98 team. "This is a great team," Summitt said after UConn beat Tennessee 71-52 in the NCAA championship game Sunday night. "There's no question about it. They were awesome. It's similar in terms of up-and-down tempo. "I think that team relied more on full court pressure than this team had to rely on it -- not that they couldn't." UConn smothered Tennessee with its aggressive and physical play on defense and the Lady Vols struggled with their shooting. The loss of Kristen Clement, Tennessee's main perimeter threat and top defensive player didn't help. "You can't lose a player like that and not be hurt when you have a situation where our bench is not nearly as deep as their bench."
Fan injuredA woman fell out of the stands and landed in a runway about eight feet below during halftime of the women's NCAA championship game between Tennessee and UConn on Sunday night. The woman, who was not identified, fell over a railing and into the hallway leading to the UConn locker room at the First Union Center. She was fitted with a neck brace and taken away on a stretcher. Ushers in the area would not provide any other details, including her name and the nature of her injuries. No railing gave way. One usher said that the woman appeared to have been trying to get to her seat when she fell.
Philly fitThe NCAA women's basketball tournament committee gambled five years ago when it selected Philadelphia for the Final Four. The gamble paid off. The event drew more reporters -- 669 - than any previous women's Final Four. The crowd of 20,060 at Friday's semifinal games was the second-best for a national semifinal and was the largest crowd to ever witness a college basketball, men's or women's in Pennsylvania. Sunday night's championship between top-ranked Connecticut and No. 2 Tennessee was expected to be the most-watched women's game in history. "We had not been in a really big city," said Linda Bruno, the Atlantic 10 commissioner who chaired the tournament committee in 1995. "This is the way I wanted it to happen. It's great." The event has not only been great for Philadelphia, but for the women's game overall. UConn coach Geno Auriemma believes more fans will be attracted to the sport after watching the final. "I think people would watch the game, maybe that have one set of impressions, one bias toward the game and, say, 'Here is what I think women's basketball is like,'" Auriemma said. "And maybe by tuning into the game, will see something that will spur a different thought. Like, 'Wow, I didn't know what it's like.' Maybe people will stop comparing it to the men's game and be able to see it on its own, for its own value."
Auriemma was reluctant to schedule Tennessee twice during the regular season. Now the UConn coach is glad he did it.
"I thought why do we need to do this. Why put ourselves in a situation that limits the variety in our schedule?" Auriemma said. "The benefits far outweigh any negatives. We're going to do it again next year. And where it goes beyond that, I don't know."
Notes: Kristen Clement committed to Tennessee during her junior year at Cardinal O'Hara High School in suburban Philadelphia and hasn't looked back. "I'm glad I followed my heart," said Clement, who chose Tennessee over Connecticut. . . Veteran referee Dennis DeMayo added to the Final Four's heavy Philly flavor. DeMayo, a resident of nearby Bensalem, worked his first title game Sunday. . . The most clever sign in the crowd was held by a UConn fan. It read: "Somebody has to lose: Any Volunteers?". . . Auriemma was very animated along the sidelines during the first half Sunday. On two occasions, associate head coach Chris Dailey had to pull Auriemma away from the officials.
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