Women’s Coaches Welcome Growth To A Degree
Andy Landers was among the coaches in the second NCAA women’s Final Four in 1983. The Georgia coach is back for the third time, and he said it’s clear to see how the women’s game has grown.
Nearly 100 reporters attended a news conference Friday involving Landers and some of his top players. The coach reflected on the sparse media coverage his team received 12 years ago on the day before the national semifinals.
“I talked to three media people that day,” Landers said.
“So suffice it to say, to me the greatest change in the Final Four atmosphere would be you folks, the attention that the media is now giving the event and the time that is required of the coaches and players to accommodate you folks,” he said.
Don’t misunderstand him. Landers and the other coaches are willing to do whatever it takes to help the women’s game continue to grow. They have been promoters as much as coaches over the past decade, helping the game grab part of the national attention dominated by the men’s game.
But the inevitable comparisons to the men’s Final Four still bother some coaches. Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer was asked to compare the events.
“I think the sooner we get away from comparing men’s and women’s basketball - whether it’s their Final Four and our Final Four, their attendance and our attendance, they dunk, we dunk, whatever - I think the better off we’ll be,” she said.
VanDerveer, considered a leading candidate to coach the 1996 women’s Olympic team, has been among the game’s most successful coaches. She has taken Stanford to three other Final Fours and titles in 1990 and 1992.
She said increased national exposure has helped get more girls interested in the game and helped increase the talent level. High school programs have become more sophisticated and youth programs have expanded.
“The biggest change is the perception of the game,” VanDerveer said. “It’s an exciting game, it’s a fast-paced game. I think maybe 10 years ago, 15 years ago, people would make the comment, ‘It was more exciting watching paint dry.’ I heard that one time.”
VanDerveer stressed the importance of keeping the game clean and focusing on high graduation rates.