Crusaders maintain UConn as priority
Holy Cross women’s basketball coach Bill Gibbons brushes aside the critics who wonder why, after more than a decade of futility against mighty Connecticut, he continues to send his Crusaders into the Huskies’ teeth year after year.
The Crusaders lost 81-54 this week to the eighth-ranked Huskies, their 13th straight loss to UConn. The Huskies have beaten Holy Cross by nearly 30 points a game the last four meetings.
Not the end of the world. No, in fact, the glass is half full, Gibbons said.
“I told our guys they’re going to grow from this game,” he said. “I think I have the type of kids that are going to take positives from this and become better. It will help us in the Patriot League.”
Under Gibbons, the winningest coach in program history, the Crusaders have been the team to beat in the league for years. They’ve rolled up 11 regular-season titles and 11 tournament titles. Keeping UConn on the schedule has given Gibbons another recruiting draw and pulled in more fans each year.
“And it spreads the name of the program,” Gibbons said. “I’m going to keep doing this and play these games until we lose Patriot League titles. We start losing in the Patriot League, maybe I’ll change my M.O. Let the naysayers say what they will, I still think we’re going to be fine.”
His Patriot League colleagues agree. The Crusaders were the overwhelming preseason pick to win the conference again.
Setting the tone
Armintie Price is making plenty of sweet music at Mississippi.
The Rebels star joined two teammates in forming The Anointed Voices, a gospel trio that performs at area nursing homes and at coach Carol Ross’ house.
“We’d sing in separate showers and we sounded pretty good,” Price said.
But it’s on the basketball court where Price and Ole Miss are singing their sweetest tune. With two home victories over ranked teams during the young season, the 24th-ranked Rebels are finally winners again – and Ross said it’s because their best player prefers to harmonize instead of going solo.
“I don’t know if she’s feeding off the program, or if the program is feeding off of her, but it’s a very good marriage in that she plays the way we play – with enthusiasm and passion,” Ross said of Price. “She’s the leader of the pack, and she sets a great tone.”
The Rebels are in the Top 25 for the first time in nearly a decade – they were ranked 24th in the final poll of the 1995-96 season. Ross, a four-year starter at Ole Miss for coach Van Chancellor from 1977-81, is one of the few women’s coaches to have played for and coached a ranked team at the same school.
Price is the main reason for the Rebels’ return to prominence, largely because she plays her best in the biggest games, averaging 22.5 points in Ole Miss’ two victories over ranked teams.
She had 23 points in a 72-69 win over then-No. 14 Texas Tech, and had 22 points last week in a 67-57 victory over then-No. 7 Rutgers. After that win, she was named player of the week in the Southeastern Conference.
“I guess it’s just our turn,” Price said. “Everybody has their good moments and their great times. Every year, we’re just trying to get better. We know we don’t have the all-stars, but together we have the all-star team.”
‘Super Six’ shrinks
And then there were five.
Tennessee’s much-heralded recruiting class of a year ago, dubbed the “Super Six,” just got smaller. Sophomore guard Sa’De Wiley-Gatewood left the team this week for personal reasons.
As a rookie, patella tendinitis sidelined Wiley-Gatewood for all but 13 games. She underwent surgery in March 2005. This year, the 5-foot-9 point guard from California averaged 8.0 points, which ranked fourth for the No. 1 Lady Vols. She also averaged 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 26.3 minutes per game.
“Sa’de didn’t feel like she could play her game here,” Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt said. “We hate to see her leave the Lady Vol family, program and university. I hope she can find great success with her basketball career, academics and life.”
Wiley-Gatewood started nine games this season and was part of a class that included Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sybil Dosty and Alex Fuller.
It wasn’t clear whether Gatewood planned to transfer to another school.
“I want to thank everyone at Tennessee – my coaches and teammates, the athletic and academic departments, the fans and the boosters,” Wiley-Gatewood said.
She’s a natural
Princeton sophomore Meagan Cowher, the eldest daughter of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, earned Ivy League player of the week honors.
The 6-1 guard/forward scored 19 points and grabbed four steals to lead the Tigers to a 67-63 victory at Rider.
She comes by her athletic ability naturally. Her father, who spent five years as a player in the NFL, was a three-year starter at linebacker at North Carolina State. Both her mother and an aunt played basketball in college and went on to play professionally. Her two younger sisters also are basketball players.
Triple threat
Three Atlantic 10 teams have victories over ranked opponents this season.
Saint Joseph’s beat then-No. 25 North Carolina State 54-42 on Nov. 20. George Washington upset 19th-ranked Purdue 49-47 later that same week. Most recently, No. 25 Temple defeated 15th-ranked Georgia 69-66 in overtime on Monday. The 14-member league is 3-3 against ranked opponents this season.