Rivals say it with flowers for Sharp

Sheri Coale gave her a putter and golf balls. Jodi Conradt handed her an armful of roses.

And then there were the e-mails by the dozen and countless phone calls.

Marsha Sharp’s announcement last week that she was resigning at the end of the season after 24 years at Texas Tech prompted an outpouring of well wishes. Her office at the Lubbock school still resembles a small florist shop.

“It has been the most incredible ride you can imagine,” Sharp told the near-sellout crowd at United Spirit Arena after the Lady Raiders’ final regular-season game on Wednesday.

Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, Sharp has taken Tech to 16 straight NCAA appearances, reaching the Elite Eight four times and the Sweet 16 seven times. The Lady Raiders won the national title in 1993 when Sheryl Swoopes led them to a 31-3 record. Sharp never had a losing season.

“It is difficult to put into words how much she will be missed in the coaching profession,” Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said. “Marsha’s program at Texas Tech has been a model for the growth and success of women’s basketball and has been an important catalyst in the growth of the sport in the Big 12 conference.”

Despite a heart problem in January, Sharp said her health is fine. She made up her mind before the season that this would be it, and told Tech officials in October this was her last year.

In their first game after Sharp’s Feb. 24 announcement, the Lady Raiders beat longtime rival Texas 56-48 in Austin and drew a round of applause from Longhorns fans. Conradt, the Longhorns’ hall of fame coach, presented her with a hug and roses.

“This is a very hard business, and Marsha has been at it for a long time,” Conradt said. “She started with nothing and has built Texas Tech to what now is one of the top programs in terms of tremendous fan support and success.”

It was fitting that Conradt got to throw a going away party of sorts for Sharp on her floor this time.

“We’ve played there when they’ve had a pre-game ceremony, unveiling a banner or trophy, or retiring Sheryl Swoopes’ number, ceremonies like that,” Conradt said.

Sharp, 53, closed out the regular season Wednesday at home with a 60-59 loss to ninth-ranked Oklahoma. In pregame warmups, her players wore shirts that read, “Thanks, Marsha. From the Lady Raider Nation,” with all of her accomplishments listed on the back. Out of respect, the Sooners came out just before the tip wearing the same shirts.

Sharp called it a classy move by a well-coached team.

Coale, Oklahoma’s coach, figures they were just returning a big favor.

“She has been an incredible mentor to me. I feel so fortunate to have come into this profession and into the Big 12 conference and to have had the positive influence of Marsha and her entire program,” Coale said.