= THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
SPORTS
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2002
Big 12 women's basketball tourney analysis
The Big 12 Conference women's basketball tournament gets under way today in Dallas The University Daily Kansan gives you a look at each team and its chance to win the tourney title.
Kansas (10-17,3-13)
Who to watch: Freshman posts pl ayer Tamara Ransburg is then
team's leading scorer and rebounder at 10.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds a contest.
Odds of a Jayhawk championship: Slim. Kansas improved on lastyear's winless conference campaign but struggled to close out the regular season with three straight blowout losses.
Texas (22-5, 15-1)
Who to watch: Stacy Stephens
and Heather Schreiber were both named first team All-Big 12.
Odds of a Longhorn championship: Great, Texas won the conference's regular season crown and are led by the
Big 12's Coach of the Year Jody Conradt.
Kansas State (27-3,14-2)
Who to watch: Nicole Ohlde
leads the Wildcats and the Big 12 in scoring at 19.3 points per game.
Odds of a Wildcat championship: Good. Sophomore sharpshooter, Laurie Koehn, has recovered from an injury and adds an outside threat to go along with players Ohlde
Texas Tech (24-4, 13-3)
Who to
w a t e h :
Plenette Pierson is a versatile inside-
outside threat who averages
17.7 points per game.
Odds of a Lady Raider championship: Good. Texas Tech boasts the conference's second most potent offense and third stingiest defense. The Lady Raiders will also enjoy plenty of fan support in Dallas.
Colorado (21-6, 11-5)
Who to watch: Center Tera
Bjorklund averages 17 points per game and causes
match up problems for team onponents underneath
Odds of a Buffalo championship: Fair. Colorado is deadly behind the arc. Kate Fagan has hit more three pointers than anyone else in the conference and Sabrina Scott is tops in three-point percentage. Oklahoma (18, 11, 9,7)
Who to watch; Marla Villarroel averages 14.8 points per game and leads the
league in field goal percentage at 57.6 percent.
Odds of a Sooner championship. Fair. Villarroel can take over a game, but Oklahoma lacks a dominant inside presence.
Who to watch: Evan Unruau averages 15.3 points per game and is a
Missouri (15-12,9-7)
Odds of a Tiger champi
me and is a tough defender.
onship: Unlikely. Unrau has been somewhat inconsistent and Tracy Lozier can shoot the Tigers in or out of a game.
Baylor [19-9, 8-8].
Who to watch: Steffanie Blackman averages 17.2 points per game and Sophia Young is
Baylor(19-9,8-8)
the conference's leading
rebounder at 9.5 game.
Odds of a Lady Bear championship: Unlikely. Baylor is the highest scoring team in the Big 12, but has had trouble winning close games.
Iowa State (12-15, 7-9)
Who to watch: Lindsey Wilson averages 19 points and nearly 5 points a minute.
assists a game for the Cyclones
Odds of Cyclone championship: Slim. It's been a down year for Iowa State. Wilson was named first team All-big 12, but doesn't get much help from her teammates.
Who to watch: Toccara Williams averages 5.5
assists a game and leads the league at 4.5 steals a game.
Texas A&M (10-17,3-13)
Odds of an Aggie championship: Slim, Texas A&M rank in the bottom half of the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Oklahoma State 3-20
Oklahoma State (7-20, 3-13)
Who to watch:
Trisha Skibbe leads the OSu
Cowgirls averaging 17.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds a game
Odds of a Cowgirl championship: Poor, Oklahoma State ranks last in the conference in scoring defense and have been out rebounded nearly 8 rebounds in each game by opponents.
Nebraska (8-19, 1-15)
Who to watch: Alexa Johnson leads the Huskers at 15 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.
Odds of a Husker championship; Minuscule. Nebraska recruited three Husker volleyball players to help the Big 12's least productive offense, to no avail.
Greene
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
The family came out to their first Kansas women's basketball game and was amazed by players' attitude toward fans. Even after a tough 61-55 loss to Missouri, the players still had conversations and signed autographs for the kids waiting outside the locker room. Freshman forward Tamara Ransburg even put the family's 8-year old son on her back and ran up and down the hallway with him.
It is responses like these, among other things, that give Kansas athletics the great reputation it has, and the women's basketball program is a shining example. After a gut-wrenching loss to a bitter rival, the players could have very easily walked into the locker rooms hanging their heads, but they realized they have a reputation to uphold.
Even if the Jayhawks lose today against Iowa State, the pain of a loss will subside rather quickly.
Marian Washington's players will never go on to have multi-million dollar contracts or big shoe endorsement deals after college. They will leave the University with something more valuable—an understanding of what life is all about.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, Ill., junior in journalism
Hallman
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
BY It'not high school anymore. I'm playing against better players." Hallman said. "I got to earn everything — nothing's going to be handed to me."
Washington said that despite the tribulations Hallman has seen this season, her attitude had remained a positive influence for the rest of the girls on the team.
I've never seen her or heard her complain at all." Washington said. "It think she understands that everyone has a role."
113 The role Hallman plays for the Jayhawks has been crucial to their success this season.
CourtneyKuhlen/Kansan
She has emerged as the team's fourth-leading scorer this season at 8.3 points per game and has logged more than 30 minutes in six contests this season.
At times, Hallman has shown flashes of brilliance on the court. Dazzling fans with no-look passes and surprising them with long range jump shots.
Freshman guard Erica Hallman said she was happy to play at KU since she arrived last fall. "I always told myself that I wanted to be somewhere that, if the first day I went I got hurt, those were still the type of people I wanted to be around," said Hallman. "That's how coach Washington is."
Washington said Hallman's ability to play both guard positions made her a valuable asset to the rest of the team off the bench.
She's a good shooter for us, and so she can play the two position.
and she can help us at the point guard spot,"Washington said.
Despite overcoming obstacles and managing a productive freshman season, Hallman, who will have knee surgery after spring break, said she wouldn't
be satisfied unless she could help the basketball team improve on this year's 10-17 regular season record.
She said there have been a lot of games she thought the team should have won.
"This off season I'm going to have to work hard to get healthy," Hallman said. "As a team, we need to build some chemistry over the summer."
— Edited by Melissa Hermreck
The Richmond native, who starred at Virginia during the Ralph Sampson era and spent 13 seasons as an assistant before taking over in Blacksburg in 1999, lasted through only four seasons of a five-year contract.
In that time, the Hokies showed too many signs of inconsistency and lack of focus on the court, and too few signs of turning the corner.
Weaver said Stokes was being released from his contract and that the final year of the deal would be bought out.
To qualify for the tournament at Madison Square Garden, the Hokies needed only to avoid finishing last in the Big East's East Division.
The season forced Weaver to make the move, even after pledging before it began that Stokes would be back for the final year of his contract. By midseason, Weaver was showing signs the end was coming as he pledged only to "honor" the final year.
"This is a very difficult decision for me, personally, as I have the highest regard for Ricky as a person," athletic director Jim Weaver said.
Then, with one last chance to qualify by beating rival West Virginia in Morgantown in the regular season finale three days later, the Hokies scored only four of the final 23 points and were beaten 71-67.
"We appreciate all the hard work Ricky has put into his position and wish him the best in the future."
Ricky Stokes was fired as Virginia Tech's basketball coach Monday, two days after the Hokies failed to qualify for the Big East Conference tournament for the third straight year.
They fell 79-71 to Miami at Cassell Coliseum on March 5, even when a victory would have clinched their first trip to the conference tournament. The Hokies never led and let Miami close the game on a 16-8 run.
Virginia Tech fires basketball coach
The Associated Press
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