If you were to tick off a list of the strongest programs in collegiate
sports, Rutgers would probably be closer to the bottom than the top of such
a roll call.
The school from New Brunswick, N.J., is a bastion of mediocrity in the
world of big-time college athletics. The football team has been below
average for quite a long time, and the men’s basketball program hasn’t
scared anybody recently.
However, the women’s basketball program, under the direction of third-year
head coach Vivian Stringer, has risen from Big East doormat to Sweet 16
entrant in seemingly no time at all.
In case anybody was overlooking the Scarlet Knights, they made their
presence felt earlier this season with a victory over perennial powerhouse
Connecticut.
“I am very happy for her,” Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt said. “She is a
great lady and a great person. Vivian has been a winner everywhere she has
coached: Cheyney, Iowa and now Rutgers. It does not come as much of a
surprise to me that she has guided Rutgers to the Sweet 16 in such a short
time.”
The road was not an easy one for Rutgers. First, the Scarlet Knights
slipped past Oregon 79-76 in the first round in Ames, Iowa. Then, they
upset Iowa State on its home court in the next round, 62-61, to advance to
Nashville and a date with Summitt’s two-time defending national champion
Tennessee team.
Summitt knows that the Scarlet Knights are a prime candidate to derail a
Lady Vol team that has torn though everyone this season en route to a 35-0
record.
“Seeing (the Connecticut) result attracts attention,” Summitt says, “but
our team is just focusing on one game at a time. There is no doubt that we
respect them.
“We need to be mentally prepared to play on Saturday night.”
The Scarlet Knights are a young team and are somewhat lacking in size. They
are led by freshman guard Natasha Pointer (14.2 points per game) and her
junior backcourt mate Tomora Young (13.2 ppg).
“They have the ability to press and run the floor effectively,” Summitt
said. “The Scarlet Knights play a similar type of game as we do. The
full-court pressure and defensive intensity which they possess will present
a challenge for us.”
Inside, Rutgers relies on 6-foot freshman Linda Miles (8.5 ppg, 6.5
rebounds per game) to carry the load.
The Lady Vols, with LaShonda Stephens, Teresa Geter and Chamique Holdsclaw
on the inside, enjoy a size advantage and should be able to attack the
boards with their usual zeal.
Besides owning a significant edge in the low post, the Lady Vols will enjoy
something of a home-court advantage at Memorial Gym in Nashville, their
home-away-from-home, if you will.
“If we could not play in Knoxville, Nashville would definitely be my second
choice,” Summitt said. “I was pleased to hear that a sellout crowd will be
on hand for both games. The number of fans we will have at Memorial Gym
should be a tremendous boost.
“However, that alone will not give us a significant edge against Rutgers.
They have shown they can win in a hostile environment.”
Summitt and the Lady Vols have had just one goal all season, that being the
national championship. Now that they are one-third of the way home, they
can feel that they are that much closer to a fourth consecutive trip to the
Final Four. Still, they know they must take things one game at a time.
“Our journey is not yet complete,” Summitt said. “All we are concentrating
on right now is getting ready to play in the next round of the NCAA
tournament. We do not want to slip up by losing our focus.
“We are not emphasizing for them to be the best ever; our goal remains to
capture four more games.”
The Lady Vols play Rutgers Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The winner advances to
the Mideast Regional final to face either North Carolina or Illinois on
Monday night. That game will be played at 10:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be
televised on ESPN.
