When the 2003-04 women’s basketball season came to a close, Tennessee was on the wrong side of a 70-61 loss to Connecticut in the national championship game.
In fact, the last three seasons for the Lady Vols have ended with defeats to the Huskies – twice in national title games and once in the national semifinal.
This could be the year that things change.
When Pat Summitt comes out on the short end of things, she doesn’t sit around and mope. She picks herself up and figures out what she needs to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
This time around, she and her coaching staff packed their bags and headed out on the recruiting trail. Knowing that the high school class of 2004 was going to be one of the deepest and strongest in recent history, Summitt wanted to haul in as much prime-time talent as possible.
And she did.
Now that recruiting class, filled with six top-50 players, finds itself in Knoxville, preparing to open the 2004-2005 season. They, along with their veteran teammates, want to ensure that the history of the past few years ends its repeat pattern.
For the past four years, UConn coach Geno Auriemma had a well-established answer to any question asked about his high-profile team.
“We have Diana and they don’t,” was Geno’s answer to how his team overcame any number of obstacles on the way to three consecutive national titles.
Now, however, that answer won’t suffice. Taurasi wears an orange uniform for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and the only influence she will have at Connecticut games will be from the cheering section.
In the not too distant future, perhaps Summitt’s answer could be… “We have Candace…and Alexis…and Sa’de…and Nicky…and Sybil…and Alex…and they don’t.”
Granted, for now, three of UT’s talented rookie class are sidelined. Alex Fuller will be out for the year rehabbing after knee surgery. Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood’s status is undetermined, as she continues to battle a tender knee.
But Candace Parker is ahead of schedule in her rehab and might grace the floor for the Lady Vols as early as December.
Until then, her teammates will be paving their way into the season.
And they should be in good shape to do so.
Senior Shyra Ely returns to the court with more passion for basketball than ever before, seemingly determined to prove that she deserves her All-America billing. A newly-polished midrange jumper will make Ely even more difficult to handle for opponents.
Junior center Tye’sha Fluker has also put in ample time during the summer. The Fluker who has taken the court this preseason has slimmed down and toughened up.
An excited Loree Moore finally got to see game action again in the Carson-Newman exhibition. After spending the last half of the 2004 season rehabbing her knee after tearing her ACL in UT’s victory at Duke, Moore is making up for lost time.
Put those upperclassmen together with the rookies and things are going to get exciting.
Case in point: freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle’s opening game performance. Hornbuckle turned in 14 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, five steals and three blocks in 20 minutes. Talk about impressive.
Suddenly, questions about which of the incoming freshmen is the most talented don’t seem so important – they all belong to Tennessee.
And now the season begins – a time to see if this class returns UT to its glory days of the late 1990’s.
Or maybe, this class joins with a talented core and simply becomes the best ever.
