Women's Hoops Guru

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA _ Dawn Staley may have departed for South Carolina, but is it possible the next Temple women's coach who will succeed her will also have a national reputation as a past All-Star point guard in the WNBA?

An individual who fits that description and also has local ties to Philadelphia is one Debbie Black, the former St. Joseph's and WNBA defensive specialist and playmaker who is currently an assistant to her Hawks coach Jim Foster at Ohio State.

"Since the word got out about Dawn, I've been getting a lot of calls from friends in Philadelphia asking if I'd be interested," Black said Wednesday.

"I'm really happy working with Jim at Ohio State, but I also think I'm ready to take that next step and be a head coach," the former Archbishop Wood star added.

"Is Temple that situation? I can't say either way right now, but it's intriguing and I'll have to learn more about where they're heading and what their expectations are," Black continued.

"But I think it's a tremendous opportunity for someone while at the same time it will definitely be a challenge to follow Dawn after all she did to raise the program's profile."

Temple athletic department officials are wrapping up details of the job internally with Temple's human resources department personnel and are expected to formally advertise the vacant position some time Thursday.

They are also completing spots on the search committee, which will be diverse in representation, said Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw. He has also been an AD at DePaul in Chicago and at La Salle.

This is the third time in the last several years Bradshaw has had to fill a major coaching position. The other two involved the hiring of Al Golden to succeed Bobby Wallace in football as well as former Penn coach Fran Dunphy to succeed Hall of Famer and legend John Chaney in men's basketball.

"Each of those spots were different in terms of how we had to make the hire," Bradshaw said, noting Dunphy's success as a head coach of the Quakers and Golden's rising reputation while serving as a youthful assistant at the University of Virginia.

In the early going, Temple officials do not have a particular candidate targeted considering that Staley's exit caught most by surprise because of South Carolina's ability in Columbia to top Staley's substantial Temple salary by $150,000 to $650,000.

Susan Walvius, the Gamecocks' previous women's coach in the Southeastern Conference, was estimated to be making around $280,000, which was well below Staley's Temple deal that was in the first of a six-year extension agreed to in April a year ago. That contract also had a $500,000 buyout, which South Carolina officials said they will help Staley pay.

Two members of Staley's former staff remain -- assistant Fred Chmiel and operations director Mary Wooley, who was scheduled to depart sometime this summer, without regard to Staley's move, to pursue her post-graduate education.

It's not known if Chmiel has interest in the job himself -- he was away for a few days this week and couldn't be reached for comment -- but as an individual popular with the Temple players, he might be kept by the new coach to provide continuity from the Staley era.

Many schools and new coaches have gone that direction in the past, especially in situations of sudden exits by the previous head coach.

When it comes to offering the best type of candidate for the Temple vacancy, there is not a clear consensus among the Temple faithful, as well as coaches elsewhere, in terms of the qualities needed to succeed Staley. The three-time Olympic gold medalist recently turned 38 but was only 30 when she joined the Owls.

Given the recent public revelation of Temple's available financial resources to pay Staley, a salary considered to be in the top ten of Division I women's coaches, some believe that a head coach with extensive experience would be best to fill the spot.

But that person should also be able to relate to today's youth, that even Staley, herself, conceded at times is quite different than in her collegiate days when she starred at Virginia in the early 1990s.

In that regard, others, noting the ties after Staley that have to be rebuilt within the community and among the Temple alumni base, believe an assistant from a national program with a record of recruiting success could quickly generate the same excitment Staley brought with her hire in April, 2000.

However, it is also conceded that a first-time head coach, even with that aforementioned background, would be in a different situation than recruiting for an existing top 10 power such as Connecticut, Tennessee, or Rutgers, for example.

Rhode Island assistant Ervin Monier, a former Temple assistant who plans to apply and landed all-American Candice Dupree in 2002, said he already has experience in the Temple dynamic, "because I already have done all of it under Dawn."

Although Temple officials will be attending Atlantic Ten Conference annual spring meetings this weekend, it's possible Bradshaw, while away, could begin preliminary talks with key candidates who are known to be interested or others who have been suggested.

Bradshaw and associate athletic director Kristen Foley are likely to hear other suggestions from Atlantic Ten colleagues, if they haven't already done so.,

The Temple AD noted that in his past experience involving hires, such as those at Temple, e, the search doesn't really narrow until the interviews get under way.

Bradshaw mentioned how frontrunners have fallen by the wayside after meeting with the committee.

"I've seen it both ways over the years," Bradshaw said. "There are candidates that might be real high on different lists but then go through the motions during their interviews.

"On the other hand, there have been candidates that you initially might consider strongly, but maybe not ranked as high on the list as other candidates. Then those individuals come in and really express a strong passion about wanting the job and being part of the university community."

-- Mel

(Guru's note: This is an enhanced version of a Tuesday print edition noteboook in the Inquirer sports section area of philly.com)

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA — With the Dawn Staley era over, Temple is about to begin a new one as it searches for her replacement as women’s basketball coach.

Staley resigned last week to become the coach at South Carolina. Owls athletic director Bill Bradshaw is forming a search committee to go through the list of candidates.

"We're still in the process and not all of the members of the search group have been chosen," Bradshaw said Monday night.

He added that associate athletic director Kristen Foley, who preceded Staley as the Temple women's coach, would most likely be in charge of the day-to-day activities.

Assistant coach Fred Chemiel and operations director Mary Wooley have remained and will probably run the basketball office," said Bradshaw, who met with the Temple players Monday afternoon before they complete final exams in the classroom and head home for summer vacation.

As of now, everyone, including the previously committed recruits for this fall, plan to remain on the team, Bradshaw indicated.

Temple will be posting the address for applicants interested in becomig the next Temple coach and once it is known, the same address will be posted in the blog.

It could take up to a month to name the next coach, Bradshaw said, only because his schedule includes the annual Atlantic Ten spring meetings in a few weeks.

"We'll see how it goes," Bradshaw said.

The conference, incidentally, is still seeking a successor to former Atlantic Ten commissioner Linda Bruno.

Meanwhile, a few Temple hopefuls stated their intent Monday to apply.

Cheryl Reeve, a former La Salle star who is an assistant to Bill Laimbeer with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, said Monday she would apply for the job. The South Jersey native also was an assistant with the Charlotte Sting, head coach at Indiana State, and an assistant at George Washington.

Holy Family coach Mike McLaughlin, whose Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II women’s tournament, said Monday he also intended to apply.

Former La Salle women’s coach John Miller, who led the Mount St. Joseph’s girls to a state title last season, has been mentioned as a candidate as well.

"I just had my best year in coaching," said Miller, who was named the Associated Press’ girls’ coach of the year in Pennsylvania. "But given my friendships (with Bradshaw and Temple men’s coach Fran Dunphy), I would certainly listen to what they had to say."

Former St. Joseph’s coach Stephanie V. Gaitley is not a candidate. The former Long Island coach was named Monday as the coach at Monmouth, where her son, Dutch, plays for the men’s team.

ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck, a former coach of Florida and 1999 NCAA champion Purdue, as well as the former WNBA Orlando Miracle, said she is not seeking a return to the profession, for now.

"I'm just busy getting ready for the start of the WNBA," Peck said Monday of Saturday's season openers.

California coach Joanne Boyle, who previously coached Richmond in the Atlantic Ten before rebuilding the Bears into prominence, said she intended to remain in the Bay Area, noting she turned down Duke a year ago when the job opened. The native of Philadelphia had been a Blue Devils assistant under former coach Gail Goestenkors, now at Texas, prior to moving to Richmond.

Some other names, several of which were noted in the Guru's blog when Staley talks with South Carolina intensified a week ago, have also been mentioned by head coaches in side conversations as potential candidates worthy of the Temple position.

Army's Dave Magarity, a native Philadelphian who has moved the Black Knights forward after the tragic death of Maggie Dixon after the 2006 season ended, was mentioned.

"You can't tell me Temple can't top Army with a package,"quipped one coach.

It's not known if Ohio State assistant coach Debbie Black has interest in returning to her native city.

A feisty point guard who became nationally known in the WNBA and former American Basketball League is a native of the Philadelphia area who starred at St. Joseph's.

Black couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.

Another well-known coach familiar with the Atlantic Ten mentioned South Jersey native Lisa Cermingnano, a former George Washington assistant now an aide at Vanderbilt.

"Coming from GW and Vanderbilt, and the recruiting success she's had would make her a good candidate," the source noted.

Connecticut assistant Tonya Cardoza is believed interested, according to several sources, but has yet to be reached for comment.

The former Virginia star was a teammate of Staley's in the Cavaliers' Final Four-era in the early 1990s and is a lifelong friend of the three-time gold medalist who decided to stay with the Huskies in 2000 when Staley wanted to bring her aboard on Staley's first staff.

Because of the friendship, Cardoza has known much about Temple over the years Staley was building the Owls into prominence, although the closest the two schools came to meeting each other was last November when UConn and Temple were in the Paradise Jam tournament in Puerto Rico.

Honoring Perretta.

On Saturday night, about 200 friends, former players and past assistants attended a salute to Villanova women’s coach Harry Perretta, who has completed 30 seasons with the Wildcats.

Villanova men’s coach Jay Wright and former Wildcats coach Rollie Massimino were among the speakers and the guests included Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and former Atlantic Ten commissioner Linda Bruno, who was once in charge of the Big East women before moving to the Atlantic Ten.

Former 76ers and Comcast-Specator executive Dave Coskey, who was once the women's sports information director for Perretta, also attended.

Perretta, who is found of handicapping horses, jokingly recalled the time he coached a Big East summer all-star team in Toronto and when he learned the team was being housed across the street from a race track Perretta said, he immediately exclaimed, "I love you Linda."

Assistant Shanette Lee, who played for Perretta, offered a humorous impersonation of the coach talking to his team during a time-out.

Lynn Tighe, a former player who is ‘Nova’s women’s athletic director, also spoke, as did Drexel coach Denise Dillon and former players Trish Juhline and Lisa Angelotti Gedaka.

Dillon recalled Perretta’s recruiting pitch to her in a parking lot after a high school game: "You’ll never learn to play unless you come to Villanova."

Wright humorously noted that Perretta actually has coached for 120 years considering that "he coaches his own team, of course he coaches my team, he's coached John Beilen's men's teams at West Virginia and he coaches the Tennessee women."

The latter was a reference to Perretta's friendship with Vols Hall of Famer Pat Summitt.

The Wildcats' men's coach recalled a time when George Washington coach Karl Hobbs was visiting Wright and Perretta had barged right into the office, a trait that is common to most everyone Perretta deals with at the Main Lline school.

"`You know, you're zone is terrible,'" Wright said Perretta said to Hobbs after being introduced.

Between the jabs, however, each speaker professed a love for Perretta and some recalled how the famous upset of Connecticut in the Big East title game in 2003, ending the Huskies' NCAA-record 70-game win streak enabled the graduate of Bonner High and Lycoming College to become appreciated nationally.

Perretta offered a 25-minute retrospective of his life, from his boyhood days in West Philadelphia as a Monsignor Bonner student to the present. Virtually everyone from managers to assistant coaches to players to PR directors got a mentioned.

He remembered the time early in his era when "we once played three games in three days and drove the vans almost a 1,000 miles. We won the first two before we got tired from the travel."

Guests were given Perretta bobblehead dolls, which will also be a give-away at a Villanova women's game next season.

Afterwards, all the former players, including some who pre-dated Perretta's arrival, posed for a group shot.

As the Guru looked at the dias, he mentioned how it had just struck him that each of them had once been covered by the Guru as undergraduates. The exception was Maria Caramanico, who was one of the founding members of the Villanova women as a nursing student.

"I covered here, also," the Guru said, "but as a parent of a famous player."

Diana Carmanico became Penn's all-time scorer as a senior in 2001 when the Quakers won their first Ivy League title.

-- Mel

(Guru's note: This is an enhanced version of the print story in the Inquirer Sunday sports section area of Philly.com with added information. Quotes are from the South Carolina web site which has more detail of the press conference.)

By Mel Greenberg

Dawn Staley’s transition from Temple University to South Carolina, as the Gamecocks’ new women’s basketball coach, became official Saturday when her $650,000 annual package was approved in the morning by the board of trustees.

Soon after, the Dobbins Tech graduate was introduced at a news conference in Columbia.
The deal, which gives Staley an increase from her $500,000 Temple package last year, was completed Tuesday, and both schools announced the three-time Olympic gold medalist’s departure the next day.

“It was a very difficult decision, but sometimes things happen,” Staley said of her decision to leave the Owls after making them a six-time NCAA participant in her eight seasons at
Temple.

“I think professionally I like to be challenged just to reassure myself as a coach. I thank Temple University for giving me the opportunity to hone my skills as a coach. This opportunity fits me.”

Staley joins a school that competes in the Southeastern Conference against such schools as Tennessee, which has won seven NCAA titles, including the last two.

"Some people say, `Why USC?' I say why not?" Staley said of her decision. "They have the commitment, facilities and coaches; it's a great time to be part of the movement at USC. I'm so happy because this is the first time I can speak on it now that everything has been approved.

“We’re going to work extremely hard at everything we do,” she said. “We’re going to work at turning this program around. I know [South Carolina athletic director] Eric Hyman said it’s going to take some time. I’m patient, but I’m not that patient.”

When Hyman introduced Staley, he referenced a conversation with an Atlantic Ten rival coach of Temple, whom he did not name.

"When we were researching Dawn, I talked to one of her coaching counterparts in the Atlantic 10, and he prayed that we hired her," Hyman said. "He said for the benefit of his coaching career, we needed to hire her out of that conference."

It was a remark, with some perceived humor, that appeared to come out of the nation's capital, the home of George Washington, which had dominated the conference prior to Staley's arrival.

The Colonials have continued to do well, but the Owls won four Atlantic Ten crowns in Staley's eight seasons at Temple.

Staley, the Gamecocks’ first female African American head coach, met with five members of her team before the news conference. They were as giddy as the Temple players that day in April 2000 when she took over a program that had not had a winning record in a decade.

“At first, there was that wow factor,” said Jordan Jones, a guard who will be a junior this fall. “She’s a superstar, but she is really a down-to-earth person, real genuine. She’s all into working hard, so if we work hard there isn’t going to be any problem. She’s had success everywhere she’s been — at Virginia, the Olympics, and hopefully that will carry over into here.”

Temple will begin formulating its "nationwide search," as promised by athletic director Bill Bradshaw, early this week.

He had been away all last week at football meetings in Phoenix when the Staley talks with South Carolina intensified, but he was in constant touch with developments back home.

While Temple will want to move quickly, especially with most of Staley's staff also departed, the search committee, once organized, will begin with a large list of candidates. That situation is unlike eight years ago when Staley was hired at a time there was not much interest in the vacancy.

Not every candidate will be publicly acknowledge because of some who have interest would rather not create problems for themselves with their current employers.

With no NCAA rule requiring schools with vacancies to ask permission to talk to targeted candidates currently under contract, elsewhere, Temple is free to make direct approaches to persons of whom the search committee may have an interest.

One person, not previously mentioned in the Guru's blog, who may be interested is former La Salle star Cheryl Reeve. a native of South Jersey who is one of Bill Laimbeer's key assistants with the Detroit Shock.

"I think Temple is a great opportunity for all the right reasons," Reeve said in discussing the position. "Bill Bradshaw, (Temple men's coach) Fran Dunphy, Big Five, Atlantic Ten. Dawn did a great job getting great kids to the program"

Bradshaw was the La Salle athletic director when Reeve was an undergraduate and Dunphy also has La Salle roots. She also was an assistant to Joe McKeown at George Washington and ran her own program for several years at Indiana State, besides holding an assistant WNBA position with the Charlotte Sting, coaching Staley at the time.

Olympic coach Anne Donovan will be job hunting once the Beijing Games end in China in August. Staley is an assistant on Donovan's staff.

When Staley was hired at Temple, she was away initially for her first several months playing in the WNBA and with the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, Australia.

Former St. Joseph's star Debbie Black's name has been tossed around in recent days by persons who have followed Temple closely.

Currently an assistant coach at Ohio State, Black used to go head-to-head with Staley in a duel of All-Star point guards in the WNBA.

One name that won't be on the list is Long Island coach Stephanie Gaitley, who formerly coached St. Joseph's.

Several sources, including some at Villanova's salute dinner Saturday night to Harry Perretta for 30 years of coaching, indicated the former Wildcats star will be named the new coach of Monmouth in the next 24-to-48 hours.

Because of Staley's previous salary at Temple, which is said to be in the top 10 of Division I women's basketball coaches, and the return from her $500,000 buyout, Temple officials have the financial flexibility to either pay well an individual with extensive head coaching experience or scale back somewhat to a marquee assistant and then put the differential into building a strong staff of assistants.

Although departed from her hometown, Staley plans to continue to be involved in local affairs.

"Dawn wants to continue here," said Angelia Nelson, who heads Staley's foundation that aids urban youngsters. "Her heart remains in Philadelphia. Once she's finished with her first week or so getting situated, we will sit down and talk about how to proceed."

Staley's annual Black Tie & Sneakers Gala is still set to be held May 22.

She also has a one percent stake in the proposed Foxwoods casino project in center city.

Staley has refrained commenting on her involvement, but reports covering the bids for casino rights have said she plans to use her investment to aid the foundation by buillding playgrounds and other places in North Philadelphia to house after-school activities.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA _ The Guru, after continuing to execute a little journalism, had a late-night philly cheesesteak in the neighborhood of the home office with the South Carolina coach-select and one of her longtime assistants Wednesday, who is also heading to Columbia, as Dawn Staley took a brief break from packing up her current Temple office.

Watching all the mementos being assembled for transfer reminded the Guru of those scenes in Washington when the presidency undergoes a change and movement day arrives at the White House.

"Enjoy this," Staley grinned to Lisa Boyer. "These kind of places won't be open at this hour in Columbia, nor will several others on Sundays."

Why is the Guru even bothering to note this?

Because he realized the main reporting of Wednesday's news is all on the Inquirer sports print-side of Philly.com and he was looking for a way to detour all that wonderful record web traffic that has been flowing through here the last several days.

Philly.com gave the Guru a count of about 5,000 hits off of Tuesday's initial reporting of Staley's accelerated negotiations with South Carolina at the time.

Meanwhile, although the Guru's alma mater, Staley's lame-duck employers, are not paying the Guru to be a way station for those interested in becoming the next Temple women's head coach, more names are floating in this direction since the Guru first created a long list of possibilities earlier this week.

Since that posting, some additional names either whispered in our direction directly or through intermediates, some of which have yet to be confirmed, and especially those with Philly ties are Loyola of Maryland coach Joe Logan, a former St. Joseph's assistant to Cindy Griffin; Rhode Island assistant Ervin Monier, who was one of Staley's early Temple assistants responsible for the finding of one Candice Dupree; former Temple star Marilyn Stephens, who is coaching in Florida and is a graduate of Gratz; Connecticut assistant Tonya Cardoza, Baylor assistant Rich Barron, who previously was in this area as the head coach of Princeton; and former Illinois coach Theresa Grentz who is back in the area as assistant to the president at Grentz's alma mater of Immaculata.

The Guru will be on that phase of the Temple story once athletic director Bill Bradshaw returns from football meetings in Phoenix and the search team is assembled. The names heading in this direction is quite a different story than in 2000 when the last vacancy existed before Staley's hire.

If he catches the right train, the Guru will be making a quick trip to Manhattan for the late morning WNBA exhibition game in Madison Square Garden between the host New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.

On Saturday, it's off to the 30th anniversary salute to Villanova coach Harry Perretta on the Wildcats' campus for his three decades of coaching the women.

Penn State coach Coquese Washington will be in the area as part of the Nittany Lions' annual statewide tour of alumni groups that will also include football coach Joe Paterno and men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis.

Incidentally, Philly.com is undergoing a move to a new platform this weekend but our own Jonathan Tannenwald, who is deeply involved in the transition, informs the Guru site will be handled with care if involved this weekend.

-- Mel

by Jonathan Tannenwald
Philly.com

Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley is officially leaving for South Carolina, Mel reported over on the main Philly.com site this afternoon.

You can read Mel's story, including details of Staley's new contract, by clicking here.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA _ Talks have accelerated between Temple women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and University of South Carolina officials over the vacant Gamecocks coaching position, several sources familiar with the negotiations said late Monday night.

When noted that the annual Black Tie & Sneakers gala on behalf of Staley’s Foundation is several weeks away (May 22) and which Temple is very involved because of its high-profile women’s coach, one of the sources noted that if a deal is made it could be completed well before then.

“It’s very active,” the source said of the negotiations although it is not known if South Carolina has actually made Staley an offer.

Citing the different estimates of Staley’s Temple lucrative salary that have been recently reported, though none of the numbers have been confirmed, the same source acknowledged that South Carolina may have figured out how to tap Fort Knox to pry the three-time Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA all-star from her comfortable surroundings in her native Philadelphia.

On Friday, the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee estimated Staley’s annual salary at $400,000, not counting income from camps and other incentives, which would be double the pay of former South Carolina coach Susan Walvius, who resigned under pressure April 14, after 11 seasons.

Walvus, incidentally, previously coached at Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.

The Tennessee publication is pursuing the story because of the candidacy of longtime Vols assistant and former Tennessee star Holly Warlick, who had a second interview Friday, according to the News Sentinel.

South Carolina officials are not commenting on their search, but The State in Columbia reported on April 28 that officials were planning to interview Staley, who was in China at the time as an assistant with the United States women’s senior national team at a tournament in Beijing.

Staley has since been interviewed, the News Sentinel reported, and another source confirmed.

A year ago, Staley’s name was on most everyone’s shopping list when an array of high-profile jobs became vacant, but Temple officials were able to sign the fabled coach to a six-year extension.

That deal includes a sizeable buyout, although the numbers haven’t been reported or confirmed.

North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell, who has South Carolina roots, was briefly involved and interviewed by South Carolina, but withdrew Thursday, the News Sentinel reported.

Besides the buyout and keeping Staley’s salary at a high value, South Carolina would have to accommodate her current staff of assistants, all of which she could be expected to want to bring to Columbia if she becomes the new coach.

Another person thought to be a potential candidate is Chattanooga coach Wes Moore, who has led his team to seven Southern Conference titles in the last eight seasons.

But a source in the Southeastern Conference believes that South Carolina, which was 11th in the SEC last season, has made it a priority to hire a minority female as its new coach.

Click here to keep reading

(Guru's Note: Updating late night Saturday while working the desk in the home office, here are the Associated Press accounts of Candace Parker's exhibition debut followed by an advance on her WNBA impact, which moved earlier this weekend for editions. The advance story may not make print versions in many areas and may not have been seen by the friendly nation sites -- whoever you think you are -- that link back and forth to the Guru's blog.).)

By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA — Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie gave the WNBA its first glimpse of just how dangerous the Los Angeles Sparks could be this season.

Parker, the league’s No. 1 pick, had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Los Angeles’ 86-80 exhibition victory over the expansion Atlanta Dream on Saturday night.

Leslie played her first game since missing all of 2007 on maternity leave, but the three-time league MVP still finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.

After leading Tennessee to a second straight NCAA title last month, Parker is eager to help the Sparks win their third championship under coach Michael Cooper.

“I pulled Coop aside and said, ’Man, I love having someone to run the floor with me,” Parker said as she smiled at Leslie. “It’s like, ’Pick your poison.’ I mean if you stop the layup, I’m going to hit her, and she’s going to make a move, cut back or whatever. I was on the floor and just had pinch myself, honestly.”

Cooper, whose team led 70-49 at the end of the third quarter, pulled Parker out of the game with three minutes left in the period. Leslie was already resting on the bench, her night finished after less than 20 minutes.

“Tonight I was in ecstasy,” said Cooper, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. “It was truly a pleasure to watch these ladies play.”

Carla Thomas and Tamera Young each scored 15 points to lead the Dream, who were outscored 18-6 on the fast break and 38-18 in the paint.

An announced crowd of 7,932 watched at Philips Arena, which hosted the Atlanta Hawks’ Game 6 playoff win over Boston the night before.

It wasn’t the first time Thomas tried to defend Parker. At Vanderbilt, Thomas faced Parker and the Lady Volunteers many times.

“She showed what she’s capable of doing,” Thomas said. “She can hurt you in so many ways on the floor.”

Parker’s problematic left shoulder was iced after the game, a customary procedure after getting injured in the NCAA tournament. She wasn’t concerned about irritating the shoulder after missing a fastbreak dunk early in the third.

“I was not warm, so I probably should’ve just laid it up,” Parker said. “Lisa made a little behind-the-head pass, so something came out of it.”

After the Sparks went 10-24 last season, Cooper feels rejuvenated. Los Angeles opens the regular season May 17 at Phoenix in the first of four straight road games.

Leslie’s return only reaffirmed Cooper’s belief that the Sparks have a chance to go deep into the playoffs.

“You kind of take her greatness for granted,” Cooper said before nodding at Parker, “and it is a true joy to watch (Parker) play and the way she plays. The exciting thing about it is she plays the game above the rim. Both of these do, so it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to coach.”

Leslie had no trouble with any aspects of her game.

“I felt pretty good,” she said. “We started out the game pretty strong. It’s just really exciting basketball to be out on the floor and obviously to have Candace as a teammate. I can’t stop smiling. I don’t know how we got the No. 1 pick.”

Cooper, sitting to her left, quickly interrupted.

“We were losing,” he said with a grin.

Leslie’s response was immediately.

“Well, I didn’t lose, so I was just used to winning and then we got her as the No. 1 pick,” she said. “I’m happy, and we have so many other great teammates around her.”

Parker Impacting WNBA Way Ahead of Season Oepeners
By VIN A. CHERWOO
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK — Kathy Goodman admits she was wary of the hype about the impact Candace Parker would have on the Los Angeles Sparks if they selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s WNBA draft.

“I am the cynic of the group,” the Sparks’ co-owner said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “I’m the one that’s like ’Yes I know there’s a lot of hype and let’s not believe our own hype. This is still going to take some work.’ And I have to admit, that even I was pleasantly surprised by the response.”

Although Parker has yet to make her debut with the Sparks, the former Tennessee Lady Vols star is already boosting the team and the rest of the league at the box office, in merchandise sales and on the Web.

Los Angeles sold seven times the number of season tickets during the first week after the April 9 draft compared to the same period last year. Also, individual game ticket sales for the first eight days after the draft increased nearly threefold.

No doubt, the Sparks’ ticket sales are also being fueled by the return of Lisa Leslie. The perennial All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist is back after a one-year absence following the birth of her daughter last June.

“It has been really overwhelming to see,” Goodman said. “The combination of Candace joining the team and Lisa Leslie being back on the team, both of those things have been a matter of a lot of buzz in the community.”

And that buzz hasn’t been limited to Los Angeles. According to the WNBA, teams around the league are selling three times as many individual game tickets for when the Sparks are scheduled to visit compared to their overall average.

“I feel like it’s a huge responsibility,” Parker said. “Obviously we’ve gotten people to buy tickets to the games, but it’s a matter of getting them to come back. I guess a little bit of added pressure to perform when we play ... not to take any nights off because there’s always going to be somebody watching you for the first time.”

Being a draw isn’t new for Parker. Tennessee is usually among the attendance leaders in women’s college basketball — at home and on the road. The Lady Vols averaged a school-record 15,796 at home this past season en route to their second straight NCAA championship, and eighth overall.

“It’s something I am used to in a way, coming from a storybook program at Tennessee,” Parker said. “We had a lot of sold-out away games this year, a lot of people wanted to see us play. I’m used to it, but it’s something you can’t take lightly.”

A few more numbers to quantify Parker’s impact:

—The league sold more Parker jerseys on WNBAStore.com in the first two weeks after the draft than any other rookie in league history during a similar time period.

—Parker’s page on WNBA.com received 70,000 page views in the week of the draft (April 6-12), trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul when compared to NBA players.

—The Sparks’ Web site has already set all-time monthly traffic records during April for page views, and set a single-day record on the day of the draft with more than 40,000 visits.

“Obviously she’s a spectacular player and she’s also an incredibly charismatic personality. People are really drawn to her,” Goodman said. “She can be a gateway player where people get hooked on her but they realize ’Look at all these other great players we didn’t know about.’ This is not like this is a league that has nobody in it except for her. People will come to see her and stay to see the rest of the teams and the rest of the players.”

Parker knows she doesn’t have the pressure that usually falls on a No. 1 pick, of being the focal player for a struggling franchise. Although the Sparks were 10-24 last season, they had to contend with Leslie’s absence, injuries to key players like point guard Temeka Johnson, and the sudden retirement of six-time All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw five games into the season.

Not only is Leslie back this year, Los Angeles also reaquired two-time Olympian DeLisha Milton-Jones, who was on the Sparks’ championship teams in 2001 and 2002, from Washington last month.

“The team went 10-24 last year, but this year’s team isn’t a 10-24 team,” Parker said.

The Naperville, Ill., native admits she is looking forward to the Sparks’ visit to Chicago on June 3. And an added bonus to her rookie season is a likely trip to Beijing for the Olympics this summer as part of U.S. national team.

“The opportunity to represent my country is something I’ve wanted to do from the time I picked up a basketball,” she said. “It’s a neat experience that very few people get.”

The Sparks’ season-opener is on the road against defending champion Phoenix on May 17. Parker still has some unfinished business back in Tennessee before that.

“I’m trying to see if I can go back for graduation (on May 9),” she said. “I haven’t got that situated yet.”

By Mel Greenberg

There's one program up in New England the Guru and the rest of the media crowd comments much about of which there's a belief next season's contingent could be coached blindfolded.

Now there's another program in the same general locale where its new head coach has already achieved one blindfold stunt.

The news earlier this week that former North Carolina star Sylvia Crawley had become the head coach at Boston College recalls an act she performed at halftime of the All-Star in the former American Basketball League during the 197-98 season at Disney in Florida in which she successfully dunked the ball blindfolded.

However, considering the competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference in which she once went up against on the court, Crawley could be counted upon this time around to coach the Eagles with her eyes wide open.

Meanwhile, as Crawley was taking over the helm in Beantown, several days later former Boston College associate head coach Erik Johnson was named Wednesday as the new head coach in Denver.

Calling It 30 for Perretta

In the newspaper business before email and contact information signoffs became the vogue in the modern era, reporters usually placed a "30" or an "endit" at the bottom of their copy to let editors at the next stop know that the file had been concluded.

The Guru mentions this only to note that the number 30 will loom large on the Villanova campus a week from Saturday when Harry Perretta is honored for his three decades running the Wildcats.

Unlike the denotation of the number in our copy, Perretta is not considered likely to be leaving the Main Line anytime soon.

There may be some roasting, but for the most part the event will be tributary from former players, associates and others who have enjoyed the pleasure of Perretta's relationships over the years.

And no, don't look for any "Spirit of Camp Perretta" accords to be signed by Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

Although the two Hall of Famers are at odds over Summitt's accusations to the NCAA through the Southeastern Conference of recruiting violations by Auriemma, the two both enjoy Perretta's friendship.

Neither, however, is expected to be in attendance.

Coast-to-Coast Bonding With the Sparks

While checking out a rumor, which proved unfounded, over the weekend, the trail led the Guru, initially, to send an email inquiry to Kathy Goodman, one of the two women who became owners of the Los Angeles Sparks last season.

A response came back within the hour in which the Guru, who had included some introductory paragraphs, was told by Ms. Goodman, she had his blog in her internet favorites bookmarks long before she became part of the Sparks hierarchy.

Since the Guru is known to conduct late-night calls from the East to still-early-night calls to the Pacific Time Zone, as the general manager of the WNBA-champion Phoenix Mercury can verify, a marathon conversation later ensued Sunday evening.

The Guru will simply state for now, there certainly seems to be has much energy in the front office as the Sparks are expected to produce in the Staples Center this season with the post-attack tandem of Lisa Leslie, returning from missing last season due to pregnancy, and first-round draft pick Candace Parker.

-- Mel