Women's Hoops Guru

(First item will be updated with more detail on Friday afternoon)

By Mel Greenberg

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - While legendary Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer remains on the waiting list for nomination to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of her former players made a little history here Thursday night at the first event of this year's induction weekend.

Rebecca Richman, a graduate of the class of 2005 and currently assistant director of academic support and compliance at Wagner, became the first female recipient of a new set of scholarships to each gender for work in sports management.

"I applied for the scholarship and was really, really happy to learn I would be receiving it," Richman said. "It really is a great honor."

Richman was drafted by the New York Liberty in the WNBA and then played two years on the Jamaican National Team.

"I owe all my basketball success to Coach Stringer at Rutgers and all my teammates, but I'm really, really happy and proud. It feels real good to be the first," Richman said.

"I'm sure Coach Stringer would be proud. I'm sure Rutgers would be proud. We're always doing things to keep the great name of Rutgers positive."

Alphabetically Speaking

Former Immaculata coach Cathy Rush, one of the seven inductees at Friday night's ceremonies, was looking to buy time from other inductees for her acceptance speech.

"They told us `five minutes,' and everytime I have come up with a word, I have a story to tell," Rush fretted.

If the organizers here continue to go by the alphabet, which isn't always the case, Rush will be the sixth of seven speakers.

"The whole program is suppose to be two hours," said Rush, calculating her strategy no different than when she was guiding the Mighty Macs to the first three national Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national titles (1972-74).

"I'm thinking that some of the inductees in front of me won't be speaking very long, so when my turn comes, the TV director will be doing this," Rush said giving the TV signal to fill time because the program is running short.

Rush has experience, having done analysis in the past for national TV broadcasts. She also used to be a local commentator when the Big Five had a women's package.

Her work in that area landed her into the Big Five Hall of Fame, one of a few individuals who earned induction without ties to any of the local universities.

Time limit rules get broken anyhow, if Thursday night's event is an indicator.

Bob Wolff, the electronic media recipient of the Curt Gowdy media awards, went over his limit, causing the Guru to label it the first-ever commercial-free acceptance speech.

When Wolff said he had done his own commercials, the Guru then realized why Wolff was able to be extensive -- "He never had to go to the break."

David Dupree was the print recipient and when he got up after Wolff, he remarked, "I once worked for USA Today. Trust me. I know how to be brief."

Pulling Rank

Lori Mann, a former Mighty Mac, arrived here in time for Thursday night's dinner.

One person who wanted badly to appear, but will not, is WNBA Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Marianne Stanley, who has enough credentials with three national titles as a coach and also more as a player for her own induction here.

Originally, according to a knowledgeable source here, Stanley had been clearance to go by Sparks head coach Michael Cooper, who later claimed he had to go to a Hall of Fame induction ceremony for his own Los Angeles Lakers coach, Pat Riley.

When Stanley noted that it was the same Hall of Fame, well, Cooper played the boss card, so to speak.

Geno the Presenter?

Unlike the procedures at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Rush did not get to select who would present her at Friday night's ceremony in the introductory video.

Rush would have liked to pick Ann Meyers-Drysdale, A Naismith Hall of Famer and general manager of the WNBA defending champion Phoenix Mercury, whom Rush coached when the former UCLA All-American played on the 1975 Pan-Am gold medalist coached by Rush.

She guessed that the intro will be done by Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, which is fine, also, considering he was once on the staff of one of her summer camps and was on hand to express interest when Debbie Ryan phoned to say she was looking for an assistant.

Staley London Bound?

It may be a while before the identity of the next Olympic women's coach is known for the London Games in 2012.

By winning the Beijing Games gold medal, the United States has next year off, not having to go through the qualifying process for the FIBA World Championship.

Several USA Basketball officials here for president Val Ackerman's special award Thursday night, indicated former Temple coach Dawn Staley could become the next head of the Olympic squad, though there seemed to be a difference of opinion on the eligibility status that is needed to make it happen.

Staley, the new South Carolina coach who won three gold medals as a player, was an assistant on this year's squad under Anne Donovan.

One official didn't think a candidate had to be a WNBA head coach at the time of appointment. "It's more like two and two (WNBA and college)," the source said.

"Anyhow, the fact that a college coach headed the men's team may have broken the ice."

Another official, however, said the current rule would have to be changed, but didn't see the move as a major problem, though USA Basketball need not be in a rush to rewrite the guidelines.

-- Mel