Rutgers' defense could give Vols problems
By Landon Hall
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Rutgers likes games to be ugly, and the
Scarlet Knights will need a downright homely one to have a chance
against Tennessee in the women's NCAA Tournament Final Four.
|  | | Shawnetta Stewart was one of coach Stringer's first recruits. |
"We know what it takes to beat No. 1 teams in the country, and
that feels real good," said Shawnetta Stewart, who scored 22
points in Rutgers' 59-51 victory over Georgia on Monday night in
the West Regional championship.
History is on Tennessee's side. The Lady Vols (32-3) are playing
in a record 12th Final Four. Coach Pat Summitt has six national
championships.
Rutgers (26-7) is a first-time participant in the Final Four,
and its only national title was an AIAW championship in 1982. The
Scarlet Knights are 2-7 against Tennessee.
As far as coaching, Friday night's game in Philadelphia will be
a meeting of brilliant basketball minds.
Stringer is the first coach, man or woman, to lead three teams
to the Final Four. She and Summitt are two of only four active
coaches with 600 career victories. Summitt has 728, second on the
list behind Texas' Jody Conradt (748); Stringer is third with 621.
"She's a phenomenal woman," Rutgers' Linda Miles said. "She's
a coach who gets you to buy into a philosophy of defense."
When Stringer took over at Rutgers in 1995 after 24 years of
success at Cheyney State in Pennsylvania and at Iowa, the Scarlet
Knights were coming off 19 straight winning seasons under former
coach Theresa Grentz. But there was little talent left.
After her first day of practice, Stringer cried in her office
for three hours, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She
had already suffered enormous personal tragedy. Her husband,
William, died of a heart attack in 1992 at their Iowa City home.
And the main reason she moved East was to be closer to her
daughter, Janine, who has been mentally disabled since contracting
meningitis as an infant and is under constant care at a
Philadelphia hospital.
"I'm a basketball coach, but I'm also a mom, and when my
children hurt, I hurt," Stringer said.
Stringer's name and dynamic personality landed her two prized
recruits right away: Stewart and athletic reserve guard Usha
Gilmore. The next year, point guard Tasha Pointer and forward Linda
Miles followed.
Rutgers went 13-15 in Stringer's first year, then fell to 11-17
before making the tournament in 1998 and stunning host Iowa State
to reach the round of 16. Rutgers lost in the Mideast Regional
semifinals to Tennessee by 32 points.
The Scarlet Knights reached the Elite Eight last season and,
playing some of the best defense in the country, has developed into
a feared powerhouse.
"I've watched each and every player grow," Stringer said. "We
had a lot of expectations for this team. We were like this big,
ugly duckling with a defense. I think we represent the have-nots.
We overcame and believed in ourselves, and I think we are a team of
survivors."
Opponents have struggled to survive against the Knights' manic
defense, a hybrid of matchup zone and man-to-man. In either set,
Rutgers' headband-wearing players grab, push and shout _ whatever
it takes to get an inch closer to picking off a pass.
Rutgers has held opponents to just 35 percent shooting and 53.5
points through four tournament games.
"It's an unusual defense they play, and then they switch it,"
said Georgia coach Andy Landers, whose team managed just seven
points in the first 15:55 Monday night. "You find out in the first
five minutes of the game that none of your zone offenses are going
to work.
"When we built momentum, we threw it out the window." |
