Coaching changes add twists at the top

From prominent coaches on the move to new twists in the NCAA tournament, there's change afoot in women's basketball.

So much could be different that Connecticut might not even win the national championship. No matter who does, it will come at the end of a l-o-o-o-ng season.

It started Sunday with a doubleheader at Tennessee, and by the time it ends at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, major league baseball will be in its second week and Tiger Woods will be practicing for the Masters down the road in Augusta. Heck, even the men's college season will be over by then.

The national championship game won't be played until April 8, the night after the men's final in New Orleans.

"We've tried to be a little more patient with our players to make sure we're not peaking right now, because it is such a long season," said coach Gail Goestenkors of No. 1-ranked Duke.

"Sometimes we get caught up in trying to be our very best early on, but that's not realistic. You've got to have something left in April."

Connecticut starts the season with a 39-game winning streak but without the four seniors who led the Huskies to their second national championship in three seasons.

Coach Geno Auriemma still has flashy guard Diana Taurasi, and he brought in another top-notch recruiting class of high school All-Americans. Still, if there ever was a year for someone else to win it all, this is it.

One of the biggest changes this season will be the absence of Leon Barmore of Louisiana Tech. The crafty coach with the hangdog look has retired. He leaves with a 576-87. Assistant coach Kurt Budke has the challenge of following him.

"It is a concern replacing Leon Barmore," Budke said, "but I don't have time to worry about it right now."

Barmore's departure is just one of many changes in the coaching ranks:

Jim Foster left Vanderbilt for Ohio State.

Brenda Frese moved after one year at Minnesota to become the coach at Maryland, where Chris Weller left after 27 seasons and 499 victories.

Cheryl Burnett, who had two Final Four teams at Southwest Missouri State, has stepped away from coaching.

Dick Halterman was let go after 19 seasons at Oklahoma State.

Former Purdue and Orlando Miracle coach Carolyn Peck is back in the college game at Florida. Peck, who guided Purdue to the 1999 NCAA title, was hired after the stunning resignation of Carol Ross.

Foster's move also was a surprise. He had spent 11 years at Vandy and left a talented team that features an All-America center, Chantelle Anderson. He's taking over a team coming off a 14-15 season.

But so far, Foster is living the high life in Columbus.

"I found a place to live. I have a great boss. The men's basketball coach is a great guy," Foster said. "The football coach spent an hour with a (women's) recruit the day of the Penn State game. How could it get any better?"

Xavier's Melanie Balcomb, who guided her team to an NCAA tournament upset of Tennessee in 2001, replaced Foster at Vanderbilt. The school originally hired Colorado State's Tom Collen, but he quit less than 24 hours later because of a resume discrepancy.

One thing that hasn't changed is the coaching at Tennessee and Texas. Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Jody Conradt of Texas will continue their race up the career victory ladder. They start the season tied for first with 788 wins.

Some players have been on the move, too. Rometra Craig left Duke for Southern Cal, Michelle Munoz transferred from Tennessee to Ohio State and April McDivitt quit Tennessee for UC Santa Barbara. Jamie Carey, who had a history of concussions at Stanford, has been cleared to play at Texas.

While the Connecticut seniors are gone, many of the stars from last season are still around.

Anderson, Duke's Alana Beard and Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas return after earning first-team All-America honors. Taurasi was a second-team pick. Also back are Stanford's Nicole Powell, Tennessee's Kara Lawson, Purdue's Shereka Wright, Notre Dame's Alicia Ratay and Penn State's Kelly Mazzante, who led the nation in scoring as a sophomore last season.

In the comeback category, Plenette Pierson has returned at Texas Tech after being suspended for most of last season because of attitude problems. Pierson could help make the Lady Raiders a national title contender.

Utah State has resumed women's basketball but won't play until the 2003-04 season. The school dropped the sport in 1987.

The NCAA tournament will start with everyone knowing the 16 sites for the first- and second-round games. Previously, those sites were awarded to the tournament's 16 highest seeded teams on Selection Sunday. Now, they're put up for bid and awarded in advance.

It's supposed to be a first step toward taking away the homecourt advantage in those games. But there won't be much neutrality in 2003 because most of the subregionals were given to schools that make the tournament every year, including Tennessee, Connecticut, Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Texas Tech and Purdue.

Other top teams, such as Duke, LSU, Notre Dame and Texas, will to go on the road no matter where they're seeded in the tournament.

Not everyone is embracing the change.

"It is very difficult to accept," Conradt said. "They have taken away the right to win placement in the tournament. I don't believe this is going to help the game."

But it's a long time until those March 22 games. There will be plenty to savor -- and debate -- before then.