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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > LSU > A Tale of Two Coaches (LSU v. Rutgers Preview)
A Tale of Two Coaches (LSU v. Rutgers Preview)
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: April 1st, 2007 @ 2:14am
The first semifinal in the 2007 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship features SEC powerhouse LSU vs. Big East champion Rutgers. It has been said many times that big-time games are about big-time players. But make no mistake: this game is also about the coaches on the bench and the game plans they devise. LSU interim head coach Bob Starkey and Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer are about as polar opposite as two coaches can be. Let’s take a look at these two and see what they have in store for their semifinal matchup.
C. Vivian Stringer is a living legend in women’s basketball coaching circles. With a lifetime coaching record of 777-223, this Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member is the only coach, man or woman, to lead 3 different schools into the Final Four. Her first trip was in 1982 with Cheyney State, an historic black college outside of Philadelphia. Cheyney made it to the finals where they were defeated by Louisiana Tech 76-62. But while that tournament run was going on, her 14-month-old daughter Janine had contracted a severe case of meningitis, and Stringer traveled back and forth from the tournament to the hospital in Philadelphia. Her daughter survived, but has been severely developmentally disabled since that time. In 1983, Stringer took over the women’s basketball program at Iowa and, over the next 11 years, put their program on the map. In 1993, Stringer was back in the Final Four with her Iowa team, despite another heartbreaking year. On Thanksgiving Day of 1992, her husband of 22 years, Bill, died of a massive heart attack. He was 47 years old. Dedicating their season to him, the Hawkeyes made their first ever trip to the Final Four, where they fell to Ohio State in the semifinals. Stringer’s next stop was Rutgers University. She took over a struggling program in 1995 and quickly put them on the basketball map, where she led them to the 2000 Final Four. They lost in the semifinals to UT 64-54. In her eleventh season at Rutgers, they are back in the 2007 Final Four and are poised to take another shot at the title. Stringer is a 3-time National Coach of the Year and is currently third among the all-time winningest coaches in women’s basketball.
LSU interim head coach Bob Starkey has been an assistant coach for most of his coaching career. In fact, he has been an assistant coach for his ENTIRE career until 3 weeks ago. After stints at West Virginia State and Marshall, Starkey headed to the bayou as assistant coach to legendary men’s coach Dale Brown at LSU. After serving under Brown for 7 seasons, Starkey served as the administrative assistant for both the LSU men's and women's basketball teams for two years. Named an assistant coach by the late Sue Gunter in 1998, Starkey began working with all phases of the program, including both perimeter and post players on the practice floor. He also breaks down game tape and develops game plans while compiling scouting reports on LSU's opponents. Starkey, a self-described Xs-and-Os guy, is a true student of the game. He has authored several books, including The 2-3 Match-Up Defense and Motion Offense. When Pokey Chatman suddenly resigned as head coach of the Tigers on March 7, Starkey was chosen by the LSU athletic administration to lead the team through the NCAAs. As a man uncomfortable in the spotlight, Starkey has equipped himself admirably, providing a stabilizing influence on a team that many thought would wither under the intense media spotlight. LSU has quieted the naysayers and is making their fourth straight appearance in the Final Four. Starkey’s record as a head coach is 4-0.
What do these two teams have in store for one another? Stringer’s team is young, with no seniors on the roster. After beginning their season 5-5, they have settled into Stringer’s system and are playing their best basketball right now. They are fast and agile and are known for “55” - their pressing full-court man-to-man defense. They like to work an inside-out game, which is anchored in the center by 6’4” sophomore Kia Vaughn. Their perimeter game is led by Essence Carson and Matee Ajavon. They are speedy, and when their shots are falling, they are lethal on the outside.
LSU, another team with no seniors on the roster, has a game plan that centers around 6’6” junior Sylvia Fowles. Every team that has faced the Tigers has focused on Fowles, and she often draws double and triple teams. Despite that, she is almost a sure bet for a double-double every time she’s on the court. The keys to LSU’s success are two-fold: break Rutgers’ press and get Fowles some help from the outside. Junior point guard Erica White must stay away from the sidelines in the backcourt and outlet pass to Fowles in the middle on the trapping defense. Junior guard RaShonta LeBlanc, junior guard Quianna Chaney, and freshman guard Allison Hightower must hit some outside shots to open up the middle for Fowles to be successful. One of the basic principles of basketball will always be: when a player is double-teamed, someone else is left open. LeBlanc and Chaney have to be ready to hit those open shots. Look for this to be a low-scoring defensive affair, with lots of steals and turnovers. But it is still a game for big-time players, and I think Fowles is that big-timer.
My pick: LSU by three: 51-48
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