Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 22, 1990 TAG: 9003221706
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Ryan, whose Cavaliers will meet Providence in the NCAA East Region semifinals tonight at Old Dominion Field House, was in a funk after coaching the United States team that finished seventh in the Junior World Championships last summer.
"We did not win and we were representing the United States," Ryan said. "I felt responsible because we were representing the United States, and it hurt. I lost a little confidence.
"We lost a lot of games by four or six points and that's what bothered me. I felt we were one of the top two or three teams in terms of talent. It followed me right into the fall. It took a long time to get over it."
Ryan still might be brooding if not for the performance of her UVa team, which finished second in the ACC in the regular season, then won the conference tournament. The Cavaliers received a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, then trounced Penn State 85-64 in a second-round game Sunday in Charlottesville.
"I've gotten a lot of satisfaction out of this team, and a lot of that stems from what happened this summer," said Ryan, in her 13th season as UVa coach. "It was probably one of my lowest times in coaching.
"It was a very difficult team to coach. We didn't have a lot of chemistry. It's not that [the players] fought me, but it's difficult to prepare a team to play when all you've got is 10 days."
Ryan's feelings were not lost on her Virginia players, one of whom, sophomore guard Dawn Staley, played on the World Junior team.
"I sensed Dawn was kind of on a downer," Tammi Reiss, another UVa sophomore, said. "Debbie was definitely on a downer. Our thoughts coming in were, let's make it enjoyable for her and let her have some fun.
"As far as myself, I was coming off the best summer of my career at the Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City. I was on a high."
Ryan had some question marks, particularly after All-ACC forward Tonya Cardoza was declared ineligible and Parade All-American Shannon Davis failed to meet terms of Proposition 48. Still, UVa won 11 of its first 12 games.
"This team came in and worked hard despite me," Ryan said. "They came in and said, `We know you had a tough summer. Get away from it. We'll work hard anyway. Then, Oct. 15, you come in and coach us.' "
It was understandable that Ryan would have some doubts because she had three freshmen among her top seven players, including 6-foot-4 twins Heather and Heidi Burge.
"They're very mature as players," said Reiss, who played with the twins at the Olympic Festival. "One of the criticisms that people had coming in was that they were kind of immature, that they hadn't played against anybody, which was a total farce.
"Until practice begins, I think the players always have a better feel than the coaches. We're around them more. We play against them more, not just in structured situations, but also on the playgrounds."
Ryan said her team needed to grow up after early-season losses to Duke and Penn State, and it has to a certain extent.
"I think sometimes a little immaturity is good," Ryan said. "As far as the games and approach to the games, they're very mature. It's been a very fun team to coach. I was all nervous Saturday night and they were laughing at me.
"The true difference in this team and all my other teams is that this team came in knowing it would win championships. Last year, [Staley and Reiss] wanted to go to the Final Four. They were shocked when they didn't."
The Cavaliers were eliminated by Tennessee, just as they had been in 1985, '87 and '88. The Lady Vols (25-5) are the top seed in the Southeast Region and will meet No. 5 Clemson (22-9) at 6 tonight. Second-seeded UVa (27-5) will meet No. 3 Providence (27-4) at 8.
The winners will meet Saturday at noon for the right to play in the Final Four, to be held at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tennessee's campus in Knoxville.
"I started out the year knowing there was a possibility we might play Tennessee again," Ryan said. "But even though Tennessee has knocked us out three years in a row, this is a different team, a different set of circumstances."
Said Reiss: "Tennessee is always looming in the back of our mind. We're always looking at Tennessee, but we're concentrating on Providence."
by CNB