Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 29, 1991 TAG: 9103290099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
There is almost every coaching combination imaginable, although Virginia might be the only program that has a women's head coach with two full-time men's assistants.
Frank DiLeo and Shawn Campbell are in their sixth seasons as UVa assistants, although Campbell was a part-timer until a second full-time position was approved for the 1989-90 season.
"I'd never been involved with women's basketball," said DiLeo, a 1975 graduate of Lafayette. "When I heard there were going to be two men's assistants, it didn't mean anything to me till people said, `Debbie was pretty bold to take on two men.'
"After we were hired, I heard that comment a lot. It seemed like it was a first, that it's not normally done. I don't think she set out to do it. It just happened."
In fact, Ryan had other people in mind when she received a call from her sister-in-law, Mika Ryan, the head coach of the women's basketball program at Division III Trenton (N.J.) State.
DiLeo had returned from Europe, where he was a player and coach, and thought he wanted to get a master's degree. As a result, he applied for the graduate assistant's post previously held by Campbell at Trenton State.
"I had people lined up," Ryan said, "but my sister-in-law called and said, `Just do me a favor and interview them.' She felt Frank was completely overqualified for the position of graduate assistant."
Ryan had just lost her full-time assistant, Geno Auriemma, who had been hired as Connecticut's head coach and will be on the opposite bench Saturday in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. But, Ryan wasn't necessarily looking to hire another man or men.
"I had no preference," Ryan said. "I really wasn't conscious of my charge to develop women's coaches."
Ryan said she definitely would consider a woman if one of the full-time spots became available, and for the last two years she has had a woman part-time assistant in Melissa Wiggins.
"A lot of people ask me why I have two men [as full-time assistants]," Ryan said. "I think there's just a smaller pool of available women. We just need to do a better job of making the occupation attractive to women."
Of the 48 teams invited to the Division I women's tournament, 20 have men as head coaches. Virginia's first four NCAA Tournament opponents, including Connecticut, are coached by men.
"The profession is so demanding in terms of having a family," Ryan said. "Most of the women coaches I know who have families were married before they became seriously involved in coaching. There were times when I questioned whether I wanted to get into coaching for the same reason."
Neither DiLeo nor Campbell planned to get into women's coaching. Campbell said he had agreed to become an assistant with the men's program at Division II New Hampshire College when he was asked to work at Ryan's camp. That led to an offer to become UVa's part-time assistant.
"It was a big decision, especially financially," Campbell, a 1982 Trenton State graduate said. "I have long-term goals as far as becoming an athletic director, and I figured what better place to get started than Virginia?"
Ryan has given Campbell duties that have helped train him for a future in administration, but he also is involved heavily with the coaching.
DiLeo, a low-key sort, is considered the strategist. Campbell, the more emotional of the two, has the reputation of a motivator.
"I used to think you couldn't be as aggressive [around women], and you do think about what you're going to say," Campbell said. "You don't hold back, but you say it in a manner that's appropriate for a young lady."
In Auriemma, DiLeo replaced a relentless recruiter who helped Ryan get involved with some of the top prospects in the country, including Donna Holt, a two-time Kodak All-American. DiLeo had never recruited women and Campbell had never recruited off campus until 1989.
"There are a lot of similarities in men's and women's recruiting because you're basically promoting a school," DiLeo said. "But I also think men and women respond to different things. A lot of the guys are interested in pro basketball, whereas girls in high school seem to look at academics a little more."
Another consideration for girls is whether they want to play for a man or a woman in college.
"There are a few who have definite opinions," DiLeo said. "I'd say there probably are a few more - not many - who prefer to play for a male. A lot of times, it comes from having learned to play basketball from an older brother or a father."
Junior guard Tammi Reiss, one of the Cavaliers' star players, said she liked the Cavaliers' set-up.
"I really wanted a coaching staff that was integrated," Reiss said. "I liked a blend - a little masculinity, a little femininity. Too much of one would have been too much for me. We have humor in Shawn, a very hard-nosed coach in Debbie and we have an `x' and `o' man in Frank.
"A female coach can get into your personal life a lot easier than a male coach. I was looking for a female coach, somebody you could confide in and the public wouldn't look at you and say, `They're a little close, don't you think?' A lot of times, a man has to keep his distance."
Neither of the men on Ryan's staff has plans to leave Virginia, although DiLeo has been contacted by other schools.
"It's a year-to-year thing for me," DiLeo said. "I think it would be pretty foolish to leave at this time with the nucleus we have returning."
by CNB