COACH'S PRAISE A BIG SURPRISE TO VANDY CENTER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 3, 1993                   TAG: 9304030060
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Medium
COACH'S PRAISE A BIG SURPRISE TO VANDY CENTER
If there were a women's professional basketball league, Vanderbilt coach Jim Foster said Friday, Heidi Gillingham would be the No. 1 draft pick.
At 6 feet 10, Gillingham must hear that all the time.
Not really.
"It was the first time I'd ever heard him say that," said Gillingham, junior center for the No. 1-ranked Commodores, who meet Texas Tech in the first NCAA semifinal at the Omni.
"I guess my reaction was similar to what it was when I made All-American - disbelief."
Although the top draft choice in the National Basketball Association will command millions of dollars, it doesn't bother Gillingham that the same opportunities do not exist for women.
"No comment," she said. "If they started a pro league, I'd be excited for the people who wanted to play, [but] not necessarily me."
It was Gillingham who, at one particularly frustrating moment early in her career, said she'd like to wring the neck of Dr. James Naismith, the man credited with inventing basketball.
Gillingham, from Floresville, Texas, has gained polish with each season at Vanderbilt and leads the Commodores in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.2).
Once defensive about her height, Gillingham allowed herself to be remeasured this year and her height was changed from 6-8 to 6-10 (in shoes).
"Since I've always been the tallest female I've ever known, it's not surprising to me I'm the tallest basketball player," said Gillingham, whose 6-7 sister plays at North Carolina. "I'm glad I'm the height I am."
\ ACC SNUBBED: Gillingham, named to the 10-member Kodak All-America team, said she was surprised not to see Southern Cal's Lisa Leslie or Virginia's Heather Burge on the list.
Burge, the ACC player of the year, trailed at least two other ACC players in district voting, sources indicated. There was speculation that teammate Dena Evans cut into Burge's support.
It was the first time since 1985 that no ACC players were named to the Kodak team. Ohio State freshman Katie Smith was selected despite making second-team All-Big Ten, but that was not without precedent.
Last year Virginia guard Tammi Reiss made Kodak All-American after being selected second-team All-ACC. The Kodak team seems weighted toward Final Four participants, all of which had one selection.
\ ANNOUNCER CHALLENGED: Iowa coach Vivian Stringer filed an official protest Friday with NCAA officials over the selection of Ohio State public-address announcer Wendy Craver for the Final Four.
"I know this lady is outstanding and a great professional," said Stringer, whose Hawkeyes meet Ohio State in the second semifinal, "but if there is any hint of a comfort zone for either team, it should be taken away."
\ GEORGIANS WELL-INFORMED: The local CBS affiliate in Atlanta will air the noon news as scheduled today and miss the first half hour of the Vanderbilt-Texas Tech telecast. Only one CBS station, in Utah, will not cover the full game.
"I understand there are 200 CBS affiliates in the country and 198 of them are exhibiting good common sense," Foster said. "I don't understand why 198 areas don't need the noon Saturday news and the people here do."
\ BRAGGING RIGHTS: A berth in the national championship game won't be all that's at stake when Iowa and Ohio State play - at least in Iowa's view.
The Hawkeyes also are looking for bragging rights in the Big Ten Conference.
No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Iowa, who shared the conference championship this year, will become the first schools from their league to play in the NCAA Final Four when they meet Saturday in the national semifinals. They split their two regular season games, each winning at home, so this is the rubber match in a sense. And that's just the way Iowa is approaching it.
"If we win, we're going to brag, if they win, they're going to brag," Iowa guard Laurie Aaron said. "Regardless if they say they're not, I'm sure they will. I'm sure we will, too. That's just the nature of the game. That's just being competitive."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB