ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING THE ROANOKE TIMES
Virginia Tech turns to former assistant Bonnie Henrickson in hopes of revitalizing its women's basketball fortunes.
Bonnie Henrickson never figured on reversing her tracks so soon.
Two years after leaving Virginia Tech as an assistant coach, Henrickson found herself back on campus Tuesday as the new head coach of the Hokies' women's basketball program.
In an announcement that athletic director Dave Braine called the "worst-kept secret in Virginia Tech athletic history,'' Henrickson was officially named as the successor to Carol Alfano, who was fired March 12 after 19 years on the job.
Henrickson, 34, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Iowa, received a four-year contract worth $85,000 per year. Under contract provisions, she is guaranteed a five-percent raise each year and incentive payments should the Hokies reach postseason play.
Braine, who pored over 55 applications and interviewed six candidates for the position, said he firmly believes he found the right person to take Tech women's hoops to a higher level.
"We really wanted to make sure we had the best person,'' Braine said. "We had promised the team when the change was made that we were going to bring in the right person to get this program on track right away.
"We expect to be successful and we expect to be successful next year. It will take a special person to do that, and all of us believe we have that special person.''
Braine's selection was applauded by the Tech players when they were informed of his decision Monday night.
"You know you've made the right decision when you introduce the coach to the team and they cheer and they clap and they stand up and hug each other,'' Braine said. "It's probably one of the most rewarding feelings I've had in a long time.''
Henrickson, who got her break into Division I coaching when Alfano hired her as an assistant in 1988, said Tech has the potential to be among the nation's top programs.
"I believe we have the opportunity to compete for the [Atlantic 10] conference championship year in and year out and be ranked nationally,'' she said. "We're going to set the standard high and we're going to get over the bar.''
Henrickson said she won't settle for being second fiddle in a state that includes perennial national power Virginia and Old Dominion, this past season's NCAA runner-up to Tennessee.
"We need to be the best in the state, and to do that, we need to beat UVa and beat Old Dominion,'' Henrickson said.
"I don't think anybody here is going to argue that everybody wants to beat Virginia. I haven't been gone that long. I haven't forgotten that.''
Braine, who elected not to renew Alfano's contract after back-to-back losing seasons of 10-18 and 10-21, didn't hide the fact that the pressure is on the new coach.
"Her last two years at Virginia Tech [1993-94 and '94-95] the team was 46-15. In her two years at Iowa the teams were 45-16. We told her we expect that to be the norm the rest of the way,'' Braine said.
"We had an outstanding recruiting year and we have a lot of good players back. A lot will be expected right off the bat.''
Henrickson doesn't seem fazed by the high expectations.
"There is pressure, but pressure is a good thing,'' the Minnesota native said. "No extraordinary efforts are ever accomplished without pressure.
"No one has higher expectations for this program than I do. I have a passion for this game. It's the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing on my mind before I go to bed.
"I understand the potential here. I lived it, I can sell it.''
Henrickson recruited most of the players that led Alfano's teams to its heyday, a 66-23 stretch from 1993-95 that included two straight NCAA bids.
"That was a factor that helped Bonnie,'' Braine said. "Everybody knew her and people were comfortable with her.
"Still, we really looked hard in the search process to find somebody who could beat Bonnie out. And when it was all said and done, we couldn't find anybody.''
Henrickson said she talked with Tech's two incoming recruits Monday night - Tere Williams, a fourth-team Parade All-America from North Carolina, and Lord Botetourt High School standout Sarah Hicks - and both seem to be comfortable with the situation.
Henrickson also said she has talked with Alfano.
"I will be indebted to Carol for the rest of my life,'' Henrickson said. "She gave me an opportunity nine years ago to get involved in women's basketball on a full-time level.
"We have spoken. There are no hard feelings either way. There shouldn't be and there's no need to be.''
Henrickson's first task at hand is hiring a coaching staff. She said current Tech assistant Beth Dunkenberger, who was interviewed for Alfano's job, is included on a short list of viable candidates.
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM THE ROANOKE TIMES. Bonnie Henrickson won'tby CNBaccept mediocrity at Virginia Tech. "No one has higher expectations
for this program than I do,'' Henrickson said at Tuesday's news
conference. color.