THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702090195
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REPORT
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 81 lines
Clemson vs. Texas. North Carolina State vs. Colorado. George Washington vs. UMass. That was the lineup of women's college basketball on ESPN and ESPN2 last week.
By the end of the season, ESPN will have broadcast 23 regular-season games featuring nine out of the top 10 teams from its preseason poll. Every team except Old Dominion.
It might seem hard to figure, given that ODU has risen to No. 2 in the national rankings and played a schedule that included high-visibility opponents Stanford and Tennessee along with three other nationally ranked teams. But ESPN communications coordinator Josh Krulewitz said the cable network looks for the best teams and the best matchups, and naturally some contests will be slighted.
``There are those type of games out there and until we have ESPN9, we'll miss some of them,'' he said.
Big arenas that draw well at the gate also attract ESPN, ``especially come tournament time,'' Krulewitz said. ``We want big, exciting games that go down to the wire. We don't want dull TV.''
ODU coach Wendy Larry said she was disappointed by ODU's failure to make national TV this season; the team's only TV game was against George Mason on regional HTS. The final of the conference tournament will also air on HTS. By contrast, over the course of the season at least 15 of Tennessee's games will be televised, twice nationally.
Old Dominion's only chance at national TV will come with ESPN's coverage of the NCAA Tournament, in which ODU will almost certainly be one of the four No. 1 regional seeds.
``It's unfortunate and something we have to change in order to remain competitive in the recruiting market,'' Larry said.
Krulewitz said minimal flexibility is built into the schedule, which is set long before the season tips off. What about next season, given what the Lady Monarchs have accomplished this year?
No guarantees, said Krulewitz. ``We also look at how good they'll be next year. We're not only looking back; we're looking ahead. We want to air the very best.''
BACK FROM THE BUG: Clarisse Machanguana, recovered from pneumonia, returned to action Friday night against James Madison and LaToya Small returned to her backup role.
The junior swing player won't say which role she prefers, but starting is easier, she said, because the starters set the tempo; the bench must retain it. Starting in place of Machanguana against VCU and Richmond, she led ODU in rebounds both times. Small also took a hint from Larry in her second start, turning some of those offensive rebounds into points. Against the Spiders, she sank her first five shots from the field and finished with 12 points.
``I see it as a challenge if a coach tells me this is what you need to do,'' Small said. ``I know Clarisse is a major contributor to the team. And with her out and me coming in, I feel like I have to get out there and give it my all and try to score even if it's only eight to 10 points.''
CAA IS SIXTH: Many Colonial Athletic Association coaches have cited the league's strength, citing the CAA's sixth-place showing in the RPI Report, published by Collegiate Basketball News. The No. 1 conference in the country according to the RPI is the Southeastern followed by the ACC. Then it's the Big 10, the Pacific 10, the Big 12, then the CAA.
Consider, though, that 12 of the teams ranked in the Top 25 belong to either the SEC or the ACC; the Big 10 and Big 12 each have three nationally ranked and two others receiving votes in the poll. By comparison the CAA has no team other than ODU receiving votes.
BITS: Junior Angie Liston, sidelined with a viral infection of the upper respiratory area, sat on the team bench in street clothes on Friday night. It was the first time Liston, who is listed as day-to-day, has been at a game since Jan. 21. ... Today's 2 p.m. contest against American is ``Take a Girl to the Game Day.'' Fans receive one free ticket with the purchase of one $5 adult ticket if they bring a girl under age 18 to the game. Tickets must be purchased at the door. ... Habitat for Humanity will be selling tickets to benefit the fourth House That Jill Built, a home planned and constructed by women for single mothers, at today's game. ... Nyree Roberts has totaled 78 points in her last three games; she is 60 shy of her 1,000th career point. ... Friday's game was the third sellout at the field house this season. ... The Lady Monarchs lead the nation in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of 30.8 points per game. Ticha Penicheiro leads the CAA with 167 assists, more than 60 ahead of the next player.