Friday, October 16, 1998
Coaches think Bruins will finish No. 1
RECAP: Pac-10 trainers forecast finishing order for women’s
basketball
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
What is it about UCLA that has attracted top prep athletes to
the women’s basketball program? It probably wasn’t the record,
since, prior to last season’s effort, UCLA had hovered around .500
in recent years.
Unless … they knew that the program would get turned around.
Bruin sophomores Erica Gomez, Takiyah Jackson, Janae Hubbard and
Maylana Martin came here to be part of something special. By the
looks of what happened last season, they were right on target.
That’s why recruits like Full Court Press First Team
All-American Nicole Kaczmarski of Sachem High School in Lake
Ronkokomo and Greichaly Cepero of The Donnelly School in Baltimore,
Maryland are visiting the school today. UCLA is legitimately a
contender on the national scale now and people want to be a part of
it.
Following is a list of the predicted finishing order of the
Pac-10 by its coaches. In addition to the team rank is last
season’s finish, why they finished there and other relevant
information.
1. UCLA (20-9 (really 21-8 but that’s another story), 14-4 t-2nd
Pac-10)
To go along with that impressive record that tied the Bruins
with Arizona for second place, Kathy Olivier steered her team to
its first 20-win season (coupled with nine losses) under her reign.
This young team (returning four starters) actually won the 21st
game but was taken away in the NCAA tournament at Alabama. With the
clock showing 0:00.8 as the ball was inbounded, the Crimson Tide
were able to score a basket after two players tapped the ball and a
third caught the ball, pivoted and finally took a shot and made
it.
Game, set and match. As the officials sprinted off the Crimson
Tide court, and so did UCLA’s season.
The Bruins have been labeled by the Pac-10’s women’s basketball
coaches as the team to beat in 1998-99. UCLA has never won a
conference title, but is coming off its best conference finish
ever. This is the first time the Bruins have been picked to finish
first in conference.
UCLA earned the pre-season No. 5 ranking by the Women’s
Basketball News Service. The Bruins were also voted No. 6 by Athlon
Magazine and Street & Smith’s and No. 2 by Women’s Basketball
Journal.
2. Stanford (21-6, 17-1 1st)
Stanford, the defending four-time Pac-10 champion, was not
picked as the probable conference champion for the first time in
ten years.
3. Oregon (17-10, 13-5 4th)
Last season the Ducks made their fifth-consecutive appearance in
the NCAA tournament. They earned that berth by beating up on the
lower echelon teams in the Pac-10, and should follow the same
strategy to another tournament bid this year.
4. Washington (18-10, 9-9 5th)
After storming through the pre-conference schedule with a 9-0
record, the Huskies unfortunately played .500 ball in conference.
As a matter of fact, after winning the first conference game, they
went 8-10 to close out the season.
5. Arizona (23-7, 14-4 t-2nd)
The Wildcats posted their best-ever overall and Pac-10 records
for the second straight season. Had UA not lost to the three teams
they were favored against (Washington, Washington State and
Oregon), they would have tied for the conference championship. But
on a positive note, they went further than expected in the NCAA
tournament, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen (the Pac-10’s lone
third-round representative due to the Alabama robbery) before
losing to a determined UConn team (minus Nykesha Sales) 74-57.
6. USC (12-15, 7-11 6th)
Despite the loss of All-American Tina Thompson, it was
speculated that the Women of Troy would finish third in conference
and go to the NCAA Tournament. It didn’t happen last year, and it
won’t happen this season.
7. Arizona State (10-17, 6-12 t-7th)
Finishing slightly better than expected despite the loss of four
starters had to put a smile on coach Charli Turner Thorne’s face.
Graduate Molly Tuter hung up her uniform  at least for the
time being  and replaced Amy Jalewalia on the Bruin coaching
staff. Tuter joins associate head coach Willette White and
assistant Pam Walker on Olivier’s staff.
8. Washington State (12-15, 6-12 t-7th)
Whether or not Cougar coach Harold Rhodes could send a Pac-10
caliber team onto the floor was the issue raised before last
season. While the Cougars were one of the better teams in the
bottom half of the Pac-10, they couldn’t compete with the big
guns.
9(t). Oregon State (7-20, 2-16 t-9th)
They did play UCLA close at home, losing by four, and Arizona
close on the road, losing a heartbreaker by one, so they were
conceivably on the borderline of a higher conference finish Â
but splits against USC and California were all that kept them out
of being alone in the Pac-10 cellar.
9(t). California (6-22, 2-16 t-9th)
The California results may be showing that the game has passed
head coach Marianne Stanley by. If she doesn’t right the ship and
show she’s turning things around in a hurry, her time at Cal may be
over.Daily Bruin file photo
Janae Hubbard (left) struggles against Marie Philman for
possession of the ball.
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