by Ryan Rogers
LSUsports.net
(3/29/01)
Watching Purdue in the women’s Final Four this weekend, LSU head coach Sue Gunter and her Lady Tigers have to imagine what if. What if their miraculous comeback hadn’t come up just short? Would that have been them in St. Louis this weekend instead of Purdue, the team that eliminated them on March 18?
Despite a second round defeat, there was still plenty to be proud of in the Tigers’ 20-11 season.
The bar was set very high for the Lady Tigers this season. LSU was coming off an Elite Eight showing in 1999-2000. With only losing one starter, the expectations began to pile up for the Lady Tigers heading into 2000-01.
Ranked in the Top-10 for the majority of the season, many felt, including Gunter that this was the year for her team to make a push to the Final Four.
“We looked forward to this year with such great anticipation. We were ranked in the top-10 in all the polls,” says Gunter. “We were really anxious because you think you’ve got all the parts. Then things just began to filter away. We lost the two big kids before the season started. April (Brown) missed two weeks with a knee scope and we had two suspensions. Add to that Detrina’s (White) injury. We never thought we’d be without Detrina for half the season. It just kind of snowballed on us. It was a lot of things we couldn’t control.”
Add to the equation that LSU had one of the toughest schedules in the country. The non-conference slate was loaded with powerhouse opponents, including two of the Final Four teams, and the SEC schedule included a stretch to close the season of four of five on the road with Tennessee b eing the lone home game.
“We had a very tough schedule,” says Gunter. “That made things even tougher.”
With the injuries and robust schedule, the odds were beginning to stack up against the Lady Tigers.
However, this team did something that all great teams do. They came together and fought adversity.
“Resilient. This team faced adversity so well,” she adds. “I am really proud of the way this team fought through all the drama they faced this season.”
One of the major obstacles the Lady Tigers faced was the constant shuffling of the lineup due mostly to injuries. They were able to overcome this. With most teams, when a star player(s) is not in the lineup, the affects are obvious. However, the Lady Tigers made you forget about who wasn’t in the lineup with their unanticipated chemistry regardless of the circumstances.
“It was amazing how well we were able to adjust all year with DeTrina (White) and others in and out of the lineup.”
Gunter doesn’t think all the preseason expectations and hype surrounding the team was detrimental in any way.
“It was definitely not the pressure that got to us,” says Gunter. “It was the injuries. We didn’t have a full compliment of players. If DeTrina is healthy all year we win a couple more games and we don’t have to go to Purdue for the regional. We host, and that makes a huge difference.”
Hosting a regional as the Tigers have in previous years would have certainly given them an easier route through the tournament.
One player Gunter must say goodbye to is senior All-American Marie Ferdinand. Ferdinand leaves LSU after a fabulous four-year career as one of the best players ever to play for LSU.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a more gifted player than Marie Ferdinand,” says Gunter. “She’s worked so hard for everything she’s achieved. She played a very limited amount her freshmen year coming off a knee injury. She didn’t have a good rehab, she just wasn’t ready. After that year she worked very hard and the rest is history. After every season she’d focus on one part of her game to improve, and she did.
“She’s one of the most exciting players to watch and ever to coach. Her personality is very unique. We’ll all have a chance to watch her at the next level. She’s had a brilliant career here.”
A major accomplishment for the Lady Tigers during the 2000-01 season was pulling in 9,600 fans for “Pack the PMAC” against Auburn. It was the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s basketball game in Louisiana.
The success of “Pack the PMAC” is a sign of just how far this program has come from a fan interest standpoint. Lady Tiger basketball is becoming a mainstream sport on LSU’s campus and people are well aware about the Lady Tigers’ success.
While Gunter is pleased with the strides her program has made, she admits there is more that needs to be done.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve done,” she says. “But I want us to average 3,000 fans a game. I want us to remain in that top-16. I want us to win that national championship. I don’t know if that will happen in my tenure hear. But if I retire I want the program to be a such a point that it’s right there.”
LSU’s senior class is leaving with quite a few accolades to their credit. Marie Ferdinand, April Brown and Angelia Crockett have been the foundation of the most successful era in Lady Tiger basketball.
“We are graduating the most successful class we have ever had here,” says Gunter. “Ferdinand, Crockett and Brown have played in more post season games than any four year class we’ve ever had here.”
Gunter feels the win over then No. 6 Purdue earlier in the year and the two-point loss to Tennessee on a controversial buzzer beating shot were the high points of the year.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a team that’s ever played better against Tennessee and lost. That showed the potential this team had.”
With another successful campaign in her esteemed career behind her, Gunter is once again looking forward to next year.
“I decided there is something wrong with me,” says Gunter. “The anticipation of what we’ve got coming in is overwhelming. If the season started in two weeks I’d be ready. Next year we may not be a preseason top-25 selection. I think we are going to be a nice surprise. I don’t think people quite know what we’re going to put on the floor next year.”
The Lady Tigers will add a few new talented faces in 2001-02, which includes a very good-looking post player and others who should contribute.
With DeTrina White, Roneeka and Doneeka Hodges, Kisha James and Ke-Ke Tardy all returning, the Lady Tigers should be ready to roll again in 2001-02.
The anxiousness and optimism of Gunter are what drives her and her team to success. With the program on the brink of a new horizon, Gunter is getting closer to her dream of winning a national title at LSU.
This desire is what has made Sue Gunter a Hall of Fame Coach, and her team one of the most respected programs in the nation.