Texas Tech's Sharp instrumental to growth of game

	Marsha Sharp (right) always has welcomed the emergence of other programs, such as Baylor under Kim Mukley-Robertson (left). AP

Marsha Sharp is stepping down as coach of the Texas Tech women's basketball team, but she's not walking away from the school or the sport.

Sharp said during a news conference Friday that she was resigning, effective at the end of the season, to "pursue new opportunities." She will serve as an associate athletics director for special projects at Texas Tech. She also hopes to become more involved with basketball on the national level.

Hard to think that could be possible. Sharp, 53, has been involved for a long time.

Sharp took over the Lady Raiders' program in 1982 when the University of Texas ruled the state and shined in the national spotlight. But it took Sharp just two seasons to get the Lady Raiders to the NCAA Tournament. In 1993, led by Sheryl Swoopes, they won the school's first national title. Texas Tech hasn't been back to the Final Four, but it's become a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament, making the field 16 years in a row.

"Marsha is one of those solid people in our profession who has really been instrumental in the growth of our sport," said Texas coach Jody Conradt, whose team has developed an intense rivalry with the Lady Raiders. "She and her work at Texas Tech have helped us get great visibility and credibility for the sport of women's basketball. This is a very hard business, and Marsha has been at it for a long time. She started with nothing and has built Texas Tech to what now is one of the top programs in terms of tremendous fan support and success."

Texas Tech has become one of the biggest draws in the women's game. The Lady Raiders rank second in the country behind Tennessee in attendance, averaging 11,875 a game.

"She was the first coach who showed she could market to the fans, appeal to the people, and recruit as a person and coach at the national level," Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said. "As a result, Texas Tech had to build an arena large enough to host a top 10 program."

But Sharp's impact extends well beyond the United Spirit Arena and Lubbock, the city that boasts a freeway with her name on it.

She has worked tirelessly to help women's basketball become a successful product all over the country. For Sharp, a two-time national coach of the year, that meant following up long days of film study and practices by staying late to return phone calls to the media. That was true even when the discussion revolved around the struggles of her team, which at 13-12 is in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament this season. But she was just as willing to talk about the successes of others.

"We have to remember that it's not just about our programs," Sharp said last week. "You want your team to win, but you want to do what you can to make the sport grow."

That's why Sharp, who has compiled a 570-187 record, welcomed the emergence of new programs -- even it if meant more competition for her own. Sharp beamed with pride at the success of Sherri Coale, who transformed Oklahoma from a downtrodden program on the verge of elimination to a championship contender, and Kim Mulkey-Robertson, who built Baylor into a title winner.

"Marsha Sharp represents everything that is good about women's basketball," Coale said. "So many of the opportunities we have been afforded in the last 10 years have been a result of the pioneering efforts of coaches like her. She has been an incredible mentor to me."

Others too.

Sharp has worked with USA Basketball, winning a gold medal at the 2002 World Championship For Young Women's Qualifying team. She's coached at the Olympic Festival trials. She served on the NCAA Basketball Issue Committee.

"She's a great ambassador for our sport," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "And she has always run her program in a first-class manner. She's been a great mentor for every coach across the country, not just in the Big 12. Everyone has the utmost respect for her and what she's done. She's always done what's best for women's basketball."

Sharp did even more when she served as president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association from 2001-03. Beth Bass, executive chief officer of the WBCA, said it was Sharp who got the organization more involved in discussing issues with the NCAA and women's basketball committee.

"She took the WBCA to a whole different level," Bass said. "She single-handedly was the catalyst to bring the major coaches and stakeholders around the table. She brought a vision to the WBCA and got us more engaged in the legislative process. We are a viable voice, and she was the catalyst. She took us to a whole different level of engagement. One thing about Marsha, though, is that she has made the game bigger, but she has never thought of herself bigger than the game."