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Class acts

Senior players guarantee an exciting season

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Svetlana Abrosimova helped lead the Huskies to the national title in 2000. Elsa Hasch/Allsport

By Marc Lancaster, CNNSI.com

It's a pretty safe bet that within the next five years, a supremely skilled but classroom-weary women's basketball player will leave college early (or skip it altogether) to play professionally. Which is all the more reason to soak up the 2000-01 college season while you can.

Of the top 15 or 20 players in the nation this year, only a handful (UConn's Sue Bird, Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas) have played fewer than three seasons of college basketball. The 2001 senior class is one of the most talented in years, and the collective experience of everyone's All-Americans could put the quality of play at an unprecedented level.

All of the elite players have had their ups and downs, experienced the NCAA Tournament more than once, and generally know what to expect when they step out on the court. Best of all, there isn't a single dominant player in the bunch, which not only makes handing out awards more suspenseful but also should help open up the national title race a bit.

When you hand coaches like Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Andy Landers, Gail Goestenkors and Muffet McGraw this kind of savvy talent, games should be better across the board.

You know the players, you've seen what they can do. Now all that's left is the journey to the Final Four in St. Louis, where it's a pretty safe bet that one of the following 10 players will be taking scissors to a net the night of April 1, 2001.

Ten to Watch

Svetlana Abrosimova, Connecticut

She didn't make quite as much noise as expected a year ago, but Abrosimova still came through with big performances when the Huskies really needed her. She also led the team in rebounding (6.2 per game) and is one of the best scorers in the business. More consistent play would be welcome, but then again, UConn is certainly deep enough to withstand an off night or two.

Tamika Catchings, Tennessee

She was supposed to be the dominant player last year with Holdsclaw's departure, but her scoring average actually decreased to 15.7 per game. This year, she should be able to excel while playing her natural position, small forward, full-time. She is clearly one of the most gifted players in the country, but does she have that edge, that killer instinct? The Lady Vols will need it to get back on top.

Katie Douglas, Purdue

A lanky jack of all trades, Douglas can play anything from point guard to power forward. She can score (20.4 per game last year), rebound (6.5 boards), pass (4.7 assists) and defend (4.7 steals). Everything the Boilermakers do goes through Douglas, who was a key part of an NCAA championship team as a sophomore and wouldn't mind adding another before she leaves.

Kelly Miller, Georgia

The reigning SEC player of the year enjoys the same luxury as many of her counterparts on this list: She doesn't have to do it all. As Miller's career has progressed, her playmaking and leadership have become more important to the Lady Bulldogs than her scoring, and she has become a more versatile player. Simply put, Georgia's chances of winning that elusive first national title could rest on how well Miller gets her talented teammates involved.

Tasha Pointer, Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights' gritty little (5-foot-6) floor general runs one of the nation's most structured offenses like a 10-year veteran. She doesn't score much (9.7 per game), but make no mistake, Rutgers wouldn't have been anywhere near the Final Four last year without her. As long as she is fully recovered from being shot in the face by a pellet gun-wielding boy during the summer, Pointer should keep Rutgers among the nation's elite

Shea Ralph, Connecticut

Can you believe it? She's finally a senior. The nation's toughest player has fought through enough injuries and surgeries to make an NFL offensive lineman proud, and she'll be at the forefront as the Huskies try to defend their title. It's been said that Ralph gets more uncontested layups than anyone in America (62.4 percent FG shooting), and there's no reason to expect that to change this year. Quite simply, she's the heart, soul and guts behind the best team in the country.

Semeka Randall, Tennessee

No, she really hasn't lived up to all the hype that surrounded her when she came in as a freshman with Catchings, but this could be a breakout year for Randall. She knows she has to pick up her game and take more of a leadership role for the Lady Vols. When she sticks to what she's good at (slashing and defense, rather than 20-foot jumpers), she can be unstoppable.

Ruth Riley, Notre Dame

The nation's top pure post player by a long shot, Riley is as polished as they come in the frontcourt. She can do it all, from defense to free-throw shooting, and if Notre Dame is going to make its expected leap into the top five this season, Riley will have to come up big. About the only aspect of the game she hasn't excelled at is staying in them. Riley was whistled for 35 more fouls than any other Irish player last year, and fouled out five times.

Georgia Schweitzer, Duke

Leading the way for a Duke squad that could be even more talented than the '99 national runners-up, Schweitzer is yet another strong swing player who can do it all. She's not nearly as flashy as most of her counterparts, but by the time the postgame stat sheets are handed out, she has usually done something to lift the Blue Devils to a win. Don't expect too many spectacular plays out of Schweitzer, just good, solid, winning basketball.

Jackie Stiles, SW Missouri State

She's been the nation's most prolific scorer basically since walking on campus in Springfield as a freshman, putting up 27.8 per game last year. Stiles scored 20 or more in all but six of the Lady Bears' 32 games a year ago. Because she doesn't play in a major conference, Stiles is rarely seen on TV by most of the nation, but her numbers and word-of-mouth alone have built quite a reputation.

By the Numbers
2,331	109	10
Total points scored by Jackie Stiles in the first three years of her college career.	Fouls committed by Ruth Riley during the 1999-2000 season.	Total number of Final Four rings owned by the Ten to Watch.

Predictions

Player of the Year

Katie Douglas

First pick in the 2001 WNBA draft

Ruth Riley

Most likely to have a signature shoe in the future

Tamika Catchings

Most likely to miss part of the season with injury

Georgia Schweitzer

Vote for president

Tasha Pointer

 

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