Letters

The achievements of these young women both on the court and in the classroom epitomize the ideal of college athletics.
MARY RANTA, OLD GREENWICH, CONN.

Final Fours
I think Bill Walton said it best at a recent ceremony honoring him at Boston Garden: "Everything is right in the world now. It's spring, the flowers are out...and UCLA is the national champion (The New Wizards, April 10).
ERIC APODACA, Boston

Ed O'Bannon's performance in the championship game was one of the finest in the history of the tournament. I disagree, however, with your statement that it was "perhaps the best final-game individual showing since Kentucky's Jack Givens" in 1978. Danny Manning's performance in the 1988 championship game (31 points, 18 rebounds, five steals, two blocked shots) in leading underdog Kansas to victory over Oklahoma surely must rate as the best final-game performance since Givens's.
TYLER CAIN, Kirkwood, Mo.

O.K., SI, take a bow. Six long months ago it was you who picked UCLA to end up No. 1. What's more, in that same college basketball preview issue, you picked Arkansas to be No. 2.
TOM FRANKL, Santa Cruz, Calif.

I realize that Division II basketball is not as glamorous as Division I, but Southern Indiana had a fantastic season. They came from behind to beat UC Riverside and win the championship. I was disappointed not to see recognition of coach Bruce Pearl and the men who played their hearts out to win a national title. They finished second last year, first this year, and all you could do was mention a pun about the new president, Dr. H. Ray Hoops (SCORECARD, April 10).
EDWARD RICHTER, Evansville, Ind.

Thousands gathered at the airport. Thousands gathered along the bus route from the airport to the University of Connecticut. And thousands more gathered on the UConn campus to greet the women's national champions (Storybook Ending, April 10). There was no reveling vandalism, no rioting, just people appreciating the successful efforts of others. That truly was a storybook ending.
JON STONE, East Hartford, Conn.

UConn's All-America forward-center, Rebecca Lobo, personifies the true student-athlete. While it's exciting to see an athlete achieve greatness in a sport, and admirable to see a student excel in the classroom, it's rare to see a student-athlete such as Lobo. Congratulations to her, to Connecticut and to college athletics.
MICHAEL S. LASTRINA
Andover, Mass.

As we ate our family dinner during UConn's final game, TV strategically placed on the kitchen table, my dad said, "Let's open the front door and listen to the cheers in Southwick" ( Rebecca Lobo's hometown). Our thanks to the entire team for a memorable 35-0 season.
BETTY OLEKSAK, West field, Mass.

The women's team at North Dakota State went 32-0 en route to winning its third consecutive national Division II championship and its fourth in the last five years. This is the first time that a Division II women's basketball team has gone undefeated. We were hoping you would take notice of such an outstanding achievement.
RICHARD STOTTS, LISA LOKEN
Fargo, N.Dak.

?In addition, the women's basketball team of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, was the first undefeated Division III champ, with a 33-0 record.—ED.