A Living Legacy

Rutgers' schedule, Duke improving, North Carolina's toughness and Kay Yow's Cancer Fund

Dec. 7, 2007

By Debbie Antonelli

Special To CSTV.com

	DEBBIE ANTONELLI Debbie is an analyst for CSTV basketball and contributes to CSTV.com regularly. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   ---  
1/25: Poll Babies 1/11: No Parity At One Or Two 12/21: Coming Up Little Ten 12/14: More Moore For UConn 12/7: A Living Legacy 11/30: Shocking Prediction 11/23: Going With The Big Names 11/16: Starting The Year Off Right 11/5: Who's The Best Conference? Who Cares? 4/2: Title Talk 3/23: March Is Only Getting Sweeter 3/13: UConn's Yellow Brick Road to Cleveland 3/2: Duke Can't Be Beat 2/23: I Played On Kay Yow Court 2/16: See You Later, Alligator 2/2: OSU Fit For No. 2 1/26: Tortoise Still Faster Than The...Blue Devil? 1/19: Offense Puts Fans In The Stands 1/12: To The Turtles 1/5: Household Names 4/22: Tobacco Triangle Coaches' Rap 4/07: The End Is The Beginning 4/03: Sticking To My Guns 3/30: My Coaches' All-Star Team 3/29: Previewing the Final Four 3/16: Let the Games Begin 3/13: Who's At The Top of the Crop? 2/16: Don't Forget Paris 2/03: Sooners' Streak Comes Later 1/22: Duke-Tennessee Preview 1/18: Approaching Another Summitt 1/11: Around the World In 23 Games  

CSTV women's college basketball expert Debbie Antonelli is one of the most respected analysts in the country. Having played at N.C. State for coach Kay Yow and worked in both radio and television, Antonelli will contribute each week, answering questions that matter in and around women's college basketball.

I wouldn't say it was to avoid an early-season lull, I think it was more to prepare for the Final Four. Vivian has always played a tough schedule that she's had to navigate in the early season.

Their team, with a veteran cast coming back, you don't just decide at the Final Four that you want to play a tough schedule the next season. You have to plan that way in advance and coaches are always thinking three or four years ahead with what kind of talent they are going to have and I think it is a great schedule for the Scarlet Knights to measure themselves up against the very best.

What lesson do we learn from North Carolina going into Knoxville and coming very close to upsetting the defending champion No. 1 Tennessee on their home court?

What did we learn? I didn't learn anything. I knew North Carolina was deep and athletic and talented. I also didn't think they would miss much without Ivory Latta or Camille Little.

I did learn that Rashanda McCants has more mental toughness than I thought she had and North Carolina's resilience to come back three times from double-digit deficits was very impressive. I didn't learn anything about style or pace of play or the way UNC will try to score. They did everything they always do. That system is ingrained and that is the way they are always going to play.

For the same character building reasons, Tennessee was able to withstand those North Carolina runs and make the plays late. The game did get sloppy at the end, but when you get down to a game where it is possession for possession and you have to make stops and you have to make plays, that gives you confidence when you go up against the best.

If anything, it may have helped Tennessee gain a little swagger and it gave coach Summitt ammunition to get on them in practice and have them rebound and rebound and rebound.

If you were coaching Duke, assuming they have the ability on their roster to right that ship, what are some things you would look to improve upon to get the Blue Devils back on track?

First of all, I think it is very fixable. One of the things they need to consider is trimming the roster a little bit. You cannot continue to play 10 or 11 people 10-plus minutes and expect great chemistry on the offensive end. If you remember way back, Dean Smith used to have a Tar Heels "blue team."  What he would do, he would have five guys that he would throw in, tell them to play as hard as they can for two minutes, and then they'd come out. They played together every day in practice and that makes a difference. You can't mix and match so much. 

I think coach McCallie is not quite clear on who will do what in certain situations for her yet and unfortunately there is no grace period at Duke. She's trying to learn on the fly, but I hope people are patient because it is going to take time. When you are the leader, whatever your vision is for how you want to do things, that vision has to be shared with your team so they are on the same page.

As for a few cosmetic changes, trimming the roster would be one thing. Establishing Chante Black will be very important. Having a few go-to plays on the perimeter for Abby Waner and then just hope everyone stays healthy and that will make a difference.

As a former player of coach Kay Yow's, what does the Jimmy V Foundation and the WBCA forming the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund initiative mean to you?

It means a lot to me representing all the former players that have ever played for her - and there is about 150 of us out there who feel like we are apart of her family.

She's had a huge impact on me in all phases of my life. All the way from high school through into my 40's with my family and children. I have a very close bond and relationship with coach Yow and for the WBCA to help unite the forces and to give her a chance to have a living legacy and the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives, I think that will continue to inspire and encourage her to keep fighting the great fight that she's fighting right now.