USC Women’s Preview : Trojans Are Looking for a Leader

Finding players to take over leadership roles left vacant by three graduates is a high priority for Linda Sharp as she heads into her 12th season as women’s basketball coach at USC.

Sharp, who has directed the Trojans to 10 consecutive appearances in national tournaments, will not only miss the leadership of Paula Pyers, Holly Ford and Kalen Wright, but also their talents. As a trio, they provided 29.2 points and 11 rebounds a game.

“We lost three players who had been together for 4 years,” said Sharp, Pacific 10 co-coach of the year last season. “They provided the leadership that is missing so far this year with this team.

“I am waiting for someone to take charge and be assertive. We have a lot of players who do not have any, or hardly any, Division I experience. So, we need to learn how to play together.”

Last season, the Trojans were eliminated by Iowa in the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. playoffs. The Trojans finished with a 22-8 record overall and second in the Pac-10, behind Washington.

With a team that consists of five freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors and three seniors, Sharp is looking to her two returning starters, Pac-10 player of the year Cherie Nelson and All Pac-10 guard Karon Howell, to provide leadership for her young team.

Nelson has shown most of her leadership with her play. The 6-foot 3-inch center averaged 23.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a game last season, and is fourth on the USC career rebounding list.

This season, however, Nelson may have to be more vocal in her leadership with such an inexperienced surrounding cast.

To complement Nelson’s inside game, the 5-8 Howell gives the Trojans outside shooting. She led the team in 3-pointers last season, shooting 36.4%, and averaged 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Sharp said that Howell may emerge as the team leader as the season progresses.

“Karon is more of a vocal leader than Cherie,” Sharp said. “She is a good defensive player and helps in motivating the other players.”

Junior forward Tammy Hammond is the only other returning veteran for the Trojans. She averaged 9 points and 6.1 rebounds, mostly coming off the bench.

Sharp will also have the services of 5-11 senior Wendy Brown, who did not play for the Trojans last season because she was concentrating on track and field during an Olympic year.

Brown, who played sparingly her freshman and sophomore years, is a former world record-holder in the triple jump and finished 17th in the heptathlon at the Seoul Olympics.

Sharp, who has not decided on a starting lineup, will try to blend her veteran players with an impressive group of young players. At the top of the list is freshman guard Tammy Story, who was Los Angeles City Section co-player of the year at Westchester High School.

“Tammy Story will probably start for us at point guard,” Sharp said. “Even though Tammy prefers to play the wing position, she has impressed me at the point with her passing ability.”

Competing with Story for the point guard position are sophomores Jennifer Dunbar and Michelle Santino, both of whom played little last season.

At the other guard spot, sophomore Teresa Strickland has been impressive to Sharp.

To help Nelson inside, Sharp brought in 6-3 Rosalind Hodge, a transfer from Kilgore College in Texas, and 5-11 freshmen Robin Seabrook from La Habra and Linda Kennedy from Houston.

In addition, 6-4 freshman center Bolivia Gayton from Dominguez High School in Compton will also get considerable playing time.

“We have the potential to be very good,” Sharp said. “One thing different from last season is that we will have depth. We have a tough early-season schedule, but I think that it will help us when we get into conference play.”

USC, which lost to the Australian junior national team, 79-77, last Sunday will be tested early. Besides playing in two tournaments, the Trojans will travel to top-ranked Tennessee and will play host to Texas and Maryland, all in December.