WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR : Tennessee’s Ward Has Dreams Beyond Court

Summer hobbies for a basketball player looking for something to do:

--Gardening.

--Reading books.

--Fighting fires.

Imagine Cherokee Parks hopping on a fire engine last summer, then aiming a high-pressure water hose at a peach-colored Huntington Beach condo. Better yet, imagine Mike Krzyzewski’s reaction.

Indeed, that’s how one of fourth-ranked Tennessee’s very best recruits spent her summer at home in Northfield, Ohio, before showing up in Knoxville for fall classes. At 6 feet 6, Vonda Ward is the tallest player to sign with the Volunteers.

Coach Pat Summitt was astonished when Ward called her with the news that she had chosen Tennessee--reacting as if one of her players had put up an air ball.

“I waited toward the middle of the summer to tell her,” said Ward, who averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds as a senior at Northfield’s Trinity High.

“She was . . . surprised. I told her and there was silence at the other end of the phone.”

Ward, who grew up near the Northfield village fire station, is averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 13 games. And while she is fairly subdued when talking about her basketball experiences, she brightens when asked about firefighting.

“I love it,” she said. “I was looking for something else besides basketball and I wanted to help people. It is scary. This summer, I was in five fires and two were apartment fires. One started in the basement and 10 people were trapped on the third floor.

“That was my first fire. Everyone got out all right. Then you think about it afterward and you have a great feeling.”

For Ward, it’s just as exciting as anything she does on the basketball court. Even when her beeper once went off at 4 in the morning.

“You keep it right by your bed,” she said. “When it goes off and you hear sirens, the adrenaline starts pumping and you’re ready to go.”

Typically, Ward wants to reach the real action, which means getting certified to fight fires inside burning buildings. Now, she fights them from the outside and helps people evacuate.

Lately, Ward has wanted to brush up on her firefighting skills and heard about an opening in a Knoxville suburb. Summitt agreed but with one condition--wait until after the basketball season.

Add Ward: In high school, it was a big deal if she ran into someone who was 6-1. Sunday, the Volunteers play No. 11 Vanderbilt at Knoxville and the Commodores have 6-8 sophomore center Heidi Gillingham, who was the tallest Division I player last season.

Obviously, the Ward-Gillingham matchup is drawing a lot of attention. “I’m looking forward to playing against her,” Ward said. “It’ll be weird to actually look up at someone.”

Bench blues: Before Friday night’s 91-60 victory over Washington, UCLA’s bench was conspicuous--and not in a good way. In three consecutive losses, the Bruin bench averaged 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. Additionally, the non-starters were five for 26 from the field (.192).

Sophomore forward Amy Jalewalia, who had 11 points against California, three against Stanford and none against UCLA, came off the bench to score 20 against Washington.

Injury update: Cal State Long Beach fell out of the top 25 with its defeat last Saturday by UC Santa Barbara, but the 49ers suffered a tougher setback when guard Marsheela Harriston dislocated her right knee.

Harriston, who is averaging 9.2 points, has stretched ligaments and will be out for at least four weeks. She could return to the 49ers in time for their game against Nevada Las Vegas on Feb. 29.