These Teams Could Play to a Drawl

Tonight’s women’s national championship basketball game matches two coaches who talk like they belong on “The Andy Griffith Show,” and a dozen-or-so young women who simply can’t wait to play.

Louisiana Tech’s Leon Barmore, born, raised and still coaching in his home town of Ruston, La., talked about it Friday.

“We have three McDonald’s now,” he said in his Deep South drawl.

“When I was at Ruston High, we had but one Dairy Queen. We’ve come a long ways.”

Tennessee’s Pat Summitt is a farmer’s daughter from Henrietta, Tenn., who could both operate and repair the family tractor by the time she was 16.

She’s 45 now, and seeks a third consecutive national championship tonight with a team she Saturday called her favorite in 23 years at Tennessee.

No surprise there. Her Lady Vols can be 39-0 after tonight’s game and considered the best women’s college team ever.

Their last hurdle: Five young women who would rather play the Lady Vols than any other team.

That’s because tonight’s game is a rematch. Tennessee beat Louisiana Tech, 75-61, before 16,490 in Knoxville on Nov. 21.

Four months later, Barmore’s starters remember . . . and can’t wait.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Louisiana Tech guard Monica Maxwell said.

“We knew Tennessee would be in the spotlight when we got here. And they should be. They’re undefeated and ranked No. 1.

“But we are not intimidated by any player, any coach or any team. If you fear someone, you’ve already lost.”

That’s Louisiana Tech brave talk. Tennessee’s brave talk was best expressed at Saturday’s news conferences by the Lady Vols’ defensive stalwart, freshman Semeka Randall.

She plays extremely aggressive defense and was asked if she summons up anger to fuel her game.

“No, I’m not angry out there, but I do have an attitude,” she said, explaining she learned her game on the playgrounds of Cleveland playing against guys.

“I couldn’t shoot, so I had to guard ‘em and steal the ball,” she said.

“Now, my attitude is, ‘No one takes me to the hole. No one.’ If someone does, my self-esteem shrinks.”

She was ready, she said, to play Saturday.

“I’ve been dreaming of playing in a game like this since I was 10,” she said.

Friday, she smothered one of the nation’s best point guards, Christy Smith. In an 86-58 semifinal win over Arkansas, Randall hounded Smith into a 1-for-11 shooting and forced four turnovers.

That’s the kind of pressure Louisiana Tech’s five starters must survive tonight in order to turn the Tennessee machine into a Titanic.

Lady Techster reserve forward Priya Gilmore plays significant minutes, but that’s it. Barmore’s starters played 37, 32, 31, 37 and 34 minutes in Friday’s 84-65 win over North Carolina State.

“It’s really a key thing, to keep our five people out there,” Barmore said.

“I know at the 1990 Final Four, Venus Lacy ran down the floor twice and sat down [two fouls]. That hurt us then and it would hurt us tomorrow. Hopefully, it won’t happen.”

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Barmore sparked a stir Saturday afternoon at a news conference, saying he’d been informed the three officials assigned to work tonight’s NCAA title game were “all Southeastern Conference officials.”

“Here’s a research project for you,” he told reporters.

“Go find out how this could happen, then ask Pat Summitt how’d she like it if three Sun Belt Conference [Louisiana Tech’s conference] officials were working the game.”

It turned out that he was both correct and incorrect.

NCAA officials said the game officials were Sally Bell, Bob Trammell and Wesley Dean.

“Those officials have worked SEC games, but also Big Ten, Colonial, Conference USA, ACC, Big East, Southern and Missouri Valley conference games,” said Trish Bork, executive director for NCAA women’s championships.

“It’s not accurate to call them ‘SEC officials.’ ”

The three will earn $400 each, she added.

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Next year’s Final Four is in San Jose, then in Philadelphia in 2000, in St. Louis in 2001 and in San Antonio in 2002. Next season’s West Regional is at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

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Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw says the Lady Vols will be even better next season. There is no dominant low post player on this team, but that could change because of the addition of two recruits, 6-foot-5 Michelle Snow and 6-3 Shalon Pillow (6-3).

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Tennessee vs. Louisiana Tech, 5:30 p.m., ESPN