March 18, 2004

By Mike Emery
Staff writer

It was a dark and rainy Sunday, but the dreary weather couldn’t dim the glow of Cougar spirit at a special NCAA tournament selection party at the University of Houston’s Athletics and Alumni Center.

With television cameras rolling and a multitude of fans lending support, the UH women’s basketball team and head coach Joe Curl patiently waited to see where they fit into the upcoming NCAA tournament. Before long, it was announced that the Lady Cougars were the contest’s number three seed and headed to Santa Barbara, Calif. to take on the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay on March 20.

Approximately 500 fans clad in red and white showed up for Sunday’s event inside the center’s Great Hall. ESPN broadcasted the tournament’s bracket selections and had live cameras in attendance to capture the team’s reaction.

“This is new for me because I’ve never been to the tournament before,” said senior guard/forward Nicole Oliver. “As a team, we’re not sure what to expect, but coach Curl keeps telling us to play four minutes at a time. If we play four minutes and win each time, then we’ll win the game.”

Curl knows the best team on the court will emerge victorious, but he’s also well aware that it takes drive to win a national championship.

“It’s all about who wants it the most,” Curl told the ecstatic crowd in the Great Hall. “I can tell you that there’s a bunch of hungry Cougars in this room.”

The Lady Coogs enjoyed their most successful regular season. The team captured the Conference USA championship and won the conference tournament.

The 2003 - 2004 season also was notable for several individual accomplishments.

Senior guard/forward Chandi Jones was named Conference USA Player of the Year for a third straight year and is a candidate for All-America honors, the Naismith Award and the John R. Wooden award. In addition to Jones’ court success, Curl received “Best Coach of the Year” honors from ESPN.com.

The triumphs on the court have given the UH community a reason to cheer, but Maria González, professor of English, said the team’s classroom prowess also is commendable.

“These players are smart,” she said. “They work very hard in the classroom and coach Curl makes sure they take care of academics. He places grades before games and these players respond to that. Some of the Lady Cougars will graduate and many will do so with honors.”

While fans will have to wait until Saturday to see the team in action, Lady Cougar-mania is impacting both the campus and local community. According to UH President Jay Gogue, the team’s success is one of the many reasons faculty, staff and students should be proud of their university.

“I think I’ve noticed people who stand about 5 feet 5 inches tall are walking 5 feet 8 inches tall, and people who are 5 feet 10 inches are walking 6 feet tall,” Gogue said. “It’s been a very exciting season, and it’s brought out a lot of enthusiasm. If you’re a member of this community, it’s hard not to be proud of this team and what they’ve done this year.”