Spartan Women Are Primed For Elite Status
12/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2004
By Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News
EAST LANSING -- Michigan State women's basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie saw the potential.
The question, in 2000, was how could she get the rest of the world to believe in her vision?
She wanted to take the Spartans' languishing program and turn it into a national power, the same way Tom Izzo did with the men's team.
But McCallie's optimism was tempered: Turning the Michigan State women's program into a powerhouse could take at least five years -- and the task would not be smooth.
Still, McCallie's predictions have come true: The Spartans are a power with an 8-1 record and a No. 11 national ranking. No other women's program in Michigan has been ranked higher. Michigan was No. 12 in 2001.
"There is no other place in this state where I would think a top recruit would want to play basketball right now," said Liz Shimek, Michigan's Miss Basketball in 2002, from Empire. "You see what we have going on here, where we're going, the facilities, what Coach P is doing and what she believes in.
To read the rest of the article, go to http://www.detnews.com/2004/msu/0412/17/e01-36106.htm.
