Memories of OU women's basketball

[SoonerNorm]

I thought it might be interesting to start a thread which gives tribute to Sherri, her staff, and the teams since Sherri took over in 1996. I hope everyone will add some of your great memories, players, events, etc. Please, if you have something negative to say, start your own thread but do not hi-jack this one.

Here goes...Sherri took over the program in 1996 and had a tough first year as the team finished 5-22. The next year theer was some progress as the team ended with 8-19. In 1998 Sherri must have felt she was beginning to turn the corner as the Sooners finished the season at 15-14. Since then, the Sooners have never had another losing season.

In 2001-2002, Sherri had a great team that finished the year at 32-4 where they lost to UCONN in the NC game by a score of 82-70. Just to bring back some of those memories, here is the roster for that year:

42 Casey, Lindsey       FR F 6-1 Longview, TX	  	

20 Caufield, LaNeishea  SR G 5-9 Ada, OK	  	

15 Cunningham, Jennifer SR C 6-3 Kingston, Ontario, Canada	  	

21 Dales, Stacey        SR G 6-0 Brockville, Ontario, Canada	  	

10 Hill, Caton          JR F 6-1 Ada, OK	  	

35 Jackson, Dionnah     FR G 5-9 St. Louis, MO	  	

4 Luce, Stephanie       SO G 5-6 Southlake, TX	  	

33 Ross, Rosalind       SR G 5-9 Milwaukee, WI	  	

22 Schuknecht, Theresa  JR C 6-3 Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada	  	

51 Scott, Kate          JR G 5-10 Overland Park, KS	  	

40 Selmon, Shannon      SR F 6-1 Norman, OK	  	

12 Shoush, Lauren       FR G 5-11 Oklahoma City, OK	  		  	

11 Simon, Stephanie     JR G 6-0 Clinton, OK	  	

45 Talbert, Jamie       SR F 6-2 Elkhart, KS	  	

31 Wadsworth,Antoinette FR G 5-11 Grand Prairie, TX

The next great team we had was in 2005-2006 when the Paris twins arrived in Norman. Not only did we have Ashley and Courtney but we also had some other really good players in Leah Rush, Erin Higgins, Chelsi Welch and Antoinette Wadsworth. That team finished 31-5 without losing a conference game.

In 2006-2007 we were loaded again when Amanda Thompson and Jenna Plumley joined the Sooners along with Ny and Abi. They finished 28-5 with a second consecutive trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

In 2007-2008 we finished 22-9 and some to remember were the twins, Amanda, Jenna, Drob, Carlee and Ny. That year we lost to Notre Dame in OT to end the season in the final four.

2008-2009 was a memorable year when we added Whitney who made an immediate impact. That team finished #4 in the country with a record of 32-5. We lost that year in the final four in a heartbreaker to Louisville. I believe that was the year that we were down 20+ points or so at Cal and came back and played unbelievable in the second half to win that game.

2009-2010 was a rebuilding year after losing the twins. We finished 27-11 which was good enough for a #12 final ranking. New that year were Lyndsey and Joanna. Abi had a really good year after working hard on conditioning and finally getting her big chance following Courtney's departure.

The next year (2010-2011) we ended the season at 23-12. The newcomers were Cerina, Aaryn, Griffin, Morgan, Jeffcoat, and Yancey. In the NCAA tourney, Notre Dame sent us home from the Dayton regional as they were really good that year.

In 2011-2012 we added Zander, Kaylon, Sharane and Harden. That team finished 21-13 losing a close one to St. Johns in the regional 74-70.

This past season (2012-2013) was a memorable year primarily because of the many injures (Maddie, Lyndsey, Whitney, and Kaylon) but somehow the team managed to persevere and made another Sweet Sixteen appearance finishing at 24-11. I think everyone was particularly proud of this team for what they endured and how well they hung in there until finally bowing out to Tennessee in the Oklahoma City regional.

OU has been to 9 Sweet Sixteens, 3 final fours, 1 championship game, 6 Big 12 regular season championships, and 4 Big 12 tournament championships.

These are just a few things I believe are important to look back on and recall the great memories those teams provided. As I stated earlier, I hope everyone will want to post their thoughts, memories, events, etc to show how important OU women's basketball has been to you over the years.

 

[Salt City Sooner]

Great post. Allow me to add one gap-bridger (is that even a word? lol) between '01-'02 & '05-'06 that hadn't happened before, & unless I missed it (entirely possible), hasn't happened since, that being the '04 Big 12 tourney. OU won 4 games in 4 days to claim the title as a 6 seed, with the last 3 games being against the top 3 seeds in the tournament. After dispatching #13 CU, The Guys smoked #8 ranked KSU by 12 in a game where they shot out to a 14 point halftime lead & coasted in the 2nd half. The title game was against #2 ranked UT, & OU rolled from the get go, winning 66-47. Dionnah Jackson was clutch in that one as Villaroel got in early foul trouble.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

2008-2009 was a memorable year when we added Whitney who made an immediate impact. That team finished #4 in the country with a record of 32-5. We lost that year in the final four in a heartbreaker to Louisville. I believe that was the year that we were down 20+ points or so at Cal and came back and played unbelievable in the second half to win that game.

Beating Tenn and denying Pat her win, is my favorite game ever. Whitney was a star(playing all 40 minutes) and Bobby Knight couldn't stop praising her. My dad and I would talk about that game all the time. He was putting all the games on DVD and that was the last one he sent me as he passed away that April. I watch that game once a week and it always gives me good feelings and of course makes me miss my dad.

Thanks for the post, Norm.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Here are the stats from the Tenn. game which happened to be one of my great memories as well. Whitney was just burning the net that night. The only downer in that game was, that Courtney only scored 9 points and even though she grabbed 12 rebounds, she didn't get a double-double as she fouled out after playing only 28 minutes.

VISITORS: Tennessee 16-5, 5-2 SEC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
15 MANNING, Alicia..... f  2-4    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   1   4  0  2  0  0  15
25 JOHNSON, Glory...... f  2-7    0-0    8-11   4  4  8   4  12  0  7  0  3  28
02 FULLER, Alex........ g  3-8    0-1    0-0    0  2  2   1   6  1  3  0  1  29
05 BJORKLUND, Angie.... g  4-11   2-6    0-0    0  2  2   4  10  3  3  0  2  26
40 STRICKLEN, Shekinna. g  6-15   3-4    6-6    2  4  6   2  21  2  5  0  5  38
01 BASS, Briana........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  2  3  0  1  16
20 SMALLBONE, Sydney...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   6
21 BAUGH, Vicki........    4-7    0-0    3-4    2  3  5   3  11  0  1  0  2  26
33 BREWER, Alyssia.....    3-4    0-0    0-0    2  2  4   1   6  0  0  0  0   9
52 CAIN, Kelley........    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   1   0  1  0  0  0   7
   TEAM................                            1  1
   Totals..............   24-56   5-11  17-21  12 21 33  17  70  9 24  0 14 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-30 46.7%   2nd Half: 10-26 38.5%   Game: 42.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-7  57.1%   2nd Half:  1-4  25.0%   Game: 45.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half: 13-13 100 %   Game: 81.0%    2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Oklahoma 19-2, 7-0 BIG 12
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
05 Paris,Ashley........ f  7-10   0-0    5-5    2  4  6   2  19  1  2  2  3  37
21 Thompson,Amanda..... f  2-5    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   1   4  0  2  1  2  17
03 Paris,Courtney...... c  4-12   0-0    1-2    0 12 12   5   9  1  2  1  3  28
13 Robinson,Danielle... g  6-12   0-0    5-6    2  2  4   3  17 12  8  0  2  38
25 Hand,Whitney........ g  8-9    4-5    0-0    0  2  2   1  20  1  3  1  2  40
01 Stevenson,Nyeshia...    4-7    1-3    2-4    1  0  1   3  11  4  0  0  2  28
10 Roethlisberger,C....    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   3   0  0  1  0  0  10
45 Hartman,Jasmine.....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   2
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   31-58   5-10  13-17   7 22 29  18  80 19 19  5 14 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-31 45.2%   2nd Half: 17-27 63.0%   Game: 53.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-7  42.9%   2nd Half:  2-3  66.7%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 10-11 90.9%   2nd Half:  3-6  50.0%   Game: 76.5%    3

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

Hard to imagine how that team ever lost.

 

[badger]

Want us to share Sherri memories? Hmmm... here goes:

I remember after beating Duke in the 2002 Final Four, ESPN invited Sherri to the halftime set of the next game (UConn/Tennessee). She was so excited over the Final Four win that she was giddy and giving everyone hugs with a big smile on her face.

I also remember the Big 12 tournament from either 2003 or 2004. I am fairly certain it was in KC. Anyways, Sherri was fuming at the refs all game to the point that she got a technical. The OU fans (we always had a nice Big 12 tourney crowd compared to some other schools there) let the refs have it as well. I had been briefly flashing a semi-bad sign all game, but after the technical, I let everyone see the side I was trying to hide from the damn KC Municipal Auditorium ushers:

"We do NOT like the refs" (angry face)

An attendant immediately came up to me and said "Do not hold up the opposite side of the 'We love you Coach Coale' sign."

I don't remember how we did that year, but I do remember the refs being incredible bad that game.

 

[NMSooner'80]

I'm so old that I remember only seeing women's basketball as a student when it was played before a men's game (was at OU from Fall '76 to Spring '80). They used to play a bunch of small colleges and lost quite a few of those. OU did have a decent team set up for '77-78, but the coaching staff imploded and a bunch of their talented freshmen left. Teresa Ray Turner was in that class, and one of the few who stayed at OU.

That said, the Coale era has been nothing short of amazing, in my book. IMHO, despite a slow start, she dragged that program kicking and screaming clear to the Final 4 within six years.

Sherri was also a decent small-college point guard at Oklahoma Christian (out of Healdton High, Class of '83), and she was deadly from the top of the key, especially when those started counting for three points in her senior year. And, she still looks about the same now as she did in the mid-to-late 80's when she played for OCC.

She was also a great student back then, and I just knew she'd make it big in whatever field she chose.

 

[Mark]

Kentucky in the 2010 elite eight have to be my favorite memory we go down 15 to 2 or something like that it look like we was going to get blowout than drob and ny took over. how can you forget Kodi Morrison 3 about 50 seconds left and abi crying on the bench.

y'all can watch that game here http://vimeo.com/11251444

 

[sybarite]

2004: Big Twelve tournament. OU beat Colorado, Kansas State, and Texas with Dionnah Jackson and Maria Villarroel demonstrating what I have always believed was the Sherri Coale philosophy of basketball.

 

[rocjunkie]

How the heck do you pick one special moment. Whitney and Tennessee, Kentucky 2010, 2004 run to the Big 12 title, 2002 champion ship game against UCONN, I could go on.

My two favorite memories were from the 06-07 season. The first was Texas Tech at home. I got to use my bosses seats that game and sat on the floor. Tech had pretty much had their way with us through most of the game and I had resolved my self to a tough loss. Down three, Erin "mad bomber" Higgins drops a three bomb from the right wing as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Kendra Moore drove the Raiders nuts by taking the ball to the rim from the top of the key and they couldn't stop her. A very satisfying win.

That same year we played Texas A&M to a heart breaking 2 point loss in front of 11 thousand plus fans. With about 2 seconds left Leah gets fouled on the shot and goes to the free throw line. I'm feeling pretty cocky, they foul our best free throw shooter, and she does the improvable, misses both. What was so impressive about Leah after the game, is she sat with Coach during the reporters after game questions and with tears in her eyes took all the blame on the loss for her team mates. Not true, but what an awesome upstanding young lady facing the fire. Still one of my all time favorite players.

 

[NMSooner'80]

One memory I will always have about Sherri and her program has to do with my mom. She absolutely fell in love with the program back when Dales/Hill/Caufield, etc., were starting to roll up the wins. And, my mom also just love how the coaches and players conducted themselves.

My mom also never had daughters, or even female pets until 1974, so she adopted this whole team. It really bugged her that she had to miss some games back in the fall of 2007 - because she needed to be in OKC prepping for bypass surgery.

Even though my mom came through surgery just fine, and remains in good health to this day, she still had to miss a few more games right around New Year's. I used one of her tickets just before I had to return to Albuquerque from the holidays. If you saw some 50-year-old guy who was kind of misty-eyed, that was me, thinking about how my mom really wanted to be there.

She has rarely missed a game since, and I think as long as Sherri is there she'll make sure she and my dad are on the H.E. Bailey several times a year for the ride to LNC to see her "girls" represent her (and ours) alma mater well, over and over.

 

[j2d2]

A search of what I laughingly call my memory vividly recalls a game against a Division II team from texass after several girls had gone down with acl injuries and Chelsi was a freshman. That game was the most outstanding example of one person putting a team on her back and trying as hard as one human could to win as I ever hope to see. We lost but that performance is among the finest I have ever seen-none better.

 

[badger]

Speaking of Dales/Hill/Caufield, etc., a memory from the Big 12 tourney of 2002:

We played OSU in our first game, back during the "OSU was not Goodenough" headline era. Since the Big 12 tourney is a neutral site, you simply can't have all the cheerleaders and bands doing their own cheers every timeout like a home game at the same time, so they designate timeouts to certain teams' support groups.

So, OU goes on like a 10-point streak, and Goodenough calls a timeout to end the pain (just briefly). OUr band looks in OSU's band's direction, because it's their turn, even though it's clearly OUr celebratory moment. They play "Ride Ride" while their cheerleaders smile and cheer as hard as they can. It was as funny as it sounds.

OU later goes on another big run. TIMEOUT GOODENOUGH! OSU's band/cheer's turn again, even though the deficit is now about 30. The most unenthusiastic rendition of "Ride, Ride!" by the band. The cheerleaders were... well... their smiles appeared more fake by the end of the game, like a grimace.

The best moment of all was the end of the game. The OSU cheerleaders tried to brainwash the KC elementary kids the tourney let in before the game by teaching them the O...S...U hand cheer. However, the kids can read the scoreboard (hooray public education) so they were cheering "OU" repeatedly at the end of the game. Tee hee.

Another Goodenough moment: It seemed like the Lady Poke game always ended up on Sherri's birthday back in the early aughts (has she ever had a birthday off?), so I remember that she brought balloons to Sherri before their LNC game. Even though the series was clearly in OU's favor by that point, there was still mutual respect between the programs, much like there was under the Kurt Budke and now their current coach.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Speaking of Goodenough, she is now the head coach at Abilene Christian.

http://www.acusports.com/news/2012/3/27/WBB_0327120443.aspx

 

[NMSooner'80]

A search of what I laughingly call my memory vividly recalls a game against a Division II team from texass after several girls had gone down with acl injuries and Chelsi was a freshman. That game was the most outstanding example of one person putting a team on her back and trying as hard as one human could to win as I ever hope to see. We lost but that performance is among the finest I have ever seen-none better.

That almost sounds like the SMU game from that season. Only game I've seen a Sherri Coale-coached team lose in person.