“Are you serious?! Are you serious!!”
It wasn’t a question, really. More of a demand. It was directed at the opposing women’s basketball player who had foolishly tried to take one of the best college players on the planet to the hole. But it also was a challenge to her own teammates, as if to say, “If y’all aren’t here to win a championship, go home.”
“Are you serious?! Are you serious!!”
Yes, Tennessee’s Candace Parker turned John McEnroe’s catchphrase on its head. “You cannot be serious!” doesn’t do it anymore.
Midway through the first half of Tuesday night’s Dayton Regional final, Mississippi’s 5-4 guard Shantell Black lost her mind during a fastbreak with 6-4 Parker by her side. Black drove to the basket and shot, and Parker, whose wingspan is longer than Black is tall, swatted the ball to Cleveland, the site of the Final Four.
Parker stood on the endline and glowered, shouting, “Are you serious?!” toward Black, meaning, “Don’t bring that &%@$# in here!” Then, as Parker’s teammates surrounded her, she said it again, more emphatically, “Are you serious!!” Six-time NCAA champion Tennessee hasn’t won it all since 1998, she implied, let’s do it!
Indeed, they were serious. They swatted Mississippi from their path to the Final Four as if the Rebels were gnats. The final score, 98-62, the largest margin ever in a regional final. Tennessee will meet co-No. 1 seed North Carolina on Sunday, after the Tar Heels took out Purdue, 84-72, in the most competitive regional final of the tournament.
Tennessee divorced No. 7 Mississippi from any hopes of an upset practically from the tip. Point guard Shannon Bobbitt hit a couple of three-pointers in the opening minute, freeing up the inside for Parker, who went to work from there. She had 14 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists in the first half. The leading contender for player-of-the-year honors was a human highlight reel. Though she played only 25 minutes, she amassed 24 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.
Parker, despite being listed as a guard, forward and center, did not have to do it all. Forward Sidney Spencer contributed 22 points, Bobbitt finished with 14, shooting 3-3 from three, and Alberta Auguste had 12 points off the bench.
In contrast, guard Armintie Price of Mississippi scored 30 points. The rest of the team scored 32, and Ashley Awkward had 14 of them. Mississippi never had a chance to get into its trapping defense that had averaged 25 forced turnovers, including 14 steals per game through the season. Price leads the nation in steals, with 131.
It’s too bad the nation didn’t get more chances to see her put her full set of skills on display. The senior’s record-breaking career has been overshadowed by other stellar players in the SEC, including Parker and LSU’ Seimone Augustus, now in the WNBA, and Sylvia Fowles. But Price, at 5-9 originally recruited for track and field, has reached heights only one other player has. During Sunday’s win over Oklahoma, she joined the great Cheryl Miller as the only players in the NCAA to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals.
Parker has been compared to greats like Miller, a two-time champion at USC, and Tennessee stars Chamique Holdsclaw, a three-time champ, and Tamika Catchings, also a tournament champ. But Parker wants to hear none of those superlative comparisons until she wins a championship. She says she’s not in their league – yet.
“Are you serious?!” “Are you serious!!”
So Parker has some unfinished business. Hey, she’s still just a sophomore in eligibility. She has time. But she wants it now.
First, the Vols must get past North Carolina, no easy task. The Tar Heels knocked the Vols out of the tournament last year in the Elite Eight, and they beat Tennessee in December, 70-57. Parker scored 27 and had 10 rebounds, but no one else hit double figures. North Carolina had a more balanced attack, led by versatile forward Erlana Larkins, with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The matchup between Parker and Larkins will be intriguing, but it will take defensive stoppers LaToya Pringle and Rashanda McCants to try to contain her. And while they’re double- and triple-teaming her, Spencer, Alexis Hornbuckle and Bobbitt will go to work. If they work like they have in the tournament so far, they’ll have North Carolina on their heels.
“Are you serious?!” “Are you serious!!”
In the other half of the Final Four, LSU takes on Rutgers in what will unquestionably be a defensive battle. Of those two, LSU has the best chance of taking down Tennessee. They’ve not only proven to be incredibly focused through a storm of controversy, but they know Tennessee well. Tennessee beat them during the regular season, but LSU shut down Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Fowles and company held Parker to four points. Four points.
“Are you serious?!” “Are you serious!!”
Comments (1)
Thank you for pointing out that Tennessee hasn't won the tournament in nearly a decade. Pat Summitt gets so much attention for all her wins, deservedly so, that we forget that they are about due for another one. But of the last 4 remaining, I'm pulling for the Cinderella and Rutgers. Coach Stringer is always a class-act, and nobody (me included!) expected them to get past Duke after Duke clobbered them earlier in the year. Go Rutgers!