Associated Press
The notebook …
TAMPA, Fla. ó Candace Parker has earned all sorts of honors ó All-American, national champion, future Olympian.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt offers another distinction: the top player in the history of women’s basketball.
“I went into the season thinking she’s one of the best ever,” Summitt said. “Now that we’re approaching the end of her career ó I’ve coached Cheryl Miller, Chamique (Holdsclaw), Lynette Woodard, Nancy (Lieberman), Anne Donovan ó Parker is the best.”
Parker, a junior averaging 21.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, was voted player of the year in women’s college basketball by The Associated Press. Geno Auriemma of Connecticut was the coach of the year, the fifth time he won the award.
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MADNESS SLIPS: CBS’ ratings for the NCAA Basketball Tournament are averaging a 5.2 rating with an 11 percent share of the audience this year. That’s down 7.1 percent from last year’s 5.6 rating and 12 share, according to Sports Business Daily.
A good deal of that may be due to the fact there has been a significant number of blowouts in the tournament this year, culminating with all four No. 1 seeds making the Final Four. The national semifinals on Saturday in San Antonio featured UCLA facing Memphis, followed by North Carolina and Kansas.
Memphis and Kansas won.
Davidson’s remarkable run to the Elite Eight was the main highlight of the tournament, but Cinderella generally doesn’t play well in the Final Four, says CBS News & Sports president Sean McManus.
“As much as we like Cinderellas and as much as they provide drama ó none more so that Davidson ó from a pure ratings standpoint, you’re probably better off having the four unquestioned best teams in the country with the basketball tradition they have. Ratings are primarily determined by how close the games are, but if you wanted to set up a Final Four that before the tip-off was set up to draw good ratings, this is the Final Four you would draw up.”
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INTRODUCED: Mike Montgomery made his way across the Bay on Saturday, taking over the California men’s basketball program with promises to take the Golden Bears to the same heights he reached at Stanford.
After 18 years in Cardinal red, the veteran coach agreed to a six-year contract at Cal nearly four years after he left Stanford for a dismal stint with the Golden State Warriors. Montgomery won 393 games and four Pac-10 titles at Stanford, and he sees no reason Cal can’t enjoy the same success.
“I’m sure when I show up next year at Maples (Pavilion), they won’t have the welcome wagon out,” Montgomery said. “But that’s part of the experience. … You will never get me to say anything bad about Stanford. I love the place. They were great to me, and now I’m here.”-
GOING PRO: Arizona freshman guard Jerryd Bayless has decided to enter the NBA draft. Bayless has been projected as a lottery pick. He averaged a team-high 19.7 points.
– LOUISVILLE, Ky. ó Louisville sophomore forward Earl Clark will skip his final two seasons and enter the NBA draft. Clark averaged 11.1 points for the Cardinals (27-9).