Women Hoopsters
Five black college senior women basketball stars were among more than 100 invitees that took part in last week's WNBA Pre-Draft Camp at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. 
Participating in the event were Howard guard Chanell Washington, Coppin State forward Kiesha Brooks, N. C. A&T center Malveata Johnson, Livingstone center Julie Tarrance, and Alcorn State forward Cherea Wood.
Washington, a 5-7 point guard for the Lady Bison from Fort Lauderdale, Fl., led Howard to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. She was named a first-team all-MEAC pick and took home the tournament's Most Valuable Player award. She averaged 17.7 points per game, fifth best in the conference, and 4.2 assists per game, third best in the MEAC. Her 74.6% shooting from the free throw line was the league's seventh best mark.
Brooks, from Olney, Md., last season's MEAC player of the year, averaged a double-double this year for Coppin's Lady Eagles and repeated on the all-conference first team. The versatile 5-10 forward led the conference in scoring putting in 20.9 points per game and was third on the rebounding charts at 10.8 per contest. 
The 6-3 Johnson garnered her third consecutive first team all-MEAC designation for the Lady Aggies. Johnson, from Dover, N. C., also averaged a double-double scoring 17 points per game and pulling down 12.4 rebounds per game. She finished her career as the Lady Aggies all-time leading scorer (1,807 points) and rebounder (1,252). The rebounding total was third best all-time in the MEAC.
Tarrance, a 6-3 center from Washington, D. C., was an inside force for the Lady Bears also getting double figure numbers in two categories. Tarrance's 16.2 points per game average was the third highest in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association while her 11.2 rebounds per game topped the charts. Tarrance was also tied for first in blocked shots (2.4 bpg.), was third in field goal percentage (55.3%) and 11th in free throw percentage (71.8).
Wood, who hails from Denver, Co., literally showed up in just about every Southwestern Athletic Conference category en route to winning the conference's player of the year award. Wood averaged 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, shot 46% from the floor and 77% from the free throw line as she led the Lady Braves to the conference tournament title.
The four-round WNBA Draft is set for April 20 at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secausus, N. J. Sixteen (16) WNBA teams will be drafting. The first round of the draft will be held via teleconference and will be televised on ESPN2. The fifth WNBA season begins on May 28.
With five potential draftees in the pool and the rounds extended to four, this season represents the best opportunity for a black college player to be taken. No black college player has gone in the WNBA Draft since Howard center Denique Graves was chosen by the Sacramento Monarchs in the first round (15th pick) of the 1997 draft.
FAMU Coaching Job Florida State assistant Coleman Crawford has withdrawn his name from the list of seven finalists for the head basketball coaching position at Florida A&M.
According to a story in the Tallahassee Democrat, Crawford, the top assistant at FSU, said concerns about not having a president in place at FAMU and things he wanted to get done at Florida State, caused him to reconsider and take his name out of the running.
FAMU President Dr. Frederick Humpries and Provost James Ammons are scheduled to leave in June.The story says there are strong indications that the school won't make a decision on the men's or women's head basketball coaching positions until both administrative postions are filled.
Both men's head coach Mickey Clayton and women's head coach Claudette Farmer were dismissed after the season.
According to the story, others still in the running include former FAMU player Clemon Johnson, currently a high school coach in Florida, former N. C. A&T and Old Dominion head coach Jeff Capel, Tallahassee Community College head coach Mike Gillespie, University of Mississippi assistant Eric Bozeman, former S. C. State assistant and current College of Charleston assistant Benjamin Betts and University of Georgia assistant Michael Hunt.
© 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc.
