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Wednesday, April 9
Updated: April 12, 8:59 AM ET
Let's make a deal
By Mechelle Voepel
Special to ESPN.com
ATLANTA -- Interesting that on the same day Diana Taurasi, one of the members of the superstar junior class, leads Connecticut to the national championship ... the NBA announces that the WNBA players have to come to an agreement on a labor deal or this WNBA season won't happen.
And if this season is shelved, how dire is that?
Almost since they started their college careers, we've looked at this group of juniors as a fabulous and necessary infusion for the WNBA. It's a class rich in depth and versatility. It includes Taurasi, Duke's Alana Beard, Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde, Stanford's Nicole Powell, Penn State's Kelly Mazzante, Texas' Stacy Stephens, Texas Tech's Jia Perkins, Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen, Purdue's Shereka Wright and Washington's Giuliana Mendiola.
This group is one year away ...
Surely the WNBA and the players can settle their differences before April 18, can't they? The consensus among members of the media was, to be frank, that certainly those involved couldn't be dumb enough to blow this. Could they?
Look, there are times you look reality in the face and just accept it. The players don't have any more leverage now than they did last summer, when they floated the word "strike,'' to much derision.
It seems to me that too many people without long-term investment in this league and women's basketball in general have had too much to do with influencing the players.
North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell, who coached in the WBCA All-Star game on Friday, spoke for college coaches when she said there is simply no logical alternative for the players except to work out a deal.
Hatchell has told former Tar Heels what she thinks; if other college coaches haven't spoken to their former players, they need to
immediately.
"I've seen some of them here and I've been on the phone with others,'' Hatchell said. "I told them, 'If you guys want to play in
America, you need to come together now and settle this. You're not in a position to do a lot of bargaining.'
"We need the WNBA, these kids who played here need it. It's very important for women's basketball.''
Ten years ago, Sheryl Swoopes had the best individual performance in Final Four history, scoring 47 points in leading Texas Tech to the NCAA title. We didn't see her again until 1995, when the national team began its tour before the Olympics.
We've come to almost take for granted that we don't "lose'' great players any more when they're finished with college. We expect next
season to watch these super seniors battle it out and then see who goes where for the pros.
Surely, with everything the NBA has invested in the WNBA, and with this group of college stars right around the corner, nothing could make less sense than torpedoing this season.
But stupider, more inexplicable things have happened, and that's what makes you uneasy. The games of chicken have to stop, and it's time for both parties to realize what the greater good is for everybody.
The new WNBA franchise in Connecticut is a sure success. San Antonio is promising. There seems to be real commitments from the owners who have stayed with the WNBA. And, again, the class of 2004 is coming.
How unbearable will it be if this gets screwed up?
Mechelle Voepel is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage. She can be reached at mvoepel@kcstar.com.
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