Area coaches say they believe the event in 2008 could boost local interest in women's basketball.
By PETE YOUNG
Published July 2, 2003
It has come a long way, baby.
At the first NCAA women's Final Four, in Norfolk, Va., in 1982, the national media hardly noticed as an obscure school named Cheyney (Pa.) State lost to Louisiana Tech in the title game.
Fast-forward two decades. The past two Final Fours have been in sold-out domes. This year, a combined 56,420 watched the semifinals and final at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The weekend is stocked with clinics, all-star games and throngs of supporters from each school. The title game is televised in prime time on ESPN. Almost 500 media credentials were issued in Atlanta.
All of which made Tuesday's announcement big, big news. The 2008 women's Final Four will be at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa with South Florida as the host school.
"Being in this area since 1986, when I first started out of college, and seeing how much this has grown and how much South Florida has grown, to be able to host this is great," said USF assistant coach Harry Elifson, the longtime girls coach at Boca Ciega High before joining the Bulls staff in 2000.
"The visibility is great and can only add to our profile and to women's basketball in the area."
Four times in recent years, the area has hosted men's NCAA Tournament games.
In 1994, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, then called the ThunderDome, hosted opening-round games. In 1998, the South Regional was held at Tropicana Field as was the 1999 Final Four. This year, opening-round games were at the Times Forum, which served in part as a test run for the women's Final Four bid.
The success of men's games at the Times Forum had many optimistic Tampa would land one of the three women's Final Four bids awarded Tuesday. (St. Louis earned the 2009 bid, San Antonio 2010; Denver was shut out.)
"I think it's great. It's about time they gave some attention to girls basketball down here," said Jeff Pafunda, who coached girls at Academy of the Holy Names and recently took a teaching job at Armwood.
"I think it will do real well. It's a great basketball venue. We were there for (the men's games in March). Everybody was commenting how much they liked it."
Karim Nohra, who coached girls basketball at Tampa Catholic for 11 seasons before coaching Cambridge the past two, said he believes the event will enhance the profile of girls and women's basketball locally.
"I'm extremely ecstatic. This is a showcase," Nohra said. "I'm hoping the community will come out and support it, have the place packed to the rafters. You don't normally get the chance to see top-notch basketball come into the area, and when it does, wow.
"This is awesome for the community and for girls basketball here in town. You're bringing national attention, worldwide attention."
Don Fields, the coach at Armwood High, occasionally takes his team to college games around the state. He used to bring it to Orlando for WNBA games before the franchise relocated for this season.
"Hopefully, we'll support the event, and maybe, we'll have some future events here," Fields said. "That's the thing. The NCAA has to give local people an opportunity to get tickets. I know a lot of local girls will support it. A lot of their role models are playing college basketball."
With one Final Four lined up, women's basketball supporters are hoping a good showing by the area could lead to more.
"We as a community have to come together to show the proper support in order to get it to come back and to show the WNBA that this could be a place to support a team," Fields said.
