Colleges

Texas Tech brings in proven tournament coach in Curry

By wire services
Published March 31, 2006

LUBBOCK, Texas - Kristy Curry was hired by Texas Tech to replace Marsha Sharp as coach, leaving Purdue after making the NCAA Tournament in each of her seven seasons there.

She thanked Texas Tech officials at a news conference Thursday for "having the faith and confidence in an old country girl, and beyond words, I'm incredibly proud to be part of the Lady Raider nation."

Curry, 39, grew up in Louisiana and spent several years as an assistant in Texas.

Curry signed a five-year contract worth at least $425,000 the first year. The deal will grow to a guarantee in the final year of $600,000, similar to what Sharp was making when she retired after 24 years.

Curry was 179-51 at Purdue, her first head coaching stop. She was an assistant at Stephen F. Austin (1993-94) and Texas A&M (1994-96).

Her Boilermakers lost to Notre Dame 68-66 in the 2001 NCAA championship game, two years after the school won a title under Carolyn Peck, whom Curry replaced in 1999 and now coaches the Gators.

QUITE THE CHANGE: North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt have trouble believing how big the women's game has become.

In 1975 they drove all night from Knoxville to Harrisonburg to watch a postseason AIAW tournament in which the gym was partitioned so several games could be played simultaneously.

Hatchell laughs at the memory of the nuns from Immaculata being told they had to leave pots and pans they brought as noisemakers outside the building.

Summitt said she didn't foresee these days of every game on ESPN, crowds in excess of 20,000 at the Final Four and a press contingent interested in what her star eats for breakfast.

"When we started out, we didn't sell tickets," she said. "Got in free. Now there's a lottery. Amazing what's happened.

"Would I have ever imagined all this would have happened? Absolutely not."

[Last modified March 31, 2006, 01:09:18]