Sally Jenkins, columnist
Washington Post

"If you'd like to see the game of basketball as it was intended to be played, if you appreciate a pleasing collaboration as opposed to the sullen, swaggering acts of isolation performed by certain members of the NBA, then you needn't watch the (NBA) All-Star Game. A far more superior product is being played, and it's called women's collegiate basketball ...

"(T)he women's collegiate game has become the new standard for anyone who appreciates a bounce pass and proper shot selection, as opposed to three-jacking. ... Players stay in school for four years and learn a fundamental and aesthetically pleasing game from inspired and professional coaches such as Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, Pat Summitt of Tennessee, Tara VanDerveer of Stanford, Vivian Stinger of Rutgers and Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame, all of whom, incidentally, you should be so lucky to turn your child over to.

"Hand any of them an 18-year-old, and four years later they give you back a polished athlete and a grown, likeable person. Draw a picture of what you'd like in a daughter, and that's just about any kid on the Connecticut or Tennessee roster.

"When an all-star emerges in the women's game, it's because she has the goods, she understands the real game, the complete game, not just how to run up and down and score at will."

March Madness

Nolan Richardson, men's basketball coach
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Anniston (Alabama) Star

Discussing a proposal to allow all Division I teams access to the Division I Men's Basketball Championship:

"When you open it up to everyone, you'll stop the cheating. There's so much pressure and every guy and every team wants to be in the NCAA tournament. I think you take an extra week and you get that accomplished and everybody makes some money.

"Maybe it takes the pressure off the kid because he can say 'Hey, we're going to the NCAA tournament regardless of what the record is.' Maybe it takes the pressure off all the fans. It certainly takes pressure off the coaches to get to the tournament to keep their jobs. And you're giving everybody some of the profit as opposed to a few getting it."