Connecting Past and Present

NORMAN, Okla. -- Five regular season Big 12 championships... four Big 12 Tournament titles... eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances... five Sweet 16's... one Final Four and national runner-up finish.

Since head coach Sherri Coale's arrival in 1996, the Sooner women's basketball program has achieved a level of success unprecedented in its previous history and established itself as the class of the Big 12 Conference and among the nation's elite.

You can't arrive at the present, however, without first recognizing the past.

Past and present were united this past weekend as part of the women's basketball program's alumni reunion weekend. Approximately 50 players from various era of the program returned to Norman and were honored at halftime of Sunday's victory over Georgia.

In addition to giving former players the opportunity to reflect on their college experiences, it also allowed OU's current student-athletes to honor the careers of those who came before them.

Women began playing organized basketball at Oklahoma in 1905, long before the program gained intercollegiate status in 1974. Just four years into existence, the Sooners collected their first 20-win season, and in 1984 participated in their first national tournament, the WNIT. Oklahoma advanced to its first NCAA Tournament in 1986, the same year it captured its first conference championship.

For eight tumultuous days in March 1990, the program, beset by poor attendance, was dropped before being reinstated after a public outcry. The Sooners rose again, from the WNIT in 1994 back to the 20-win club and the NCAA Tournament in 1995 and on to the Coale era two years later. The OU women's basketball team made history in 2002 with its first trip to the Final Four, ultimately falling to Connecticut in the national title game.

The Sooners currently boast a streak of more than 50 straight weeks ranked in the top 25. It is likely that later this year, depending on the team's postseason success, OU will compete in the 1,000th game in program history.

The Oklahoma women's basketball program has indeed come a long way since its inception in 1974, and the stars of today understand the opportunities they have been afforded would not be possible without the efforts of those who have come before them.

From the early 1980's trio of 1,000-point scorers -- Molly McGuire, Lynn McCurdy and Janet Freeman-Southard -- to their 2002 counterparts -- Stacey Dales, LaNeishea Caufield and Caton Hill -- to the Sooners' all-time leading scorer, Phylesha Whaley, to the countless other individuals who have come through the program, these women built the foundation for Oklahoma women's basketball to earn a spot among the nation's elite.

The alumni reunion weekend was a celebration of that history and a reflection of the talent, desire and commitment of all the individuals who had a hand in shaping the program into what it is today.

This past weekend was also special for another reason, as the families and players of three endowment scholarships were recognized, marking the completion of the project to have all 15 women's basketball scholarships fully endowed.

The project began in 2005 when Coach Coale announced the "Starting Five," supporters whose gifts established the first-ever endowed positions for the team. That process came full-circle last summer when the final five endowments were funded, making Oklahoma one of only a handful of women's basketball programs to fully endow all 15 scholarships.

This distinction, along with the combined efforts of past and present alike, ensures that the Oklahoma women's basketball program will continue to build upon its tradition of success for years to come.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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