Gophers’ basketball coach Clem Haskins was named the 1998 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year Tuesday.
Haskins, who guided the Gophers to a 20-15 mark and an NIT championship last year, was also the coach for the 1998 USA Goodwill team, which won the gold medal.
In the last five years, Haskins has led the Gophers to two NIT championships and a Final Four run in 1997. His career coaching record is 324-227.
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim won the Developmental Coach of the Year Award from USA Basketball.
Chicoine wins
University senior tennis player Tom Chicoine defeated Oliver Freelove of Illinois to win the ITA Region IV Championship in East Lansing, Mich.
Chicoine entered the tournament seeded No. 2, while Freelove was the third seed.
Women’s All-Americanteam announced
(AP) — Chamique Holdsclaw became the first of her kind Tuesday — a three-time preseason All-American in women’s basketball.
It might not be long before there’s another.
Holdsclaw, who has led Tennessee to three consecutive national championships and 45 straight victories, was the only unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason team.
The 6-foot-2 senior was joined by Tennessee teammate Tamika Catchings, who missed being a unanimous choice by only three votes.
Catchings is just a sophomore and if her college career continues the way it started, an early departure from school might be the only thing that keeps her from becoming a three-time pick.
Seniors Dominique Canty of Alabama, Stephanie White-McCarty of Purdue and Amanda Wilson of Louisiana Tech also were placed on the team, chosen by the national media panel that votes in the weekly women’s poll.
Holdsclaw, the AP’s player of the year last season, was named on all 42 ballots. Catchings, part of coach Pat Summitt‘s Fab Four recruiting class last season, received 39 votes. Canty was third with 33 votes, White-McCarty had 23 and Wilson 19.
A third Tennessee player, sophomore Semeka Randall, came close to making the All-America team. She had 13 votes and UCLA’s Maylana Martin received 12.
The AP began choosing a women’s All-America team in the 1994-95 season.