| | The Lady Techster's basketball team may not get much respect around the country, but that will change come tournament time, says Tech guard Betty Lennox.
Lennox hosted this week's Women's Hoops Spotlight chat show and told ESPN.com users her team is not worried about its lack of exposure because the Lady Techsters are strictly focused on getting to the Final Four. Lennox also talked about her journey from high school to junior college, and from college to hopefully the WNBA.
If you missed Lennox's Feb. 7 chat, check out this edited transcript and find out which NBA player she wants to go one-on-one with.
| |  | | La. Tech's Betty Lennox, left, is her team's leading scorer. |
Cheryl: What do you think of the Techsters being dropped to No. 4 in the rankings despite three lopsided
victories last week? Do you think this will give the Techsters added incentive as the polls are
showing them no respect?
Betty Lennox: Not really. Most sites believe the top four Final Four teams will be UConn, Tennessee, Penn
State and Georgia. So it doesn't surprise me. UConn is No. 1, and they're a good team this
year. Tennessee usually gets a lot of the respect. And to be honest, La. Tech doesn't get any
respect in the beginning. So that's why it doesn't surprise us. As long as we're in the top five and
going to appear in the Final Four, we're happy.
Gary: What do you think the chances are for the Techsters
to win it all this year? Do you think the team is more balanced than it was early in the year?
Betty Lennox: Yes, we're very balanced compared to the beginning of the season. At first, everybody was
trying to get on the same page, but now that we've been through 17 or 18 games, we're getting
used to how each other plays. And I really do think we have a really good chance of at least
appearing in the Final Four. If we get there, we'll have to discuss that then.
Knares McDonald: What have you
learned playing basketball since being a freshman? Do you hope to play in the WNBA?
Betty Lennox: Actually, I do hope to play in the WNBA, but right now I kind of don't want to talk about that
level until I complete this level. That is my dream, and hopefully I will be able to fulfill it. But my
focus right now is getting to the Final Four and trying to win the NCAA championship.
Brigitte: I have read where you come from a very
large family. Does your family support your basketball skills and do they ever get to see you
play?
Betty Lennox:
Yes, my family supports me. They're not able to make it to too many games, but they make it to
the big games. My mom lives in Oklahoma, which is a long drive -- about 5 1/2 hours -- and
my sisters and brothers live in Independence, Missouri, which is about 12 hours. But they
watch on TV and call me all the time. I have eight brothers and sisters ... I'm the youngest girl
and second-youngest overall. I have a brother who's 18.
JoeSmith: I am a big fan of your
coach, but have always loved Kim Mulkey (the assistant). You probably don't
remember her in the Olympics, but she was the purest point guard, a killer with ponytail
braids. What does she bring as a coach?
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THE LENNOX LIST
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Lennox, a 5-foot-8 guard from Independence, Mo., averaged 10.1 points per game last season, and capped the year by landing a spot on the all-tournament team at the 1999 West Regional. This season, Lennox was named a preseason Naismith Award and All-American candidate, as well as unanimous pick to the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team.
Through 17 games this season, Lennox is averaging a team-high 18.2 points while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. She also is averaging 3.6 assists, 3.3 steals and 5.8 rebounds. Even more impressive, Lennox has averaged 23 points and 7.5 rebounds in five contests against nationally ranked teams this season. Two weeks into the season, she poured in a career-high 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists against No. 10 UCLA. Lennox also scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds against Tennessee in the season opener for both teams, a contest La. Tech won 69-64 in Knoxville.
Prior to playing for Lady Techsters, Lennox played one season at Trinity Valley Community College, where she averaged 26.4 points as TVCC posted a 34-2 record to win the 1996-97 national championship. Now at La. Tech, Lennox combines with teammate Tamicha Jackson to form one of the nation's best, and quickest, backcourts.
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Betty Lennox:
Kim Mulkey is the type of coach that brings everything out of you. She's a great inspiration to
me and the team. She's also a very blunt coach, which is good for player. She's a great help, a
great coach. She is out there at all times, even chewing my butt out because she wants me to be a
better player.
Andie: What is it like to play for Coach Barmore?
Betty Lennox:
To me, from my point of view, coach Barmore has always been a very intimidating man. He
doesn't smile too much on the court, or off the court. He means strictly business. He's a great
coach, it's just that sometimes the player wants to giggle sometimes, but he's not that type of
coach -- just straight business. He has brought me discipline and everything else. It may take
some time, but he's the type of coach that can bring out the best. He's a nice man. Most people
don't think that he actually has a smile, but he does.
Patrick Clementine: How do you and the rest of the Techsters plan to counter the
game of the UConn Huskies on your next opportunity?
Do you know the status of Shaka Massey? Will she return?
Betty Lennox: I don't know the status of Shaka. But the main thing is that we're hoping and praying that she'll
get better. But we can't put our play on hold because Shaka Massey is on hold.
As a team, we're very eager to face the Huskies again. But we know we have to beat many
more teams before we ever play them again. But if and when we play them again, La. Tech will
be ready -- with or without Shaka Massey.
Darius: Why are y'all so quick? I mean, y'all ain't faster than me but y'all quick. I like to watch
women's basketball only because of yall.
Betty Lennox: My quickness is a natural gift that God has given me, and I'm just using it. I don't have any other
explanation.
But people have said we might have the quickest backcourt in the nation. As far as that goes,
being teammates with Tamicha Jackson ... she's really quick. And I think that we have two
quick people in the backcourt who communicate really well. So that's just a combination of two
really good players in the backcourt.
Nel: Why did you go to TVCC first and play basketball? Did you need to improve or
was it a grade thing? What made you choose La. Tech? I know you had other
options besides that one?
Betty Lennox:
The reason I went to a junior college out of high school is because I was young and my high
school basketball coach wanted me to stay close to home and him. It wasn't a grade thing, but I
realized I had a few things to work on.
When I arrived at the Juco level, I realized I had to work on defense mainly, and a little bit of
ball-handling. Out of high school, I was recruited to four-year schools.
I went to Butler CC at first out of high school, but was unhappy there. Then I went to Trinity
Valley, which had a tradition of winning back-to-back championships, so I went there. And then out of Trinity Valley, La. Tech and Tennessee both recruited me, as well as Houston.
I chose La. Tech because Pat Summitt had already won five NCAA titles. But La. Tech had
only two. So it would mean more as far as the excitement and enjoyment as far as winning the
national championship for a school like La. Tech. Obviously I respect Pat Summitt to the fullest.
Jarrod: I love Leon. He seems to get the most out of his players.
He also seems to be genuinely close to them. Is this the case? This year I have not heard your
name often enough for Player of the Year accolades. Who do you respect as a player in the
college game today?
Betty Lennox:
We've already discussed coach Barmore, but as far as my name not getting out there, I can't
pick and choose whose name goes on the list. A while back, someone asked me if I was upset
because I wasn't included on a list that picked the top guards of the country. But I wasn't upset. I respect everybody's opinion. But if I'm out on the court, giving my team
some wins, then I'm satisfied.
As for the players I respect, there are many. I respect Tamika Catchings, Svetlana
Abrosimova, Stacy Thomas from Michigan ... there are so many. I respect each and every
good player because they deserve to be respected. I just hope that they respect me as well.
Brian: Do you think that Tech's move to the WAC will improve it's already stellar women's basketball
program?
Betty Lennox:
Actually, no. The football and men's basketball teams will enjoy the WAC more than the
women's team. Of course, the Lady Techsters will enjoy the WAC because we'll get more TV
time. And they'll enjoy going to Hawaii. I think the amount of competition will be the same as in
the Sun Belt.
Tad: What was it like to play in your first college game?
Betty Lennox:
In my first D-I game, it was exciting. I remember that when I first got out on the court, I was
kind of nervous. It was also a big challenge. Coming from Juco to the D-I level was a big
difference. The main thing I had to learn was that I had to be able to beat a player off the
dribble and beat a player one-on-one. I wasn't really trained to beat a person one-on-one and
create my own shot. But that goes back to what coach Barmore brings out of a player --
everything. It was exciting and a challenge. And I love challenges.
Candace Cooper: How early did you know you wanted to be a basketball great? My daughter is five and we
are trying to expose her to as many activities as possible, so that she may pick. As I was never
any good at basketball, I am a die hard Lady Techster fan. I would love for her interest to be
basketball. Can you offer any suggestions?
Betty Lennox:
I was in the fifth grade when I started playing, maybe 10 or 11. The first time I played I was 5
or 6, out there with my brothers. I was always getting hurt, always going into the house, crying
to my mom, and the only thing she'd tell me was that if I came back in the house, that
she was going to make me stay in, and that I had to be able to stand the boys being rough if I
was going to continue playing.
My suggestions: Always push your child; although her to experience the roughness and be
behind them and encourage them at all times.
Andie: What do you like to do away from the game? And what is your major?
Betty Lennox:
I love to lift weights. That is my second-best thing that I love to do. I want to become a body
builder one of these days. I enjoy working out. I work out every day, about three hours a day
in the weightroom. So I love to work out and be in shape. I love to feel good on the inside, as
well as look good on the outside.
My major is psychology, and I want to deal with the mind, to someday tell a person what
they're thinking before they actually know what they're thinking. Kind of weird. Which fits my
nickname, which is "Psycho." Most things I say might sound weird, but I'm just being myself.
Don Gartland: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions that you must always do before you go
on to the court?
Betty Lennox:
I have one superstition that I do before I go on the court. We pray as a team, but I also have to
pray by myself for about 5-10 minutes before actually going out onto the court. This is before
games only, before I actually step out onto the court.
Angela: If you could go one-on-one with any one player, who would it be? Every great player dreams of
hitting the winning shot, describe what your last second shot would look like.
Betty Lennox:
My final shot would probably be acrobatic.
But as far as going one-on-one with anybody, I think I would want to go one-on-one with
Latrell Sprewell because I want to be like him as far as his energy level is concerned. He can run up
and down the court in full sprints, and doesn't get tired. That's something I would love to be
able to do, run up and down the court for 40-45 minutes without getting tired. I also like his
quickness and his favorite step back. That's awesome, how he can draw the defense to him,
then take a step back and make the shot.
Steve Scott: Betty, this is Mr. Scott at Fort Osage, are you there? I am standing here with Coach Dale
Williams.
Betty Lennox:
Hi, there, Mr. Scott (Betty's former high school principal). To coach Williams (former high
school coach), I love you and miss you and I'm excited that you're interested in writing me on
the Internet. Hello to everybody back home at Fort Osage. Please keep cheering for me.
That's all the time we have for now. Thanks for all the questions that everyone asked. Keep on
cheering for me and thanks again! | |
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