Contract for greatness

TAMPA, Fla. - The legacy of Tennessee's senior class will be written with some of the same hyperbole that introduced this group more than four years ago.

Candace Parker, Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike were part of the most celebrated recruiting class in modern women's basketball history. They picked up junior college transfers Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste along the way. The rest is history - as in back-to-back national championships.

Yet the best record of this group and what it's truly all about might be handwritten in small letters on a scrap of Holiday Inn Select stationery.

This is Anosike's handiwork. Before Tennessee's NCAA tournament opener, she drew up a competitive contract and put a box in the upper right hand corner for her teammates to check if they agreed with the seven terms.

Anosike, who authored a similar contract last season, created a document that was heavy on effort and selflessness. Considering Tennessee's 64-48 demolition of Stanford in Tuesday night's national championship game at the St. Pete Times Forum, the final term turned out to be prophetic:

"Crush anyone who is brave enough to stand in the way of our championship."

Lady Vols assistant coach Dean Lockwood joined the staff four years ago, the first season for the first wave of seniors. He has watched their evolution from start to finish.

"There was a lot of hype but you know what, just because you have hype doesn't mean you'll be able to back it up on the floor and do it night in and night out, year in and year out,'' he said. "They've backed it up. They've put some substance into the flashy title."

From the outside looking in, the group's hierarchy begins with Parker, a three-time All-American who's won some sort of national player of the year honor for two consecutive seasons. She repeated as the Final Four's most outstanding player, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and recording four steals against Stanford.

On the inside, players and coaches alike give the deepest bow of respect to Anosike, the resident locker room lawyer. This is unsolicited praise. It wasn't one of the terms of her contract.

"She is a warrior,'' Lockwood said. "I'm going to tell you right now, if you put me on a chopper, it's four in the morning and we have to drop in some zone somewhere, I want her on board."

Said Auguste: "I give all my respect to Nicky Anosike. She has heart like … Her positive attitude has helped us a whole lot."

Don't take their word for it. Look at Tennessee's play at the past two Final Fours. The Lady Vols didn't top 40 percent field-goal accuracy in any of the four games. They won their championships with defense, rebounding and effort.

Against Stanford, Tennessee allowed the fourth fewest points in a national championship game. Its 13 steals were the second highest total for a final.

Toward this end, fellow senior Alexis Hornbuckle, UT's all-time steals leader, also deserved some credit. As Lockwood said, "It's because of Nicky and Lex holding people accountable and leading by example. Those two kids absolutely put it out there. They put forth the effort. Because of that, they can now talk to people."

Still, Lockwood singled out Anosike for the scope of her stake in UT's defense.

"She takes defense personally," Lockwood said. "It's not something we do. It's not something (Coach) Pat Summitt has built the program on. She takes it personally.

"… If you score on her, she's angry."

As for her take, Anosike gave Summitt credit for keeping this meandering team on course through the season.

"I think coach did a great job of keeping us humble and not letting us think that we've arrived because we won last year," Anosike said. "I think a lot of different teams have won in the past. They can't repeat. They're overconfident. Coach has done a great job of keeping us humble. So we owe that to her."

And there you have it - the ideal competitive chain of command. The coach is a capable leader. The player serves as a tough-minded subordinate. And everyone else plays a part.

"You have to buy into a system that's already built; you just have to find your niche," Hornbuckle said. "Some of us are scorers. Some of it is defense. Some of it is rebounding. When you put it all together, we're a strong force. That's what's happened over the years."

Who would've thought it would happen this way for these basketball blue bloods?

"They've traded in their white collars," Lockwood said. "They've got the work boots at the door. They've got some dirt under their fingernails. This is a blue-collar basketball team defensively."

Write it down and remember it for all time.

***

Write it down

Never give up or let up on a play at any point in time throughout this tournament.

Speak up if at any time I witness a Lady Vol letting the rest of the team down.

Listen to advice that may potentially help the team win a championship.

Refrain from any selfishness or non-team-like behavior.

Put the success of the team before any personal agendas or goals I may have.

Do any and everything in my power to ensure that the Lady Vols become the 2008 national champions.

Crush anyone who is brave enough to stand in the way of our championship.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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