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| 08-22-2003 | Previous edition: 08-08-2003 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Curry fills coaching holes with 'family'By Steve MillerAssistant Sports Editor While trying to fill the vacant coaching spots on the Purdue women's basketball team, coach Kristy Curry found just what she was looking for in the Boiler family. On April 28, Curry added Katrina Merriweather, granddaughter of former Purdue All-American Willie Merriweather, to her coaching staff. Two weeks later, she hired Jannon Roland, who was a forward for the Boilers from 1994 to 1997. "We're very pleased with the new coaches on our staff," Curry said. "They bring a great sense of energy and enthusiasm to the team." The loss of former assistants Pam Stackhouse and Kerry Cremeans, who left Purdue at the end of the 2003 season to explore other coaching opportunities, left Curry with only half a coaching staff - and big shoes to fill for any heirs to the assistant coaching positions. With Cremeans and Stackhouse on the sidelines, the Boilers made three trips to the Elite 8 and two to the Final Four - including Purdue's 1999 national championship run. Merriweather and Roland, on the other hand, have limited coaching experience. Merriweather was a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Cincinnati, and an assistant coach for one year at Illinois-Chicago. Roland coached for J.R.K-Squared and at the high school level at Columbus, Ohio. Meanwhile, Stackhouse and Cremeans have a combined eight years of experience at the division-I level with three teams. But Curry didn't want another Stackhouse or Cremeans. She wanted two new coaches who would be themselves - and that's just what she got with Roland and Merriweather. "We have different things to offer than Stack and Kerry did," said Roland. "Not necessarily better, just different. Any successful person takes different aspects that made someone else successful and adds it to what they do." Curry said that she had a large field to choose from ("I can't even begin to tell you"), but that Roland and Merriweather possessed the intangible qualities she was looking for. Their ties to Purdue didn't hurt their chances of landing a job on Curry's staff either; in addition to their status as role models, Curry said that the coaches' personal history with the Boilers was an important factor in her hiring decision. "I think we have a tremendous amount of proud tradition here," Curry said, "and I wanted to bring a piece of that back." For Roland, it was either Purdue or nowhere. She's spent the overwhelming majority of her career in basketball as a player, logging in seasons with the Columbus Quest and New England Blizzard of the ABL, as well as with the WNBA's Orlando Miracle. Roland has been courted with coaching jobs at Ohio State and Xavier, among others, ever since her playing eligibility ran out at Purdue. But she still didn't plan on making the leap to the front office; at least, until she came across an offer she couldn't refuse - like Curry's. "With a situation like Purdue had to offer," said Roland, "it was just too much to turn down." "Besides," she said, "I was already in town." Roland has high hopes that her background as a player will help her make a connection with the Boilers. "I understand what it feels like to want to be good, and I understand what it feels like to not have good days," Roland said. "I think communication is the biggest difference." Now that all the business is taken care of, the new coaches are counting the days until they can go to work on the floor. "We got all that stuff out of the way," Roland said. "Now comes the fun part." Printer-friendly version |
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