Tyler to engage in tourney talks> Maine AD headed to Colorado for NCAA women’s committee meetings

Several women’s Division I college basektball powers have benefited from hosting the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Schools such as the University of Connecticut and Tennessee are two such beneficiaries.

But University of Maine Athletic Director Sue Tyler, a member of the NCAA women’s basketball committee, said the group intends to draw up a proposal to limit schools from hosting the NCAA Tournament in any more than two successive years. The committee will meet all next week in Colorado.

So if UConn were to host the first round in the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments, it wouldn’t be able to host in 2003 even if it was the top seed.

“Schools in the next tier, like Xavier [in Ohio], have never gotten a chance to host,” said Tyler. “If this passes, schools like Xavier would have a shot to host. It would be good for the game and good for the players. It would be a tremendous boost to any city.”

She pointed out that there is such a distinct home-court advantage for schools like UConn, it isn’t fair to the other schools.

“This has been proposed before and it didn’t pass,” said Tyler.

She hopes the various committees, and ultimately the membership, will approve it this time around. But it will take time.

She also indicated that the committee would like to add a 65th team to the tournament, much like the men did. She said the women’s administrators thought the men’s proposal was for both genders, but it was not.

“What would happen is the tournament champions from the two lowest-rated conferences [with automatic qualifiers] would play a game for the 64th and final berth in the tournament,” said Tyler.

She also said a national TV package will be discussed, as will possible sites for future NCAA women’s tournament regionals and finals.

One more coach for Maine women

Recently hired University of Maine women’s basketball coach Sharon Versyp, who retained assistant coach Jody Benner and named Dana Smith as another assistant on Monday, will hire another assistant soon, according to Tyler.

Everything has been put on hold due to the death of Versyp’s mother on Thursday.

“I know she is going to choose one from the same pool of candidates [from which she chose Benner and Smith],” said Tyler.

The candidate pool consisted of 90 applicants.

Ex-Riot is named co-captain

Orono High School graduate Sarah Taylor, daughter of Tom and Kathy Taylor, has been elected co-captain of the track team at the University of Richmond.

The seven-time Maine state champion is a distance runner who was a member of the cross country team at Richmond as well as the indoor and outdoor track teams.

Taylor, an English major, is also a Dean’s List student.

Maine’s Loya likely to be drafted

Rugged University of Maine defenseman Cliff Loya, who had five assists in 29 games as a freshman at Maine this past season, will probably be a middle-round draft choice in Saturday’s NHL draft in Calgary, according to Maine coach Shawn Walsh. Walsh also said he feels freshman center Marty Kariya could go in the late rounds.

“Cliff is mobile, he was one of the youngest players in college hockey [at 17-years-old] and he played very well down the stretch,” said Walsh. “And he has natural toughness.”

Kariya notched eight goals and 17 assists in 35 games and he improved his stock with a strong finish.

“Marty had more points as a freshman than [older brother] Steve,” said Walsh, referring to the former Hobey Baker Award finalist who played for the Vancouver Canucks and AHL’s Syracuse Crunch this past season as a rookie.

Walsh also indicated there were some inquiries from NHL teams about checking-line winger Gray Shaneberger, who had two goals and an assist in 14 games.