University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC's Barksdale Competing At Both Final Fours
March 28, 2001 | Women's Basketball
March 28, 2001
Every women's basketball team in the country fought to reach St. Louis for this weekend's Final Four, and every men's team had its sights on Minneapolis. North Carolina's LaQuanda Barksdale is among a select group of senior standouts who will compete at both Final Four sites this week.
On Thursday evening, Barksdale will take part in the 13th Annual College Slam Dunk and Three-Point Basketball Championships in Minneapolis. The event, which also includes men's three-point shooting and slam dunk contests, will be held at Concordia University and hosted by ESPN's Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale.
During four years playing forward at UNC, Barksdale was 74-208 (35.6 percent) from three-point range. Thursday's contest is an opportunity for her to highlight her outside shooting abilities three weeks before the WNBA draft, which is on April 20. "I think this could up her stock even more by showing how versatile she is," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said.
By the time that event airs on ESPN Saturday afternoon at 1:30, Barksdale will have moved on to St. Louis. There she'll play in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Challenge, which begins Saturday at 4:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. ET). The game will be held at the WU Field House on the campus of Washington University, and Barksdale will play for the Blues.
"I'm excited to play against some of the nation's best players," she says. "I already know most of them from USA Basketball and from playing against them throughout my career." Other Atlantic Coast Conference players in the game are Duke's Georgia Schweitzer and Florida State's Brooke Wyckoff, both of whom will play for the opposing team, the Jazz.
Barksdale is one of four players competing in both the Three-Point Championship and the WBCA game. Joining her in the double are Xavier's Nicole Levandusky, Georgia's Coco Miller and Rutgers' Tasha Pointer.
Hatchell, excited to see Barksdale included among the nation's top seniors, will be in attendance at the WBCA game, cheering for her player.
"She's reaping the benefits of years of hard work and dedication," Hatchell said.
Barksdale has led UNC in scoring in each of the past two seasons, averaging 19.0 points per game as a senior in 2000-01. She averaged a double-double last season, with 11.5 rebounds per game, and was named All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament for the second season in a row.
Women's Three-Point Championship participants:
LaQuanda Barksdale, North Carolina
Nicole Levandusky, Xavier
Jamie Lewis, Ohio State
Coco Miller, Georgia
Tasha Pointer, Rutgers
Holli Tapley, Fairfield
Wendi Willits, Arkansas
Kim Woodlee, Kansas State
WBCA All-Star Challenge participants:
Blues (Visiting Team)
Kristeena Alexander, George Washington
LaQuanda Barksdale, North Carolina
Cara Consuegra, Iowa
Marie Ferdinand, LSU
Theresa LeCuyer, North Dakota
Nicole Levandusky, Xavier
Coco Miller, Georgia
Tasha Pointer, Rutgers
Maren Walseth, Penn State
Head coach: Jane Albright (Wisconsin)
Assistant coach: Nan Carney-DeBord (Ohio Wesleyan)
Jazz (Home Team)
Tombi Bell, Florida
Janell Burse, Tulane
Nicole LaVan, Cumberland College
Kelly Miller, Georgia
Semeka Randall, Tennessee
Tasha Rodgers, Washington University
Georgia Schweitzer, Duke
Lisa Shepherd, Penn State
Tammy Sutton-Brown, Rutgers
Brooke Wyckoff, Florida State
Head coach: Lisa Stone (Drake)
Assistant coach: Jim Littell (Seward County Community College)
