Teresa Weatherspoon

Sport: Basketball

Induction Year: 2010

University: Louisiana Tech

Induction Year: 2010

T-Spoon has heaps and heaps of credentials for Hall enshrinement

By O.K. Davis
Ruston Daily Leader

It was in 2000, during a practice session with the New York Liberty, when Johnson discovered the five-star intensity level of Teresa Weatherspoon.

“I thought I was a pretty hard-nosed player,” laughed Johnson at the recollection. “But I found out that day it was nothing compared to ‘Spoon.’

“She was starting for the Liberty and I was on the second team and, being that I was still relatively new to the league, I wanted to see how I could do against her. On this day, we got to battling pretty good and the next thing I know, I am getting a forearm in my mouth from ‘Spoon.’

At the time, Johnson might have felt as if Evander Holyfield or Mike Tyson had suddenly stepped on the court.

“I took four or five stitches,” Johnson said. “You can’t tell now where it happened, but trust me, I still remember it like it was yesterday.

But that’s the type of competitiveness and intensity that Teresa Weatherspoon brought to the game. It didn’t matter where it was, practice or a game. She gave it everything she had. She became a role model for me to see just what it takes to play this game and to have the type of passion she had for it every time she walked on to the court.”

Passion, intensity, competitiveness.

Those are the buzz words traditionally used to describe the makeup of Weatherspoon, the former Louisiana Tech University and professional star who will be among the inductees into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on June 26, 2010.

When enshrinement ceremonies are held at the Natchitoches Events Center on that night, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Weatherspoon sprinted on to the stage, ready to go into a defensive stance.

Or, at the very least, locked into a turbocharged mode usually reserved for a pregame speech.

Be assured that she’s ecstatic over this honor, one that follows her  mid-June induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I am speechless over how much this means and how honored and humbled I am to be a part of this great Hall of Fame,” she said. “The great thing about it is that I will be able to share this very special moment with family members, friends and so many others who have helped me achieve success and be a part of the great game of basketball.

“This is an honor that will be shared by so many people who have helped make it possible for Teresa Weatherspoon to be honored as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.”

But the proof of Weatherspoon’s road to Natchitoches is in a lengthy roll call of accomplishments, ranging from her stardom in the prep ranks in Pineland, Texas to being chosen as a two-time Kodak All-American and Wade Trophy recipient at Tech and then on to being a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (and the very first player ever chosen for the award) in the WNBA and a six-time All-Italian League and two-time All-Russian League member overseas.

Some other achievements that helped assure her of becoming a member of the 2010 induction class:

• Two-time NCAA All-Final Four team member.
• Member of 1988 U.S. gold medal-winning team at Summer Olympic Games.
• Member of Louisiana Tech University’s last NCAA national title-winning club, also in 1988.
• Four-time WNBA All-Star selection.
• Broderick Cup winner in 1988.
• Louisiana Sports Writers Association state Player of the Year in 1988.

And then there was “The Shot” in a WNBA game in 1999.

As time expired, Weatherspoon fired up a 60-foot jump shot that went in and gave the Liberty a 68-67 victory over the Houston Comets in Game Three of the finals.

“That’s the highlight moment that everybody remembers about Teresa’s career in the WNBA,” recalled Carol Blazejowski, the president and general manager of the Libery and one of the WNBA’s legendary players.

“But she had a lot of great moments wherever she’s been and that now includes being head coach at her university.

“She’s simply been a legend at all levels. Certainly, she’s been the signature face of the Liberty. But what you also have to appreciate and admire about Teresa Weatherspoon is that she has given so much back to the game and others. She gets it.”

And she certainly got it when, in her final game as a collegian, she put the Lady Techsters on her back and led them to their last NCAA crown.

“We were trailing Auburn by 14 points at halftime,” remembered former Techsters’ head coach Leon Barmore about the title game in Tacoma, Wash. “Ruthie Bolton, their All-American player, had 16 points in the first half. When we met in the locker room at halftime, I turned to Teresa and told her we had to have her stopping Bolton or we weren’t going to win this game. I challenged her to get the job done.

“And she answered the challenge. Bolton didn’t score a single point in the second half and we wound up winning the national championship (56-54).”

Added Barmore: “We had the right player at the right time.”

So did the Liberty, who were a perennial WNBA playoff participant with her in the backcourt, and so did the 1988 U.S. Olympic team which brought a gold medal back from Seoul.

She was a member of two Russian League championship teams, plus on a World Games’ title-conquering squad.

“It’s not simply about ‘Spoon as a player, but the intensity and love that she brings to the game. How can you not get excited about things once you see that infectious smile she has and the passion that she has for everything she does?”

Hired late in the 2008-09 season as an interim head coach of the Lady Techsters, Weatherspoon turned that team around and had it go on a torrid stretch run performance that resulted in a WNIT berth and renewed confidence in the program.

Then this past season, the Techsters went 23-9 overall, compiled an 11-5 mark in the Western Athletic Conference, captured the league postseason tournament title and returned to the NCAA tournament.

“When you look into the annals of Lady Techsters basketball,” said Malcolm Butler, media relations’ director at Tech, “Weatherspoon’s name is riddled throughout.

“However, if you were trying to pick the person who best embodies what Lady Techsters basketball is all about for the past 36 years, she is the one. T-Spoon is Lady Techster basketball. Today, she leads her team with the same fire and passion that she played with for so many years.

She is as gifted a coach as she was a player. Her love, passion and intensity for this game, this program, this community and her players are what separate her from most others.”

And if one isn’t totally convinced, asking Vickie Johnson about that practice session with the New York Liberty in 2002 should provide the answer.