Guru's Associated Press Women's Poll Trivia

By Mel Greenberg

Associated Press national women’s basketball writer Doug Feinberg will be rolling out a story, which you might see by the time you are reading this, on the 20th anniversary of the poll since the board switched to writers.

Overall we hit the 39th season and as promised here is a lot of trivia, some of which Doug had on his AP preseason poll story.

Gone From the final poll of last season Penn St. 14, ending a string of 49 straight weeks, N.C. State 16, Purdue 17, Gonzaga 18, Middle Tenn. 22, Southern Cal 25.

Replacements Texas 9, first top 10 since 2009 and one of the bigger nowhere to return jumps, though tweener seasons get a Guru asterisk, Oregon State 20, first since final poll of 1996 – 19 seasons, Dayton 22, UCLA 23, Rutgers, 24, Syracuse 25.

Conference Strength Big Ten (most since 2004) and Atlantic Coast 5 each, SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 with 4 each, Mid-majors: Atlantic 10, American, Big East: 1 each.

With Oregon State return, first coach appearance for Scott Rueck, who recently was given a contract extension.

Connecticut is the only team to be in the Top 5 for all 90 weeks of the current decade and the Huskies are joined by Stanford and Duke as only teams in the Top 10 across the same period.

Slippery Slope Louisville went from 4 in final poll to 12 and West Virginia went from 7 to 17.

Soaring Texas A&M from 15 to 5, Texas from unranked to 9, Michigan State from 20 to 14, DePaul from 23 to 18, California from 24 to 15.

Tennessee is the only team to appear in every preseason poll except the first in 1976 and only team to appear every season, missing just 14 weeks of the 673rd to date under coaches Pat Summitt and Holly Warlick.

Connecticut now has 10 preseason No. 1, second to Tennessee at 12. This is Syracuse’s first preseason poll appearance.


All Time Preseason No. 1 Appearances
(Tenn and La. Tech tied one season)

Tenn. 12
Conn. 10
La. Tech 3
Baylor 2
Duke 2
Sou. Cal 2
Stanford 2
Texas 2
Delta St. 1
Georgia 1
Maryland 1
ODU 1
Virginia 1

Total Preseason Top 5s
Tenn. 31
Conn. 18
La Tech 15
Stanford 13
Georgia 12
Texas 10

Total Preseason Top 10s

Tenn 31
Stanford 23
Conn 22
Ga. 21
La Tech 20
Duke 18
Texas 15
LSU 11
Md. 11
UNC 11
ODU 11

Total Preseason App.

Tenn. 38
Ga. 32
Texas 30
La. Tech 27
Md. 27
Stanford 27
Conn. 25
Penn St. 25
Rutgers 25
LSU 23
UNC 22
Duke 21
N.C. State 20
ODU 20
Purdue 20
Virginia 19

Coaching Appearances

Women’s Hoops Guru

(Oct. 30, 2014) also adjusted for offseason coach changes
Quick hits on AP poll (week 1-preseason – for coaches’ appearances week No. 1)
(This is 673rd poll after week 1 for 2014-15). (Records on pages through week 1-preseasson)

Coaches with Three Ranked Teams

C. Vivian Stringer (Cheyney-85), (Iowa-155), (Rutgers-172), 412
Jim Foster (St. Joe-35), (Vanderbilt-164), (Ohio St.-171), 370
Gary Blair (Stephen F. Austin-79), (Arkansas-67), (Texas A&M-153), 299
Marianne Stanley (Old Dominion-141), (Southern Cal-24), (Stanford*-18), 183
Lin Dunn (Miami-2), (Mississippi-1), (Purdue-130), 133
Don Perrelli (Northwestern-52), (S. Conn.-20), (St. John’s-1), 73
Tom Collen (Colorado St.-34), (Louisville-17), (Arkansas-9), 60
Sharon Fanning-Otis (Kentucky-4), (Miss. St.-48), (Tenn.-Chattannoga-4), 56
Debbie Yow (Florida-2), (Kentucky-21), (Oral Roberts-1), 24

Co-Coaches

Kittie Blakemore, Scott Harrelson – West Virginia 8
Sonja Hogg, Leon Barmore – Louisiana Tech 51
Jill Hutchison, Linda Fischer – Illinois St. 3
Jim Jarrett, Joyce Patterson – Georgia St. 1
Marianne Stanley, Amy Tucker – Stanford 18
Jim Bolla, Sheila Strike – UNLV 18

Coaches All Time Ranking Appearances

(note: Of first 23 coaches only Rene Portland and Joan Bonvicini have yet to make the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame -- Baylor's Kim Mulkey in as a former La. Tech player. )

1. **- Pat Summitt, Tennessee – 618 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history)
2. Andy Landers, Georgia – 509
3. Tara VanDerveer (2 schools – Ohio St., Stanford) – 467
4. Geno Auriemma, Connecticut – 427
5. C. Vivian Stringer (3 schools – Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) – 412
6. **-Jody Conradt, Texas – 395
7. (((-Jim Foster (3 schools – St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio St.) – 370
8. Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina – 365
9. **-Rene Portland (2 schools – St. Joseph, Penn St.) – 336
10. **-Debbie Ryan, Virginia – 328
11. **- Kay Yow, North Caro. St. – 326
12. **-Leon Barmore, Louisiana Tech (51-shared with Sonja Hogg) – 325
13. Gary Blair, (3 schools – Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M) – 299
14.**- Gail Goestenkors (2 schools – Duke, Texas) – 295
15. **-Joe Ciampi, Auburn – 290
16. Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame – 276
17. **-Sue Gunter (2 schools – Stephen F. Austin, LSU) – 270
18. &&-Joan Bonvicini (2 schools – Long Beach, Arizona) - 267
19. **-Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech – 264
20. **-Van Chancellor (2 schools – Mississippi, LSU) – 261
21. Kim Mulkey, Baylor 229
22. **-Chris Weller, Maryland - 227
23. **-Theresa Grentz (2 schools – Rutgers, Illinois) – 225
24. Sherri Coale, Oklahoma 224
25. Joanne P. McCallie (2 schools – Michigan St., Duke) – 206
26. **-Marianne Stanley (3 schools – Old Dominion, Southern Cal, Stanford*) – 183
27. **-Paul Sanderford (2 schools – W. Kentucky, Nebraska) – 182
28. Brenda Frese (2 schools – Minnesota, Maryland) -- 181
29. **-Marian Washington, Kansas – 176
**-Not in college or not in as a head coach or deceased

Active Coaches-All Time AP Ranking Appearances

1. Andy Landers, Georgia – 509
2. Tara VanDerveer (2 schools – Ohio St., Stanford) – 467
3. Geno Auriemma, Connecticut – 427
4. C.Vivian Stringer (3 schools – Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) – 412
5. (((-Jim Foster (3 schools – St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio St.) – 370
6. Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina – 365
7. Gary Blair, (3 schools – Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M) – 299
8. Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame – 276
9.&&--Joan Bonvicini (2 schools – Long Beach, Arizona) - 267
10. Kim Mulkey, Baylor – 229
11. Sherri Coale, Oklahoma – 223
12. Joanne P. McCallie (2 schools - Michigan St., Duke) – 206
13. Brenda Frese (2 schools, Minnesota, Maryland) – 181
14. Melanie Balcomb (2 schools – Xavier, Vanderbilt) – 161
15. Bill Fennelly, (2 schools – Toledo, Iowa St.) – 155
16. Doug Bruno, DePaul – 142
17. @!@!-Kristy Curry (2 schools – Purdue, Texas Tech) – 136
18. %%- Joe McKeown (2 schools – New Mexico St., Geo. Washington) – 116
19. ==== Jim Davis, Clemson, 106
20.)))-Chris Gobrecht (Washington) - 104
21. !!!- Jane Albright (2 schools – N. Illinois, Wisconsin) – 96
22. Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky – 86
23. Jeff Walz, Louisville – 85
24. Charli Turner Thorne, Arizona St. – 84
25. Sharon Versyp, Purdue – 83
26. Sue Semrau, Florida St. – 79
27. Connie Yori (Creighton, Nebraska) – 71
28. Dawn Staley (Temple, South Carolina) – 67
29. Mike Carey, West Virginia – 64
30. Joanne Boyle, California (2 schools – California, Virginia) – 61
30. Coquese Washington, Penn State – 61
32. Tom Collen, (3 schools, Colorado St., Louisville, Arkansas) – 60
33. Bonnie Henrickson, (2 schools -- Virginia Tech, Kansas) – 54
33. Suzy Merchant, Michigan St. – 54
35. ***-Kathy Olivier, UCLA 52
36. ^^^-Kevin McGuff, Xavier – 50
37. ____Terri Williams-Flournoy, Georgetown – 48
38. Harry Perretta, Villanova – 44
39. Lindsay Gottlieb, California 41
39. Holly Warlick, Tennessee – 41
41. Lisa Bluder (2 schools – Iowa, Drake) – 38
41.@@@@- Kelly Graves, Gonzaga – 38
41. #####-Jeff Mittie, TCU – 38
44. Jim Littell, Oklahoma State – 37
45.%=%= Matt Bollant, Wis.-Green Bay – 35
45. Katie Meier, Miami –35
47. Lisa Stockton, Tulane – 34
48. $$$- June Daugherty (2 schools – Boise St.,Washington) – 32
49. MaChelle Joseph, Georgia Tech - 31

&&-Active at Seattle; )))-Active at Yale; $$$-Active at Wash. St.; %%-Active at Northwestern; !!!-Active at Nevada; @@@@-Active at Oregon; ^^^-Active at Ohio State.; ==== Active at Tenn Tech; ____Active at Auburn; %=%= Active at Illinois; (((-Active at Tenn.-Chattanooga; @!@!-Active at Alabama, #####-activre at Kansas State.

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