Guru’s March Madness — III: Rutgers’ Stringer — Disparities for WBB Are Nothing New

 

By Cathy Bongiovi 

 

Throughout her 50-year coaching career, Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer has seen it all. 

 

As the NCAA reels from this week’s exposure of disparities between operations of its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, currently hosted at one neutral site per gender due to COVID protocols, Stringer pointed out the obvious– disparities between men’s and women’s basketball are nothing new.  

 

“There are many women’s teams that are not treated nearly as well as I would think they should be treated,” Stringer said. 

 

“The fact that they recognized the disparities that have taken place here at these various sites, it’s good, because it puts the focus on everybody about why and how did that happen. It’s not unusual. It’s been happening for a long time.”

 

Stringer also recalled the time her No. 2-seeded Iowa team was forced to play an NCAA game on the road in 1993.

 

“I was upset, because we had an event. 

“Even though we were seeded, we had to leave our site in Iowa, but because the University was having a concert.”

 

She asked the University to move the concert to no avail. 

Her team lost its homecourt advantage, something that would not have happened to the men’s team.

 

But Stringer’s team overcame adversity and prevailed.  

Her Hawkeyes not only won that second round game on the road, they captured the Mideast Regional championship and advanced to the Final Four in Atlanta. 

 

At home in New Jersey, Stringer is grateful to the Rutgers’ administration for making disparity a non-issue on campus. 

 

“Pat Hobbs and Sarah (Baumgartner) demanded equality in every aspect of what we’re doing here in our women’s program.”

 

“I’m happy to say at Rutgers we’re fine; we’re going great now. 

“I recognize that there are a lot of women’s programs that are nowhere near what they should be."       

 

Sixth-seeded Rutgers (14-4) takes on No. 11 seed Brigham Young (18-5) on Monday, March 22, at Noon ET (11 AM CT) in first round action of the Mercado Region at Texas State. 

The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.