ATHENS - Plenty of star power has come through Georgia during Andy Landers' quarter-century as the women's basketball coach.
From Janet Harris to Teresa Edwards, from Katrina McClain to the Miller twins, Landers has no shortage of experience when it comes to dealing with high-profile players.
Then along came Tasha Humphrey of Gainesville.
Landers got things rolling when he compared the 6-foot-2 freshman to Charles Barkley. Humphrey did nothing to lessen the enormous expectations when she scored 27 points against then-No. 2 Texas in her second college
game.
``Coming in, we knew she was going to be good,'' sophomore Rebecca Rowsey said. ``But she really surprised me with the poise she's got. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She makes really good decisions. She can take
it to anybody.''
Landers knows this could be that once-in-a-lifetime player, a hoops version of Herschel Walker. The coach acknowledged as much when he imposed the ``Tasha Rule'' barring freshmen from talking to the media until the
team returns from a tournament in Hawaii this weekend.
In all his years of coaching, no one can recall Landers taking such an extraordinary step.
``I can't wait for you to talk to her,'' Landers said. ``You're really going to like her.''
But the coach knew that Humphrey would be getting plenty of attention soon enough. He was more concerned with the freshman being accepted by her teammates.
Would the older players become jealous when they realized Humphrey was already the team's best player? Would they become resentful about her getting all the media attention?
``I decided this way before the season mostly because of our team,'' Landers said. ``The focus is going to be on Tasha. I understand that. I don't have a problem with that. But the team has got to get comfortable with her.''
Remember, this isn't some fly-by-night program. The No. 3 Lady Bulldogs have been to the NCAA tournament 21 times, culminating with five appearances in the Final Four. Last season, they reached the West Regional final before losing to conference rival LSU.
Humphrey's stocky frame and low-post moves definitely rekindle memories of Barkley in his prime. In the victory over Texas, she was virtually unstoppable once the Lady Bulldogs made it a priority to get her the ball
in the lane. Of her 27 points, 24 came in the second half.
``Tasha is so strong in there,'' Rowsey said. ``She's really good at getting her shot off against taller players.''
Humphrey also holds her own when it comes to rebounding, using her considerable width to box out taller players a tactic that Barkley
perfected on his way to becoming the ``Round Mound of Rebound.''
Then there's the softer edges to Humphrey's game. She is one of the better passers on the team, which she demonstrated against the Longhorns with a nifty no-look pass on the give-and-go to give Cori Chambers a layup.
``She has so much basketball sense,'' Landers said. ``She's studied the game. She's still studying it. She listens to what other people have to say. She'll see something on TV and want to talk about it with you the next day.''
Finally, there's the intangibles, those little things that only a coach notices. For instance, when Humphrey came out for a breather against Texas, she gave Landers a subtle pat on the leg, as if to say, ``Everything is going to be OK.''
``She's such a great kid,'' Landers said. ``It's really easy to be her coach.''
Of course, it doesn't hurt that her mother, Brenda Hill, was a star player at Auburn in the 1980s and now works on Landers' staff.
The Georgia coach raised plenty of eyebrows when he hired Hill as an assistant in 2002, giving the Lady Bulldogs a decided advantage when it came time for Humphrey to decide on a college. Hill's only previous coaching experience was six years as an assistant at Gainesville High School, where her daughter was the star player.
After watching Humphrey play, Landers probably figured he could handle a little heat for his hiring decision.
The only thing missing from Georgia's trophy case is a national championship. Humphrey might be the player who gets the Lady Bulldogs over the hump.
``Certain players are special,'' Texas coach Jody Conradt said. ``You just hope you have one of them.''
Saturday
June 14th, 2025
12:25AM
