Letters

Thanks for acknowledging how far women's hoops has come and how much fun we're having here in Knoxville .
—WOODY ENGLISH, Knoxville , Tenn.

The NCAAs
Some found this season's NCAA basketball tournament the most exciting ever (Comeback Cats, April 6), but the year that stands out in my mind as having the most exciting early-round action is 1990. Out of 48 first-and second-round games, 22 were decided by four points or less. Of course, any year could probably be called the most exciting ever. That's what makes the NCAAs the best sporting event in the country.
SCOTT VERBOUT, Chandler, Ariz.

Now that we have the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four, why not round out the picture: Successful 64, Toughened 32, Tantalizing Two and Omnipotent One?
HARVEY F. LUDWIG, Bangkok

Thanks for the wonderful coverage of the Tennessee women's basketball team (Good, Better, Best, April 6). One omitted stat: coach Pat Summitt has a 100% graduation rate, a brag fact of which all Lady Vols fans are proud.
ANGELA HARRINGTON Dyersburg, Tenn.

The best basketball game I have watched in 73 years was Tennessee against Louisiana Tech in the NCAA women's final. I could not believe the energy and all-out effort of the Lady Vols . They never slowed down from wire to wire.
R.H. BRACHT, Houston

The Wizards
Phil Taylor 's article on my hometown team was right on the money (Slitting Their Own Throats? April 6). The Wizards are long on talent, money and skill, but short on court smarts. They have three stars in Chris Webber , Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland , yet none wants to take charge.
ERIC ISAAC, Washington, D.C.

Until the NBA suspends or bans players like Webber and Strickland , boorish behavior and puerile antics will prevail. I refuse to pay $50 to watch a bunch of preening egomaniacs prance up arid down the court jamming and high-fiving.

I love basketball as it should be played—and is played by teams like Duke, Princeton , Utah and the Indiana Pacers—with unselfishness, class players and coaches who emphasize fundamentals and traditions.
THOMAS M. NEALE, Richmond , Va.

The Washington Wizards are young, energetic and exciting. They'll be fine. Leave them alone.
RICHARD E. RUGGERI, Warwick , N.Y.

World Hockey Association
Allen Abel's story on the emergence of the WHA was fabulous (When Hell Froze Over, April 6). The renegade league rocked the hard-line NHL general managers and owners who ruled hockey, and it changed the game forever.
DAVE DE MELO, Mississauga , Ont.