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The greatest season in USC basketball history ended recently, not for Frank McGuire's men's team, but for Pam Parson's Lady Gamecocks. After only three years as head coach and women's athletic director Parsons took USC to unbelievable heights. When Parsons came to USC from Old Dominion University no one in Columbia knew much about her, except that she signed the best basketball player in the history of women's basketball when she got Nancy Lieberman to come to ODU. necrumng is one ining, coacning is anomer. tsui parsons proved sne could do both compiling an 81-26 record in three years. There was no rebuilding period. BEFORE PARSONS came to USC, the women's program was in disarray. The Chicks, as they were called at the time, had compiled a 15-33 record in the two seasons prior to her arrival. No one really seemed interested in women's athletics at Carolina, but coach Carlen decided to build the program and he thought Parsons was the best person for the job. How right he was. The energetic Richfield, Utah native left Norfolk and Old Dominion University to come south to Columbia. She brought together a group of inexperienced freshmen, a junior college transfer, and the remaining players from the preceeding team to obtain an amazing 24-10 record, the state championship and a fifth place finish in the Region II Tournament. Parsons was not only interested in basketball. Under her guidance other women's sports have prospered. In 1979, four of the women's programs finished in the top 20. ALTHOUGH MOST USC followers were satisfied with Carolina's first year performance. Parsons was not. She went out and recruited two of the most highly sought freshmen in the country. The team went on to post a 27-10 record and their second state championship in as many years. They improved to a fourth place finish in the region and went on to the National Women's Invitational Tournament where they stunned the basketball world by winning the title. Nancy Lieberman and Inge Nissen, both of ODU, wanted very much to transfer to USC for that season. Neither player was happy with the new coach at ODU and Lieberman was having grade problems. With these two players and the ones already at Carolina, the odds on winning the national championship definitely would have been in USC's favor. But Parsons was so opposed to the transfer rule, which allows a girl to play at her new school without sitting out a year, that she refused to take the two Ail-Americans. "I THINK THE transfer rule is the worst one the AI AW has," Parsons said. "The way it is now a girl is not forced to make a commitment. She can leave for any reason without a sacrifice. I do not take transfers for this reason." Besides winning the NWIT there were other highlights for Parsons and her Lady Gamecock crew during the 78-79 season. They defeated national power NC State and the Czechoslovakian Olympic team. See Great Season, page 15 w/^inw ^ ?? ? 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