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Guru's Musings: Delaware's Joyce Perry Remembered

By Mel Greenberg

This is not going to be too long in that the Guru has been busy with the countdown and out this week.

But in noticing the news over the weekend of the passing of former Delaware coach Joyce Perry, the Guru would like to say she was a class act.

Joyce, who became Delaware's coach in 1978 two years after the Guru launched what became the Associated Press women's poll, was brought aboard as one of the voting board. Even though the Blue Hens were not high threshhold, but still competitive during her era, she was one of our group who consistently was on hand every Sunday to cast her ballot.

Her Delaware teams, as Tina Martin's now, always had a strong mix of scheduling against the Big Five and Joyce was usually a part of the Philly social group at Final Fours during her time.

She preserved the work of Mary Ann Campbell (Hitchens) and moved Delaware forward, setting the stage for Tina Martin to lead the Blue Hens through new threshholds.

The Guru sends his condolences to the entire Delaware family on her passing.

Nolan's Lafayette Hire Evokes Memory Lane

The news that Yale assistant Dianne Nolan will become the new coach of Lafayette evokes memories of a long-tme association back to the days of when she was a high school student, the Guru was a basketball manager at Temple, and her older brother Drew played for the Owls.

The Guru, who had the comp tickets at a time when NCAA regulations, usually found a way to take care of her friends and invite them to the parties afterwards.

Some time after Temple won the NIT when it was fashionable to win the NIT and the Guru moved on to his next life at The Inquirer and eventually launched the poll, he got a letter (no email back then folk) from the coach's office at St. Francis, N.Y., which began -- "You may not remember me. . ."

Nolan went on to a long stint at Fairfield and of course the Guru made her a voter also.

Speaking of voters, former Maryland coach Chris Weller who will be an inductee in June at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville was one of the Guru's original charter group.

Just mentioning it, though as the Guru continues to note, his own era will continue in a form to be determined shortly.

It's just the print relationship that will change though as a certain former High School turned-volleyball player said at a press conference in a neighboring state below here in the fall of 2008 -- the home of the vice president for the geographically challenged -- "Can't say never because that's a long time. In her case, implied "never" lasted around 12 months.

More from the ship while still on board in the next 24 or 48.

  -- Mel