The epiphany for Jolette Law came in 1994 while writing in her journal in Argentina. She was in her fourth year on tour with the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom she was the only female player.

Law

Her former college basketball coach at Iowa, C. Vivian Stringer, had always encouraged her to become a coach, and Law had always laughed it off. But as she pondered on paper what she wanted to do for the next four years of her life, her coach’s words started to make more sense.

"I got serious enough that I placed a call to her," Law said. "She didn’t take me seriously, and I said, ‘Coach, I’m calling you from Argentina. I’m serious.’ She said, ‘Well, you might be a little serious if you’re spending your money on this call.’ "

Thirteen years later, Law is the rookie head coach of the Illinois women’s basketball team, which plays Missouri at 6:30 tonight at Mizzou Arena. In her first season, she has guided the Illini to a 7-3 record.

Law got her start as an assistant coach at Ball State. After one year, she received a call from Stringer, who told her she was leaving Iowa for Rutgers.

"I said, ‘Rutgers? Where’s Rutgers?’ "

Three days later, Law was on a plane to New Jersey.

With Law as her lead recruiter, Stringer built a powerhouse at Rutgers, culminating in a runner-up finish in last season’s NCAA Tournament in their 12th year coaching together. In recent years, Stringer kept telling her protégé that she was ready to take over her own program. After rejecting some other offers, Law said yes to Illinois in May.

"I wanted it to be the right fit for me," Law said. "I wanted the right resources, academic reputation and wanted to be able to attract young ladies from all across the country."

Attracting the best players from Illinois would be a start. While she was an assistant at Rutgers, Law made a living raiding the state, plucking standouts such as Natasha Pointer and Cappie Poindexter. Meanwhile, former Illinois Coach Theresa Grentz, the coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team, struggled to keep the best players home late in her tenure. She retired last year after her 12th season at the school.

Law’s skills as a recruiter nearly enticed Hickman senior Yvonne Anderson to Champaign. Anderson listed Illinois and Texas as her final choices before signing with the Longhorns in November.

On the court, Law, 40, is trying to convert the Illini from a halfcourt team to one that plays at a much faster tempo. All the starters returned from last year’s 19-12 squad, and Illinois was picked third in the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll, so she has some talented players. Most notable is 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Jenna Smith, who averages 19.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.

"Even as an assistant, I would have placed her as one of the top 10 coaches in the country," Stringer said when Illinois hired Law. "I believe her wisdom, enthusiasm, intelligence and technical expertise is unparalleled."

Law keeps in touch with Stringer regularly. The Rutgers coach was thrust into the public eye after last year’s national championship game against Tennessee, when radio host Don Imus made his infamous derogatory comments about the Scarlet Knights. Law said some good came out of the situation, because so many people got to see Stringer in action, defending her players.

"I’m so glad the world had the opportunity to see the other side of her, not just as a basketball coach," Law said. "Each and every day, when I played for her and coached with her, she was constantly teaching us about the game of life through basketball."

Advertisement