Nov. 7, 2007
By Turner Walston
Senior LaToya Pringle knows how important her play will have to be, if the Tar Heels expect another big season. A 6'3 forward, Pringle usually draws the unenviable task of guarding the opponent's best post player. Against Tennessee in the 2007 Final Four, that meant Candace Parker, the tournament's eventual Most Outstanding Player.
Parker was held to 3 of 12 shooting on the night, but Pringle fouled out with 4:35 to go. At the time, the Tar Heels led, 48-43. Camille Little had committed her fifth foul just 35 seconds earlier. The absence of two starting Tar Heel forwards made things significantly easier for Parker. She had eight points when Pringle fouled out, but Parker's six points the rest of the way provided the margin for the Volunteers' 56-50 win. The Tar Heels had lost in the national semifinal for the second straight season.
In 21 minutes of action, Pringle had four points, seven rebounds, four blocks and a steal in the national semifinal. But Pringle's foul trouble meant the Tar Heels went without a field goal and gave up six potential offensive rebounds after she left the game. "It was frustrating, because it was such a close game," she says. "For both of us to foul out, it was so frustrating knowing I couldn't help my team for the last four or five minutes."
Sylvia Hatchell believes Pringle is vitally important to her team's success this season. "If there's a better defensive player in the country, I don't know who it would be," the coach says. "She's as good as anybody we have, as far as not letting you get to the basket in one-on-one."
Last season, Pringle set a Tar Heel record with 121 blocks, an average of nearly 3.2 per game. That was good enough for second in the ACC and fifth in the nation. With 241 blocks for her career, Pringle needs just 89 to break Dawn Royster's school record of 329 in a career. Hatchell suggests that Pringle's experience playing another sport in high school has helped her collect so many blocks. "She has great timing, and I think a lot of that is because she was all-state in volleyball. She's up on that net blocking the ball all the time."
Though she didn't care for volleyball at first, Pringle says the nature of the sport contributed to her defensive timing on the basketball court. "It helped me not to swat when I block shots," she says. "Just to go straight up and hit it at its peak."
Over the course of her career, Pringle says she has improved her defense by watching film. She studies her opponents and knows what each brings to the table. "It's all about anticipation, not reacting," she says. "You kind of predict what they're going to do. Most people have a signature move that they are known for, and I study that before we play them. If I play Crystal Langhorne, I might not play her the same way I'd play Khadijah Whittington," she says.
A long, lithe defender, Pringle knows opposing teams will attack her with bulk and strength. She'll be ready for that, too. "We always say you compensate bulk with speed. I have a the quickness advantage versus the actual muscle and strength." Pringle's long arms present problems for opposing players. "Coach Hatchell wants us to pressure, and my wingspan is long, so I don't have to be in their face, but I can still pressure them. It also helps me because I have an extra step."
With Little graduated, Pringle says this season she'll have to play smarter. "I'll always think, in the back of my mind, I really don't have Camille, if I'm out, to play defense. She was one of the best defensive players on the team."
Little's absence also opens up opportunities for Pringle offensively. But she won't force it. "I'm kind of like the little sneaky girl," she says. "You don't know what to expect, and that's fine with me. I just know that I have to come out every game and do very well on the defensive end, and hopefully the offense will come."
With defenders giving extra attention to National Player of the Year candidate Erlana Larkins, Pringle will find ways to get open underneath the basket. "Erlana's going to be on the block, so I would just dive to the opposite block, and she's a great passer. Most of the time, she'll find me."
Pringle has never been on a team that has lost an ACC Tournament game, and says she would love to get her fourth title. She says all that's left for her is an NCAA title. "We basically accomplished everything else, besides winning a national championship," she says. And one more thing, she laughs. "And personally, I need 89 blocks."
