THE THREAD [05.07.08] :: Role Changes

From an Owl to a Gamecock. South Carolina a women's basketball coach. And, to the surprise of no one who's been keeping up with the search, it's Dawn Staley.

The 38-year-old Staley is the winningest coach in Temple history with a record of 172-80. She has led the Owls to the NCAA tournament in six of her eight seasons while winning four Atlantic Ten titles.

Staley is a native of Philadelphia who played point guard at Virginia from 1989-92 and was a WNBA All-Star. She has deep roots in Philadelphia, where she was a prep star and maintains a charitable foundation.

And she loves puppies.

Emerson says it's a big hire.

The apparent hiring of Dawn Staley as USC's women's basketball coach leads to an interesting thought: In hiring two basketball coaches this spring, USC ended up hiring a bigger name for it's women's job than for the men. And I don't mean comparatively.

How does Tanner spell relief? C-I-S-C-O. Reluctantly.

"It's not like he's pitching awful," Tanner said. "But his control just isn't what it has been."

Cisco is 5-3 with a 4.98 ERA. He's dropped his past two starts, giving up 10 earned runs in the April 25 loss at LSU and then four runs (one earned) in the May 2 loss against Florida. ...

"I'm frustrated, but I'm not going to sit around and feel sorry for myself," Cisco said. "I want to work and figure out what I need to put pitches together and be consistent."

This isn't final yet, but it's definitely a fall for Cisco.

Pitching didn't matter against Wofford. South Carolina throttled the Terriers Wednesday.

Alabama State -- champions. At least when it comes to recruiting violations. As a former Alabamian, I couldn't be prouder.