The program, which launched Stanford's VanDerveer to national prominence, was coming off a 12-16 record and was having trouble keeping the best Ohio high school players at home. Burns is determined to change that. In 1991, her father died of a heart attack that resulted from an accident. His last words to Pat were about the San Diego State team's recruiting. The fireman's daughter told that story with a look of wonder in her eyes.
Time is of the essence.
Her job now is to rebuild OSU quickly. The formula is simple enough but no piece of cake. Nothing even comes in a close second. She closed with a tale from the first year of her Colorado days with Barry. We were 6-22.