Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry are close friends

3/25/2008 7:15 AM

By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - They are rivals on the sidelines, and their women's basketball teams will compete Tuesday night for a spot in the Greensboro regional semifinals.

And when it's over, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan and Old Dominion's Wendy Larry still will be close friends, bound not only by their profession but by a history that became far more personal in August 2000 when Ryan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

``Wendy was one of the first people to get in touch with me and she actually sent this huge gift basket that was full of all of my favorite candy and food,'' Ryan said Monday, adding that an inside joke also inspired the inclusion of a fishing pole.

``It was an amazing thing because Wendy never knew what my favorite candy was, ... but she went out and found out all these things from other people and sent them to my home and my family had a great time every day opening up something new,'' she said.

``That just gives you an idea that Wendy is not just about basketball,'' Ryan said. ``She's somebody that really cares for the people she knows in this business.''

But Larry's caring didn't stop with a basket of candy.

``I keep an eye on her,'' Larry said when she was asked if she routinely follows the progress of Ryan's basketball team. ``She's been a great ally and great friend, and through Deb's illness, I was more in contact with her than probably I ever was.''

These days, it's not unusual for one to call the other to pick their brain about a coaching concern, or to bug each other about setting up their next matchup.

In 2002, Old Dominion picked Virginia to be its opponent for the first women's game in the Constant Convocation Center, which is hosting Tuesday night's meeting. Last year, Old Dominion reciprocated and helped Virginia open its John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers won, their fourth consecutive victory against the Lady Monarchs. Old Dominion still leads the all-time series, however, 16-14.