Standing ovations don't mean what they used to; sports fans today give them up easily and often. Still, few athletes get a standing "O" just for stepping on the basketball court—during warm-ups. The instant Tennessee forward Chamique Holdsclaw appeared at the Southeastern Conference tourney in Chattanooga last week, a sea of orange and white rose in the stands. A chant of "Cha-mique, Cha-mique,'' rolled off fans' tongues as easily as the ponytailed, 6-foot-2 Holdsclaw glided down the court. "It's kinda weird, but I always think they're clapping for someone else," said the 22-year-old senior before leading UT to the conference championship. "I never get used to the response that people have toward me." She may have to get used to it. Holdsclaw (her first name is pronounced Shuh-Meek-Wah) may not turn out to be "the female Michael Jordan.'' (She wears number 23, too, but in honor of her favorite Biblical psalm, not MJ.) But she certainly has the skills and the charisma to become the breakthrough player the WNBA covets, propelling women's hoops toward major-league status. Just ask Jordan. "Meek is fun to watch—exciting with a lot of skills," he says. "She'll definitely take women's sports to a new high." Holdsclaw is already pretty far up there. This weekend Tennessee, 28-2 and ranked second in the nation, begins defending its NCAA title. If the Lady Volunteers win again, Holdsclaw will have captured four NCAA crowns on top of four state high-school championships (at Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y.). And that's something no basketball player—male, female or Michael—has ever achieved.
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