Purdue hires W. Hoops coach

The Associated Press An assistant at Louisiana Tech the past three years, Sims-Curry will make her debut next season as the coach of Purdue's defending NCAA women's champion Boilermakers. ''Sure it's a little bit scary,'' she said yesterday. ''It's my first head coaching job. But I tell you what, the position we were in at Louisiana Tech, each and every year was a little scary at times because we expected to be the best and expected to be at the top. ''That's where I expect to be here,'' she said at her first news conference at Purdue. Sims-Curry, 32, replaces Carolyn Peck, who announced even before last season began that she would become the coach and general manager of the WNBA's new Orlando franchise. Under their lame-duck coach, the Boilermakers were ranked No. 1 in the nation, won their final 32 games and finished 34-1, beating Louisiana Tech in the semifinals and then Duke in the title game. The morning after Purdue's 77-63 victory over Tech, Sims-Curry was offered the job. She accepted the offer ''because they expect to be among the best, and I couldn't have left Louisiana Tech for anyone that didn't want to be the best,'' she said. ''So it's a little bit scary, but we'll deal with it and we'll go forward. Hey, you work hard and good things happen.'' A former high school coach in Louisiana, Sims-Curry also was an assistant at Texas A&M;, Tulane and Stephen F. Austin. Her husband, Kelly Curry, also an assistant coach with the Lady Techsters, will join her staff as a Boilermakers assistant. ''I really am proud and very honored to have the opportunity to be the new coach at Purdue,'' Sims-Curry said. ''As an assistant, we all dream and work for an opportunity like this?. The work ethic and commitment this program stands for, we will work each and every day to continue that. I could not be any more excited and thrilled to death.'' Including the NCAA semifinal, Louisiana Tech played the Boilermakers three times in the past two seasons. ''Having seen this team and knowing quite a bit about them? I feel like I do have a little bit of feel for our personnel and where we are and where we want to be,'' Sims-Curry said. Among the big changes, however, will be the departure of the senior backcourt of Stephanie White-McCarty, a first-team All-American, and Ukari Figgs, this year's Final Four most valuable player. ''I believe that you've got to begin with your defensive effort. A lot of times, your philosophy will come with what type of personnel you have,'' Sims-Curry said. ''I don't see that much change in the system. Certainly, it's worked well, and we'll continue to build on that and add a few things and go from there.''