Kentucky entered a brand new century led by their first Black head coach, Tubby Smith, who had taken the Wildcats to the nationwide championship in his first season in 1998. Later within the decade, Florida’s back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 beneath coach Billy Donovan marked the rise of a brand new energy within the SEC. Coach Summitt and famous person Candace Parker led the Lady Vols to their very own set of consecutive nationwide championships in 2007 and 2008. And down in Baton Rouge, two memorable figures cemented their legacies. Three of LSU’s 5 straight Women’s Final Four appearances had been fueled by two-time Naismith College Player of the Year Seimone Augustus, with the final one coming beneath the helm of former Ole Miss coach Van Chancellor. On the lads’s facet, tenacious guard Garrett Temple, the son of the primary Black basketball participant for the Tigers, helped take LSU to the Men’s Final Four in 2006.