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The skinny on Snow's grand slam
ESPN.com

Saturday, Tennessee junior Michelle Snow became just the third women's basketball player to throw down a dunk as she scored on a breakaway slam with 10 seconds to play in the first half of the Lady Vols' 111-62 rout of Illinois in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

Was Snow's grand slam good for the game? Here's what a few experts -- including ESPN personalities and Tennessee's Pat Summitt -- had to say:

BRING ON THE NOISE, BRING ON THE DUNK
Roberts	ESPN studio host Robin Roberts I was stoked. I loved it, primarily because it was all over SportsCenter. The women's game needs attention, needs to be on SportsCenter, and needs to be in the headlines. The best part is that a lot of my guy friends, who don't give two cents about women's basketball, have been calling me about it. If this helps the game grow and gets people to watch who don't normally watch, then that's fine. On another note, I did have mixed feelings. The game is worthy of attention no matter what, but why does it take something like this to happen to get everyone lined up to talk to Michelle Snow? Why can't it be based on her merit of play? Why does there always has to be a hook to the story? Why can't we just do the stories because they are good players? There are countless stories on Duke's Shane Battier out there. And I love him, he's a great story and I'm not taking anything away from him. But there are 50 women out there -- great kids, great students and basketball players -- with the same great story who aren't getting any attention.
Lieberman-Cline	ESPN analyst Nancy Lieberman-Cline I think the dunk was great. It's part of the game. It's entertainment, and where the game is evolving. Is it a major factor? No, not in the way a dunk in the men's game can change the momentum. But Snow's dunk put people on the edge of their seats. I thought it was fantastic. However, as more women are able to dunk, I am wary of losing the essence of the game -- setting screens, taking the ball side to side, really playing team ball. Still, it is a beautiful part of the game when someone can show how athletic they are. And Snow's dunk legitimizes the game and a woman's athleticism in the eyes of men. They can no longer say, 'Women can't dunk.' We can. And it happened in a game. I know a lot of guys who can't dunk. Michelle Snow can.
Summitt	Tennessee coach Pat Summitt I think it is good for the game of women's basketball, especially when talking to other players. I think that this will be a motivation for others to come out of their comfort zones. There are several players who can dunk in practice but have not committed to trying it in a game. Michelle wanted to make sure that she was successful and she made that commitment. I am proud of her for her courage to try. I think the dunk is the most overrated play in the men's game. Men can dunk with ease and the women have had to work on strength and conditioning to make it happen. The number (of female players who can dunk) is increasing with strength and conditioning and training. In women's basketball, you are more likely to see it in the open court and breakaway situation than in the half-court offense setting. With the limited number of players who can dunk, I don't think it is going to hurt the game unless the numbers increase and players try to do it all the time. Women's basketball relies more on teamwork and fundamentals. The successful teams do not have that dominating player. No matter how good someone like Tamika Catchings is, she still needs four other starters and a strong bench to win the national championship.



	ALSO SEE: Snow: The grand slam The List: Snow's dynamic dunkers AUDIO/VIDEO Tennessee's Michelle Snow jams it home on the fast break. (Courtesy: Oxygen Sports) avi: 2144 k RealVideo: 56.6 \| ISDN \| T1