And you know The Whistle I’m talking about.

The Whistle that belongs to Lisa Stone.

This is no ordinary whistle you buy at a sporting goods store. It’s The Whistle generated solely by Stone.

Stone, of course, is the Drake women’s basketball coach. She a 40-year-old bundle of constant motion. She’s obviously wired to some sort of high-powered rechargeable battery.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t insist on running four miles a day, seven days a week at 6 a.m., even—as she puts it—"in snow, ice and rain. I never miss a day."

That commitment to physical conditioning certainly pays its dividends. If there’s an ounce of fat on Stone’s 5-8, 120-pound body it’s not evident.

"My dad, Malcolm, taught me to whistle," she explained.

That’s the same Malcolm who tore his rotator cuff while teaching his grandchildren how to use a pogo stick while visiting Stone and her family on the day of a game this season.

Sounds like Malcolm might be connected to that rechargeable battery, too.

Figure that The Whistle created by Lisa will be heard a number of times during any Drake game. It will pierce the noise any crowd makes in any arena.

"How do you do it?" I asked.

She showed me.

"I put two fingers from each hand into my mouth and out comes The Whistle," she explained.

"What’s the purpose of The Whistle?" I asked.

"The players are supposed to look at me," Stone said.

Let me put it this way. They’d better look when Lisa does The Whistle.

Asked if this could be her best Bulldog team, Stone said, "You want every year to be your best, and I hope this is our best year."

Lisa is certainly a big part of the entertainment at the Knapp Center whenever Drake plays a home game.

For one thing, she rarely sits on the bench.

"Only during free throws," she said. "I’m animated. I love the game. I love the kids and I just get into it. And that’s how I coach."

Stone puts in plenty of 10-hour days (and nights) with the basketball program, and juggles it nicely with her role as a wife and mother.

"My husband, Ed, is a certified public accountant and a stay-at-home dad now," she said. "Our children are Allison, 10, and Tyler, 7. I have breakfast and dinner with my family, and lunch might consist of a Subway in my office."

"I always keep my options open," she said, "but I love Drake, and my family is very happy. We have a great fan base here, and Drake is an easy place to love.

"Dave Blank and Jean Berger treat basketball with the utmost respect. They do all they can to give me 100 percent support,

"We have improved locker rooms, new offices, a strong atmosphere in the arena—all the things we need to make our program competitive."

Blank is Drake’s athletic director, Berger is an assistant athletic director and senior women’s administrator.

"I want people to come out and watch us," she said.

The women’s team drew 43,813 fans to 13 home games last season—an average of 3,370 per game in the 7,002-seat Knapp Center.

The Bulldogs are doing almost as well this season. They’ve attracted an average of 3,215 through the first six home games—which ranks 27^th nationally. The high has been 5,313 for the Dec. 21 game against Iowa.

"I’d like to see a lot more," Stone said. "Our players deserve it. They’re wonderful student-athletes who are coming off an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. If people come out once, they’ll come back again."