Pre-Season All Americans
Is there anyone surprised by the pre-season All-American list?
Maya Moore-UCONN
Tina Charles-UCONN
Jayne Appel-Stanford
Jantel Lavender-Ohio State
Monica Wright-Virginia
Moore becomes only the 7th pre-season unanimous selection for the All-American squad. Let's see the company she is in:
Chamique Holdsclaw
Diana Taurasi
Alana Beard
Seimone Augustus
Candace Parker
Courtney Paris
I will take Moore over 50% of them.
Monica Wright puts UVA on the pre-season All American map, first nomination since Wendy Palmer was selected for the 1995-1996 season. Jantel Lavender is the only the second Buckeye on the roster, Jessica Davenport was the first.
On another note: Elena Delle Donne was an honorable mention for the pre-season All American squad...without playing a Division I game and with having taken a year off. Hmm, road trip to Newark? I think so....
Skylar Diggins is the real deal
So it was only an exhibition game, but it was an exhibition game against another college team (Indianapolis, to be exact). But what she did in her first game, in front of over 7,000 fans, was score 17 points. And she made an immediate impact when she came into the game by forcing a turnover and getting an assist, no jitters for her! Okay, so you say that it's the home court, she can't play on the road. See, that is where you are wrong...this kid is the real deal and Notre Dame will win the Big East...not this year since they barely have any inside height...but next year, and the year after, and the year after. Notre Dame NCAA champs in 2011.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sad day in Russia...
Yesterday I talked about Pokey Chatman and how she coaches a team that many coaches would die for. The team with Diana Taurasi. Today I had intended on discussing a great article I found called "Rolling in Rubles" about the relationship between Diana, and the rest of the Spartak Moscow team, and their CEO/General Manager Shabtai von Kalmanovic. However, in researching for a little bit of information on him, I came upon this news article: Shabtai von Kalmanovic died a tragic and sudden death last night. After further research on the shock of this loss, I came upon this tragic article about the former KGB member. Okay, maybe he didn't lead the best life in the past but there is no denying what he has done for women's basketball overseas.
What I was going to discuss was how this man did not take a cut from any revenue generated because he gave out free tickets to the games. He spent millions of dollars to build a team of great women's basketball players, he considered it his hobby. What I got from the article was a man that was passionate about what he loved and he took care of his investment.
To read the great article on Diana and the running of Spartak Moscow, click here. Let me know your thoughts on the article and how it seems that many of the teams are run in Europe.
What I was going to discuss was how this man did not take a cut from any revenue generated because he gave out free tickets to the games. He spent millions of dollars to build a team of great women's basketball players, he considered it his hobby. What I got from the article was a man that was passionate about what he loved and he took care of his investment.
To read the great article on Diana and the running of Spartak Moscow, click here. Let me know your thoughts on the article and how it seems that many of the teams are run in Europe.
Monday, November 2, 2009
November is the Month of Fun!
November is my favorite month. Not because it's my sister's birthday (as much as I love her), not because it holds my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving)...but because it's the start of College Basketball GAMES. Yes, mid-October is grand for its "start of practice" but to me, it is only anticipation for November. This is the month of fun.
My Rutgers team starts their official play on Sunday, November 15th at the RAC against the team that made it to the Final Four and lost to UCONN in the semi-finals: Stanford. Stanford is also the team with a pre-season rank of #2, while Rutgers snuck in at #25. (Click for complete rankings)
What do I expect? Realistically: I can not help but feel that Stanford will be in the Final Four again this year while Rutgers will probably be in New Jersey. Noticed I said "probably". After years and years (25th year to be exact) of watching Rutgers play basketball I've come to expect the unexpected. If they are picked to finish high in the rankings, they stumble. If they are picked to finish low in the rankings, they succeed. They have one of the best motivators in the game as their coach. Her motto is simply, "It's not how you start but how you finish." Just look at the 2007 season, not supposed to be a great season (great I suppose is calculated by how many times, if at all, you are picked to beat UCONN) and they went all the way to the Championship game. But really, realistically: Stanford will win, probably by a lot (not like 2 years ago). But that's okay, Rutgers never really "shows up" until January anyway. The Big East is really tough this year and as we have seen in the past, playing in a tough conference only makes you stronger come the Big Dance in March. So this is why I love November, it's the start of the roller coaster ride that ends in April.
Other News
Props to Diana Taurasi who quietly served her 1-day in jail sentence last week. Quietly is the key word: I had no idea until I checked the women's hoops news today. Complete article here.
The European league is getting ready to kick into high gear as many of the top American players are headed over, if they aren't already over there. Looks like the favorite in Russia is the team coached by former LSU superstar/coach: Pokey Chatman (who has a great twitter, btw). Spartak Moscow. They have a great roster that many teams in any country would die for.
My Rutgers team starts their official play on Sunday, November 15th at the RAC against the team that made it to the Final Four and lost to UCONN in the semi-finals: Stanford. Stanford is also the team with a pre-season rank of #2, while Rutgers snuck in at #25. (Click for complete rankings)
What do I expect? Realistically: I can not help but feel that Stanford will be in the Final Four again this year while Rutgers will probably be in New Jersey. Noticed I said "probably". After years and years (25th year to be exact) of watching Rutgers play basketball I've come to expect the unexpected. If they are picked to finish high in the rankings, they stumble. If they are picked to finish low in the rankings, they succeed. They have one of the best motivators in the game as their coach. Her motto is simply, "It's not how you start but how you finish." Just look at the 2007 season, not supposed to be a great season (great I suppose is calculated by how many times, if at all, you are picked to beat UCONN) and they went all the way to the Championship game. But really, realistically: Stanford will win, probably by a lot (not like 2 years ago). But that's okay, Rutgers never really "shows up" until January anyway. The Big East is really tough this year and as we have seen in the past, playing in a tough conference only makes you stronger come the Big Dance in March. So this is why I love November, it's the start of the roller coaster ride that ends in April.
Other News
Props to Diana Taurasi who quietly served her 1-day in jail sentence last week. Quietly is the key word: I had no idea until I checked the women's hoops news today. Complete article here.
The European league is getting ready to kick into high gear as many of the top American players are headed over, if they aren't already over there. Looks like the favorite in Russia is the team coached by former LSU superstar/coach: Pokey Chatman (who has a great twitter, btw). Spartak Moscow. They have a great roster that many teams in any country would die for.
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