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.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Women Unequal Everywhere...
So the recent announcement that Phoenix, AZ is going to "do something" about Diana Taurasi's July DUI honestly made me shake my head. Here is the low down: Two weeks ago the Phoenix court dropped the "Extreme DUI" charge and the speeding charge against Taurasi if she pled guilty to "DUI slightly impaired". So she did that. Now, since she pled guilty she can get this: 10 consecutive days in prison, various fines, suspended license, probation and possible counseling. So in other words, since she's not Dante Stallworth she will have to do this? Here is the difference between the two of them: Diana honestly realizes she messed up, is remorseful, feels she let her family, friends, fans and teammates down. Dante barely apologized and oh yes, he killed a person while driving drunk and his BAL was nearly 3 times the legal limit. Fine, his career is in question but let's be honest, he'll be in the NFL next year, no question about it. So where is the justice? Just because she's not a HUGE star...which she totally is a HUGE star...she will have to pay the piper? I know this: she'll do it with dignity, whatever she is sentenced to. She'll take it in the chin and just keep going. And I bet this: she won't cry that she found herself while in prison like so many of the male athletes have said. Gee, didn't know that you were lost Michael, Dante, PacMan....amazing you were able to find yourself.
The blog by John Altavilla can be read here.
The blog by John Altavilla can be read here.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
No Picture Compares.....Yet....
Of the many "First practice" pictures I have seen, none equal this one posted on "govolsxtra.com":
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Other Champions from around the World
After a bit of a hiatus, I'll start this blog again....first topic of discussion: Champions!
The Phoenix Mercury won their 2nd WNBA title in 3 years a few weeks back. I'm sure most of you know this. Also, did you know that this series was the highest watched WNBA Finals. According to ESPN, the five-game Finals averaged 548,000 viewers, up 73 percent from 316,000 in 2008. The 13 postseason games aired on ESPN2 averaged 435,000 viewers, a 54 percent increase from the 282,000 last year. In all of the years I have watched the WNBA, this was the best series EVER. It created buzz, energy and people who may not have watched the WNBA could be fans for life. Great series!
So we all know about the Mercury, but what about some other Champions?
In China, PLA (People's Liberation Army) won their 7th consecutive Chinese National Games title by beating Liaoning 90-68 over the weekend. I'm impressed that this team can win all of the time, reminds me of Houston Comets and their run of Championships. PLA has a familiar WNBA player on their team: Chicago Sky's Chen Nan. Nan scored 16 points in the final. Liu Dan (an up and coming star for China) had 20 points.
In Africa, Senegal won the Women's Basketball African Championships with a 72-57 win over Mali. This is Senegal's first title since 2000.
In June, France beat Russia to win the European Championship. However, Russia is hardly concerned because they did not have one of their key players: Becky Hammon.
Congrats to those that won...or should I saw to those that I could find on the web. I'm sure there were countless other Championship games played around the world.
The Phoenix Mercury won their 2nd WNBA title in 3 years a few weeks back. I'm sure most of you know this. Also, did you know that this series was the highest watched WNBA Finals. According to ESPN, the five-game Finals averaged 548,000 viewers, up 73 percent from 316,000 in 2008. The 13 postseason games aired on ESPN2 averaged 435,000 viewers, a 54 percent increase from the 282,000 last year. In all of the years I have watched the WNBA, this was the best series EVER. It created buzz, energy and people who may not have watched the WNBA could be fans for life. Great series!
So we all know about the Mercury, but what about some other Champions?
In China, PLA (People's Liberation Army) won their 7th consecutive Chinese National Games title by beating Liaoning 90-68 over the weekend. I'm impressed that this team can win all of the time, reminds me of Houston Comets and their run of Championships. PLA has a familiar WNBA player on their team: Chicago Sky's Chen Nan. Nan scored 16 points in the final. Liu Dan (an up and coming star for China) had 20 points.
In Africa, Senegal won the Women's Basketball African Championships with a 72-57 win over Mali. This is Senegal's first title since 2000.
In June, France beat Russia to win the European Championship. However, Russia is hardly concerned because they did not have one of their key players: Becky Hammon.
Congrats to those that won...or should I saw to those that I could find on the web. I'm sure there were countless other Championship games played around the world.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The adventure of Delle Donne
I'd just like to start off by saying how happy I am for Elena Delle Donne. No, not because she's not at UCONN with the possibility of destroying my beloved Rutgers team...but because she made a decision for the most important person: herself.
This past Friday she started practice as a University of Delaware Blue Hen. Has she had any impact yet? You bet! Season ticket sales have tripled and she hasn't even played in a game yet. In an article on WQAD.com, she talks about how this is the first time she has had fun playing hoops since the recruiting started in High School. Please note the word "fun" in that sentence. Shouldn't that be what sports is all about? Fun? When did that change? I remember playing sports and having fun, I never found it to be a chore until my Senior year of High School. Do you know what I did? I stopped playing because it became a chore, work, extra stress, etc. I was burned out. I wasn't having fun anymore. I am so happy that Elena is having fun and I wish her the best of luck. Maybe I'll have to take a road trip to Newark, DE to see her play. I bet she is fun to watch when she is having fun playing. You can read the excellent article on Delle Donne by clicking here: Delle Donne Ready to Give Hoops Another Try.
This past Friday she started practice as a University of Delaware Blue Hen. Has she had any impact yet? You bet! Season ticket sales have tripled and she hasn't even played in a game yet. In an article on WQAD.com, she talks about how this is the first time she has had fun playing hoops since the recruiting started in High School. Please note the word "fun" in that sentence. Shouldn't that be what sports is all about? Fun? When did that change? I remember playing sports and having fun, I never found it to be a chore until my Senior year of High School. Do you know what I did? I stopped playing because it became a chore, work, extra stress, etc. I was burned out. I wasn't having fun anymore. I am so happy that Elena is having fun and I wish her the best of luck. Maybe I'll have to take a road trip to Newark, DE to see her play. I bet she is fun to watch when she is having fun playing. You can read the excellent article on Delle Donne by clicking here: Delle Donne Ready to Give Hoops Another Try.
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