On the pro tip

To no one's surprise, Lauren Jackson and Angel McCoughtry were named the WNBA Western and Eastern Conference players of the week, respectively.

Silver Stars Coach Sandy Brondello thought she was going to ease Chamique Holdsclaw into the mix when the former Lady Vol joined the team. But the Claw hit the ground running.

Alana Beard enjoys helping younger ball players.

And UCLA Coach Nikki Caldwell had some interesting reflections on this past season:

“I look back and watch film and I’m pleased with the effort. We played really hard,” Caldwell said. “I didn’t see a lazy team. We had good practices and preparations for games. We are going in the right direction.”

The Bruins got an injection of leadership and talent from newcomers Jasmine Dixon and Markel Walker.

Caldwell said she credits her team for embracing Dixon — who played her first game in December after sitting out one year after transferring from Rutgers.

“The biggest difference in being a better team was that we were better teammates,” Caldwell said.