They're Playing Basketball

The beginning of the exodus?

2012-02-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

A legend retires: Sharon Fanning-Otis will retire as coach at Mississippi State at the end of this season, after 36 years in the business.

I've heard rumblings that, due to conference realignments and accompanying TV deals, that this spring will see numerous coaching changes - the likes of which we may not have seen before. Don't say I didn't warn you: change may be coming.

Tonight's news:

Penn State upset #9 Ohio State, and in the process clinched the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They've come a long way.

Notre Dame moved a step closer to taking the Big East title, with a win over Louisville.

With their stunning upset of UConn Saturday, St. John's announced their arrival noisily.

ESPN comments on the wave of upsets that have become a regular thing this season.

San Bernardino's own Layshia Clarendon was named Pac-12 Player of the Week. The Cal guard averaged 24.5 points and five rebounds in leading her team two a pair of wins last week.

USC sweeps the crosstown rivalry with UCLA; McGee sisters honored

2012-02-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day to celebrate in the Land of Troy, at USC. Not only did the Trojans sweep the Bruins in this year's series with a 66-54 win, two of the school's greats saw their jerseys retired. Pamela and Paula McGee were honored at a halftime ceremony, and Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Linda Sharp and Rhonda Windham were also on hand to show their support.

My story.

Full 31-picture photo gallery.

Sometimes I miss the good ol' days in women's hoops.

More upsets, of course

2012-02-19T22:25:00.000-08:00

#7 Maryland gave #5 Duke their first ACC loss.....63-61.

Florida 61, #15 Georgia 57.

In overtime, it was Michigan State 67, #19 Purdue 52. (What a colossal meltdown that must have been).

Not an upset, but interesting:

#6 Miami has now won 13 consecutive games, including today over Florida State. They're now sharing the lead atop the ACC.

#9 Delaware barely escaped an upset by Drexel - 40-39.

Last night's SoCal Southern Section high school playoff results

2012-02-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

No true surprises from last night's first-round results, as the usual top suspects - Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Brea Olinda - advance.

Emotional night at Middle Tennessee State

2012-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since Middle Tennessee State's Tina Stewart was stabbed to death. Last night - senior night - the Lady Raiders paid tribute to their fallen teammate, with her parents present.

Interviews of her teammates and MTSU coach Rick Insell were shown on the large Blue Tubes, and her parents were presented with Stewart’s framed No. 20 game jersey.

“It’s such a special day for me to know her loving memory is still here,” said Stewart’s father, Adrian Jackson. “That’s why I’m not breaking down. I’ve always been so proud of Tina, and the pride is still there today.

“She loved MTSU and Murfreesboro, and she spoke of it all the time. It’s made me love MTSU, because this is a true family. There is nothing fake about it.”......

“It means a lot to our family,” said Stewart’s mother, Ida Jackson. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the thoughtful prayers, phone calls and letters we have received. Today is so special. It means so much to me that Tina meant so much to so many people.”

The lump in my throat is exacerbated by the T-shirt Stewart's father is wearing in the picture.

__________________

UCLA at USC preview: Trojan Coach Michael Cooper is still getting used to the college life.

St. John's upsets #2 UConn, 57-56, snaps long winning streak

2012-02-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

Junior Shenneika Smith's three-pointer with eight seconds to go lifted the St. John's Red Storm over #2 UConn, snapping the Huskies' 99-game winning streak that dated back to 2007. No doubt, the biggest upset of the year so far.

Statistical breakdown and quotes.

Pictures, including the game-winning shot (far right, third row....looks like some of the UConn fans can see what's about to happen).

Highlights.

Just, wow.

#1 Baylor narrowly avoided an upset of their own, holding off Texas Tech, which lead the game much of the way. Baylor clinches at least a share of the Big 12 title.

Speaking of titles, Stanford grabbed the Pac-12 title outright today with a win over Oregon. It's the first title of the new conference.

#12 Green Bay also held off an upset, overcoming Youngstown State in overtime, 77-72.

West Virginia was trying to pull off their third upset, and had #20 DePaul by 14. But the Blue Demons surged back for the 77-63 win.

The 20s:

Cal's victory today over Oregon State puts them at 20 wins on the season.

San Diego State earned 20 by stuffing Air Force.

Another close one for CSUN:

The Matadors trailed UC Davis by 15, but rallied for the 63-60 victory.

Bonuses:

Deep: Tennessee assistant coach Mickie DeMoss has been on this road before.

UC San Diego students will vote whether or not to move from DII to DI.

Tomorrow:

It's the UCLA-USC rematch, this time in the land of Troy. There will be a jersey retirement ceremony at halftime for Pam and Paula McGee. Like the Jackson Five, I'll be there.

NCAA: it's time to do something about ACL tears

2012-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Jacki Gemelos, Carolyn Davis, Kristi Kingma, China Crosby, Richa Jackson and Antonye Nyingifa are just a few of the many, many basketball players who have torn their Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACL) this year, which put them out for the season.

It's a storyline hoops fans unfortunately know well, as female athletes have long been known to sustain ACL tears at far greater frequency than male athletes. It is estimated that a staggering 38,000 women suffer ACL tears annually - a rate that is two to eight times more than the rate for men. It seems like to many, more of these injuries have occurred in collegiate hoops this year than usual.

The disparity has been commonly attributed to one or a combination of these factors: the angle of the femur to the knee with the wider hips of females; different muscle recruitment patterns during movement and landings; and hormonal changes during menstrual cycles causing joint laxity.

Interestingly, as can be seen from the same above link, the majority of ACL tears in women occur during non-contact events, such as deceleration activities that happen when landing from a jump, or cutting. This was known at least 17 years ago.

With this in mind, it is outrageous that the NCAA hasn't done anything to actively prevent ACL tears in its female athletes. Biology is one thing, but preventative jumping and cutting techniques can - and should - be taught. I'm sure there are some strength and conditioning coaches out there that already do this, but clearly, there need to be more. The NCAA needs to mandate that all such coaches teach proper deceleration technique to athletes. Further, they need to train head and assistant coaches to make sure that athletes follow the protocol in regular practices.

Every athlete that loses a season, or a career, due to an ACL injury is one too many. Unless widespread coaching education is implemented, the problem will continue, and may get even worse as the athleticism of the game increases significantly every year.

It is time for the NCAA to take a pro-active approach and develop a program to prevent ACL tears. Now.

Tonight's SoCal Southern Section high school playoff matchups

2012-02-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

So many divisions, so many games tonight.

Key matchups:

#2 Mater Dei tries to defend their title, taking on King.

#1 Long Beach Poly takes on Valencia.

In Division 4A, Sherrise Smith's #9 Marlborough team visits #8 LaSalle, in what promises to be a fiery contest.

This is only the first and second rounds of much more great basketball to come.

Who is the best?

2012-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Despite the presence of other monster players like Skylar Diggins, Elena Delle Donne and Nnemkadi Ogwumike, ESPN says Brittney Griner leads the race for player of the year. (Love that the story reminds me of the "back in the day" WNBA commercials). Griner may not be the best player, but she's the most dominant.

College news:

Scary....nine Pacific University ball players were hospitalized with the flu today. They are rescheduling their game against Long Beach State.

Duke sophomore Richa Jackson has torn her ACL and is out for the season.

St. Bonaventure dares to consider that they might go to the big dance this year.

NCAA tourney:

Debbie Antonelli and Beth Mowins talk March Madness with Cheryl Coward and David Siegal from hoopfeed.com, and Stephanie White.

Behind the scenes of the selection committee process.

Mock selection shows more.

WNBA:

Lindsey Harding, Cappie Pondexter, Marie Ferdinand-Harris and Sophia Young will compete in the NBA Haier Shooting Stars event Feb. 25. (Don't mind the typo headline that gives the wrong year).

Scholanda Dorrell (formerly Robinson) will return to the Tulsa Shock.

Round 1, LA City Section playoffs

2012-02-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Last night's first round of the Los Angeles City Section basketball playoffs are a wrap. Here is how teams in the various divisions fared:

DIVISION I

First round, Thursday

Narbonne 82, Van Nuys 21

Chatsworth 50, West Adams 43

Carson 59, Franklin 44

Taft 51, Lincoln 16

El Camino Real 74, Verdugo Hills 17

Washington 53, Huntington Park 49

Crenshaw 56, San Pedro 41

Fairfax 65, Belmont 22

DIVISION II

First round, Thursday

Palisades 81, Hollywood 21

Venice 53, North Hollywood 42

Granada Hills 50, San Fernando 36

Los Angeles Roosevelt 51, Los Angeles Wilson 30

Los Angeles Jordan 74, Arleta 20

Eagle Rock 64, Dorsey 42

Westchester 61, Reseda 44

Monroe 47, Birmingham 35

DIVISION III

First round, Thursday

Gardena 63, Panorama 43

Los Angeles Marshall 42, Locke 27

Cleveland 55, Grant 33

Wilmington Banning 48, Jefferson 37

Granada Hills Kennedy 60, Sun Valley Poly 33

Los Angeles University 57, South East 23

Bell 65, Los Angeles 29

Garfield 51, Sylmar 35

Quarterfinals are Tuesday.

A whiff of WNBA

2012-02-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

Coming home a bit ago, I was watching the glow of the sunset on downtown LA and thinking that the sun would be nowhere near setting as I head to Sparks games this summer. I am looking forward to the season! And the WNBA transactions continue:

The Silver Stars have added Ify Ibekwe, Kalisha Keane and Latoya Williams.

The Mystics have signed Ashley Walker, Kerri Gardin, Laura Harper, and they re-signed Crystal Langhorne.

And Tulsa Shock Coach Gary Kloppenburg's plans for the team don't include Sheryl Swoopes or Betty Lennox.

College news:

Dishin & Swishin talks to Miami's Katie Meier and WVU's Mike Carey, among others.

Another fine broadcast of Pac-12's "Inside the Paint," with Roslyn Gold-Onwude.

Tennessee guard Meighan Simmons' 25-point outburst Monday night against Kentucky inspired the entire team.

NJCAA rankings this week

2012-02-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

Trinity Valley and Hutchinson Valley are both still undefeated at 24-0 and remain #1 and #2, respectively. Gulf Coast State College and Arizona Western each took tumbles; Chipola College and New Mexico Junior College both rose. Here's the list:

1 Trinity Valley Community College
2 Hutchinson Community College
3 Central Arizona College
4 Pensacola State College
5 Northern Oklahoma College-Enid
6 Casper College
7 Chipola College
8 Shelton State Community College
9 Gulf Coast State College
9 North Idaho College
11 New Mexico Junior College
12 Walters State Community College
13 Arizona Western College
14 Otero Junior College
15 Jefferson College
16 Northwest Florida State College
17 Independence Community College
18 Tyler Junior College
19 Seward County Community College
20 Hill College

Australia names their Olympic team finalists

2012-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Suzy Batkovic, Kristi Harrower, Belinda Snell, Liz Cambage, Abby Bishop and Jenna O'Hea headline the list for Australia's prospective basketball team Olympians. It may be the strongest that list has been in many years.

Honorees

2012-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Women's Sports Foundation has named Tamika Catchings one of its four new trustees.

Salina, Kansas, will name its Bicentennial Center Basketball Court after native Kurt Budke. The dedication ceremony will be March 24, during the NJCAA Women's Basketball Championship tournament.

The rhythm

2012-02-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

NCAA:

Kansas has to step up in the absence of Carolyn Davis, who is out for the season. But they had a misstep tonight, falling 47-66 to Iowa State.

To avoid another beat down, Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell says the Wildcats need to shoot better against zones.

Arizona State is nursing injuries.

Tonight's upset:

It's West Virginia again, this time taking down #18 Rutgers, 60-50.

Business:

Karl Benson is leaving the Western Athletic Conference after 20 years to be commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.

WNBA:

The Dream re-signed Coco Miller and Courtney Paris.

ESPN sees the Sparks' acquisition of Alana Beard as the most intriguing transaction so far in this off-season.

High School:

Despite the loss of their longtime coach, and the impending closure of their school, Nazareth of Brooklyn continues to win.

High-larious:

Kevin Hart is schooled by the UConn Huskies.

Conference happenings

2012-02-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

The SEC will honor and recognize eleven "SEC Greats" athletes during the conference's women's basketball tournament, March 1-4 in Nashville. Inductees include ballers Carolyn Peck (Vanderbilt), Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee), Jocelyn Penn (South Carolina), Yolanda Moore (Ole Miss), Camille Low (Georgia), Cassie Macia (Florida), Laticia Morris (Auburn), and Sytia Messer (Arkansas.)

Pac-12 current standings:

Team Conference Overall

Stanford 13-0 22-1
California 9-4 18-7
Oregon St. 8-5 17-7
Arizona St. 7-6 16-8
USC 7-6 13-11
UCLA 7-6 12-12
Oregon 6-7 14-11
Colorado 5-8 16-8
Washington 5-8 13-10
Utah 5-8 12-12
Washington St. 4-9 10-15
Arizona 2-11 13-12

Yes, Oregon State is in sole possession of third place. Hats off to them. They have exceeded expectations.

Here are some highlights from the Cal website of last Saturday's overtime loss to USC. All that passion is one of the beautiful things about the college game.

Powerade Fab 50 rankings: week 10

2012-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Lots of movement in the top 10 this week, due to some upsets:

1. Saint Mary's
2. McEachern
3. Bolingbrook
4. Windward
5. Riverdale
6. Nazareth
7. Whitney Young
8. Clarksville
9. Riverdale Baptist
10. Hoover

Mid-week news buffet

2012-02-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

WNBA transactions:

The Storm traded Ashley Robinson to the Mystics in exchange for Victoria Dunlap. Seattle also re-signed Katie Smith.

The Fever re-signed Shyra Ely.

The Liberty have re-signed Leilani Mitchell.

The Dream signed former Mystic Laurie Koehn to a training camp contract.

College features:

Anjale Barrett makes the Maryland Terps better.

UW-Milwaukee twin frosh Janna and Jasmine Swopshire cause double-takes on the court.

College coaches:

Married CSUN coaches Jason and Tairia Flowers make it work.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Coach Jodie Burton has notched her 500th win.

Business:

The Pac-12 broke ground on its new San Francisco studios today.

West Virginia has settled its lawsuit with the Big East, and will move to the Big 12 in July.

Texas is asking fans for patience with the new Longhorn Network.

Where is she now?:

Kate Starbird has gone from on-court genius to academia master.

And perhaps the biggest news of the day: THERE WERE NO UPSETS in college basketball.

USA Today/ESPN Top 25

2012-02-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

Look who finally made the rankings - St. Bonaventure, who climbs into the #25 spot:

1. Baylor
2. Connecticut
3. Stanford
4. Notre Dame
5. Duke
6. Miami
7. Maryland
8. Kentucky
9. Delaware
10. Tennessee
11. Ohio State
12. Wisconsin-Green Bay
13. Texas A&M
14. Georgetown
15. Georgia
16. Louisville
17. Penn State
18. Rutgers
19. Purdue
20. DePaul
21. Nebraska
22. Georgia Tech
23. Gonzaga
24. Vanderbilt
25. St. Bonaventure

Taking upset to another level

2012-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

#11 Tennessee didn't just upset #7 Kentucky tonight - they handed them their behinds. Final score: 91-54.

The Lady Vols crashed out of the gates and played some of the most urgent, feverish and complete ball that we've seen in a while, dominating the Wildcats from beginning to end. Tennessee's tone was on display early in the first half, when sophomore guard Meighan Simmons (who lead the Vols with 25 points) and senior forward Shekinna Stricklen (18 points) forced a key turnover, together. They started screaming at each other and chest bumping like they were about to win the championship. Govolsxtra writer Dan Fleser said it looked to him like the Lady Vols were playing "almost angry." Whatever it was, it was something to behold.

Highlights.

Govolsxtra wants to know how far you think Tennessee can make it in the NCAA Tournament.

Another upset this evening:

Minnesota upended #15 Nebraska, 64-58.

Sad news:

Kansas forward Carolyn Davis will miss the rest of the season after both tearing her ACL and dislocating her knee in yesterday's game against Kansas State.

Other Tennessee news:

There is no handbook for Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick's role now that Coach Pat Summitt has early-onset dementia.

Don't harp on Summitt's illness, says one fan.

NCAA happenings and news:

Sites for the first and second rounds of next year's tournament have been chosen.

The Mountain West Conference and C-USA will form a new conference.

WNBA signings:

The Tulsa Shock has re-signed Jennifer Lacy to a multi-year deal.

The Atlanta Dream has signed Aneika Henry to a training camp contract.

The Minnesota Lynx have signed free agent Erin Thorn.

Twenty-one finalists named to Olympic team roster

2012-02-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

The list:

Jayne Appel
Seimone Augustus
Sue Bird
Rebekkah Brunson
Swin Cash
Tamika Catchings
Tina Charles
Candice Dupree
Sylvia Fowles
Brittney Griner
Lindsey Harding
Asjha Jones
Kara Lawson
Angel McCoughtry
Renee Montgomery
Maya Moore
Candace Parker
Cappie Pondexter
Diana Taurasi
Lindsay Whalen
Sophia Young

Lots of new faces, including the only collegian on the list, Brittney Griner.

Who are the for-sure selections? Who is on the bubble?

The other half of coaching: motivation

2012-02-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

Motivation has always fascinated me. I have books on the topic; wrote papers about it in grad school.

Any coach that's worth anything knows that motivating players is just as important as teaching them skills. You can tell when a coach knows how to do this, because their players play hard, and they give it their all, every time they step on the court.

This week I asked three West Coast coaches to give me their philosophies on motivating athletes. The coaches I chose each have teams that are experiencing a bit of adversity this season. Yet, players on these squads leave everything on the floor and often win despite their circumstances - and over teams that were expected to beat them.

Coach Lindsay Gottlieb just took over the Cal program this year. She has four freshman on her roster, four sophomores, four juniors, and no seniors. The Bears are in second place in the Pac-12 Conference, and two of the freshmen - Reshanda Gray and Brittany Boyd - are second and third on the team, respectively, in scoring.

Coach Greg McCall took the helm of the Cal State Bakersfield program this year, and the Roadrunners have been decimated by injuries - five, to be exact. This has left them with six suited-up players for most games. Yet they harass and suffocate other teams, coming very close to beating many of them. They never give up.

The situation at UCLA is very similar. New Coach Cori Close saw her leading rebounder out for the season in September, and four more key players have followed, leaving the Bruins with a very thin bench. Yet they are relentless and have won some key match ups. Improbably, they are tied for third in the Pac-12 Conference.

I asked them:

What do you do to motivate your team to play hard and win? As a coach, what do you think is important to impart to a team?

Here are their responses:

At the most foundational level, I believe strongly that the best motivational factor for female athletes to play hard and win is to let them know you care about them as people and athletes. I have found that my players will run through a wall for me when they truly believe that I have their back in all situations.

Secondly, I believe in empowering players to see how good they could be...to believe in their potential. If a coach can successfully impart a belief in self, then that coach will also be able to reach players on technical and tactical corrections.

- Lindsay Gottlieb

To get them to play hard, I want them to know that we have to get better each time we set foot on the floor for practice and games. In order for them to do that we have to give 100% effort each drill in practice or each possession is games.

- Greg McCall

I try to get to know them as best I can and build relationships so you know the character of your team. If you don’t build relationships and you don’t know who they are collectively and individually, it’s really hard to pick the right mode of motivation. After that, you choose, whether you need to be harder on them or to praise them more, you’re doing that as a response to knowing who they are as young women and as a collective unit.

Giving them a greater yes, and what I mean by that is instead of harping on them about what they aren’t doing to motivate them, to give them a stronger sense of your goal and vision. The more their eyes are strictly focused on what they want to accomplish, the more willing they are to overcome the hurdles or the obstacles to get around to that goal. It’s intensifying what the goal is so there is more motivation to minimize the distractions.

- Cori Close

Amazing responses.

Reader thoughts on motivation?

This season is off the chain

2012-02-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Catching up from last night:

Cal and USC took it to overtime, and the Trojans slipped by the Bears 76-75. Freshman point guard showed up big for USC, scoring 21 points - 11 of them in the extra period. This freshman class is so very talented.

Oregon fought back from behind to beat WSU, 67-62. Amanda Johnson lead the Ducks with 23 points - 18 of which were in the second half.

Lots of great, close games today. But the biggest surprise so far is West Virginia's 65-63 upset of #2 Notre Dame. What??

Update at 8 p.m.:

Wrap-up of today's "Play4Kay" action.

Tomorrow night, #7 Kentucky visits #11 Tennessee. Preview.

Saturday action

2012-02-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

Pending:

Will the NCAA hear Drey Mingo's plea and give the Purdue forward a sixth season of eligibility? I sure hope so.

Today's games, so far:

#1 Baylor destroyed defending NCAA champs #14 Texas A&M 71-48.

#9 Green Bay rebounded to defeat Wright State, and #18 Gonzaga returned to form to beat San Francisco.

Oregon State is now 17-7 after taking Washington, 78-73.

CSUN and Long Beach State just went into overtime.

The Pac-12 has some late-night games, as Cal hosts USC and Washington State hosts Oregon, both at 8 p.m. PST.

General college news:

Princeton is still perfect in the Ivy League.

Oklahoma's Joanna McFarland is back after having missed six games due to a broken jaw.

The struggles of Tennessee continue.

UConn's Caroline Doty is finally getting comfortable.

Kentucky's A'dia Mathies is handling increased attention.

High school upset:

St. Anthony's of Huntington, N.Y. has upset #2 Riverdale Baptist.

Major free agent camp coming up April 1

2012-02-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

Merit Management, Inc. is hosting it's 15th annual Free Agent Camp on April 1 in Denver, Colo. - the site of this year's NCAA Final Four. This year's event will be at Denver East High School. An application is available here. Those selected are invited to camp, and often drafted by WNBA teams the following week.

Merit Management President Stephanie Stanley said the camp should be competitive, as usual.

"This year our goal remains the same, which is to provide a platform for top players to be evaluated and signed to professional contracts," Stanley said. "This is an invite-only event, so the camp is extremely competitive and loaded with talent.

"To date, 36 players have signed WNBA contracts for full season or training camp as a result of their participation in our camp. We've even had two players get drafted (Martina Weber and Emily Fox)."

Players who were signed after participating in the camp include Breanna Salley, Rashidat Juniad, Jennifer Lacy, Kelley Gibson, Octavia Blue, Kisha Ford, Leigh Aziz, Juana Brown, Ta'Shia Philips and Vivian Frieson.

More information about Merit Management is here.

Alana Beard happy to be with Sparks; Ticha Penicheiro still undecided on retirement

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Check out my piece on the newest Spark, and the rest of the team.

In other news, the Lynx have re-signed Candice Wiggins, and Mystics Coach Trudi Lacey welcomes forward/center Michelle Snow to the team.

Six upsets!

2012-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

In a season of upsets, six in one night is still a bit outrageous.

Perhaps the biggest is Detroit's upset of #9 Green Bay, 70-58. The Phoenix had been unbeaten before tonight; now Baylor is the only team who can claim such a record.

BYU inexplicably smashed #18 Gonzaga, 70-40.

#25 Vanderbilt ran away from #11 Tennessee, 93-79.

Thanks to a last-second layup, Illinois upended #10 Ohio State, 66-65.

Michigan surprised #15 Nebraska, 63-52.

Arkansas has won seven straight, including routing #24 South Carolina, 68-47.

Grab a plate

2012-02-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

NCAA coaches:

Iowa State Coach Bill Fennelly is cleared as cancer-free.

Former coach Marsha Sharp is digging her new role in Texas Tech's athletic department.

NCAA teams:

The Nebraska Huskers are hanging tough after a down year. Coach Connie Yori feels fortunate.

Skylar Diggins knows what she wants.

Dishin & Swishin talks Play4Kay, Stefanie Dolson and Jennifer Azzi.

Pac-12:

Great piece on Cal Coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

The latest broadcast of the Pac-12's "inside the paint."

Liz Brenner didn't even come to Oregon to play basketball, but she's making a difference for the Ducks.

The Arizona Wildcats are staying positive despite a losing streak.

SEC:

Right now, SEC teams are down in the polls.

The Lady Vols are channeling Lauren Avant's defense.

High school:

Nazareth High School - home to one of the nation's top-ranked girls basketball teams - will close at the end of the year. The program is also being investigated for the possible use of an ineligible player.

I thought North Dakota was cold: Nebraska girls team is given a technical foul for wearing pink uniforms at their cancer fundraising game. (Good lord!)

Pro transactions

2012-02-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

And the transactions continue.

Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright have signed multi-year contracts with the Storm.

Coach Brian Agler talks about it.

Michelle Snow has joined the Mystics.

The Dream has re-signed Yelena Leuchanka.

McDonald's All-American teams announced

2012-02-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Feast your eyes:

East

Brianna Butler
Kahleah Copper
Bashaara Graves
Bria Holmes
Malina Howard
Niya Johnson
Michaela Mabrey
Sierra Moore
Alexis Prince
Brianna Stewart
Brittney Sykes
Janee Thompson

West

Jordan Adams
Candice Agee
Katie Collier
Nirra Field
Moriah Jefferson
Alexis Jones
Jordan Jones
Jewell Loyd
Xylina McDaniel
Imani Stafford
Morgan Tuck
Courtney Williams

Katie Collier made the team while undergoing treatment for leukemia.

Four California players and one from Washington on the All-American teams, and the West coast still gets no love.

Analyst Carolyn Peck set off Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer with her assertion that #5 Duke might be one of the four top seeds in the NCAA Tournament instead of the #4 Cardinal. Now there is a Pac-12-vs-ACC twitter war going on. Peck just tweeted a friend of mine:

No disrespect 2 Stanford but the ACC has 4 teams in the top 10 & total of 6 in top 25. Committee has 2 consider that.

VanDerveer is also hitting the airwaves. I've tweeted some of her statements at twitter.com/hoopism

Log on and check it out.

Juco poll this week

2012-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Lots of changes this week:

1 Trinity Valley Community College
2 Hutchinson Community College
3 Central Arizona College
4 Pensacola State College
5 Gulf Coast State College
6 Northern Oklahoma College-Enid
7 Arizona Western College
8 Casper College
9 Shelton State Community College
10 Monroe Community College
11 Seward County Community College
12 North Idaho College
13 Chipola College
14 Walters State Community College
15 Independence Community College
16 Otero Junior College
17 New Mexico Junior College
18 Northwest Florida State College
19 Paris Junior College
20 Jefferson College

Is this signing day?

2012-02-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

Whoa!

Sparks sign Alana Beard.

From Sparks HQ:

Los Angeles Sparks Sign Four-Time All-Star Alana Beard

Free Agent Guard/Forward Has Averaged
16.2 Points, 4.2 Rebounds in Six WNBA Seasons

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks have signed four-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard to a free agent contract, Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced Wednesday. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Beard, a 5’11” guard/forward, averaged 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game in six seasons with the Washington Mystics before missing the 2010 and 2011 campaigns with ankle and foot injuries, respectively. Prior to her injuries, Beard appeared in 193 of a possible 204 regular-season games dating back to her rookie campaign of 2004, starting 192. She earned WNBA All-Star Game selections from 2005-07 and again in 2009 – three times as a starter – and garnered 2006 Second Team All-WNBA honors.

“I’m excited that Alana has decided to join our Sparks family,” Toler said. “Alana is healthy and motivated to return to her All-Star form, and just as important she’s hungry to help the Sparks win a Championship. Alana is a proven winner and her leadership qualities will be a tremendous asset to the Sparks.”

Beard was selected second overall by Washington in the 2004 WNBA Draft from Duke, where she became the first player in women’s college basketball history to claim the John R. Wooden, State Farm Wade Trophy and Naismith Player of the Year Awards as a senior. As a rookie with the Mystics, she earned her first of four consecutive WNBA All-Defensive Team selections and set a new franchise record for steals in a season.

Beard’s breakthrough season came in 2006 when she averaged career-highs of 19.2 points (sixth in the WNBA) and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.5% from the floor. The following season the Shreveport, La., native was nearly as productive at 18.8 points per game, fourth-highest average in the league. She made three Playoff appearances during her Washington career, most recently in 2009.

Beard is currently playing in Israel with Elitzur Ramla.

“I am extremely thankful and grateful to Sparks owners Paula and Roosevelt Madison, Penny Toler, Coach Ross and the entire organization for this opportunity,” Beard said. “I look forward to being a part of this team and playing with some of the best frontcourt players in the game in Candace Parker, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Ebony Hoffman.”

Off the court, Beard is one of the WNBA’s most community-minded players. She serves as an ambassador for the league’s Dribble to Stop Diabetes campaign, while through the Alana Beard Foundation she fosters a "no-excuse" environment to provide the young women of tomorrow with the necessary resources critical to achieving success on or off court.

Tamika Catchings re-signs with Indiana Fever

2012-02-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

There aren't too many left who have only played for one WNBA team. Tamika Catchings will remain with the Indiana Fever.....no surprise there.

Eight players added to the State Farm Wade Watch Hopefuls list

2012-02-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Incredible nominees. I'd hate to have to make the choices.

WBCA All-America Game participants named

2012-02-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

The list:

Jordan Adams
Kahleah Copper
Nirra Fields
Bashaara Graves
Malina Howard
Moriah Jefferson
Alexis Jones
Jasmine Jones
Jonquel Jones
Jordan Jones
Nicole Kornet
Jewell Loyd
Michaela Mabrey
Xylina McDaniel
Tierney Pfirman
Alexis Prince
Imani Stafford
Breanna Stewart
Morgan Tuck
Courtney Williams

Breanna Stewart of New York is the WBCA National High School Player of the Year.

Play for Kay this weekend

2012-02-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Coverage map for this weekend's games, supporting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

NCAA:

Oklahoma has taken a tumble, but they'll be OK, says ESPN.

Total access to Stanford hoops. More specifically, pillow pets and bus rides.

Conference alignments:

Memphis will join the Big East.

Conference USA meets later this week to talk about joining the Mountain West Conference.

WNBA:

The Atlanta Dream have signed Cathrine Kraayeveld.

The San Antonio Silver Stars have signed Shameka Christon.

Powerade Fab 50, week nine

2012-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Windward's defeat of Mater Dei Friday moves them from fifth to sixth this week. The list, and the top ten:

1. Saint Mary's
2. Riverdale Baptist
3. McEachern
4. Bolingbrook
5. Windward
6. Riverdale
7. Nazareth
8. Cicero-North Syracuse
9. Clarksville
10. Hoover

USA Today/ESPN poll this week

2012-02-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

North Carolina and Kansas are out, and South Carolina and Vanderbilt are in. (Wonder how long it's been since SC has been there). And I'm still getting used to seeing Delaware so high. The list:

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. Miami
7. Kentucky
8. Maryland
9. Wisconsin-Green Bay
10. Ohio State
11. Tennessee
12. Delaware
13. Georgetown
14. Texas A&M
15. Nebraska
16. Rutgers
17. Louisville
18. Gonzaga
19. Purdue
20. Georgia
21. Penn State
22. DePaul
23. Georgia Tech
24. South Carolina
25. Vanderbilt

Cierra Warren leaves Louisville

2012-02-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Sophomore center Cierra Warren has left the Louisville team. She had already sat out last season after transferring from North Carolina.

Cardinals Coach Jeff Walz was unusually candid about it:

“The girls had a team meeting after the DePaul game and they were like, ‘Hey, this is not acceptable. We have to go harder and push ourselves,’ ” Walz said. “Cierra decided she didn’t want to work that hard."

(I've never seen a coach say anything besides, "we thank her for her contributions.")

Other college news:

The Lady Vols need to spread out Glory Johnson's defense.

Wisconsin-Green Bay is flourishing under Coach Matt Bollant.

The Pac-12 has extended the contract of commissioner Larry Scott through 2016.

The Washington Post has a great piece on Baylor. But the New York Times says the Texas Bears aren't all about Griner. You decide.

Book news:

Ann Meyers Drysdale's autobiography, "You let some girl beat you? The story of Ann Meyers Drysdale" will be out this June. Read the first chapter on her website.

WNBA gearing up; big Monday

2012-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Veteran center Ann Wauters has signed with the Seattle Storm. So if Lauren Jackson decides to stay in Australia after the Olympics, the Storm might have a fighting chance.

Storm coach Brian Agler has been traveling around the nation and the globe, so who knows what other moves he has planned.

The Chicago Sky signed vet Ruth Riley, making them scarier by the day.

Does anyone else feel like this season will be a good one?

WNBA transaction page.

Tonight in NCAA action, it's a double-header: North Carolina at Duke, 4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EST, and Oklahoma at Baylor, 6 p.m./9 p.m.

Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli preview both games.

WNBA bonus:

Lindsey Harding ran a half marathon a week ago, and she chronicled the entire journey.

High school bonus:

Seattle center Katie Collier talks with ESPN about playing her senior year while receiving treatment for leukemia.

Checking in with Chamique Holdsclaw

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

I recently had a chance to sit down with basketball great Chamique Holdsclaw. She's been up to a lot in the last year and a half, since ending her season with the San Antonio Silver Stars due to injury. She's begun public speaking about her battle with clinical depression, and she's written a book, due out next month.

Check out what she had to say. You'll be amazed.

Standings

2012-02-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today's upset was LSU beating #5 Kentucky, 61-51. The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Wildcats.

Helen rounds up the undefeated teams that are left:

America East: Boston University: 17-6 (10-0)
A-10: St. Bonaventure: 22-2 (9-0)
ACC: Duke: 18-3 (9-0)
Atlantic Sun: FGCU: 21-2 (13-0)
Big 12: Baylor: 23-0 (10-0)
Big East: Notre Dame: 23-1 (10-0)
Colonial: Delaware: 20-1 (11-0)
Conference USA: UTEP: 20-2 (9-0)
Horizon League: Green Bay: 20-0 (10-0)
Ivy League: Princeton: 15-4 (5-0)
Mid-American: Bowling Green: 20-3 (10-0)
MEAC: Florida A&M: 16-5 (9-0)
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois: 19-4 (10-0)
Pac-12: Stanford: 20-1 (11-0)
Patriot League: American: 16-6 (8-0)
Sun Belt: Middle Tennessee: 19-5 (11-0)
WAC: Fresno State: 19-4 (7-0)

Pac-12 standings:

Team Conference Overall

Stanford 11-0 20-1
California 8-3 17-6
UCLA 7-4 12-10
Arizona St. 6-5 15-7
Oregon St. 6-5 15-7
USC 6-5 12-10
Oregon 5-6 13-10
Colorado 4-7 15-7
Washington 4-7 12-9
Washington St. 4-7 10-13
Utah 3-8 10-12
Arizona 2-9 13-10

In the meantime, the Pac-12 has noticed the same thing that I have, that USC senior guard Ashley Corral is severely underrated. She has jumped into the record books this year.

Corral works insanely hard, and I hope a WNBA team will pick her up in a few months.

A day for big things

2012-02-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

Big performances:

Baylor Center Brittney Griner lit up Kansas State for 29 points, and in the process eclipsed the 2,000-point mark - the fourth in school history to do so. Baylor routed Kansas 70-41.

Cal State Northridge center Jasmine Erving put up a career-high 36 points in the Matadors' romp over Cal State Irvine. CSUN is one win away from clinching a Big West Conference playoff spot.

UCLA junior forward Markel Walker had a triple-double in the Bruins' victory over Washington State: 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. It's the first triple-double by a UCLA player since Noelle Quinn's on Feb. 19, 2004.

Kelsey Bone is still showing up for #16 Texas A&M, who beat #25 Kansas. Bone lead the Aggies with 26 points.

Earlysia Marchbanks garnered a career-high 22 points and had 10 rebounds in Oregon State's win over Utah. The Beavers have won four consecutive conference games, which they haven't done since the 2000-2001 season.

Wisconsin-Green Bay pushed their record to 20-0, thrashing Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Four Phoenix scored in double figures.

Big freshmen:

Oklahoma put away Oklahoma State, with freshman Sharane Campbell scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the process.

Cal has two fantastic frosh, and they both helped out in the Bears' win over Arizona State: Brittany Boyd with 19 and Reshanda Gray with 13. Junior guard Layshia Clarendon added 16.

Big upsets:

TCU handed San Diego State its first Mountain West Conference loss, dominating them 58-39.

West Virginia routed #12 Louisville.

WNBA bonus:

The Minnesota Lynx traded Alexis Hornbuckle to Phoenix for a second-round draft pick next year.

Windward beats Mater Dei, 65-62

2012-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

It was an epic battle last night, matching up #6 Windward at #12 Mater Dei. But in the end, Windward came out on top when a last-second Mater Dei shot attempt fell short.

IM in OC was on hand, along with several NCAA Division I coaches. He said Mater Dei Coach Kevin Kiernan read the riot act to his team in the first quarter, after Windward went up 11-2. They stepped it up after that.

I love it when a big game lives up to its hype. Hopefully next time they'll have it was before 9 p.m.

Daily round up

2012-02-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

USA Today discusses the top four ranked teams.

Terrific interview with the one and only Tamika Catchings.

C. Vivian Stringer questions the passion of her Rutgers team.

Tyler Summitt is battling alongside his legendary mother.

Iowa guard Jaime Printy tore her ACL in last night's game, and is out for the season.

Rebecca Lobo is coaching second graders.

High school:

Class of 2013 Super 60.

USC 67, WSU 62

2012-02-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

The Trojans lead comfortably throughout last night's "pink" game, and had attained a 63-40 lead with just over six minutes left. Then the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to close the gap to 60-52 at the 4:37 mark. USC climbed back up to a 12-point lead a minute later, but their own turnovers and fouls resulted in another WSU run, with the home team up 64-59 with a minute to play. At 12 seconds to go, freshman Trojan point guard Ariya Crook threw down a crucial three, and sealed the win for her team.

Cassie Harberts lead USC with 19 points, and Briana Gilbreath, in her first game back since being injured last week, added 14. April Cook lead WSU with 18 points and Jazmine Perkins put up 17.

Full photo gallery.

Box score.

Game notes:

- WSU looked good - better than they have in a long time. They're much faster than they used to be, and their shooting is decent.
- Ariya Crook is looking more and more like she's ready to take over that point guard position. The Trojans have been without a true point since Camille LeNoir graduated in 2009.

Stay or go? Stay

2012-02-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

Settling a question previously-raised here:

Elena Delle Donne will return to Delaware next year for her senior year.

ESPN says the player and her team mix well.

OK, so what about Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins??

Tennessee news:

Super class of 2013 guard Kaela Davis is reopening her recruiting after committing to Tennessee a long time ago.

Reaction.

Taber Spani is on the mend.

Excitement:

19-0 Green Bay is fired up about their season.

Oregon State is excited after having a great first half of their conference season (and they whooped Colorado tonight).

Dishin & Swishin:

A few things you may not (but should) know about this college season.

Make sure you hit all the links on that page, as there are three podcasts.

Tonight's insanity

2012-02-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

It's past my bed time, and I'll be up a while longer because the earth hasn't stopped shaking from all the insane hoops tonight.

The biggest shock is South Carolina upsetting #8 Tennessee, ending a 40-game losing streak to them that dated back to 1980.

Then there was #18 Nebraska outlasting #17 Purdue in triple overtime, 93-89.

LSU dropped their fifth consecutive SEC game, losing to Florida 73-64. They're now 4-5 in conference play.

The Pac-12 went nuts right after that.

Cal pulled off a gutsy 78-74 overtime win on Arizona. Freshman forward Reshanda Gray lead the Bears with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

UCLA outlasted Washington in overtime, 79-73.

Oregon hosted Utah, and had them on the ropes early in the game. But the Utes came back, and it took Amanda Johnson free throws to lift the Ducks to the 72-67 victory.

USC was winning comfortably over WSU, but the Cougars went on a run late in the game to make it close. It took an Ariya Crook three-pointer with 12 seconds left to put the Trojans up for good. They won 67-62. (I and/or hoopfeed.com will have pictures and a recap up soon)

Tonight's complete scoreboard.

The Pac-12 is wiiiiide open.

This week's Juco poll: changes

2012-02-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

Several tumbles - and quite a few ties - on this week's NJCAA rankings list:

1. Trinity Valley Community College
2. Hutchinson Community College
3. Central Arizona College
4. Pensacola State College
5. Casper College
6. Gulf Coast State College
6. Seward County Community College
8. Northern Oklahoma College-Enid
9. Northwest Florida State College
10. Arizona Western College
11. Shelton State Community College
12. North Idaho College
13. Paris Junior College
14. Monroe Community College
15. Hill College
16. Otero Junior College
16. Independence Community College
18. Walters State Community College
19. Chipola College
20. Jefferson College

USC 50, UCSB 39

2012-02-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Freshman forward Alexyz Vaioletama grabs one of her team and game-high 15 rebounds in last night's first half.

Jacki Gemelos, left, and Briana Gilbreath, who sustained a non-ACL knee injury last week. Gemelos grabbed a ball during second-half shoot-around and dribbled with it non-stop, while talking to Gilbreath.

_____________________________________________________________

USC snapped a three-game losing streak last night with a 50-39 win over visiting UC Santa Barbara.

Neither team shot well, and the Gauchos were at only 19 percent in the first half. Yet the Trojans lead by only six at the break. USC began the second period with a 15-1 run and lead comfortably most of the way, attaining an 18-point lead. UCSB began making baskets in the final two minutes of play, but it was too little too late.

Cassie Harberts was the lone Trojan in double figures, with 17 points. Emilie Johnson lead the Gauchos with 13 points, while Nicole Nesbit added 11. USC Freshman forward Alexyz Vaioletama exploded for 15 rebounds.

Full photo gallery.

Box score.

Game notes:

- UCSB's record isn't for their lack of effort. I love their hustle and team communication. Coach Carlene Mitchell should be able to take them places.
- USC freshman Alexyz Vaioletama's game has been coming along steadily all season. She was a monster last night on the boards, from the jump. She's going to be a star if she keeps working....but I knew that the first time I saw her play in person, at Mater Dei three years ago this week.
- It was cool to see Jacki Gemelos walking around pretty well, sans crutches, two weeks out of knee surgery. She was dribbling at halftime.
- A lot of love between all the Trojans, whether they were on the bench or the court. All the smiles, pump-up talks, hand slaps and encouragement reminded me why I love women's basketball.

Breaking barriers, and more Pac-12 best

2012-02-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Cool high school story:

India isn't a hot bed for girls and women's basketball, but two California star players are breaking cultural barriers through their achievements.

NCAA:

University of Washington Coach Kevin McGuff coaches his team for both the present and the future.

The drive, with UCLA guard Rebekah Gardner.

By the way, I found some stats for the candidates for Pac-12 most improved player nominations:

Rebekah Gardner - 7.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg last year; 15.7 ppg this year

Chiney Ogwumike - 11.7 ppg and 8 rpg last year; 15.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg this year

Thea Lemberger - .6 ppg and .2 rpg last year; 15.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg this year

Gennifer Brandon - 7.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg in 09-10; 9.6 ppg and 10.9 rpg this year

Regina Rogers - 10 ppg and 5.4 rpg last year; 15.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg this year

Amanda Johnson - 15.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg last year; 19.7 ppg and 10.4 rpg this year

So statistically, the winner would have to be Gardner, Lemberger or Rogers. But who is truly carrying their team?

USC will retire McGee sisters jerseys

2012-02-01T12:12:00.001-08:00

From USC HQ:

Women of Troy Retiring McGee Sisters' Jerseys

Pam and Paula McGee were All-Americans and national champs at USC

Long before Briana and Stefanie Gilbreath combined forces at USC, there was another shining sister act starring for the Women of Troy. USC greats Pam and Paula McGee are two pillars in the national championship history of USC women's basketball, and on February 19, 2012, the All-American sisters will have their jerseys retired and hung high in the Galen Center at a halftime ceremony to be held at USC's 12 p.m. rivalry clash with UCLA. The McGees were members of USC's back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 1983 and 1984 and are both locked in the USC history books in several statistical categories.

Pam McGee (#30) developed a reputation as an imposing rebounder at USC, averaging at least 8.6 rebounds per game all four years of her career. She remains ranked second in school history for total rebounds (1,255), and also ranks sixth in scoring (2,214). After helping the Trojans win back-to-back NCAA National Championships, Pam McGee went on to earn a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games as a member of Team USA. In the pro ranks, Pam McGee was the second overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft. She later became the first WNBA player to have her son (JaVale McGee) play in the NBA. Her accolades as a Trojan also include: 1983-1984 Kodak and ABA-USA All-American, 1980-81 WCAA All-Conference Second Team, three-time WCAA All-Conference First Team.

Paula McGee (#11) made an immediate impact at USC, averaging 20.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a freshman. Her 683 points and 289 field goals made in her first year are both still USC freshman records. She continued her scoring tear, and currently ranks as USC’s fourth all-time scorer with 2,346 career points. She also recorded the second-most field goals made (993) and third-most blocked shots (190) in USC history. She went on to start a sports management agency and represent her twin sister, Pam, in the WNBA. She is currently a preacher. Her accolades as a Trojan also include: 1981-1982 WBCA All-American, 1982-83 Kodak All-American, 1982-83 and 1983-84 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, four-time WCAA First Team All-Conference.

Pam and Paula McGee now comprise a group of five Women of Troy to have their jerseys retired and hung at the Galen Center, joining Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller.

Join the celebration of Pam and Paula McGee's illustrious playing career as Women of Troy! Tickets are on sale now for the February 19 clash between USC and UCLA at the Galen Center. Go to gettrojantix.com to join the jersey retirement festivities today!

Mystics and Sparks exchange Marissa Coleman and Noelle Quinn

2012-02-01T11:06:00.001-08:00

From Mystics HQ:

WASHINGTON MYSTICS ACQUIRE NOELLE QUINN
Marissa Coleman Traded to Los Angeles Sparks

Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey announced today that the team has acquired veteran guard Noelle Quinn from the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for forward Marissa Coleman.

“We are excited to have Noelle join the Mystics as we look forward to the upcoming 2012 season,” said Lacey. “She is an experienced combo guard that brings a high basketball IQ and plays multiple positions.”

A 6-0 standout from UCLA, Quinn was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2007 WNBA Draft. She spent two seasons with the Lynx where she averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. During her rookie season, Quinn dished a career high 14 assists. For the last three seasons, Quinn has been a member of the Sparks and helped lead them to consecutive playoff appearances in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, Quinn led the WNBA in assists per turnover ratio (2.7). She posted career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (4.0), games started (34) and minutes (32.5) in 2010.

Coleman was selected by the Mystics in the first round (second overall) of the 2009 WNBA Draft and compiled averages of 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 96 games.

A Terp thing in LA now?

Interesting hoops day

2012-01-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

WNBA:

Atlanta Dream guard Shalee Lehning is retiring, due to complications from knee surgery.

The Storm re-signed Allie Quigley, waived guard Alison Lacey and renounced the rights to guard Jessica Bibby and forward Katie Gearlds.

NCAA upsets:

#23 DePaul kicked the butts of #12 Louisville, 86-61.

#25 Kansas just got back in the top 25 today, to lose to Oklahoma in overtime, 74-68.

Powerade Fab 50 rankings, week eight

2012-01-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

If the NCAA top 25 was as consistent as the Powerade Fab 50, there would be nothing to write about. The top ten:

1. Saint Mary's
2. Riverdale Baptist
3. McEachern
4. Bolingbrook
5. Riverdale
6. Windward
7. Nazareth
8. Cicero-North Syracuse
9. Clarksville
10. Hoover

USA Today/ESPN top 25

2012-01-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

More ties, a lot of dropping, and Kansas is back on the list:

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Kentucky
6. Duke
7. Miami
8. Tennessee
9. Wisconsin-Green Bay
10. Maryland
11. Ohio State
12. Louisville
13. Delaware
14. Rutgers
15. Georgetown
16. Texas A&M
17. Purdue
18. Nebraska
19. Gonzaga
20. Georgia
21. Penn State
22. Georgia Tech
23. DePaul
24. North Carolina
25. Kansas

Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei High School

2012-01-31T07:07:00.000-08:00

The annual event is this Friday and Saturday at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif. Friday schedule:

Rialto vs. Rosary, 4:30 p.m.

Orange Lutheran vs. Oaks Christian, 6 p.m.

Mater Dei vs. Windward, 9 p.m.

Class of 2013 Super 60; Briana Gilbreath

2012-01-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

Mercedes Russell tops the list. Here's the top ten:

1. Mercedes Russell
2. Kaela Davis
3. Diamond DeShields
4. Tanya Reimer
5. Rebecca Greenwell
6. Linnae Harper
7. Kendall Cooper
8. Allisha Gray
9. Jannah Tucker
10. Tyler Scaife

No surprise tonight:

UConn defeated Duke, 61-45. It was the Blue Devils' lowest point total and lowest number of assists in a game this season.

Briana Gilbreath:

The USC senior guard injured her knee last Thursday in the Colorado game, and sat out Saturday's contest. Today she had the knee checked out and her ACL is NOT torn. She is day-to-day and isn't sure when she'll return to action.

*Big exhale*

WNBA player statuses

2012-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Core, reserved, restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents and trades are listed here. And it's an interesting list, to say the least.

Richard analyzes.

Nate shares ideas on what each team should do with their players.

Cal State Northridge 54, Cal State Bakersfield 52

2012-01-30T12:57:00.000-08:00

Check out my story, "Big West leader Cal State Northridge survives Cal State Bakersfield," which recounts Saturday evening's exciting matchup.

The gym lighting didn't work too well for my camera, but here is a small gallery of game shots anyway.

I have the highest respect for both coaches Jason Flowers and Greg McCall, and am excited to see what they'll be doing with their teams over the next several years.

Checking in on the Pac-12

2012-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Oregon State won the battle of the Civil War with Oregon, taking the win yesterday, 67-60.

UCLA was a double winner, beating Utah Thursday and using an overtime today to overcome Colorado.

USC lost to both mountain schools, which means they have three consecutive losses. Trojan forward Briana Gilbreath was injured in Thursdays game and didn't play yesterday, missing the first game of her career. Her knee will be evaluated tomorrow.

Here are the current standings:

Team Conference Overall

Stanford 9-0 18-1
Arizona St. 6-3 15-5
California 6-3 15-6
USC 5-4 10-9
UCLA 5-4 10-10
Colorado 4-5 15-5
Oregon St. 4-5 13-7
Washington St. 4-5 10-11
Washington 3-6 11-8
Oregon 3-6 11-10
Utah 3-6 10-10
Arizona 2-7 13-8

I'm taking votes: who is this year's most improved player?

Rebekah Gardner of UCLA?

Regina Rogers of Washington?

Amanda Johnson of Oregon?

Gennifer Brandon of Cal?

Someone else?

Express yourself.

More parity

2012-01-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

Upsets, because there are some just about every day in this new basketball world:

#18 Georgetown held #12 Rutgers to 36 points.

Minnesota took down #9 Ohio State.

Michigan State defeated #19 Penn State.

Near upsets:

#13 Texas A&M 66, Iowa State 64.

#25 North Carolina 75, Wake Forest 71.

Cool stuff from yesterday's action:

Cal at Stanford photo gallery.

Baylor stomped Kansas, and Brittney Griner is now second on the NCAA blocks list.

Lessons:

Charlotte senior forward Paige McCallum has been dismissed from the team. She had been suspended both this season and last.

Tomorrow:

#3 Connecticut visits #5 Duke.

Kara Lawson and Cindy Brunson preview.

Mechelle Voepel discusses three-pointer possibilities.

Friday night Juco action: Saddleback College 69, Santa Ana College 57

2012-01-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

Friday night's game involved two teams that play in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC). The OEC has seven teams - six from Orange County and one from Riverside. Coming in, Santa Ana had an overall record of 5-15, and a 0-6 in conference. Saddleback was 15-4 overall, and 4-2 in conference.

Saddleback led from the onset with first half leads of as big as nine points. In the second half, Saddleback opened up a 21-point lead before Santa Ana hit some treys late in the game, to make it a 12-point win at the finish. Leading scorers for Santa Ana were Janelle Flores with 24 points and Berlin Ohanesian with 18. Saddleback was lead by Raven Gammage with 21 points and Shalae Edwards with 19 points. Edwards comes from Colleton County High School in South Carolina, where she she lettered in basketball for four straight years before graduating in 2010. While at CCHS, Edwards was a three-time all state selection and a two-time player of the year.

One girl who didn't score a lot of points last night, but impressed me with her hustle, rebounding and passes to help her teammates was Shala Kirkpatrick, a freshman from El Camino HS in Oceanside. In conference play Kirkpatrick averages 9.3 ppg and 10 rpg.

- IM in OC

Box score.

OEC info and stats.

#15 for Santa Ana, Berlin Ohanesian at the free throw line. She scored 18 points on the night.

#3 Raven Gammage hit five three-point baskets and was four for five from the free throw line for Saddleback.......last

Clutches

2012-01-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

So many close games this fine Saturday.......

#20 Gonzaga 75, Saint Mary's 70

#4 Standord 74, Cal 71 (OT)

#23 Texas Tech 75, Texas 71

Bowling Green 77, Central Michigan 72 (OT)

Central Arkansas 71, McNeese State 70 (2 OT)

Cincinnati 55, Syracuse 54

Arizona State 57, Washington 53

IUPUI 68, Western Illinois 64 (OT)

.....just to name a few.

The Cal State Northridge-Cal State Bakersfield game I attended also went down to the wire. My game story will be posted soon.

Full scoreboard.

Tomorrow's big match ups feature #12 Rutgers at #18 Georgetown and #9 Tennessee at # 15 Georgia. Elena Delle Donne and Delaware take on James Madison.

Bonus:

Lady Vols rank their concerns, in top-10 fashion.

Big Saturday

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of today's 116 games is the "battle of the Bay," featuring surging Cal at #4 Stanford. The Bears were the last conference team to defeat the Cardinal, five years ago. Can they do it again?

In other Pac-12 action, Oregon's civil war will play out its first installment at Oregon State, who hosts the Ducks. Liz Brenner was playing volleyball for Oregon, and last month became a walk-on to the basketball team. She's a key factor for them now.

OSU coaches, meanwhile, have restored the good will of the program since being left with ashes two years ago. Today should be a heck of a battle.

Personally, I'll be checking out some Big West action today, as Cal State Bakersfield (coached by DeWanna Bonner and Erica McCall's dad) visits Cal State Northridge (headed by coach-on-the-rise Jason Flowers).

Mid-season candidates for John R. Wooden Award

2012-01-27T16:03:00.001-08:00

The list:

Alex Bentley, Penn State
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame
Shante Evans, Hofstra
Brittney Griner, Baylor*
Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Shenise Johnson, Miami
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
Natalie Novosel, Notre Dame
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Nneka Ogwumike, Stanford*
Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State
Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown
Odyssey Sims, Baylor
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland
Elizabeth Williams, Duke
Riquna Williams, Miami (FL)

Bowling Green State University Coach Curt Miller has mild stroke

2012-01-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Scary - and during a game:

The episode occurred late in the Falcons' 70-54 win over Eastern Michigan at the Stroh Center Sunday. Miller spoke with EMS workers at the game following the win, his 250th career victory at BG, and went home immediately following the contest. He rested at home Monday but was back with the team Tuesday, taking part in practice and then traveling with the Falcons to Ball State.

Uppers:

Cal's Brittany Boyd has skills that can't be taught.

Duke freshman Elizabeth Williams has grabbed the spotlight early.

USA Basketball has named Breanna Stewart its 2011 Female Athlete of the Year. The Cicero-North Syracuse High School star was a member of both the U19 World Championship Team and USA Pan American Games Team.

Lessons:

Three suspended Central Michigan University freshman ballers have apologized for their unspecified actions.

Trinity Valley still atop NJCAA poll

2012-01-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

This week's junior college top 20 poll sees no change at the top, but plenty of shuffling - and a few new entries - further down on the list:

1 Trinity Valley Community College
2 Hutchinson Community College
3 Central Arizona College
4 Pensacola State College
5 Northwest Florida State College
6 Casper College
7 Gulf Coast State College
8 Seward County Community College
9 North Idaho College
10 Northern Oklahoma College-Enid
11 Arizona Western College
12 Shelton State Community College
13 Otero Junior College
14 Paris Junior College
15 Monroe Community College
16 Hill College
16 Independence Community College
18 Walters State Community College
19 Chipola College
20 New Mexico Junior College

To tweet or not to tweet?

2012-01-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

North Carolina Coach Sylvia Hatchell banned twitter use for the Tar Heels. That distraction eliminated, the team has won two in a row.

I understand where Hatchell is coming from. I cringe at some of the things I see young people put on twitter.

Do you think athletes should be banned from twitter use? Vote.

Other stuff:

Dishin & Swishin talked to Lisa Leslie this week.

Tonight's upset (so far): Virginia Tech over #7 Maryland, 75-69.

There are other games in progress, and the final games of the night begin in 20 minutes, so there may be more later.

Bit of everything

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Kelsey Bone is embracing the challenges at Texas A&M.

In case you all haven't noticed, San Diego State is kicking booty this year.

UTEP guards Ryah Lacy and Chrishauna Parker are suspended from the team indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Tonight's upset (because there's one every night this season): Kansas over #23 Texas Tech. Carolyn Davis lead the Jayhawks with 34 points.

Brace yourself: this Saturday there are 116 college games on tap.

The WNBA will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day Feb. 1, with events across the USA.

High school ball mid-season check-in: who's hot and who's not

2012-01-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

Class of 2013 check: Mercedes Russell continues to deliver. The Springfield, Ore. junior last night posted 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks in a game against a big rival, because her coach asked her to do so. At least two Division I coaches had traveled to witness the game in person. Russell has been taking unofficial visits to colleges since last year.

(This morning I tweeted, "everyone wants Mercedes," and a car dealer promptly followed me)

Other hot sophomores, juniors and seniors, as noted by ESPN.

In no particular order

2012-01-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Vice President Joe Biden was on hand Sunday for the Delaware-Drexel game. He met with Delaware players after the game and told them they're "the happening thing right now." (Awesome!)

Former Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Hard to believe it's the third anniversary of Coach Kay Yow's death. A flashback from Dishin & Swishin.

The Big South Conference is adding Longwood University.

Former Kentucky star Merlene Davis discusses her family's slave heritage in a new book.

In the wake of their thrashing of Tennessee last night, ESPN says the sky is the limit for the Notre Dame Irish.

Tonight's upset:

Oklahoma State over #13 Texas A&M.

And also, LSU barely escaped East Tennessee State, in overtime.

Mid-major top 25

2012-01-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

Interesting list:

1. Green Bay (30) 17-0 774 1 Horizon
2. Delaware 16-1 739 2 Colonial Athletic
3. Florida Gulf Coast 17-2 697 3 Atlantic Sun
4. Gonzaga (1) 17-3 681 4 West Coast
5. Princeton 13-4 637 5 Ivy League
6. BYU 18-3 624 6 West Coast
7. Hampton 15-3 567 7 Mid-Eastern Athletic
8. Middle Tennessee 16-5 527 8 Sun Belt
9. Bowling Green 16-3 498 10 Mid-American
10. James Madison 14-4 472 9 Colonial Athletic
11. McNeese State 16-4 441 12 Southland
12. Appalachian State 14-3 399 13 Southern
13. Hofstra 14-4 384 11 Colonial Athletic
14. Northern Iowa 12-6 366 14 Missouri Valley
15. Sacred Heart 14-5 303 16 Northeast
16. Missouri State 11-6 271 15 Missouri State
17. Central Arkansas 14-4 242 17 Southland
18. Eastern Illinois 15-4 226 19 Ohio Valley
19. Chattanooga 13-6 166 18 Southern
20. Saint Mary's 15-6 165 20 West Coast
21. Toledo 11-7 151 21 Mid-American
22. Wichita State 13-5 147 23 Missouri Valley
23. Stetson 16-5 101 20 Atlantic Sun
24. Oral Roberts 13-7 87 24 Summit
25. Marist 13-6 86 NR Metro Atlantic

Agree? Disagree?

Powerade Fab 50 rankings: week seven

2012-01-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

This week's rankings include some shake ups - most notably Nazareth dropping from two to seven. This follows last week's matchup with #3 Riverdale Baptist:

The No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup on Saturday did not live up to its billing. Nazareth still is reeling emotionally over the death of coach Apache Paschall, and the Lady Kingsmen were playing for the first time since he was put to rest.

Understandable.

The top ten:

1. Saint Mary's
2. Riverdale Baptist
3. McEachern
4. Bolingbrook
5. Riverdale
6. Windward
7. Nazareth
8. Cicero-North Syracuse
9. Clarksville
10. Hoover

Enhanced role for Los Angeles Sparks majority investors

2012-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

From the LA Sparks today:

Los Angeles Sparks Are Pleased To Announce Enhanced Role For Majority Investor Williams Group Holdings LLC

WGH Managing Partner Paula Madison to be CEO

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Sparks are pleased to announce that majority investor Williams Group Holdings LLC, (WGH), has increased its investment in the team and has taken a more active role in the day-to-day business.

WGH became an investor in September 2007, and has seen the team grow both on the court and in business over the past two years, prompting their decision to increase their involvement. As part of this transition, Carla Christofferson and Katherine Goodman will resign from the Board of Directors, but will retain their financial investment in the Sparks.

The enhanced role demonstrates WGH’s support of the Sparks and their business goals. This will allow the Sparks and WGH to utilize each of their assets to continue establishing a strong foundation with an emphasis on strategic growth. WGH Managing Partner Paula Madison will become the CEO of the Sparks.

“I am excited that Williams Group Holdings is able to have a more substantial role with the Sparks,” said Madison. “I am honored to serve as CEO and I look forward to working closely with the Sparks as we meet the challenges and successes of the future. I plan to continue to execute our strategies and help lead us into the next phase of the growth of our business.”

USA Today/ESPN poll says.......

2012-01-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Georgia Tech and North Carolina are back in this week's poll, and there's a three-way tie for ninth place. Gonzaga and Nebraska take big jumps:

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. Kentucky
7. Maryland
8. Miami
9. (tie) Ohio State, Tennessee, Wisconsin-Green Bay
12. Rutgers
13. Texas A&M
14. Louisville
15. Georgia
16. Delaware
17. Purdue
18. Georgetown
19. Penn State
20. Gonzaga
21. Nebraska
22. DePaul
23. Texas Tech
24. Georgia Tech
25. North Carolina

Feels like a Monday

2012-01-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Not only did Notre Dame crush Tennessee, the Vols set a school record for fewest points scored in a game.

Yet another ACL tear, and this time it's Miami's Morgan Stroman. Is it just me, or are there more ACL tears this year than usual? It's painful to witness.

A couple bright spots:

The Minnesota Lynx have re-signed Taj McWilliams-Franklin, aka "Mama Taj." Terms of the deal for the 41-year-old forward were not disclosed.

Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve will be honored by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.

Olympics:

Assistant Coach Doug Bruno shares the same philosophies as head Coach Geno Auriemma.

Oregon State 65, USC 61

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Game story.

Full photo gallery - check it out!

Jacki Gemelos watches USC vs. Oregon State

Game notes:

- Jacki Gemelos, who had surgery Jan. 17 to repair her torn left ACL, returned to Galen Center for Saturday's game to cheer on her teammates. She came in on crutches and sat beside the team bench. Gemelos went into the locker room with the Trojans both at halftime, and after the game.

- A lively crowd of 1,803 was on hand for the contest. The excuse that Los Angeles residents don't attend women's basketball games because there are too many things to do in the city is untrue in Troy. A big crowd almost always shows up for weekend games, and they are loud, too. Several kids wait outside after the game for players to come out and sign autographs.

- Lisa Leslie and several other former USC players were recognized at halftime. Leslie became like the Pied Piper as she walked around the arena, attracting groups of kids wherever she went. At one point she stopped to give Gemelos a hug. When she turned to leave, she found herself surrounded by children who had spied her, ran over and lined up to talk to her. Leslie took time out to sign autographs for them.

- Oregon State is a very well-coached team. Coach Scott Rueck has done an admirable job of schooling players in the fundamentals; they don't miss many buckets, wherever they are. The team's outside shooting is exceptional. Not many are looking to Oregon State for anything in the Pac-12 over the next few years, but they will be surprised. The Beavers are going to sneak up on everyone.

- It was unfortunate to see how upset USC players were after the game. Not only did they feel the win should have been a "give me," but they wanted to take the victory for Gemelos.

Thinking ahead to the Olympics

2012-01-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Who will make the 2012 Olympic basketball team this year?

Both myself and my favorite Division I assistant coach and columnist agree that there will be a change of the guard this time. He says there are five locked positions: Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Candace Parker. He also sees Brittney Griner making the squad.

Here is the list of probables:

Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars)
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
Alana Beard (Washington Mystics)
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx)
Swin Cash (Chicago Sky)
Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun)
Shameka Christon (Chicago Sky)
Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury)
Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky)
Brittney Griner (Baylor University)
Lindsey Harding (Atlanta Dream)
Ebony Hoffman (Los Angeles Sparks)
Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun)
Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun)
Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream)
Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun)
Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx)
Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
Cappie Pondexter (New York Liberty)
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury),
Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky)
Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty)
Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx)

Whom should be chosen? Speak.

Where it stops, nobody knows

2012-01-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Elena Delle Donne made Sports Illustrated, and today she and her team took charge to put the hurt on Drexel.

Kentucky struggled to overcome Florida.

Upsets:

Iowa State beat #20 Texas Tech and snapped their five-game winning streak.

South Carolina continued their hot streak, upending #22 Vanderbilt in overtime.

Pac-12:

Cal defeated Washington State today, while Colorado barely bested Arizona. Here are the current conference standings:

Team Conference Overall

Stanford 8-0 17-1
California 6-2 15-5
USC 5-2 10-7
Arizona St. 4-3 13-5
Colorado 3-4 14-4
Washington St. 3-4 9-10
UCLA 3-4 8-10
Oregon St. 3-5 12-7
Oregon 3-5 11-9
Arizona 2-5 13-6
Washington 2-5 10-7
Utah 2-5 9-9

I'll be posting something on the OSU at USC game tomorrow morning.

109-game day

2012-01-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

Where to start when there's 109 games in a day?

There were no upsets in the top 25, for once, but there were some notable milestones reached:

Wisconsin-Green Bay is 17-0.

Notre Dame is unbeaten in the Big East.

Baylor's home game winning streak is at 34.

Other hot starts belong to:

San Diego State, who is at 4-0 in the Mountain West Conference after grabbing their tenth consecutive win today.

Florida Gulf Coast University, who is at 9-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

American University, now 5-0 in the Patriot League.

Sacred Heart, 7-0 in the Northeast Conference.

Florida A&M, at 6-0 in the MEAC.

Wichita State, which is 7-0 in MVC play.

Idaho State, at 6-0 in the Big Sky Conference.

Middle Tennessee, 8-0 in the Sun Belt Conference.

McNeese State is 5-0 in the Southland Conference.

Marist is 8-0 in MAAC.

Eastern Illinois is 5-0 in the OVC.

High Point is 6-0 in the Big South.

Let's give it up for the smaller schools.

And Cal State Northridge Coach Jason Flowers was one of my top mid-major coaches to watch last month. The Matadors are getting better at finishing games, and are tops in the Big West Conference at the moment. But they couldn't quite close out in double overtime today, losing to UC Santa Barbara.

It seems to be an intense day of play on both the women's and men's side of the basketball world. I went to the Oregon State at USC game today, which went to overtime. My story should be posted tomorrow morning on hoopfeed.com.

News for days

2012-01-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

College news:

Tamika Catchings and the SEC support Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt during the conference's "we back Pat" week.

Jim Littell, who replaced Kurt Budke at Oklahoma State, has received a huge raise.

Kean University has removed Michele Sharp as basketball coach.

North Dakota Coach Gene Roebuck will retire after this season, which is his 25th.

I've said before that San Diego State point guard Chelsea Hopkins is the real deal. Check her out in this interview.

LSU starting point guard Destini Hughes is out for the season with torn knee ligaments and a torn meniscus.

Last night's games:

Tennessee beat LSU in an injury-prone game.

Tulane snapped a two-game losing streak by putting away Alabama-Birmingham.

Cal whooped Washington.

In USC's victory over Oregon, Trojan forwards Briana Gilbreath and Christina Marinacci each had a double-double.

Cal State Northridge edged Cal Poly, 79-77, in a game with a wild finish.

Wisconsin-Green Bay overcame Youngstown State and are now 16-0 - the best start in program history.

UConn's Tiffany Hays passed the 1,500-point mark in the Huskies' win over Cincinati.

San Diego's Dominique Connors also surpassed 1,500 points.

Olympics:

It's official: Marynell Meadors, Doug Bruno and Jennifer Gillom are the assistant coaches for this summer's Olympic Games.

Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli talk with Geno Auriemma and Tamika Catchings.

Jennifer Gillom will join an exclusive club of those who have been both a player and a coach at the Olympic Games.

McDonald's All-American nominees announced

2012-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, but it's time to start preparing for this year's McDonald's All-American game. This year, it's in Chicago on March 28. Here is the list of nominees (girls begin on page eight).

McDonald's All-American website.

Buy tickets.

Mid-day hits

2012-01-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

College:

Michelle Smith checks in with Arizona State's Charli Turner Thorne, who is on sabbatical this year.

Dishin & Swishin talks to South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley.

Every possession counts for St. Bonaventure.

High school:

Erica McCall - #16 in the class of 2013 - has posted triple-doubles in each of her last three games in Bakersfield, Calif. You go, girl.

WNBA season schedule released

2012-01-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

The season will begin May 18 and end Sept. 23, with a one-month break in the middle to facilitate the Olympics.

Team-by-team schedule.

National TV schedule.

Bonus: yesterday's chat with 2011 MVP Tamika Catchings.

This week's National Junior College Athletic Association poll

2012-01-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

NJCAA rankings for this week....Northwest Florida State falls and Midland College enters:

1 Trinity Valley Community College 14 17-0 160 8 1
2 Hutchinson Community College 6 16-0 152 0 3
3 Central Arizona College 1 17-1 139 0 4
4 Pensacola State College 8 15-2 138 0 5
5 Northwest Florida State College 8 18-1 127 0 2
6 Casper College 9 14-1 121 0 6
7 Gulf Coast State College 8 15-2 111 0 7
8 Seward County Community College 6 15-2 101 0 8
9 Walters State Community College 7 14-1 93 0 9
10 North Idaho College 18 14-2 85 0 10
11 Northern Oklahoma College-Enid 2 13-2 72 0 11
12 Arizona Western College 1 16-2 70 0 12
13 Shelton State Community College 22 15-2 69 0 13
14 Independence Community College 6 13-2 57 0 15
15 Otero Junior College 9 17-0 48 0 17
16 Weatherford College 5 12-1 47 0 16
17 Paris Junior College 14 14-3 26 0 19
18 Chipola College 8 14-5 21 0 14
19 Midland College 5 15-4 10 0 NR
20 Middle Georgia College 17 11-1 9 0 18

Injuries, looking to tomorrow's games

2012-01-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

College items:

Alabama's Ericka Russell has been granted a medical disqualification for previous knee injuries, ending the senior's college career.

Oklahoma has lost starting forward Joanna McFarland indefinitely. She had surgery Monday for a broken jaw.

The Washington schools are in Northern California for Pac-12 play. Washington State's loss record against Stanford dates back to 1983 - 52 games ago.

Texas A&M beat Missouri tonight, and gave Coach Gary Blair his 200th win.

#15 Louisville is unbeaten at home.

Missouri guard Bailey Gee uses music to fend off stress.

Vol news:

Tomorrow is the Tennessee-LSU showdown (and I know two UCLA fans who will be there). The Vols, reeling from injuries, will have to dig deep for a win.

Nikki Caldwell says she's committed to LSU and isn't looking to be Tennessee's next coach. She says associate head coach Holly Warlick has a resume that more closely matches Coach Pat Summitt's.

Olympics:

Sources say three assistant coaches for this summer's Olympic games have been named, and are Marynell Meadors, Doug Bruno and Jennifer Gillom. Interesting combination.

Some various

2012-01-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Each night the question grows louder in my mind: who will win this year's NCAA championship?? It's wide open.

NCAA news:

St. John's stays hot and upsets #8 Rutgers tonight, 62-57.

Not-so-surprising: South Florida downed #19 DePaul.

Oklahoma took down #22 Kansas State.

What did Notre Dame eat for breakfast? They beat Pitt 120-44. Utah Valley beat Walla Walla by almost the same margin: 104-46.

Ariel Massengale has broken Tennessee's freshman record for assists - and this after being out with an injury for two weeks.

Pro items:

The Mystics have hired Jennifer Gillom as assistant coach.

Tamika Catchings will chat tomorrow on SportsNation.

Powerade Fab 50 rankings, week six

2012-01-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of change in this week's Powerade Fab 50, but not at the top:

1. Saint Mary's
2. Nazareth
3. Riverdale Baptist
4. McEachern
5. Bolingbrook
6. Riverdale
7. Windward
8. Cicero-North Syracuse
9. Clarksville
10. Hoover

West Coast woes

2012-01-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

The super-cranial Division I assistant coach who penned the "Mid-Major coaches to watch for" column in December is back. This time he's tackling the gigantic subject of NCAA disparity in the West, and what he says should be done about it. As always, your input is appreciated.

The need for a dominant major (BCS) women’s basketball team in Southern California

Twenty years. That was the last time a school west of Lubbock, Texas has won a NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball championship. Twenty long years: That’s pre-iPod, pre-OJ Verdict and pre-Bill Clinton being President. And in over the double-decade drought since Stanford last cut the nets and a West coast team has worn the crown, women’s basketball has undergone some significant changes. However, the one constant is that there has been only one BCS program in the west in the national championship discussion every year.

So while there are a myriad of reasons why the title drought has occurred, rather than delve into the reasons why there hasn’t been a champion west of Texas in the last twenty years, let’s examine why can be an argument made that of importance of why a BCS-level championship program NEEDS to emerge in Southern California is just as important.

The Cardinal Conundrum

First things first, let’s state the obvious about elite level college basketball on the west coast - Stanford is good. In fact, check that: They’re REALLY good. And if you aren’t sure that they’re good, rewind the DVR to watch the show put on by Stanford when they easily dispatched Tennessee 97-80 earlier this year at Maples Pavilion. But what makes Stanford special is not only are they good this year, its that the Cardinal have been a model of consistency for the past two decades. Just consider a few accomplishments of JUST the past ten years for a moment:

Haven’t had a season with fewer than 20 wins (one of the benchmarks of BCS success)
Finished first in the Pac-10 regular season each year
Finished with 30 or more wins 6 times
At least one NCAA tournament win each year

There have been challengers who make an occasional two- to three-year run, but as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in west, Stanford seems to always be there at the end making another Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight run. And armed with athletic administration committed to success, a Hall of Fame coach in Tara VanDerveer and tons of talent still flowing into Palo Alto, it also stands the reason that Stanford isn’t going anywhere.

Nice, So what’s the issue?

The problem isn’t that women on ‘The Farm’ are too good. The problem is that there hasn’t been a consistent BCS challenger on the west coast to act as a counterbalance - Specifically to draw more media and fan interest. Like Bird needed Magic, Batman needed the Joker and Coke needs Pepsi. Stanford needs a counterbalance out west, a true competitive rival.

Why Not Cal?

At first glance the Cal Bears could provide that rival. One could argue that the rivalry could be a situation similar to Duke-North Carolina in men’s basketball on Tobacco road. The hiring of former UCSB Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb was a savvy hire by Cal’s AD Sandy Barbour. Gottlieb’s bright (former Ivy leaguer), understands the Pac-12 (was a former Cal Assistant) has already made waves on the recruiting trail (securing the services of top ten recruit Justine Hartman last year) and appears to be committed to being at California for the long haul.

But while Cal appears to be set up for long-term success and has a chance to battle Stanford for Bay Area supremacy, it’s not Los Angeles. And the sheer number of eyes and ears of media and potential fans in Los Angeles is what would move the proverbial meter in terms of coverage and viewers. And while one can look for Cal to rise in the near future, there is an inherent need for women’s basketball to be firmly entrenched in the nation’s second largest media market outside of New York. Southern California and women’s basketball needs a perennial Elite Eight women’s basketball program.

The Argument for Los Angeles: Media and Market

Though the most of the influential sportswriters in America reside in the eastern or central time zone, recently there been a subtle movement of more western attention. Online bloggers and social media have help turn attention westward. The company News Corp Digital Media Group (Fox Sports) is now a dominant fixture in sports broadcasting and are centered on the West Coast. Even ESPN has opened a studio in Los Angeles.

With this rise of media power, slowly the Pac-12 and its members are positioning themselves as major players in television and online distribution of its members content. Examine for a moment some of the moves that Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has made after taking over in 2009.

Expanded to add Utah and Colorado (Salt Lake City & Denver TV markets)
Negotiated a twelve-year deal with ESPN/Fox Sports for close to $2.7 billion for the length of the contract
Agreed to a long-term inter-conference scheduling collaborations with the Big 10

These are moves that are primarily initiated by football and increasing leverage with television contracts, however each of these moves have a significant effect on women’s basketball in terms of additional financial stability to fire or keep coaches in place and for scheduling should not be. But also relevant to the discussion of basketball are that the moves also create a tremendous window of opportunity for women’s college basketball in the west in terms of viewership – Which could be generated by a Bay Area-Greater Los Angeles-area rivalry among two BCS teams playing at an elite level.

An USC-Stanford or UCLA-Stanford rivalry immediately has the potential to register much like a Tennessee-UConn rivalry in the east. A rivalry with Stanford and either would provide two major things: Combatants with a tradition (which Stanford and both USC and UCLA have) and cache (BCS “Name” schools) in and two large media markets.

There would also be an added plus: recruiting.

Ratings means recruits are also watching

For years, recruits on the west coast saw Tennessee and UConn on television. In fact, they almost ONLY saw Tennessee and UConn on national television. And subsequently, seeing these two on national airwaves helped the schools become real and tangible viable options as destinations to play. Mega-prospects like Diana Taurasi and Sade Wiley-Gatewood, who have National High School player of the year credentials headed east.

Was television the only the only reason? Probably not. But the influence of seeing those only two eastern teams on national television does make a tremendous impact. Those far away schools suddenly seem less “foreign” and become more familiar to west coast recruits. And seeing the Lady Vols and the Huskies on television or highlights from a living room three time zones away, may allow prospects to think: “Maybe I ‘could’ go all the way there AND they win.”

In college athletics, recruiting, especially accumulating the 5-Star recruits, is the name of the game if a program is to be successful at a level to compete for national championships (For comparison UConn has three players in the Top 15 in the country in most recruiting rankings). And keeping California talent in California and is the first step to maintain elite level success for both UCLA and USC. The buzz of a hotly-contested rivalry with two state teams from different regions, that could win a national championship, just may help keep some of that Golden State talent at home to help get these programs over the hump and win the NCAA title.

Imagine what may of happen if Diana Taurasi had decided to stay “home” and of been a Bruin and played in Pauley Pavilion or decided to wear the Cardinal & Gold of USC. How would the history books been rewritten? What other recruits would she of attracted to either program? Could there of been a USC dynasty like the Cheryl Miller-Cynthia Cooper-McGee Twin era, but only this time in the digital 24 hour media age? Intriguing to think about, isn’t it?

Los Angeles: Who’s Got Next

Both the Women of Troy and Bruins have the financial resources, the access to recruits and the opportunity to make a dent in the Stanford dominance of the Pac-12. Both institutions haves hired coaches in the last few years who are committed to staying each school and building strong programs nationally. Each have made or in the process of making upgrades in facilities. Each has begun to creep higher in the national recruiting ratings. The only question is which program can make the final leap.

Which of the two LA programs can catch “The Big Red Machine” up north? Only time will tell. But for the potential boon it could be in terms of exposure for women’s basketball in the nation’s second largest media market and on the West coast, the hope and the need, is sooner rather than later.

ESPN/USA Today poll

2012-01-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

Maryland and Texas A&M take tumbles this week; Kansas State enters; Delaware continues to rise:

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. Kentucky
7. Maryland
8. Rutgers
9. Tennessee
10. Miami
11. Wisconsin-Green Bay
12. Ohio State
13. Texas A&M
14. Georgia
15. Louisville
16. Delaware
17. Georgetown
18. Purdue
19. DePaul
20. Texas Tech
21. Penn State
22. (tie Kansas State and Vanderbilt
24. Nebraska
25. Gonzaga

Tony Matson Memorial Classic

2012-01-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

Orange Lutheran High School hosted the third Annual Tony Matson Classic yesterday. There were five girls games played and one boys game scheduled as the nightcap. All proceeds go to help the Matson family after the untimely death of the Orange Lutheran coach in 2009. Tony was extremely well-liked by his peers, his players and the Orange Lutheran community.

The game that appeared to be the most competitive turned out to be the closest game of the day: Brea Olinda vs Troy. Brea is coached this year by Kim Cram-Torres, who came from Villa Park High School. She replaced longtime coach Jeff Sink, who now coaches the Brea boys team. Troy is coached by Roger Anderson.

The one thing that is noticably different from past Brea teams is their size. Without Justine Hartman, Jeanir Olekumi, Amanda Arter and Amber Van Deudekom, the Ladycats not nearly as big as they were over the past four seasons. Brea still has three exceptional players in Anna Kim, Keitra Wallace and Taylor Spears, and all three played strong games yesterday.

Troy is led by Gabby Hanson, Shelby Dougherty, and Alicia Dimas. Hanson and Dougherty played well for Troy while Dimas was in foul trouble early in the game and only saw limited action. The game started out strong for Brea as they led 10-2 in the first quarter, Brea extended their lead to 24-12 in the second, and led 34-25 at halftime. At the end of three quarters Brea led 46-31, and it appeared not to be Troy's night. However, the fourth quarter saw Troy storm back to trail by two points at 53-51, with 27 seconds left on the clock. Troy had two or three chances to tie the game during that period, but couldn't get their shots to fall. Brea won 53-51.

The other games saw Rosary defeat Mayfair 50-39; Yorba Linda beat Santa Margarita 55-33; Mater Dei defeated Canyon of Anaheim 63-27, and both Jordan Adams and Nirra Fields played strong games. The final girls game saw host Orange Lutheran stomp the Santa Monica Vikings, 64-36. Orange Lutheran plays very good "team" game under current coach Tom Howard as they did under Tony Matson. They may not be the most talented team in the area, but every time I see them play, they always work the ball for the open player. Tony would be very proud of them.

There were several college coaches or assistants at the event, including coaches from UCLA, USC, UC Davis, Santa Clara, USD, and a couple of Juco coaches from Orange Coast College and Santa Ana College. There were also several high school coaches and players from teams not playing, which I thought showed great support for a good cause.

The box scores can be found on the OC Register web site: http://www.ocvarsity.com/sections/schedules/?sportID=3&gender=G

Make sure you click on January 16.

- IM in OC

Future college players: Jordan Adams (USC) waits to shoot free throws while Mater Dei teammate Nirra Fields (UCLA) and Canyon's Christina Salvatore (University of Idaho) await the shot.

Brea's Taylor Spears, at the foul line, Anna Kim behind the arc, and Keitra Wallace, on the left of the picture, all had strong games for the Ladycats. Troy's Gabby Hanson, #11 in white, also played well.

UCLA assistant coach Tony Newnan, in the blue and gold jacket, chats with Nirra Fields after the game.

Orange Lutheran's Abbey Goodsell, (#24) scored 18 points to lead all scorers in their rout of Santa Monica.

All pictures by IM in OC.

Just a few things

2012-01-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Women's Sports Centrals podcast features Brenda VanLengen and Mechelle Voepel discussing the Big 12, SEC, ACC, and Big East.

Checking in with Yolanda Griffith, who is an assistant coach at Dartmouth.

That knee injury Tennessee forward Shekinna Stricklen sustained in yesterday's Vanderbilt game? It's a sprain. And she's day-to-day.

Kentucky tops the SEC at the moment.

Real life - not a movie

2012-01-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Sacred Heart High girls basketball team in Los Angeles walks through the 'hood everyday to get to the gym for basketball practice; it's a facility they rent out with what money they have. Every day, they confront dangers along the way. Story.

Wow.

Martin Luther King weekend action

2012-01-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday........

Upset: #25 Penn State over #23 Nebraska, 93-73.

#11 Miami barely survived Florida State, 60-57.

Florida beat LSU 62-58, snapping the Tigers' 10-game winning streak.

Please, not again: Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt, and Vol forward Shekinna Stricklen scared the crap out of her team when she clutched her knee and started screaming. It looks like it's just a knee strain, though.

Elena Delle Donne also sustained a leg injury in Delaware's victory over Northeastern.

Kentucky remains undefeated in SEC play after today's win over South Carolina.

Cal took Utah, making for a sweep of the Pac-12 mountain schools.

ESPN's Graham Hays has a (so far) weekend wrap up, which he calls "all hail the Big Ten."

Many smaller schools have games tomorrow, on the Martin Luther King holiday.

Club ball:

Exodus Coach Apache Paschall was laid to rest yesterday.

NCAA business:

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors wants a new stipend proposal, since the one to give athletes $2,000 a year was tabled.

This parity thing is crazy

2012-01-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

The new basketball: anyone can win at any time.

Upsets today:

Kansas State handed #14 Texas Tech its second consecutive loss.

Saint Mary's upset #22 Gonzaga in a close one.

Almosts:

#19 DePaul hung on to beat Pittsburgh.

Rutgers held off Louisville in overtime.

Other close ones:

Cal State Northridge rallied to take Pacific, 72-68, and end their eight-game home winning streak.

San Diego State defeated UNLV in overtime, 66-62.

UC Irvine squeaked past Cal Poly, 62-60.

Arizona overcame Oregon State, 58-56.

Arizona State snapped a three-game losing streak by eeking one out over Oregon, 53-49.

What was in the air today with all these close games?

USC 47, UCLA 43

2012-01-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

Today's Southern California Pac-12 showdown was every bit the bloodbath battle fans expected it to be. The Trojans got off to an early lead and kept the lead at eight for a while, midway through the first half. The Bruins then went on an 8-0 run and tied things up at the 6:14 mark. They were up by four points before USC went on a run of their own, and took the lead back 26-25 at the half.

UCLA took the lead back to start the second period, pushing it to four again, 34-30. But the Trojans put up four points, and then the score remained knotted at 34 for seven minutes before USC was again able to score. The Bruins didn't put up a field goal for over nine minutes. Crucial free throws by Trojan forward Cassie Harberts in the game's final minutes sealed the win for her team.

Only two players scored in double figures: USC's Ashley Corral and UCLA's Rebekah Gardner. Box score.

Corral's eight assists pushed her past Cheryl Miller on the all-time assists list. She is an underrated player, to be sure.

The game was one of the best defensive battles I've seen in a while. Both teams kept each other out of the paint and forced outside shots, which no one was making in the second half, as USC shot 18.2 percent and UCLA, 24 percent. The game was also predictably physical, with much wrestling for the ball, hand-checking and numerous fouls.

Some game photos are blow, but the entire game album is HERE.

Both teams get props, as each are missing key players. USC guard Jacki Gemelos tore her left ACL in December, as did UCLA guard Antonye Nyingifa. Bruin guard Moriah Faulk also tore her ACL last Saturday in the Arizona State game.

Thea Lemberger contemplates getting past Briana Gilbreath in the second half.

Cassie Harberts' free throws in the final minute sealed the win for the Trojans.

Jacki Gemelos, at top, watches Coach Michael Cooper break down the game strategy before tipoff.

Jacki Gemelos injury is a rallying point for USC

2012-01-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

The USC Trojans are finding a way to cope without Jacki Gemelos - it's because they're playing for her. In researching for this piece, I also found a star player who is doing a noble job of moving through the grieving process. USC coaches also care about Gemelos and the rest of the team a great deal.

It's common for teams who lose a key player to rally for a couple games before their performance declines. The fact that the Women of Troy made it through last week with two wins in Arizona, and a victory today at UCLA, says a lot about their drive and focus. They have lost only one game since losing Gemelos, who will have her fifth knee reconstruction surgery Tuesday.

The photo gallery with this piece on www.hoopfeed.com is from a recent practice. Below are some extra shots.

Jacki Gemelos throws up shots on the sidelines while her teammates practice.

Freshman Thaddesia Southall, who is sitting out this season with an ACL tear of her own, rebounds for Gemelos.

Gemelos works on her handles while her teammates scrimmage.

The Trojans run 17s.

Gaaaaaaaaaame daaaaaaaaaay!!!!

2012-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Pac-12:

A depleted UCLA Bruins squad hosts USC today at 2 p.m. PST. I'll be there like the Jackson Five. The Women of Troy are second place in the Pac-12 going into today's contest.

Have you noticed Washington State isn't sucking this year? So has the Kitsap Sun, scout.com and Jayda Evans. The Cougars are tied for second in the Pac-12 going into today's match ups.

The rising Oregon State Beavers are focusing on "winnable games."

In facing Oregon today, Arizona State is trying to snap a three-game losing streak.

Here's a headline for you: Colorado hopes to keep their composure against Stanford today.

Rivalry turns to unity:

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State created a bond after the November deaths of OSU coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna that has lasted.

Miami projection:

ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli projects that the Hurricaine's Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams will both go first round in this year's WNBA draft.

Rutgers:

Fans seem to be worried that Rutgers' incoming freshman class will unravel like the class of 2008. Coach C. Vivian Stringer shakes off the comparison.

Yesterday and tomorrow

2012-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Purdue's Brittany Rayburn put up a whopping 38 points last night in the Boilermakers' win over Minnesota, including an NCAA record 12 three-point shots.

Cal trailed Colorado by 12 last night before surging back to win by 13. A very impressive display.

UConn will play at Villanova tomorrow, and the very idea makes Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma ill.

Stanford will take on Colorado tomorrow, and you better believe the Cardinal will be prepared.

NCAA president Mark Emmert's contract has been extended.

Pro business:

Candace Parker talks about her favorite destinations, playing in Russia and traveling with kids.

Angel McCoughtry provides a sneak peek of her upcoming music video.

Ivory Latta will become a Parkinson's Disease ambassador.