Sparks Coach Carol Ross said tonight that she would play forward Ebony Hoffman in the team's last two games this week before the Olympic break, if need be. The eight-year veteran will make the road trip with the squad.
Hoffman sustained a severe ankle sprain in the June 8 game against Phoenix. She began warming up with the Sparks again for the first time last week, but hasn't yet played.
"She's got her uniform on under that warm up, but she's still slightly gimpy," Ross said. "She will play in these next two games if we need her."
Hoffman revealed that the sprain was so bad that one of her foot tendons was pulled off the bone. Considering that, she said, she feels like she's coming along quickly with her daily rehabilitation.
This is the first time in her career that she's had an injury that kept her out of action for this long, and it's been making her stir crazy, she said.
"Too much idle time," Hoffman said with a laugh.
The Sparks travel to Phoenix on Tuesday and Indiana Thursday before taking a month-long game break.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The Olympics are coming!
This is the last week of WNBA play before play is suspended for over a month for the Olympic Games. Teams will play their last games either Wednesday or Thursday, and then will go directly to the East coast to meet as a team. League play won't resume until mid-August.
Los Angeles forward Candace Parker talked to me tonight about her feelings going into her second Olympic Games:
"I think I'm like a veteran now," she said with a smile. "I'm excited because this is my second time back so I know what to expect. This time I'm going to try to see more and go to more events. Just trying to win a gold medal - that's the goal."
Sparks Coach Carol Ross spoke to me about her plans for the team for the next month:
"I'm excited about the break," she said. "I'm excited that Candace is an Olympian and gets to represent our country. For me (the break) is great because we get to go back to training camp, which, unlike the players is my favorite time."
"We've had injuries so it's going to be good for (Ebony) Hoffman and (Nicky) Anosike and Andrea Riley, who we picked up late. It's going to be good for these players to have some good fundamental practices and to get back into a rhythm, a routine."
"We're going to treat it like training camp. We're going to get back to the basics and reevaluate and evaluate. Look and see what we've done, done well, what things we might need to try a different way. Try to polish up and get a plan for moving into the second half of the season."
My take: With the rash of injuries league-wide this year, the Olympic break seems like a great blessing.
Other Olympics and USA Basketball:
Seimone Augustus talks about her role on this summer's Olympic team.
USA Basketball:
Skylar Diggins, Chiney Ogwumike, Bria Hartley and Alyssa Thomas were named to the 3X3 National Team today. They'll represent the USA at the FIBA 3x3 World Championship in Athens, Greece, in August.
Los Angeles forward Candace Parker talked to me tonight about her feelings going into her second Olympic Games:
"I think I'm like a veteran now," she said with a smile. "I'm excited because this is my second time back so I know what to expect. This time I'm going to try to see more and go to more events. Just trying to win a gold medal - that's the goal."
Sparks Coach Carol Ross spoke to me about her plans for the team for the next month:
"I'm excited about the break," she said. "I'm excited that Candace is an Olympian and gets to represent our country. For me (the break) is great because we get to go back to training camp, which, unlike the players is my favorite time."
"We've had injuries so it's going to be good for (Ebony) Hoffman and (Nicky) Anosike and Andrea Riley, who we picked up late. It's going to be good for these players to have some good fundamental practices and to get back into a rhythm, a routine."
"We're going to treat it like training camp. We're going to get back to the basics and reevaluate and evaluate. Look and see what we've done, done well, what things we might need to try a different way. Try to polish up and get a plan for moving into the second half of the season."
My take: With the rash of injuries league-wide this year, the Olympic break seems like a great blessing.
Other Olympics and USA Basketball:
Seimone Augustus talks about her role on this summer's Olympic team.
USA Basketball:
Skylar Diggins, Chiney Ogwumike, Bria Hartley and Alyssa Thomas were named to the 3X3 National Team today. They'll represent the USA at the FIBA 3x3 World Championship in Athens, Greece, in August.
Four WNBA games tonight
Shock 78, Mystics 62. Is Tulsa getting better, or is Washington getting worse?
The Silver Stars continue their hot streak - seven games in a row, to be exact - by defeating the Liberty, 94-81. Suddenly, the Western Conference looks completely different.
The Sparks had no trouble handling an Angel McCoughtry-less Dream, 79-63. McCoughtry sustained a strained MCL several weeks ago, and didn't make the road trip with the team, which included last night's game at Phoenix, because the knee was bothering her.
Sue Bird, who didn't play last night with a strained hip flexor, went off for 31 points tonight against the Mercury, leading the Storm to an 83-68 victory.
The following are my questions and quotes from tonight's Dream at Sparks matchup. The Meadors interview was a one-on-one; the Ross interview was in a group; the Parker interview was in a group, but then I got some one-on-one time that I will quote out on my next post. Tonight's quotes:
Marynell Meadors:
(On McCoughtry's absence)
"It's definitely a huge impact on us. She's the leading scorer in the lead and she does a lot of things defensively that create offensive opportunities for us, and taking her out of the lineup effects our team and a lot of game outcomes."
(On how they prepared for tonight's game coming off a double-overtime contest last night)
"I was real proud of our team because I thought we fought hard the entire game and we never gave up. Our bench came in and played hard, and they played a lot of minutes last night. We had Sancho Lyttle played 48 minutes last night. And you look at our stats and there were a lot of (players) that were in the 40s, and that's really tough to play double overtime and then play another game less than 24 hours later. I felt like our legs were very heavy tonight."
(On facing former assistant coach Carol Ross, now head coach of the Sparks)
"We know exactly what each other's going to do - it's like cat and mouse. But she's done a terrific job with the Sparks and getting that turnaround. They've got somebody that they really need to keep around for a while, because the players really enjoy playing for her, and they've got great chemistry on their team. I look for them to do well in the playoffs."
Carol Ross:
"I'm extremely proud of them. Every team is going to get knocked to the mat in this league, but it's how you get up. I thought we responded to rest and practice, and I thought we were really focused in on these three home games.....Atlanta was a team that spanked us, so it's good to spank them back."
(On facing her former team)
“It felt a lot better to go against them this time because we won. Anytime you spend a lot of time with a team and a group of players, there’s always a bond there. I love my players, whether they’re past or present. I’ve got special feelings for the Atlanta franchise but my moment is right here with LA. I couldn’t be happier to beat them and get the win.”
Candace Parker:
“We know that we had it a little bit easier because we played at home last night, we didn’t have to travel. We got to sleep in our beds, so we knew it was going to be tough for them. We just wanted to make it a running game and hope that we had more rest than them.”
(On how the team chemistry seems to be coming back)
"At times we're one of the greatest teams in the league, and at times we're one of the worst. (Our evil side) is less and less, and that's all you can hope going into the break."
The Silver Stars continue their hot streak - seven games in a row, to be exact - by defeating the Liberty, 94-81. Suddenly, the Western Conference looks completely different.
The Sparks had no trouble handling an Angel McCoughtry-less Dream, 79-63. McCoughtry sustained a strained MCL several weeks ago, and didn't make the road trip with the team, which included last night's game at Phoenix, because the knee was bothering her.
Sue Bird, who didn't play last night with a strained hip flexor, went off for 31 points tonight against the Mercury, leading the Storm to an 83-68 victory.
The following are my questions and quotes from tonight's Dream at Sparks matchup. The Meadors interview was a one-on-one; the Ross interview was in a group; the Parker interview was in a group, but then I got some one-on-one time that I will quote out on my next post. Tonight's quotes:
Marynell Meadors:
(On McCoughtry's absence)
"It's definitely a huge impact on us. She's the leading scorer in the lead and she does a lot of things defensively that create offensive opportunities for us, and taking her out of the lineup effects our team and a lot of game outcomes."
(On how they prepared for tonight's game coming off a double-overtime contest last night)
"I was real proud of our team because I thought we fought hard the entire game and we never gave up. Our bench came in and played hard, and they played a lot of minutes last night. We had Sancho Lyttle played 48 minutes last night. And you look at our stats and there were a lot of (players) that were in the 40s, and that's really tough to play double overtime and then play another game less than 24 hours later. I felt like our legs were very heavy tonight."
(On facing former assistant coach Carol Ross, now head coach of the Sparks)
"We know exactly what each other's going to do - it's like cat and mouse. But she's done a terrific job with the Sparks and getting that turnaround. They've got somebody that they really need to keep around for a while, because the players really enjoy playing for her, and they've got great chemistry on their team. I look for them to do well in the playoffs."
Carol Ross:
"I'm extremely proud of them. Every team is going to get knocked to the mat in this league, but it's how you get up. I thought we responded to rest and practice, and I thought we were really focused in on these three home games.....Atlanta was a team that spanked us, so it's good to spank them back."
(On facing her former team)
“It felt a lot better to go against them this time because we won. Anytime you spend a lot of time with a team and a group of players, there’s always a bond there. I love my players, whether they’re past or present. I’ve got special feelings for the Atlanta franchise but my moment is right here with LA. I couldn’t be happier to beat them and get the win.”
Candace Parker:
“We know that we had it a little bit easier because we played at home last night, we didn’t have to travel. We got to sleep in our beds, so we knew it was going to be tough for them. We just wanted to make it a running game and hope that we had more rest than them.”
(On how the team chemistry seems to be coming back)
"At times we're one of the greatest teams in the league, and at times we're one of the worst. (Our evil side) is less and less, and that's all you can hope going into the break."
News drawer
The Seattle Storm announced today, via twitter, that forward Tina Thompson sustained a knee sprain in last night's game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Whew!
NCAA:
BYU has cut Alexis Kaufusi from it's basketball team, for no apparent reason. The 22-year-old had battled cancer with the goal of playing again.
That story leaves me speechless.
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame:
....has a new board of directors. They meet for the first time tomorrow.
Whew!
NCAA:
BYU has cut Alexis Kaufusi from it's basketball team, for no apparent reason. The 22-year-old had battled cancer with the goal of playing again.
That story leaves me speechless.
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame:
....has a new board of directors. They meet for the first time tomorrow.
First round of July club ball tournaments
Big State Flava Jam wrapped up today. Brackets show DFW T-Jack Elite crushing Essence in the championship of the platinum division.
FILA Nationals wrap up tomorrow. All brackets are here.
The End of the Trail Tournament's last day is also tomorrow, but NOTHING online with scores, etc. It's a shame.
Most club ball organizations have one more tournament before the NCAA dead period in the middle of the month.
FILA Nationals wrap up tomorrow. All brackets are here.
The End of the Trail Tournament's last day is also tomorrow, but NOTHING online with scores, etc. It's a shame.
Most club ball organizations have one more tournament before the NCAA dead period in the middle of the month.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
San Francisco Pro Am League includes your favorite college players (and a couple of pros)
The San Franciso Pro Am League is on and poppin, and the rosters are diverse - Pac-12, Notre Dame, schools you don't hear much from, schools you've never heard of, arts hoopers, out-of-college players....and a couple of Phoenix Mercury players (bottom roster).
Who knew?
Who knew?
Intense night of game action
Tonight's WNBA results:
The Fever outlasted the Sky in overtime, 88-86. Photo gallery.
Ouch - the Lynx lose their third straight game, to the Sun. The photo on this story is not pretty.
The Dream hung on through two overtimes to take the Mercury, 100-93. The box score is bananas.
The Sparks crushed the Storm, 83-59. Midway through the action, Tina Thompson and Nnemkadi Ogwumike collided in a scramble for the ball, and Thompson's knee was struck from the side. She lay on the court, chest heaving and screaming, in a great deal of pain. When the replay was shown on the jumbo screen, the crowd gasped. It was upsetting. Hopefully the Storm will let us know as soon as possible when a diagnosis is determined.
The Storm were already hampered by the absence of Sue Bird, who sat out with a strained hip flexor.
Storm-Sparks quotes:
Sparks Head Coach Carol Ross
(On the Sparks focus entering the game…)
“Our main objective is to take care of our home court. We are very protective over the STAPLES Center. That is always going to be a focus when we are home. Second, it is a western conference game, and we are very mindful of those as well. It is Seattle, so we have a lot of respect for their franchise. We just want to keep pushing and make sure that we are moving forward, and I couldn’t be happier with the team effort.”
(On Seattle being shorthanded…)
“Like I told the players, this is Seattle and LA. People in the uniform change from night to night for different reasons but what is on the outside of the uniform doesn’t change. To our franchise and our fans, it is a big rivalry. We play it that way and I am proud of our intensity and our ability to come out strong.”
Sparks Forward Candace Parker
(On the team’s direction going into the Olympic break…)
“I think we are hitting a good stride. Obviously it is two games, so we can’t call it a streak yet. A couple games ago, we didn’t know who we were. We aren’t going to get too high, just like we didn’t get too low when were losing. I like how we play well at home, so we have to continue to do that.”
(On playing Seattle for the fourth time this season…)
“This is the fourth time we played them, so we knew that it is really hard to beat a team four times. We had to come out with extra emotion and intensity. If we were a team that had lost to us three times prior, then we would have come out with a lot of fire.”
Sparks Forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike
(On playing back-to-back games…)
“I would really hope at this point that we handle it a lot better than the couple of back-to-backs that we have had. You know the schedule is tough, so we are really looking forward to going into the Olympic break with five straight wins. We are on track to do that.”
(On all five starters contributing double figures…)
“People have some good nights and some off nights. If we could stay consistent and the first five can start off and maintain a high tempo throughout the game I think we have the advantage every time.”
Head Coach Brian Agler
(On coping with injuries…)
“Obviously it is very tough. I told the team that no one is feeling sorry for us and other teams have been in this situation before. We did some good things today, we just didn’t have a lot of weapons. I thought we could have played a little more defensively at times especially in the first quarter and third quarter. I don’t fault our effort.”
(On their play against the Eastern Conference…)
“Nothing really changed other than the fact that we are starting to gel together offensively and defensively. We played more efficiently and didn’t turn the ball over as much. We shot the ball better, as just played better. We didn’t see that tonight because we were undermanned.”
Storm Guard Sue Bird
(On resting…)
Every once in a while you get banged up and timing doesn’t work in your favor. Coming into this weekend we had a back-to-back. It was recommended to get as much rest as possible, so it didn’t become a long term issue.”
On an upside:
Lisa Leslie was celebrating her 40th birthday today sitting courtside with her entire family, including her mother and sister. Her two-year-old son MJ appeared to be celebrating too - at one point when the Spark kids were dancing, he started doing what looked like break dancing. It was pretty cute.
The Fever outlasted the Sky in overtime, 88-86. Photo gallery.
Ouch - the Lynx lose their third straight game, to the Sun. The photo on this story is not pretty.
The Dream hung on through two overtimes to take the Mercury, 100-93. The box score is bananas.
The Sparks crushed the Storm, 83-59. Midway through the action, Tina Thompson and Nnemkadi Ogwumike collided in a scramble for the ball, and Thompson's knee was struck from the side. She lay on the court, chest heaving and screaming, in a great deal of pain. When the replay was shown on the jumbo screen, the crowd gasped. It was upsetting. Hopefully the Storm will let us know as soon as possible when a diagnosis is determined.
The Storm were already hampered by the absence of Sue Bird, who sat out with a strained hip flexor.
Storm-Sparks quotes:
Sparks Head Coach Carol Ross
(On the Sparks focus entering the game…)
“Our main objective is to take care of our home court. We are very protective over the STAPLES Center. That is always going to be a focus when we are home. Second, it is a western conference game, and we are very mindful of those as well. It is Seattle, so we have a lot of respect for their franchise. We just want to keep pushing and make sure that we are moving forward, and I couldn’t be happier with the team effort.”
(On Seattle being shorthanded…)
“Like I told the players, this is Seattle and LA. People in the uniform change from night to night for different reasons but what is on the outside of the uniform doesn’t change. To our franchise and our fans, it is a big rivalry. We play it that way and I am proud of our intensity and our ability to come out strong.”
Sparks Forward Candace Parker
(On the team’s direction going into the Olympic break…)
“I think we are hitting a good stride. Obviously it is two games, so we can’t call it a streak yet. A couple games ago, we didn’t know who we were. We aren’t going to get too high, just like we didn’t get too low when were losing. I like how we play well at home, so we have to continue to do that.”
(On playing Seattle for the fourth time this season…)
“This is the fourth time we played them, so we knew that it is really hard to beat a team four times. We had to come out with extra emotion and intensity. If we were a team that had lost to us three times prior, then we would have come out with a lot of fire.”
Sparks Forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike
(On playing back-to-back games…)
“I would really hope at this point that we handle it a lot better than the couple of back-to-backs that we have had. You know the schedule is tough, so we are really looking forward to going into the Olympic break with five straight wins. We are on track to do that.”
(On all five starters contributing double figures…)
“People have some good nights and some off nights. If we could stay consistent and the first five can start off and maintain a high tempo throughout the game I think we have the advantage every time.”
Head Coach Brian Agler
(On coping with injuries…)
“Obviously it is very tough. I told the team that no one is feeling sorry for us and other teams have been in this situation before. We did some good things today, we just didn’t have a lot of weapons. I thought we could have played a little more defensively at times especially in the first quarter and third quarter. I don’t fault our effort.”
(On their play against the Eastern Conference…)
“Nothing really changed other than the fact that we are starting to gel together offensively and defensively. We played more efficiently and didn’t turn the ball over as much. We shot the ball better, as just played better. We didn’t see that tonight because we were undermanned.”
Storm Guard Sue Bird
(On resting…)
Every once in a while you get banged up and timing doesn’t work in your favor. Coming into this weekend we had a back-to-back. It was recommended to get as much rest as possible, so it didn’t become a long term issue.”
On an upside:
Lisa Leslie was celebrating her 40th birthday today sitting courtside with her entire family, including her mother and sister. Her two-year-old son MJ appeared to be celebrating too - at one point when the Spark kids were dancing, he started doing what looked like break dancing. It was pretty cute.
Lynx news
Rookie Devereaux Peters broke some bones in her left hand during Thursday's game against Los Angeles, and will be out until after the Olympic break. The post is looking lean, as Jessica Adair had knee surgery a few weeks ago and will be back at the same time as Peters.
I mentioned previously that during halftime of the game two days ago, Minnesota draft pick Jacki Gemelos joined Lynx Radio for an interview. Here is the transcript.
Right this minute, Connecticut leads Minnesota by three at halftime.....more on the results of all four of today's games later.
Separate question: how much different will the league be after the Olympic break, when all the players from other countries return to their teams? I think it will be head-spinning.
I mentioned previously that during halftime of the game two days ago, Minnesota draft pick Jacki Gemelos joined Lynx Radio for an interview. Here is the transcript.
Right this minute, Connecticut leads Minnesota by three at halftime.....more on the results of all four of today's games later.
Separate question: how much different will the league be after the Olympic break, when all the players from other countries return to their teams? I think it will be head-spinning.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Say No Classic, Los Angeles, begins tomorrow
It's the 22nd year for Say No. Here's this weekend's schedule.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
