Archive for September, 2009

Angel McCoughtry expected to be named Rookie of the Year, Meadors to get coach award

By Cheryl Coward at 30 September, 2009, 7:53 pm

ATL_McCOUGHTRY_ANGEL Former Louisville star Angel McCoughtry will be named  2009 WNBA Rookie of the Year and her Atlanta Dream coach Marynell Meadors, Coach of the Year, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The WNBA will announce the winners of the award Thursday in Phoenix before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

McCoughtry started the year off on a rocky note but improved dramatically as the season progressed. She even considered quitting she told the newspaper.

“The best thing about this year is that I struggled at the beginning of the year,” McCoughtry said Wednesday to the AJC. “I was down on myself. Then I just thought, if I wasn’t talented I wouldn’t be here. I can play. When I did that I started to play my game.”

McCoughtry was drafted by the Dream with the first overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. Last week she was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Defensive second team. She led Louisville to the championship game and the first Final Four in program history as a senior. She is Louisville’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 2,779 points and 1,261 rebounds.

She is currently in training camp with USA Basketball in Washington, D.C..

In her second season at the helm of the Dream, Meadors took the team from a 4-30 record as an… Read more

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Historic thriller opens the WNBA Finals

By Cheryl Coward at 29 September, 2009, 11:48 pm

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In the highest scoring game in WNBA history, the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 120-116 in game one of the 2009 league finals.

The Mercury’s Penny Taylor came off the bench to lead her team with 23 points in the overtime thriller in front of a crowd of 11,617 at US Airways Center. Starting guard Cappie Pondexter had 23 and scored the last five points of the game.

Diana Taurasi, who received her first career MVP award in a ceremony before the game, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Katie Douglas was the leading scorer for the Fever with 30 points while Ebony Hoffman had a career-high 27. She also collected eight rebounds. The franchise’s marquee player, Tamika Catchings fouled out in overtime. She was held to eight points.

Game two in the best-of-five series is Thursday in Phoenix. The series then goes to Indiana and returns to Phoenix for game five if necessary.

  • Thursday, Oct. 1 US Airways Center, Phoenix 9:00pm ESPN2
  • Sunday, Oct. 4 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis 4:00pm ESPN2
  • Wednesday, Oct. 7 (if necessary) Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis 7:30pm ESPN2
  • Friday, Oct. 9 (if necessary) US Airways Center, Phoenix 9:00pm ESPN2
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    Diana Taurasi named 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player

    By Cheryl Coward at 29 September, 2009, 6:56 pm

    2009-09-29_1836 Phoenix Mercury guard/forward Diana Taurasi has been named the 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player. Taurasi received 323 total points and 27 first place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, earning her first career MVP award. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings ranked second with 163 points (three first place votes) while her teammate Katie Douglas finished third with 128 points (five). Taurasi’s teammate, Cappie Pondexter, finished fourth with 99 points (one).

    "The award should say Phoenix Mercury on it,” said Taurasi during the press conference announcing the award, “because everyone contributed to this."

    Other top vote getters included San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon with 77 points (three), Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson with 73 points, Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker with 39 points and Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan with 27 points. In all, five different players received first place votes this year. Jackson is a two-time WNBA MVP (2003, 2007) and Parker won the award last year as a rookie (2008).

    Taurasi caps a season in which she led the WNBA with 20.4 points per game and captured her third-career Peak Performer Award for scoring (2006, 2008, 2009). She shot a career-best 46.1 percent from the field and tallied 20 or more points in 20 games this season, including a season-high… Read more

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    Just the Facts: WNBA Finals Notes, Probable Starters and Preview Roundup

    By Cheryl Coward at 29 September, 2009, 5:18 am

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    The Phoenix Mercury is seeking its second WNBA title in three years. The Indiana Fever is in the hunt for its first after having the best season in the franchise’s 10-year history. Both teams won their regular season titles. The Mercury had the best record in the league while the Fever was second. The best-of-five series pits Phoenix’s offense, the most prolific in the history of the league against one of the best defenses the WNBA has ever seen in the Indiana Fever.

    The teams split their regular season series 1-1. The road team won each game. Indiana was the best home team in the WNBA this season (14-3), while Phoenix was the best road team (11-6). Phoenix is one of only three teams to have won at Indiana this season. The Fever’s leading scorer Katie Douglas missed the teams’ last meeting on September 2 with an injured ankle.

    The University of Connecticut has the most graduates in the final with three: Ketia Swanier, Diana Taurasi and Jessica Moore. There are two players each from Auburn (DeWanna Bonner, Le’coe Willingham), Rutgers (Cappie Pondexter, Tammy Sutton-Brown) and USC (Ebony Hoffman, Eshaya Murphy). The other schools represented are Louisiana State, Penn State, Kansas, Kansas State, Stanford, Iowa, Tennessee, Ohio State, Purdue, Arizona State and Vanderbilt.

    The three… Read more

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    Hoopfeed Daily Twitter Digest for 2009-09-28

    By Cheryl Coward at 29 September, 2009, 1:00 am

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    Former NBA players show support for WNBA with massive ticket purchases

    By Cheryl Coward at 28 September, 2009, 5:49 pm

    Following the lead of Indiana Pacers President and former NBA star Larry Bird, Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr bought the entire the upper-level of US Airways Center for game one of the 2009 WNBA Finals beginning tomorrow night. The 7,000 seats are immediately available to anyone on at the US Airways Center ticket office.

    The Phoenix Suns announced the purchase via Twitter:

    Suns GM Steve Kerr purchased upper-level of @SunsCrib for @PhoenixMercury’s GM 1 of @WNBA Finals. 7,000 free tix available at box office!

    “Larry Bird purchased the upper level for Fever’s game three of Eastern Finals in and I want to show the same support for our amazing Mercury," said Kerr, a former Suns player and a five-time NBA champion. “Both of us were part of championship teams and understand the importance of a packed house. For anyone who doubts the WNBA level of play, this is an opportunity to see for yourself. I challenge any doubters to come see the talent, skill and intensity on the court."

    Fans can claim up to eight tickets per person by mentioning Kerr’s Krew at the ticket office while supplies last.

    This past weekend, basketball legend Bird purchased the entire Conseco Fieldhouse balcony in Indianapolis for Saturday’s game three of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana… Read more

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    Hoopfeed Daily Twitter Digest for 2009-09-27

    By Cheryl Coward at 28 September, 2009, 1:00 am

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    Hoopfeed Twitter Weekly Updates for week ending 2009-09-27

    By cheryl at 27 September, 2009, 10:15 pm

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    Hoopfeed Twitter Weekly Updates for week ending 2009-09-27

    By cheryl at 27 September, 2009, 10:15 pm

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    The slate is set for the 2009 WNBA Finals: Phoenix vs. Indiana

    By Cheryl Coward at 27 September, 2009, 10:00 am

    Sacramento Monarchs v Phoenix MercuryThe slate is set for the 2009 WNBA Finals. The top-seeded Phoenix Mercury hosts the Indiana Fever in game one of a best of five series Tuesday at US Airways.

    The Fever advanced to the WNBA finals for the first time in franchise history, beating the defending champion Detroit Shock, 72-67, on Saturday in Indianapolis in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tammy Sutton-Brown led the Fever with 17 points and seven rebounds.

    After the Fever game, the Mercury beat Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, 85-74 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. Diana Taurasi (pictured right) had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Mercury.

    It was the last game for Sparks center Lisa Leslie. After thirteen seasons, the basketball legend retires with two WNBA titles, four gold medals and numerous other basketball awards.

    “I feel great,” said Leslie postgame. “You know why? Because I have no regrets. Every time I stepped out on that court I played as hard as I could, I’ve left everything out there.”

    “Today is my last day of playing professional basketball, but I will stay close to the game because I feel I need to be a part of it.”

    Phoenix makes its third finals appearance all-time and second showing in three seasons. The team defeated the defending champion… Read more

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