Oklahoma’s Whitney Hand cleared to play

 
Whitney Hand’s Twitter message about her medical clearance.

Oklahoma sophomore guard Whitney Hand received a medical clearance to play after six months of rehabilitation from an ACL injury.

Hand suffered a tear in her right knee on Nov. 27, 2009 during a game against San Diego State.

"Whit, to no one’s surprise has been maniacally committed to her rehab,” said Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale. “She has attacked it with the same passion and determination that she exhibits on the basketball court.”

The knee was surgically repaired in December.

The 2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year was averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range when her season came to an end.

Maya Moore named co-winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup Award

University of Connecticut star player Maya Moore is the co-winner of the 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup Award. She shares the honor with Penn State volleyball player Megan Hodge. Moore is third athlete from the UConn to receive the prestigious honor given by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.

“This year’s history-making tie for our top award is highly unusual,” said Judith R. Holland, co-founder and executive director of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards. “And while it is extremely rare for us to have a tie for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, in this case it is quite fortuitous, as we are delighted to be able to give the award to two such outstanding athletes and exemplary young women as Maya and Megan. They are both very worthy recipients and we are proud to have them join our legacy.”

The only other co-winners were Southern California basketball player Cheryl Miller and Florida swimmer Tracy Caulkins in 1984.

Moore helped her team achieve an NCAA record of 78 consecutive wins over two seasons, as well as its sixth undefeated season and second straight NCAA National Championship. She ended the season averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, and scored in double figures 34 times. She finished the 2009-2010 season with 736 points, the second most points scored in a season by a UConn player… Read more

Maya Moore a finalist for the 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup

University of Connecticut star Maya Moore is a finalist for the 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 21^st at UCLA in Los Angeles.

The finalists were chosen from previously announced Honda Sports Award winners in 12 different sports.

The other two finalists are: Megan Hodge, Penn State University (volleyball) and Lisa Koll, Iowa State University (track & field).

Previous women’s basketball winners include:

• Candace Parker, 2007-08, University of Tennessee
• Jackie Stiles, 2000-01, Southwest Missouri State
• Chamique Holdsclaw, 1997-98, University of Tennessee
• Jennifer Rizzotti, 1995-96, University of Connecticut
• Rebecca Lobo, 1994-95, University of Connecticut
• Dawn Staley, 1990-91, University of Virginia
• Teresa Weatherspoon, 1987-88, Louisiana Tech University
• Kamie Ethridge, 1985-86, University of Texas
• Cheryl Miller, 1983-84, University of Southern California
  Nancy Lieberman, 1978-79, Old Dominion University
• Ann Meyers, 1977-78, University of California, Los Angeles
• Lucy Harris, 1976-77, Delta State University

(Photo Courtesy of University of Connecticut Athletic Department)

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: Induction and coverage roundup

Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo, Leta Andrews, Teresa Edwards, Gloria Ray, Chris Weller. Photo: Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) announced its 12^th group of inductees during last season’s WNBA All-Star game at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. They are:

• Leta Andrews – The winningest high school girl’s basketball coach in the U.S.
• Teresa Edwards – The most decorated Olympic athlete, with four gold medals and one bronze. Former ABL, WNBA and Georgia player.
• Rebecca Lobo – Former UConn player who led the Huskies to their first national championship with an undefeated record in 1995. Former WNBA player. Currently an ESPN analyst.
• Gloria Ray – The first women’s Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee. Led the drive to plan and construct the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
• Teresa Weatherspoon – One of the original players in the WNBA. New York Liberty legend. Member of the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal team. Currently head coach at Louisiana Tech.
• Chris Weller – Legendary Maryland coach. Coached for 25 seasons average nearly 20 wins per season at her alma mater.

The WBHOF held its 2010 Induction Weekend on Friday and Saturday in Knoxville.

Coverage from around the Web:

• WBHOF inducts 12th class into hall

… Read more

Summary of penalties for women’s basketball programs from the NCAA APR report

The NCAA released the latest Academic Progress Rates Wednesday. The APR monitors team academic performance. Each Division I team calculates its APR annually based on the eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes.

Teams scoring below 925 out of 1,000 can face penalties, such as scholarship losses and restrictions on practice and competition. Teams also can face historical-based penalties for poor academic performance over time. Rates are based on the past four years of performance.

Nicholls State University had the lowest APR of all Division I women’s basketball programs at 851. Other schools near the bottom: Alcorn State (906), McNeese State (906), Prairie View A&M University (905), Jackson State University (901) and California State University-Bakersfield (892).

The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.

Women’s basketball programs that face penalties due to low APR
(click on school names to view .pdf files of reports):

Immediate Penalty – Scholarship Reduction

… Read more

USC: Michael Cooper adds two assistants, Laura Beeman and his son Michael Cooper II

University of Southern California head coach Michael Cooper added two assistant coaches to his staff for his second season at the school. Laura Beeman and Michael Cooper II are the new additions.

“The combination of the two really adds more youthfulness and excitement to our staff,” said Cooper.

Laura Beeman and Cooper already have experience coaching side-by-side with the Los Angeles Sparks. Beeman was an assistant under Cooper in 2008 with the Sparks while also continuing her position as head coach at Mt. San Antonio College. She earned four conference Coach of the Year awards before joining USC this year.

“I brought in coach Beeman for her expertise, because we can use her wisdom and her knowledge,” said Cooper. “She and I have shared coaching in the past and she’s familiar with the recruiting process and younger players. Our players like her and know her, and she adds a special touch for our program. She’s good at Xs and Os and zone offense and press offense and that’s one of the reasons we brought her in. Also, she’s a coach who knows my weaknesses. When a coach picks his staff, he picks people who work well together, and she knows when to step in and take the reins and run with it.”

Michael Cooper II joins USC after multiple years… Read more

Women’s college basketball attendance surpasses 11 million for 3rd straight year

The NCAA reported today that women’s basketball attendance surpassed 11 million for the third straight year. Attendance for the previous season was the second-highest total in history. Attendance for all three NCAA divisions was 11,134,738, just shy of the record 11,160,293 set in 2008-09.

Tennessee led the all schools in home attendance at 12,896 fans per game for the seventh straight year. Connecticut was second at 10,182. One of those two schools has led the nation every year since 1995. They were the only two schools to top 200,000 total fans (Tennessee at 219,233 and Connecticut at 203,648). Tennessee has led the nation in attendance for 13 of the last 14 seasons.

A breakdown of the attendance totals:

DIVISION I

… Read more

Sophomore Jessica Pachko transfers from Marquette to Xavier

Jessica Pachko transferred from Marquette University to Xavier. The 6-foot-2 sophomore left the University at the end of the school year a few weeks ago. She was a starter for Marquette, averaging 9.7 points and six rebounds per game in two years. Marquette University women’s basketball spokeswoman Amy Ufnowski said she couldn’t comment on why Pachko left the program.

Video: U.S. Congress honors Division II Champions, Emporia State Lady Hornets

The U.S. Congress voted 407-1 to pass a resolution honoring DII Champions Emporia State University on Wednesday. Rep. Jerry Moran, (R-Kan.) introduced the resolution, H.Res. 1292.

“Congratulations to the Lady Hornets, whose victory is a testament to the power of teamwork. Lady Hornets have much to be proud of after a season of hard work and dedication. Good teams are able to overcome adversity and that’s exactly what the Lady Hornets managed to accomplish en route to a national championship,” Moran said. “I would also like to congratulate the ESU Coaches, head coach Brandon Schneider and assistant coaches Jory Collins and Kiel Unruh and the Emporia State fans, some of the most dedicated in all of college basketball, who have waited long for this accomplishment.”

The one “present” vote, which registers as a nay, belonged to Rep. Donald Young, a Republican from Alaska.

Kansas governor Mark Parkinson and both houses of the Kansas state legislature have also honored the team  since it defeated Fort Lewis in the DII final on March 26. The win marked the first national title for the program.

Texas: Freshman guard Lauren Flores dismissed from team

In a curt statement issued late Monday, Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors announced the dismissal of freshman guard Lauren Flores from the team.

“Lauren Flores has been dismissed from the Texas Women’s Basketball team effective immediately for violation of team rules. We have spoken with Lauren and her family and will assist with the transfer process.”

Flores, 5’7”, is from Houston and played at North Shore High School. She is North Shore’s all-time leading scorer. After suffering an ACL tear in her left knee during practice on Monday, March 1, 2010, she did not play for the rest of the season.