With her non-profit organization Meek’s Hope well on its way to becoming an established presence in Louisiana, Phoenix Mercury guard Temeka Johnson adds to her humanitarian efforts with the launch of a children’s book series.

Johnson’s first book Decisions, Decisions, Decisions is an autobiographical tale of a young girl who loves basketball. The protagonist is raised by a warm and loving yet stern grandmother who imparts lessons about work ethic and education.

Johnson is set to host a launch party for the book this weekend in Phoenix at a fete that doubles as a fundraiser for Meek’s Hope. "Night of HOPE" takes place in a luxury suite at US Airways Center and Johnson will sign copies of her book at the event. All proceeds from Decisions, Decisions, Decisions go towards the organization’s scholarship program.

Meek took some time out of her schedule this week to complete a Q&A with Hoopfeed.com about the book, her humanitarian work and her thoughts on the recent Mercury trade of forward/center Nicole Ohlde for forward/center Kara Braxton.

Where did the idea of a children’s book come from?

Writing a book has been something that I have been talking about for nearly four years now. It began as an autobiography, but after starting the HOPE Foundation, it turned into something that was bigger than me. After reading to some students at my adopted Magnolia Woods Elementary School, and seeing how they were inspired by me, I worked with my team to make a children’s book that was based on my life.

How many books do you anticipate in the series?

For this first series, we will have 3 books, but we hope to turn this into a book series that will be much more than just the three books. I’m hoping that everyone loves it, and we’ll make many more. I have a lot of stories to tell!

How does the book fit in with your Meek’s Hope organization goals?

The book is a perfect fit for the HOPE Foundation. The best part is that we reach the young and the older children. Education is important to me and my foundation, so getting the kids interested in reading at a young age is great. But, also, with the proceeds going to the Jewel Johnson Scholarship Fund, I’ll be able to help older students get to college. It’s a perfect balance for me and the foundation.

Do you feel a special mission to connect with children who were raised by their grandparents?

There is a special connection, because my grandmother raised me and a lot of my family, but I just want to create a stronger community. We are raised by our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, everyone, and to be honest, we need to get back to the days where the communities raised our children. That’s my biggest goal.

The illustrations are great. Do you feel they captured your spirit and how were you able to convey your message so well to the artist?

Did they?! The illustrations were perfect! All of my family and everyone said the same thing. I have to thank Quency and my FAM for that. Quency and I sat down to write this book over my Temeka Johnson Weekend last year, and he got it. Honestly, I was surprised at how well they worked to make it perfect. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.

Do you have any other creative projects in the works?

The other books are coming, but I’m also working on a book of inspirational quotes that will be out in 2011. My LSU coach, Robert Starkey, helped me with this. It looks amazing, and we’re now working to get sponsors and clearances. It’ll be called Meek’s Little Book of HOPE, and I’m excited! We’re also working on a comic strip, too, with the artist that we have from the children’s book. It’s going to be fun! I think we need to be creative when reaching the youth, so we’re doing all that we can!

The Gulf area is still recovering from Katrina and residents now have to deal with the aftermath of the BP oil spill. Has the spill affected your outlook on your humanitarian work in the area?

I’ve always been working in Louisiana, but I do feel that more is needed. I wish I had more time to do more, but our schedule is crazy with heading overseas after the season. But, I am working to support other organizations down in my home state when I can’t be there to do more myself. All I know is that we still have a long way to go and Louisiana knows that they can count on me!

What are your thoughts on the Kara Braxton/Nicole Ohlde trade?

First, let me say that we all miss Ohlde. She was a great teammate and it feels different to not see her every day. I wish her the best and hope that she shows Tulsa just how good she can be. Kara will be good for us. She gives us a strong force down in the middle, and will help out Candice, Tan, DB and Brooke with her rebounding. She can also run the floor, which most people don’t give her credit for. I think people will be surprised at how well she fits in with us.

• Meek’s Hope
• Order Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
• Temeka Johnson on Twitter: @QuickDeuce
• Temeka Johnson’s post on WhiteHouse.gov about meeting the President

President Barack Obama honored the 2009 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury for their accomplishments both on and off the court at a ceremony at the White House on Monday, July 19, 2010.

“I live with three tall, good-looking women who are quite competitive and push me around under the boards all the time,” said Obama when talking about the positive influence of women like the Mercury. “I want Malia and Sasha to know there is absolutely no contradiction between women who are beautiful and healthy and contributing and athletic and competitive.”

The full text of the President’s remarks:

THE PRESIDENT: All right, everybody, have a seat now, have a seat. Well, it is just wonderful to welcome all of you here to the White House. And congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury on winning your second WNBA title in the last three years. (Applause.)

Now, I noticed my Department of Homeland Security Secretary — (laughter) — is kind of horning in on our event here. (Laughter.) She has been a huge fan of Mercury ever since her days as governor of Arizona. She’s — I didn’t know you’d been a guest coach. That is cool. Did you guys win that game? Nice, nice, nice. So I’m impressed.

I want to congratulate head coach Corey Gaines. He won a ring as assistant coach — now he’s got a ring as head coach. So congratulations. (Applause.)

I know how much hard work goes into a championship — (reacts to a noise) — you guys all right back there? (Laughter.) I know how much hard work goes into a championship season. But I hear that one of the real keys to the Mercury’s title is sitting in the audience. For those of you who don’t know, assistant coach Julie Hairgrove and her kids are the lucky charms of this team. Where are they? Sleeping? Not that excited to see the President. (Laughter.)

My understanding, when the Mercury won their first title in 2007, Julie was pregnant with her second child. Where’s Julie by the way? Nice. When they won their second title, Julie was pregnant with her third child, Grace, who’s now three months old. And I understand the team is trying to talk Julie and her husband into their fourth. (Laughter.) One more? (Laughter.)

But beyond your lucky charms, the sacrifice, the dedication, and the heart that all of you have put into this sport is obvious. Team captain Diana Taurasi was named regular season and WNBA Finals MVP this year. That’s pretty good. (Applause.) Last week, she won the ESPY Award for Best WNBA Player of 2010. Congratulations. (Applause.)

Tangela Smith became only the fourth player in WNBA history to score 4,500 career points and rack up 2,000 rebounds. Congratulations, Tangela. (Applause.) Nice! Nice!

But this is a true team. When Diana was named Finals MVP, she turned around and gave the trophy to her teammates. She said, “It’s not one player that makes an MVP. It never has been…and it never will be.”

And this team set a new WNBA scoring record with 92.8 points per game. They made their way onto a box of Wheaties, I understand. (Laughter.) But they have managed to keep themselves pretty grounded. I hear that rookies Taylor Lilley and Sequoia Holmes are still doing luggage duty — is that true? (Laughter.) You guys didn’t even — (laughter) — rooks, huh? That’s rough. That’s rough. (Laughter.)

This team also goes above and beyond in serving the Phoenix community -– from putting on basketball camps for children of veterans to collecting clothes for the homeless. And today, they’re bringing that commitment here to the White House. After we’re done here, they’ll be holding a clinic as part of Michelle’s “Let’s Move!” initiative to help our young people live healthy and active lives.

So I want to thank all of you guys for your extraordinary service as well as your championship spirit. And I want to thank you for setting a wonderful example — because I live with three tall, good-looking women — (laughter) — who are quite competitive and push me around under the boards all the time. (Laughter.) But I want Malia and Sasha to know that there is absolutely no contradiction between women who are beautiful and healthy and contributing, and good athletes and competitive. And when they see you guys every day, that helps them in a way that — I think if you heard from Michelle, sometimes she feels like when she was coming up she didn’t always have that. And I think that is just so important to everybody.

So as a basketball fan, I congratulate you on your second championship. As a father, I thank you for being great role models. And good luck with the rest of the season. All right. (Applause.)

Several nights a week all spring and most of summer, they are there at the gym practicing: layup and box-out drills, running plays, practicing transition and defense – all to the soundtrack of their own squeaking shoes on the hardwood.

Then there are the twice-a-month tournaments, which began in April, that bring out a huge cache of college coaches, as well as hundreds of spectators.

A common scenario for high school basketball players? Most definitely. But this is not your mother’s club ball team or club ball era, and these are not casual practices. This is the highly-competitive club ball circuit, and with college scholarships on the line, the stakes could not be higher.

Yet, one question remains: has the evolution of club ball hurt the game? Opinions vary.

The Rise of Club Ball

Long before there were viewing periods and complex rules regulating coach-athlete recruiting calls, there was the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which had basketball leagues for both boys and girls. And for a generation or so, that met the needs of young players just fine.

But in the mid-to-late 1990’s, a couple of things happened: two women’s professional basketball leagues formed, and the women’s “Dream Team” won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics. Perhaps not coincidentally, interest in girl’s basketball increased. Club ball teams began forming, and many saw explosive growth. A nation of teams was born.

Some club teams flourished after one of the major shoe companies – Nike or Adidas – began sponsoring them. Other teams are more grassroots, and have risen due to sheer interest alone.

One program that mushroomed after Nike stepped in is Cal Swish. Since beginning as one team after its 1997 founding, Swish has become a group of 10 elite teams stationed around Southern California and the Southwest.

Director and head coach Russ Davis, also the head coach at Vanguard University, was originally asked by founder Mike Cherney to come in and help coach. Cherney became involved because he had a daughter who wanted to play. It was not too long before the Swish began winning tournaments, and being invited to more. When Nike offered to sponsor the team, Davis said things really took off.

Four of the Swish teams are in Orange County, four are in San Diego and two are in Arizona. Swish won the prestigious Nike Nationals Tournament in Georgia last summer, defeating power team Boo Williams in what many regard as the club ball national championships. Davis is quick to list the numerous other tournaments Swish won.

“If you look at our track record, we’ve been successful,” Davis said.

Swish alumni include Candice Wiggins, Dymond Simon, Jeanette Pohlen, Kristen Mann, Shay Murphy, Jennifer Lacey and Lindsay Pluimer.

Another power house program, the Cy-Fair Shock of Texas, has a similar story. Founded in 1997, the Shock took off three years later with the help of a Nike sponsorship. Founder and director Al Coleman said they’ve been one of the top eight squads in the nation since the year they began. Last year they had 12 teams based out of Houston, and this year they will triple that number as they go outside of that city to other towns.

“All the coaches in our organization understand the game of basketball, and they work to develop that basketball mindset in our athletes,” Coleman said. “We do a great job of teaching that at an early age.”

Two of the Shock’s most famous former members are sisters Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike, who continue to make names for themselves.

Mark Anger’s club, the East Bay Xplosion of Northern California, has gone the opposite route: they began big but have whittled down their teams to five.

“We’re more of an elite program now,” he said.

The 12-year-old club used to have five teams but now includes two top teams and a team for younger players. They EBX is not affiliated with any particular shoe brand, but like many teams, they draw athletes from all over their area to their Orinda practices. Alumnae from that club include Jayne Appel and Courtney and Ashley Paris.

The Long Beach-based Cal Sparks were founded in 1999, but it was in 2005 that the club began to see explosive growth. Director Elbert Kinnebrew does not attribute that to anything in particular other than the continuing growth of the game.

“We’ve grown in spite of the recession and the economy,” he said.

The seven-team-strong Sparks do not have a shoe sponsor, but they go to numerous major summer tournaments every year and have helped quite a few of their players go on to play college basketball, such as Cierra Warren-Robertson.

“We get some support from FILA, but we’re not affiliated with Nike at all,” Kinnebrew said.

Nike declined to comment on its sponsorship of club basketball teams. But several club ball coaches said that in exchange for Nike sponsorship of their team, they are expected to participate in a certain number of Nike tournaments each July.

Adidas spokesman Paul Jackiewicz said Adidas began sponsoring teams in 2000.

“These programs give us the opportunity to connect with our target basketball consumer,” Jackiewicz said. “Our goal is to provide women’s basketball players with events and opportunities to develop their talent and showcase their skills for college coaches.”

Jackiewicz added that the relationships Adidas built with club teams has helped the company further develop their brand.

But regardless of when they were founded and whether or not they have a sponsor, the goal of club basketball team directors and coaches seems to be the same: get girls into college where they can play ball. And the explosive growth of the club game has changed the way NCAA coaches recruit players.

Coaches used to primarily assess athletes while they played with their high school team. Now they mostly do this during the club ball season, from April through July, and especially during the July tournaments. Why? It’s more economical and efficient.

“The clubs knew that if they got enough good kids together, that college coaches would come,” said Kathy Richey-Walton, who has coached at the club, high school and college levels for more than 20 years.

“It’s a way to save time and money, and for [coaches] to see hundreds of kids at once instead of just a few. There are so many more games and tournaments in the summer now that hardly any college coaches come to high school games anymore.”

The first viewing period of the year, where college coaches can see prospects play in club ball tournaments, is the second or third weekend in April. There are tournaments all during the month of July, save for a 4-5-day dead period in the middle of the month where no games are allowed. The club ball season culminates the last few days of July with major tournaments, such as Nike Nationals.

This time frame is also useful because the first NCAA signing period is in mid-November, before high school season even starts.

“Our goal every year is to have them ready to go by that July viewing period,” Anger said.

“We’ve watched them grow up”

Many club ball founders, such as Davis of Swish, began their programs as a way to help their own basketball-playing daughters, or the daughters of their co-founders. Such was also the case with Dallas-Forth Worth Elite.

Co-Director Irving Butler helped found the team in 2003 with the late Marques Jackson and two other men. Both Butler and Jackson had daughters playing for other club organizations, and Butler said they wanted something new for their kids.

“All four of us had kids in college, and we knew that the competition [for scholarships] was difficult,” Butler said. “We wanted to create something else for young ladies. Marques wanted the best competition there is.”

Others decided to start programs to fill a need, and Matt Henna fits that category. The former Colorado high school coach founded Mile Hi Magic 11 years ago because he said there “weren’t enough club ball options” for girls in the state. By 2003 his club had 12 teams, but he’s scaled it back to six to keep the quality of the teams high.

“We play a lot of tournaments in California and can compete with them,” Henna said.

The founders of Seattle-based Tree of Hope did something similar. Thomas James and Damian Young started the program in 2002 not only because they saw a need for more teams, but because they wanted to have lower-cost club ball team opportunities available for girls.

“The first and second years we paid for [the girls’ costs] on our own through donations from our church,” said Young, the head coach and assistant director. “We do charge now, but it’s much less than other teams charge.”

Still others, such as Boo Williams, Louisiana Select and Chicago Bulls Elite, began their girls programs in the wake of the successes of their boys programs.

Whatever the case, parents and athletes now have a wide selection of teams with different philosophies of play from which to choose.

Anger said EBX is known for their defense, and especially their presses. Coleman characterized the Shock as being fundamentals-based.

“We do a great job of teaching them the basics of the game at an early age,” he said.

Boo Williams said he and his coaches emphasize specialty work.

“I’m big on the development of skills – I’m really big on that,” he said.

DFW Elite’s Butler said that beyond their trademark “suffocation defense,” coaches teach players how to be actively involved in the game.

“We don’t just bring them in there and have them run a bunch of plays – we teach them how to make plays,” he said. “Basketball is a language, and if you don’t speak the language, you have a problem.”

Team tryouts are usually in March, after the regular high school basketball season ends. Player dues for a club team range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending upon how much sponsorship a team has. Families are usually allowed to pay in installments. Some teams conduct fundraisers.

Club ball teams originally drew from their immediate areas, but increasingly today, kids commute longer distances to their once- or twice-a-week practices. Last summer, Santa Ana, California-based Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis played for the Tennessee Flight. Perhaps not by coincidence, a few months ago the NCAA began regulating out-of-state players on club teams. Even those who stay in-state have their own tactics.

“We don’t actively have tryouts,” Butler said. “We try to select kids. And coaches do call and recommend players to us.”

Once players and their families do make a choice for a team, one thing is clear: tight relationships usually form – bonds that maintain long after a player has left a program.

Butler said DFW Elite alum-turned Los Angeles Sparks reserve guard Andrea Riley jumps into team scrimmages when she’s in town for a visit. Williams said he would never ask a player to come back and say “thank you,” but many do. Coleman said Shock teams are close-knit.

“It’s a real family flavor we have,” Coleman said. “We don’t just say that – we mean it.”

Anger started coaching Appel when she was 10 years old, and he said it has been rewarding to witness her transformation into a pro player though hard work.

“We’ve watched them grow up,” Anger said of his athletes. “Nothing really compares to that.”

The High School vs. Club Ball Debate

Though all agree that the rules of the recruiting game have changed, some don’t think those changes are for the good, while others say they’ve seen improvement. Perhaps at the heart of this debate is the relationship between high school and club ball coaches, or lack thereof. At best the two communicate. while at worst there is contention.

Cal Sparks Director Kinnebrew regularly communicates with the high school coaches of all of his players, if he doesn’t actively work with them. He calls coaches to tell them if an athlete has missed a practice, or to check on her grades. Over the years, Kinnebrew has hired a handful of high school coaches to coach with the Sparks during the summer.

Williams also hires a lot of high school coaches to work with his 85 girls teams. He said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“A club ball coach has got to work with high school coaches,” Williams said. “You’ve got to be on the same page and work together for the kids, because each one of us can do things that the other can’t do.”

But Butler and DFW don’t maintain the same close ties with the high school coaches of their players.

“We do try to work with high school coaches as much as we can,” he said. “But sometimes you’ll have the tension; they blame us for problems they have with kids, and vice versa.”

The Shock’s Coleman has a completely different view. He said he has developed a lot of relationships with college coaches in trying to get his athletes scholarships.

“The high school coach becomes irrelevant during the summertime recruiting period because they aren’t as accessible as we are,” he said. “When they’re done with their season, they go back to teaching math, or whatever. We’re working with the kids 365 days a year.”

Richey-Walton, who has coached at Southwest Dekalb High School in Georgia for eight years after being a club ball coach, said attitudes like Coleman’s are more prevalent among club ball coaches. And she doesn’t favor the change.

“The high school coach now sometimes feels left out,” she said. “I had a situation once where a college coach never made contact with me for one of my kids they were interested in.”

Richey-Walton said the situation is indicative of the culture around recruiting now, and she called it short-sighted.

“High school coaches are being overlooked, but they should get more respect,” she said. “High school coaches have to be certified, whereas anyone who wants to can start a club team.”

Middle Tennessee State Coach Rick Insell, who has also coached club ball, said he and his staff contact the high school coach of an athlete they’re interested in. However, many other schools and coaches don’t have the same philosophy.

“We’ll go through the high school coach, but keep the travel coach very much in the loop,” Insell said. “But I’ve noticed that travel team coaches usually don’t pay attention to the high school coach at all.”

Oklahoma Coach Sherri Coale shares Insell’s philosophy. She said she is a “firm believer” in speaking to a high school coach about a player. She also likes to see an athlete play at her school.

“It’s very important to me to see a girl play at her high school during the high school season,” Coale said. She coached high school for six years at the local Norman High School.

Coale also sees detriments in the rise of club ball: primarily over-work and the loss of skill development.

Athletes now go right from their high school season into club ball season with no break until August, after the July viewing period. That means that young bodies are playing for almost a year without a break.

Coale said that because the goal of club ball teams is to play as many tournaments as possible to get athletes seen by colleges, that basketball fundamentals have taken a dive in recent years.

“The greatest problem with young players today is that they don’t work on their game anymore – they don’t have time,” Coale said. “For the sake of volume playing, they’ve given up many of the skills.”

Coale said this is evident, for instance, in the number of players she sees now that can’t perform skills with their weak hands.

“There has to be a foundation to set the game on,” she said. “The best coaches demand that.”

Some coaches like Coleman, however, say they’re enhancing the game.

“We have a real sense of pride, because not only do we have a better brand of basketball, we’re sending kids to higher level colleges,” he said.

Chicago Bulls Elite Coach Erin Babarskis sees a lot of benefit in the travel her teams do during the summer.

“The players get exposed to different types of play,” she said. “For example, the east coast game is very different from the west coast game – west coast play seems to be faster-paced.”

Babarskis said last summer, a team from London came to Chicago to play her team, which proved beneficial to both squads.

Athletes say there are definite differences between high school and club ball, but that they need both.

Kacy Swain, who will be a senior next year at Chaparral High School in Southern California, has already committed to UCLA. She said Chaparral’s league is strong, but still gives the edge to her club team, West Coast Premier, for intensity.

“Club ball pace is quicker, faster and a lot more athletic than high school ball,” Swain said. “It’s because the level of competition is higher.”

She credits the exposure she got playing for WCP for getting her college offers. And now that she’s made a choice, the pressure is off.

“After years of playing hard, I’m learning to focus on just the game,” she said.

July 6-15 is the first portion of the July viewing period this year. The dead period is July 16-21, where no games are allowed. July 22-31 marks the second portion of the July viewing period.

DFW Elites begins the summer with the Big State Flava Jam, a popular tournament among college coach at Southern Methodist University, July 5-8.

• Cal Sparks
  www.calsparks.com
• California SWISH
  www.calswish.com
• Cy-Fair AAU
• http://www.cyfairaau.org/
• EBX
  http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=ebx
• DFW Elite
  http://dfwelitebasketball.com/modules/content/index.php?id=1
• Boo Williams
  http://www.boowilliamsbball.com/
• Mile Hi Magic
  http://www.milehimagic.com/page/page/5485819.htm
• Tree of Hope
  http://www.leaguelineup.com/topsites.asp?url=treeofhope&sid=230918151

Sue Favor’s Blog: They’re Playing Basketball.

Photos courtesy USA Basketball

The 12-member USA Under-18 National Team comes off two weeks of training to begin their quest Wednesday for the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women in Colorado Springs, Colo. They play Argentina in the first round today at 5:45 p.m. MDT. The championship is set for Sunday.

Team members are ready to begin the quest for gold.

“We’ve been coming along really well, and the energy in our last few practices is up,” said Cassie Harberts, of San Clemente High School in Orange County, Calif. “There’s a sense of urgency to win the gold medal.”

Reshanda Gray, of Washington Prep High School in Los Angeles indicated that the weeks of hard work seem to be paying off.

“I think we’re ready,” she said. “If you had seen us on the first day of practice and compared it to now, you’d see how far we’ve come.”

Harberts said head coach Jen Rizzotti asked the team recently what has changed for them the last two weeks, and one teammate said that they had become a family.

Gray said every player has proven to be valuable to the team’s makeup.

“Each and every person brings something different to the table,” she said. “Right now we’re combining as one.”

If they do win the gold medal, it will be through a lot of sweat. Players survived two rounds of cuts to make the team, and since then, their lives have been nothing but basketball, with two practices a day.

“The first practice is at 10 a.m., and we get a knock on the door at 7:30 a.m.,” Harberts said. “We’ll all go to breakfast, and then some people will go in the training room at 9:15 a.m.”

“After practice we shower, give them our laundry and rest until the next practice at 5 p.m.”

Southern California has two representatives in Harberts, who just graduated and is heading to USC in the fall and Gray, who will be a senior next year. Both say they’ve learned a great deal during their time at training camp, but their viewpoints on the experience couldn’t be more different.

Take the team’s recent visit to Pikes Peak. Most of the athletes hadn’t experience high elevation before, and Harberts was one who took off running to the top to “see how it would feel.” Gray took a more conservative approach.

“I already felt a little lightheaded,” she said. “I bought a pretzel and some cheese and sat down on a rock.”

Harberts, who will miss her graduation Wednesday, said she is ready to go home. Gray isn’t.

“I’ve complained, but I’m not missing LA,” Gray said.

Both players say they’ve learned a great deal at camp, and some of it is similar.

“I’ve learned how to find a new gear when I’m tired, how to work with each other, and I’ve learned how to play better defense,” Harberts said. “I’ve stepped out to the wing, as I usually play the four and coach wanted me to play the three.”

Gray said she has “come out of her shell” during camp.

“I’ve learned how to fight through it when I’m tired, how to gather myself when I’m tired, how to play better help side defense, how to talk better on the court, how to make smart decisions and to make better passes,” she said.

Both Harberts and Gray said the sacrifices they’ve made to be part of the U18 team have been worth it.

“This has been a good experience for me,” Gray said. “I’ve got to work with different types of people and different coaches; I’ve worked with the best.”

Sue Favor’s Blog: They’re Playing Basketball.

Update: Plenette Pierson announced via Twitter on Monday, June 14 that she signed with the New York Liberty. (Whatever stumbling blocks were in the way of the previous offer of a New York trade have apparently been cleared.)

After Tulsa’s loss last night 116-84 to Phoenix in a record-setting Mercury effort, Shock coach Nolan Richardson talked about his opinion that his team does not have a star.

When you look at our basketball team, we have less than an expansion ball club. We have players that were second team; we don’t have a star on our basketball team. The all-stars didn’t come back. It’s more to me like piecing things together to try to make sure that eventually we get a pretty good mix of players. There is no question that just because who I am, they walk in and say we got this, this, this, and this: these players and we’re ready to go. That isn’t going to happen. We’re going to have some peaks and we’re going to have some valleys. Right now we have some bigger valleys. As I told the people when I took the job, it’s going to take time to get the players to understand this basketball and play the kind of game we want.

Three members of the former Detroit Shock remain with Tulsa: Plenette Pierson, Kara Braxton and Alexis Hornbuckle. All three were members of the 2008 championship team. Pierson and center Kara Braxton played on Detroit’s 2006 championship team.

Pierson won the WNBA’s first Sixth Woman of the Year award in 2007. During training camp and at the beginning of the season, it appeared as if the seven-year veteran was taking a leadership role with team. However, she did not play in the game against Phoenix. And, in several previous games, she did not start. She is averaging 12.1 points and 2.50 rebounds per game.

In Phoenix, Richardson indicated post-game that her time on the Shock may be limited. Tulsa offered Pierson a trade to New York over a week ago but she turned the offer down.

In last night’s game the Mercury went into halftime with a 59-46 lead setting a new franchise record for points scored in the first half. The previous record was 58 set on two separate occasions including on May 25 at Tulsa.

Other game notes:

• Phoenix’s Candice Dupree set a new franchise record for field goal percentage by making all nine attempts for a total of 18 points. The previous record was set by Kamila Vodichkova in 2005 (10-of-11, .909).
• The Mercury shot a season-high 53.1% (43-of-81) from the field and held the Shock to just 42.7% (32-of-75).
• All 11 players on the Mercury roster scored at least one field goal in the game and six players reached double figures for the first time this season: (Taurasi, 18; Dupree, 18; Taylor, 14; Lilley, 14; Johnson, 11; Ohlde, 11).

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

 
Historical Penalty – Public Notice

 
Schools near 925 or below

Source: NCAA.org
Related:

• Full list of school APR scores

Around the Web:

• Latest APR data reveal academic success (NCAA.org)
• Searchable APR database

Sue Favor interviewed Donna Orender at the “Sunset Showdown” Saturday June 5 when the Los Angeles Sparks hosted the Seattle Storm at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Her thoughts on a number of league-related issues:

On expansion

We’re still entertaining interest in the Bay Area. We’re really pleased with what’s happened in Seattle with Bing. In terms of companies and sponsorships there still seems to be good growth.

We’ve certainly seen a lot more interest [in sponsoring a team]. We see companies wanting to spend more. Overall sponsorship is up double digits for our teams.

On ratings so far this season

We’re pleased about our television ratings, our opening ratings were more than double what our overall season ratings were. What we’re seeing is general interest continuing to grow. I still believe it’s about the quality of the game. The quality of the competition is extraordinary, and I think that continues to draw more people into the game.

On the 11-player roster and fan discontent with the shrinkage of player spots

I’ve heard the same thing [that people are disappointed in the 11-player rosters], and I’ve had a lot of interactions with fans. We’re coming off our best competitive season yet with 11-player rosters, and I don’t think anyone can ignore the quality of the play, and it continues to get better and better. And so therefore there hasn’t been a negative net. There’s been a positive on one hand. On the other, would it be nice to have more players. I think our teams would enjoy another player, and I think we will continue to monitor it as we move forward.

What I love about the WNBA is even why we’re here: it’s an innovative league, we’re open, we’re nimble, and we continue to monitor what works and what we can do better. So it’s not like anything’s cast in stone, but we’re very attuned to creating a solid, good business model that we can create growth upon, and right now we’re firing on a lot of quality cylinders of our business model.

On Tulsa

Where we were from day one compared to where we are now just shows tremendous growth, from the way the community has embraced this team. I think Coach Richardson is an outstanding human being and a great coach. I think things in Tulsa are going pretty well.

On the start of the season

Having the season start a little bit later is to everyone’s advantage, and on a long-term basis, that’s what we’ll be looking towards executing. Moving forward, the Olympics will always be a part of what we do.

On the race for MVP

I think last year we had five candidates going into the end, and like I said, the quality of the play is outstanding. And after 14 years of being in existence, we’re seeing maturation in the quality of play. The great players are getting better, the young players start out better, and the numbers of players who are vying to be great are better. All that just adds up to excellence, and that’s what we’re seeing. Look at what Candace has put together, and Angel McCoughtry—let me tell you—this kid’s for real; she’s making it happen.

These kids are playing a higher level of basketball at a younger age with better coaches, and they’re playing in more competitive leagues. A lot of athletes are getting quality play at a variety of institutions. I think we’re creating that, and then we’re benefiting from it, so it’s a very virtuous cycle.

Sue Favor’s Blog: They’re Playing Basketball.

Carson, CA – The Los Angeles Sparks staved off what looked to be a rout by the 7-1 Seattle Storm Saturday night, but their fourth quarter surge proved to be too little too late in the WNBA’s showcase outdoor game at the Home Depot Center in front of a crowd of 6,026. The Storm reigned with a 79-75 victory.

The 1-6 Sparks, behind 47-63 at the end of the third quarter, clawed back in the last period and came within three points with 1:41 left on a bucket by Tina Thompson, who was fouled. But after a Thompson miss, Storm point guard Sue Bird made her fourth three-point-shot of the night at the 1:20 mark, and Los Angeles was never able to recover.

The Sparks’ Candace Parker led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds, and teammate Tina Thompson added 17 points. Bird put up 22 points and dished six assists, while Lauren Jackson and Camille Little added 17 and 16 points, respectively, for Seattle.

It was the second outdoor game in the league’s 14-year history, and it was promoted as a novelty game and a way to promote the Sparks’ “get out and play” campaign for the summer. Fans seemed to enjoy the venue as a change of pace, with some commenting that the small stadium created a more intimate atmosphere. But Storm Coach Brian Agler wasn’t completely sold on the idea.

“Lauren [Jackson] slipped on the floor real early in the game, and Candace Parker slipped,” he said. “I think it’s good on occasion to do something like this, and play outside. I don’t know if we’d want to do a traditional game outside, though.”

The Storm took control of the game in the first quarter with suffocating defense, limiting the Sparks to 26.7 percent shooting. They lead 25-12 at the break.

Seattle continued their defensive onslaught in the second, but Parker got hot, hitting teammates Noelle Quinn and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton with great back door passes for the score on back-to-back possessions. The Storm went into halftime ahead 39-31.

Despite a few good moments here and there, the third quarter belonged to Seattle, which dominated the floor. In the last period it was Parker who fueled her team’s run with a bucket at 4:20 to pull them within six, and an assist to Kristi Toliver less than a minute later. But the Storm gutted it out, and a Little bucket with 38 seconds left sealed the deal.

Agler gave credit to his team’s defense in the win.

“Our focus this season has been on the defensive end,” he said. “That’s sort of our identity, and we take a lot of pride in it.”

“I also think we’re a better rebounding team this year and we’re efficient – we don’t turn the ball over very much. When you get good shots on goal and your players are good you’ve got a good team.”

Sparks Coach Jennifer Gillom gave credit to her squad for fighting back and not giving up.

“I did seem some mental toughness from this team tonight,” she said. “We could have buried ourselves in the first quarter when they took that huge lead on us, but this team – coming off a back-to-back [game] – I thought fought really hard.”

“We believed we could win the game. That’s something I hadn’t seen in the last couple games. I just hope people don’t count us out yet.”

Gillom also says the Sparks are improving.

“I think this team is slowly but surely coming together,” Gillom said. “It’s taken a little longer than I thought it would, but I really see some progress.”

Thompson said the Sparks have to pay attention to the details and make every possession count.

“We’re a team that works hard, but we have to become a team that works hard and plays smart,” she said.

The Storm has the league’s best record, and is off to their best start in the history of the franchise. Talking to players and their coach, the same themes emerged: continuity, defense and focus.

Tanisha Wright came to the Storm in 2005 and worked her way into the starting lineup. She said the fact that Seattle had been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round the last five years has weighed heavily on the minds of all.

“Each player on the team came in with a very different focus this year, because we’re fed up with getting knocked out early,” Wright said. “It wasn’t anything we talked about – collectively we came in and all arrived at the same place.”

Another factor is Agler’s player additions.

“They’ve really added people who fit in with the core group that’s been here – everybody’s clicking,” Wright said.

Bird, in her ninth year with the team, echoed those sentiments.

“Our record has been helped by the fact that we have the same starting five as last year,” she said. “Everyone’s very comfortable with the coaching staff, and the coaches have done a great job finding people to work with those who have already been here.”

Bird added that the team is “all about defense.”

Reserve center Ashley Robinson said the key is the Storm’s focus.

“We’re a focus team,” she said. “We work hard and play great defense, and our record comes from our focus.”

Agler said team goals are to win the Western Conference title and advance in the playoffs, but those goals are discussed only at the beginning of the season.

“Once the season is on, you take it one game at a time,” he said. “You can’t put the cart ahead of the horse, and these conference games are critical because they’re sort of worth double. Not only do you get a win but you give an opponent a loss.”

Seattle plays again tonight against Phoenix at home. The Sparks host the Mercury on Tuesday.

Photos: Sue Favor
Sue Favor’s Blog: They’re Playing Basketball.

As the only Tulsa Shock player with both college and WNBA championships under her belt, guard Alexis Hornbuckle is no stranger to success on the court. However, this season she faces the daunting task of melding with a cast of teammates from a defunct team, other veterans, rookies and a legendary yet WNBA-inexperienced coach.

Tulsa started its inaugural season with two losses at home, the first to the Minnesota Lynx and the second to the San Antonio Silver Stars. The newest WNBA franchise maintained tight margins and kept their opponents within close reach. This past Sunday evening, they avenged their first defeat of the season overcoming Minnesota, 94-82, on the Lynx home court.

Even with the 1-2 start and the next game against the reigning champion Phoenix Mercury, Hornbuckle is optimistic about the team’s season. However, like her former Shock teammates Kara Braxton, Plenette Pierson and Shavonte Zellous, she was apprehensive about playing in the Sooner state.

“The people are very nice and welcoming and the food’s good,” she says of Tulsa but admits her knowledge of the city was severely lacking before she arrived in late April. She wondered how many people lived in Tulsa and if there was anything to do in the town with the famous Art Deco heritage.

“I knew nothing. I was ignorant,” she says of her previous knowledge of the city.

Since training camp and the first few games, practice has been a “lot of hard work” with the team learning head coach Nolan Richardson’s fast-paced “40 minutes of hell” system of play. And, there were a few things about Richardson that surprised Hornbuckle.

“He has a sense of humor,” she says. “He’s very set in his ways and how he wants things done but at the same time you can go talk to him.”

When it comes to improving the team’s performance, Hornbuckle feels the team showed “a lot of good things” during their one preseason game against Seattle and their home opener against the Lynx. But, of course, she pinpointed some crucial areas that need improvement if the team expects to win games on a regular basis.

“We still had the same amount of turnovers in both games, 22, which is too much,” she said when talking about the team’s performance. “I just think we have to become more efficient and after watching film we need to step up our intensity….At times we showed exactly what we’ve been practicing and what we are capable of, so we need to do that on a consistent basis.”

In the win over Minnesota, the Shock collected 15 steals, leading to a 30-6 advantage in fast-break points. The steal total is the WNBA’s best for a regulation game so far in 2010.

When speaking about her alma mater, women’s basketball powerhouse Tennessee, Hornbuckle’s voice changes to a more buoyant tone. Recently, former Tennessee associate coach Mickie DeMoss rejoined the Lady Vols after being gone for seven years, first as the head coach at Kentucky and then as an assistant at Texas.

“Once a Lady Vol, always a Lady Vol,” says Hornbuckle of DeMoss’s return. “You can leave but you’re still bleeding orange.”

She has high hopes for her Lady Vols, the reigning SEC champions, in the coming season with DeMoss back in Knoxville alongside head coach Pat Summitt. During DeMoss’s previous 18 seasons in Knoxville, the Lady Vols went to 13 Final Fours and won six NCAA Championships.

“She was such a big part of the championships. [Mickie] and Pat, they did great things together and they’re still great friends,” says Hornbuckle. “So for her to come back, it’s just great. I love Mickie DeMoss she’s a great person. She’s knows what she’s doing. It’s only going to mean good things for the Lady Vols this year.

In the near future, Hornbuckle is preparing for the Mercury’s visit to Tulsa then a matchup against the Indiana Fever, the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, on Saturday.

She hopes fans of the previous incarnation of the team continue to follow the Shock even though they are no longer in Detroit.

“I just hope that they’re still Shock fans. We still love them even though we’re in Tulsa.”

Next up for the Shock:

• Tuesday, May 25 vs Phoenix, 6:00pm, CT, ESPN2
• Saturday, May 29 vs Indiana, 7:00pm, CT, Live Access

The reigning WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury open their season with a celebration when they receive their rings before Saturday’s opener against the Los Angeles Sparks. However, for head coach Corey Gaines and Mercury veterans, any leftover audaciousness of last year’s dominance going into the 2010 season ended long ago.

“I have veteran players who know that what you did last year means nothing,” said Gaines in a media teleconference. “It’s a new year. That’s over….we want to come out again, come out hungry. I don’t really have to rah-rah them up any bit because they’re veteran players and they know what needs to be done.”

Two-year veteran guard Ketia Swanier, agrees with Gaines.

“Coach Gaines is right,” she said.  “We can’t focus on the past.  It’s a new season and teams have made a few off season changes to make their teams better.”

As champions, the Mercury are obviously not underdogs but targets says Swanier. She feels the team is prepared for the challenge of being high on the radar of other squads.

“Everyone is gunning for us. We have new players and our team will show a few more things in the offense this year.  We’re all excited and can’t wait for the season to start.”

Swanier, who served as a backup point guard to Temeka Johnson last season, has a chance to expand her role with the Mercury and showcase more of her offensive skills this year. Her play during training camp reflected an increase in the two year veteran’s self-assurance.

“A major thing that has changed since last preseason is my confidence,” she said.  “My first season in the WNBA was about adjusting and I was on a team where I didn’t receive a lot of minutes and at times I would ask myself ‘why am I here?’.  I had to remember how and why I made it to the WNBA.”

A University of Connecticut graduate, Swanier joined the league as the 12th overall pick by the Connecticut Sun in the 2008 WNBA Draft. The Sun waived Swanier on June 1, 2009 but the Mercury scooped her up soon after and she began training with them on June 3, 2009.

“I was impressed by Ketia last season in her ability to push the ball up the court,” said Gaines when he signed Swanier in 2009. “She came from a great collegiate program, and her style of play fits our system well.”

This past offseason she worked with a personal trainer on her offense and overall conditioning.

“I worked a lot on my shot, decision-making and getting to the hole,” she said of her preparation for the upcoming season. “Most of all just getting that focus back.”

Even though Pondexter’s non-acrimonious exit may end up being a plus for Swanier on the court, she and other teammates began reminiscing about the absence of a former face of the Mercury before the season began.

“It’s so hard to lose a player like Capp because she’s an amazing basketball player and she was a leader for our team,” said Swanier. “I learned a lot from her and wish her the best in New York.  We understand things like this happen and we have to move on.”

However, she is excited about the addition of forward Candice Dupree who came to the Mercury from the Chicago Sky as a part of the deal that sent Pondexter to the Liberty.

“Candice has been a great addition.  Having another all-star player in the post is always a great thing to have as a point guard.”

Swanier comes from a military background, both of her parents are veterans, and she respects the human rights of citizens and non-citizens alike in this country. After the Arizona governor recently signed a controversial immigration law that allows law enforcement officers to stop anyone they suspect of being an undocumented immigrant, the Phoenix Suns wore their “Los Suns” jerseys during a game in protest of the legislation.

Ketia’s reaction to the Suns’ gesture?

“I think it’s great,” she said. “I was hoping we could get some Las Mercury jerseys made!  Right is right and wrong is wrong and discrimination is wrong.  I’m behind the Los Suns rally 100 percent.”

The Mercury take on the Sparks at 2 p.m. ET at US Airways Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and available on ESPN3.com.

• Born Naketia Marie Swanier
• Daughter of Cornell and Rosie Swanier
• Majored in sociology at UCONN
• Averaged 23.2 points, 8.5 steals, 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds as a junior while leading Columbus High to a 23-5 record
• 2004 Georgia AAAA Player of the Year
• Founder: Ketia 4 Kidz Foundation
• On July 18, 2009 vs. Detroit, recorded a career-high 13 points on 4-of-5 (.800) shooting and grabbed a career-best five rebounds. Went a career-high 3-for-3 from long range in that game.

Ketia Swanier Career Stats