Australia
Spartak releases Lauren Jackson, star will suit up for Canberra
By Cheryl Coward at 24 November, 2009, 10:08 am
Lauren Jackson is close to signing a deal to play with the Canberra Capitals for the rest of the WNBL season. Just last week, Capitals coach Carrie Graf and Jackson’s agent indicated that the WNBA star might stay in her native Australia if enough funds were raised by investors to pay her a salary of $220,000 AUD.
Until early November, Jackson had plans to spend the winter playing for Spartak Moscow under a lucrative contract. But when the club’s owner was assassinated on November 2, doubts about her return to Russia began to surface. She went to Australia to recover from back injuries after the end of the WNBA season.
“She wants to be here—that’s her priority," said Graf Tuesday to ABC Sport. "She wants to stay home and wants to be in Canberra.”
“If we’ve got all the paperwork done tomorrow and can…
Read More >>Will Lauren Jackson skip Russia and play for the Canberra Capitals?
By Cheryl Coward at 18 November, 2009, 9:06 am
Lauren Jackson’s fans in her home country are now getting a taste of what Seattle Storm faithful endured last spring when her future with the team seemed to be in limbo. Jackson, who had plans to play for Spartak Moscow this winter, has not yet arrived in Russia. She went to Australia to recover from back injuries after the WNBA season and now the Australian WNBL is wooing the star.
Further complicating matters is the death of flamboyant Spartak owner Shabtai Kalmanovich earlier this month. While the team is continuing under the guidance of Kalmanovich’s widow, former basketball player Anna Arkhipova, the Australian government, the WNBL and others are working on keeping Jackson at home.
According to the WNBL, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government pledged $50,000 AUD towards efforts to convince her to play with the Canberra Capitals. Jackson has indicated on several…
Read More >>Week in Review
By Cheryl Coward at 3 October, 2009, 2:33 am
WNBL
Kristi Harrower
Australia’s WNBL kicked off their 30th season this week in Bulleen, north of Melbourne. Kristi Harrower of the Los Angeles Sparks signed to play with the Bendigo Bank Spirit. So far, she has short-term contract. The team had to raise money to fund her salary. Shortly after arriving from Los Angeles, she led Bendigo in a win over the Dandenong Jayco Rangers with a 23 point effort.
Former WNBA player Margo Twigg (known more by her maiden Dydek) and sister Marta are signed to play on the same team, the Logan Thunder. Margo is the tallest active women’s professional basketball player at 7′2". She holds the record for most blocks in a WNBA career, with 877 blocks in 323 games. Her sister Marta is 6′6" and played for the University of Texas-El Paso.
WNBA Awards
With less than a week before the end of…
Read More >>Lauren Jackson visits old team in Australia, talks about happiness in resigning with Seattle
By Cheryl Coward at 11 May, 2009, 3:23 am
Lauren Jackson watched her former team in Australia, the Albury-Wodonga Lady Bandits, play Saturday night and reminisced in an interview with The Border Mail newspaper:
“Coming back here to the stadium brought back some of my earliest memories of watching my dad play for the Bandits and even training here whenever I come home.”
She also talked about her feelings and loyalty to the Seattle Storm:
Read More >>“I want to finish my career there and that’s not something every athlete has a choice or a say in.”
