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Month in Review – April 2009

Folks continue processing the loss heard around the (women’s basketball) world: Tennessee’s stunning defeat in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the hands of 12th seeded Ball State. Glaring irony: the worst season in Tennessee women’s basketball history is the one in which Summitt reaches 1,000 career wins. But at the end of the season, she reveals a take no prisoners approach for next year:

  • Summitt to players on offseason conditioning “…if they’re not in the gym and investing, they chose the wrong program” http://bit.ly/WoI0e
  • Video: Pat Summitt puts her players on notice “some of them may not make it”,”this is unacceptable” http://bit.ly/vi6VE (wait for ad to end)

 

South Florida beats Kansas in WNIT, record attendance of 16,113, the largest home crowd in KU women’s basketball history and largest single-game crowd in Big 12 women’s history: http://cli.gs/6RR69G Diana Taurasi leads Spartak Moscow to EuroLeague title (seattletimes.com) by @jaydaevans: http://bit.ly/f0Oc Oklahoma loses to Louisville and Courtney Paris promises to live up to her word of giving back scholarship:

    • “…I was happy to see the Paris sisters lose because I am honestly sick of hearing about this 64K she has to pay back” Former UConn player Maria Conlon

 

 

 

Uconn wins the NCAA championship

 

 

 

    • I also proclaim this day “UConn Women’s Basketball Team Day” – Conn. Gov. Jodi Rell: http://bit.ly/NqlNT Wed. Apr. 8

 

 

    • President Obama Welcomes UConn Women To White House by John Altavilla (courant.com) http://cli.gs/NTvdvq

 

 

High School News/College Commits

    • Shanel Williams to Miami, Sophomore Alexis Eaton verbally commits to BYU, Kelsy Bone announcement forthcoming

 

  • RT @dawnstaley: Hey Gamecock fans! It’s official! Kelsey Bone is the newest member of the Gamecock family!

 

 

  • My hometown UF Gators signed Tessah Holt, the ’09 Georgia Class 4A Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year http://bit.ly/EAHX

 

 

  • Minneapolis South High School basketball star Tayler Hill chooses Ohio State over Minnesota and Texas: http://bit.ly/OmBB

 

 

  • LSU women’s basketball head coach Van Chancellor signs of junior college point guard Taylor Booze: http://bit.ly/dFRr

 

 

  • Ariz. St. signs 2 guards: Tenaya Watson (Central Arizona College) & Sabrina McKinney (Arlington, TX) http://bit.ly/19VdnN

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Kentucky women’s hoops sign Jeniece Johnson & Bernisha Pinkett from Woodson H.S. in Wash. D.C. http://bit.ly/lkixM

 

 

 

 

College Transfers, etc.

    • Westhead effect? Post Ellie Manou, Oregon’s third-leading scorer last season, won’t return for her junior year: http://bit.ly/17w8e5

 

 

 

 

 

  • Sophomore point guard Shanita Arnold to leave University of Arkansas women’s basketball team http://bit.ly/B4fNU

 

 

  • Another player leaving Maryland: sophomore guard Marah Strickland will transfer: http://bit.ly/z6AsE

 

 

  • Iowa State freshmen Ashley Arlen and Alexis Yackley decide to transfer (DesMoinesRegister.com) http://bit.ly/WPz5

 

 

 

 

  • Brooklyn Pope’s mom on transfer to Baylor “My daughter is trying to go to the [WNBA] and you can’t go to the league sitting on the bench”

 

 

  • And the transfers keep coming: Jenny Vining, Rose Hammond to transfer from Oklahoma to seek more playing time http://bit.ly/16HfAa

 

 

 

 

  • Backup center Ayana Dunning to transfer from LSU http://cli.gs/3uDu5M

 

 

  • Angela Puleo transfers to Vanderbilt from Georgia – Chanel Chisholm & Tia Gibbs leaving Vandy http://cli.gs/HLQm0V

 

 

 

 

Awards/Honors

    • Renee Montgomery wins Lieberman Award

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • No surprise here: UConn coach Auriemma wins Naismith award for the 6th time, a record: http://bit.ly/2XY7WU

 

 

  • Notebook: Charles Named Most Outstanding Player of NCAA tourney — Courant.com http://bit.ly/10PLQh

 

 

  • Retired AP sports writer Chuck Schoffner honored by women’s basketball group (rivals.com): http://bit.ly/AiBfE

 

 

  • Cooper-Dyke, Azzi, Gillom, Sonja Hogg, Jill Hutchinson & Ora Washington named to Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: http://bit.ly/3xwC30

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Teresa Edwards , the only five-time Olympic basketball player in U.S. history, nominated for US Olympic Hall of Fame: http://bit.ly/obxik

 

 

  • Former Buckeye and two-time All-American Tracey (Hall) Yarbrough to be inducted into Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame http://bit.ly/GFjjs

 

 

  • Nan Sisk, a longtime basketball official, named the 2009 Naismith Women’s College Official of the Year http://bit.ly/S4OXd

 

 

 

 

 

 

The WNBA Draft 

    • 1. Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry to the Atlanta Dream
    • RT @JaydaEvans: Wow. Atlanta goes with McCoughtry. Don’t think that’s wise..

 

WNBA Player Movement/Trades/Waives/Retirement

 

 

    • Washington Mystics cut three: forward Krystal Vaughn, forward-center Andrea Gardner and guard Laurie Koehn

 

 

    • This one slipped under the radar: Murriel Page waived by the Los Angeles Sparks yesterday: http://bit.ly/A5lb

 

    • Ashley Hayes Signs Free Agent Contract with Connecticut Sun (GoRacers.com) http://bit.ly/5Ur6k

 

    • Chamique Holdsclaw comes out of retirement, signs with the Atlanta Dream

 

 

 

    • The Indiana Fever waived Allison Feaster

 

    • The Connecticut Sun signed Illinois State senior Kristi Cirone to a training camp contract. Profile of Cirone: http://bit.ly/GRUpi

 

    • RT @ConnecticutSun Tamika Raymond will be taking ’09 off due to coaching duties. We’ll miss u around here Tamika! http://tinyurl.com/dm4a57

 

    • RT @minnesotalynx: The Lynx waive guard Navonda Moore

 

    • RT @seattlestorm: Kristen O’Neill won’t attend training camp after suffering knee injury playing overseas http://tinyurl.com/c4×95l

 

    • Chicago Sky signs Chen Nan, a 6’5” center & 2009 Women’s Chinese Basketball Association MVP, through 2010 http://cli.gs/4EJSM8

 

    • The Atlanta Dream waived Ashley Shields (in ‘07 she was the 1st draftee from a junior college) http://cli.gs/zd1n9V

 

    • RT @SASilverStars: Stars Re-Sign Edwige Lawson-Wade

 

    • Phoenix Mercury sign Washington Mystics guard Laurie Koehn to a training camp contract http://cli.gs/dzt3Gu

 

Coaching Moves/News USC women’s basketball coach Mark Trakh quits (Rivals.com) http://bit.ly/auiM & rumors start that Michael Cooper would leave the Los Angeles Sparks after the upcoming season for USC but Cooper is tight-lipped and USC is weird

 

 

 

Long Beach hires USC assistant Jody Wynn as women’s basketball coach | Los Angeles Times http://bit.ly/m6LNd Jim Bolla gets the boot then in a bizarre twist, sues, a true wtf? moment

      • Hawaii women’s coach Bolla ousted over allegations of kicking a player (Rivals.com) http://bit.ly/fvyGW

 

 

    • Former University of Hawaii women’s basketball coach Jim Bolla files suit, claims wrongful termination http://bit.ly/4D6Zfq

 

    • Bolla a black eye for UH athletics (Volcanic Ash blog: honoluluadvertiser.com) http://bit.ly/10222L

 

Peeps in Oregon agog over Paul Westheads coaching deal, “What’s green and bends like Gumby?” Oregon Coach Paul Westhead’s deal (The Register-Guard) http://bit.ly/14F6ST#basketball #women Kellie Harper emergers as a frontrunner to North Carolina State head coaching job and the Kay Yow faithful get pissed that former asst. coach Stephane Glance gets passed over for consideration

    • No promotion for NC State interim head coach Stephanie Glance. Kellie (Jolly) Harper leading candidate for head coach? http://bit.ly/sd9U

 

  • Kay Yow’s brother speaks out on NC State’s decision to not promote Glance (WRAL) http://bit.ly/bCCNh

 

 

  • Opinion: NC State owes Stephanie Glance a lot, but the head coach job shouldn’t automatically be a part of that debt http://bit.ly/1bKDsU

 

 

  • WCU coach Kellie Harper a candidate to replace Yow at NC State (Asheville Citizen-Times) http://bit.ly/38crGf

 

 

  • NCSU trustees meet on Thursday, Kellie Harper expected to be approved as new head coach http://bit.ly/GDSx8

 

 

  • After 15 seasons, Glance ‘saddened’ to be left out at N.C. State (Burlington Times) http://bit.ly/8oxMR

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geno Auriemma to coach US women’s basketball team through the 2012 Olympics http://bit.ly/RYig, http://bit.ly/SIlRr NCAA WOMENS BASKETBALL: DEC 14 Penn St at UConn Other coaching news

      • Keila Whittington and Kai Felton Added to Oregon women’s hoops coaching staff (GoDucks.com) http://bit.ly/ezabQ

 

 

    • Auburn’s Nell Fortner gets contract extension (minimum $570,000 annually), had successful 30-4 season http://bit.ly/Neg3M

 

    • J.R. Payne leaves Santa Clara to take head coaching job at Southern Utah, press conference noon PT: http://bit.ly/39VyM

 

    • Former Vanderbilt hoopster Nettie Respondek rejoins Fordham women’s basketball coaching staff http://bit.ly/KkBXI

 

    • Big East coach news: J. Kelley Hall fired as Univ. of Cincinnati women’s basketball coach http://bit.ly/iufag

 

 

 

    • Mike McLaughlin hired to coach Penn women http://bit.ly/IBBKI follows Patrick Knapp who didn’t get contract renewed http://bit.ly/25Za3F

 

    • Missy Tiber named head women’s basketball coach at Southern Illinois, replaces Dana Eikenberg who resigned on April 2 http://bit.ly/Bj5iq

 

 

    • ASU’s Charli Turner Thorne To Head USA Basketball’s 2009 Women’s World University Games Team http://cli.gs/TgDtH3

 

Lauren Jackson keeps the entire women’s basketball community on the edge of their seats just waiting for a word, a clue, anything!

  • @JaydaEvans on LJ Decision ‘09 “a virtual green room bursting with anticipation between Seattle and Phoenix-Jackson’s final pick-list”
  • LJ Watch Begins (wnba.com) http://cli.gs/X680Ld yet something else that reminds me of this commercial: http://bit.ly/2AvkQp

It’s the economy stupid

  • Economies of scale: Division I reacts to troubled times:As priorities change,divide between haves & have-nots could widen http://bit.ly/RBNF
  • Bad economy is a factor for fans at women’s Final Four (St. Louis Post-Dispatch): http://bit.ly/SWSWF
  • RT @SLAMonline The Hall of Fame, Too, is Facing Money Issues: http://snipurl.com/fhs5n
  • Univ. of New Mexico athletic dept. plans 10 percent budget cut on each of its teams http://bit.ly/cwZw9
  • Whew! Oregon State women’s basketball spared in athletic budget cuts, school in midst of building new bball arena http://bit.ly/jTOpL
  • WNBA 2009: Ominous Signs? by Bob Corwin (scout.com) http://bit.ly/2OVUk

Controversy from nothing,
Geno Auriemma comes out of left field with some comments about race and sets the media/blogosphere to chirping during the NCAA tourney

  • Where Are All Of The Hard-Working Black Players? | Bleacher Report http://bit.ly/kT0Ln (deeper analysis of Geno’s comments on race)

Twitterplosion


Transitions

R.I.P. Lovedy Brydon – a passionate Los Angeles Sparks fan http://bit.ly/154CEa
A special tribute to Lovedy is being planned for the opening game of the LA Sparks at the Staples Center on June 6,
2009, and a Celebration of Life is being planned for August. Check http://www.whchc.org for details

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Twitter Digest for 2009-05-05
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One Comment

  • B.G. says:
    June 7, 2009 at 2:45 am

    This dear lady was also a regular fixture courtside at UCLA WBB games. May God rest her soul. We at Pauley will miss her presence greatly.

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