Month in Review – April 2009

By Cheryl Coward

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

• USA Today Photo Gallery: Louisville vs. Oklahoma: http://bit.ly/3AKc8v

Uconn wins the NCAA championship

• Perfect finish to a perfect season: http://bit.ly/czTD

• Championship Game Photos: UConn 76, Louisville 54 — Courant.com http://bit.ly/pmbhU

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

• The Associated Press: Obama congratulates UConn women’s hoops team http://bit.ly/3WRT

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

• RT @wnba: Photo gallery from UConn visit to White House http://tinyurl.com/c4vtwf

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

• Alabama signs Jocelyn Shaw, H.S. 5A tourney MVP, season average: 18 pts, 12 rebounds: http://bit.ly/uyO8S & http://bit.ly/qhL7Q

• PARADE All-America High School Girls Basketball Team announced http://bit.ly/ffyQJ

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

• Baylor Lady Bears reel in premier point guard, Odyssey Sims http://cli.gs/jGEnDJ

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

• Georgia guard Angela Puleo has decided to transfer (Rivals.com) http://bit.ly/23PlWA

• Maryland sophomore forward Drey Mingo to transfer to seek more playing time http://bit.ly/BjKWF – Mingo player file: http://bit.ly/3sV5q

• 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

• Forward/guard Brooklyn Pope to Transfer from Rutgers to Baylor: http://bit.ly/17cbPl

• 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

• Baylor’s Danielle Wilson skipping her senior season http://cli.gs/3uDu5M

• 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

• Auriemma Confirms Jess McCormack Will Not Return To UConn (courant.com) http://cli.gs/EeSR0h

Awards/Honors

• Renee Montgomery wins Lieberman Award

• Maya Moore wins the Wade Trophy (Hartford Courant): http://bit.ly/46zyEm

• Maria Stepanova is the FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year: http://bit.ly/12Lg46

• C. Vivian Stringer makes Naismith Hall of Fame http://tinyurl.com/d35x2a

• Courtney Paris named winner of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award: http://bit.ly/eWn34

• UConn’s Maya Moore Wins Naismith Award: http://bit.ly/7EVCs

• 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

• UConn’s Maya Moore Wins Wooden Award (Courant.com) http://bit.ly/ZBZ56

• Renee Montgomery wins 24th annual Honda Award http://bit.ly/4Cd7Dm

• 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

• Purdue hoops teams to be honored at Indiana Statehouse today http://bit.ly/Spwvx

• Vandy women honored today at Tenn. House of Representatives : RT @VandyWBB http://twitpic.com/3u0w9

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 Draft Final Draft Board: http://www.wnba.com/draft2009/draft_board.html

WNBA Player Movement/Trades/Waives/Retirement

• Atlanta Dream Waives Center Katie Feenstra Mattera (OurSports Central): http://bit.ly/HYNpt

• RT @ConnecticutSun: Sun guard Jamie Carey has announced her retirement: http://tinyurl.com/dap7sz. Good luck, Jamie

• RT @wnba: Free agent guard Betty Lennox signs with the LA Sparks. http://tinyurl.com/dbptfo #basketball

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

• Atlanta Dream Waives Guard Kristin Haynie (OurSports Central) http://bit.ly/16k0BC

• 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

• RT @wnba: Chamique Holdsclaw Ends Retirement, Signs With Atlanta Dream http://tinyurl.com/c77qre

• Phoenix Mercury waive forward Kim Smith: http://bit.ly/A5lb

• 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

• from LA dailynews: Sparks fly over Michael Cooper-to-USC rumors: http://tinyurl.com/da674p

• Sparks Coach Michael Cooper in discussions about USC job (latimes) http://bit.ly/Sbay

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

• Glance, Yow’s staff pack up at NCSU (News & Observer) http://bit.ly/aUW7

• Photos: New NC State head coach Kellie Harper press conference yesterday http://bit.ly/MoyV8

Geno Auriemma to coach US women’s basketball team through the 2012 Olympics http://bit.ly/RYig, http://bit.ly/SIlRr 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

• Ex-Purdue star Ukari Figgs returning to Purdue as assistant coach http://bit.ly/nd26P

• Rhode Island hires Cathy Inglese as women’s coach (SI.com) http://bit.ly/AmKR

• 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

• Anne Donovan Named Assistant Coach of the NY Liberty http://cli.gs/dNs258

• 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

• Controversy over athletes use of Twitter,
  RT @NCAA: Oklahoma issues policy for athletes’ use of Web – The Associated Press: http://tinyurl.com/dmut3s
• WNBA and college players and teams jump on the twitter bandwagon
• WNBA Social Media Connect page – http://www.wnba.com/features/connect.html

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