“And the children shall lead them….”

From Michelle: Rivals team up for a cause – Cal’s Lyles, Stanford’s Kokenis work to support LGBT inclusion in sports

During a week when rival teams dig in and prepare, Mikayla Lyles and Toni Kokenis are reaching out. During a week when programs with a history might be talking a little trash, Lyles and Kokenis want to start a dialogue.

Lyles, a senior guard from Cal, and Kokenis, who played three seasons at Stanford before concussions forced her off the court, carved out time this week — in the run-up to the annual back-to-back games between the Bears and Cardinal — to create a shared space for inclusion and a conversation about acceptance.

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No, working for a living DOESN’T suck, ’cause

I truly love what I do — but it sure as heck can interfere with blogging about the basketball I’ve been keeping up with from afar.

The perk is: I got to speak to two amazing women – Mimi Griffin and Michelle Edwards – at ridiculous length. What a privilege.

Of course, you’re going to have to wait for the results to appear at Fullcourt. Which means I need to transcribe and write… Um. Gotta go!

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And then there were eight.

UConn’s Morgan Tuck To Have Surgery, out for season, leaving the Huskies with 8 scholarship players for the rest of the season. (7 for their next game: Banks is out with an ankle sprain.)

You can hear coaches game planning: “What we need to do is get them into foul trouble.” True, but not as easy as it sounds. UConn has adjusted nicely to the new rules, especially considering the fierce defense they play. Things could get interesting in the paint!

Speaking of interesting:

Gaels are now 9-0 in the MAAC. Their biggest threats the rest of the (conference) season lurks at the end of their schedule: Quinnipiac and Marist.

As mentioned, big win for Cynthia Cooper as USC takes down #19 California. (Somebody stop Ariya Crook, writes Nick Kranz) With some nice recruits coming in next year, things are looking good for the Trojan program.

Staying with the Pac 12, Oregon surprised Washington State and earned their first conference win.

The #14 Sun Devils needed free throws to escape the Utes and, in the battle of great names (Nyingifa v Ogwumike), it was close in the first half but #4 Stanford pulled away in the second for a 17pt win over UCLA.

In the Battle of CAA Unbeatens, JMU returns to the Beast of the CAA role with 74-47 win over Drexel.

Upcoming games of interest:

Sunday brings us a little SEC “legit” road test: #10 South Carolina v. #16 Vanderbilt (2pm ESPN2) followed by #11 Tennessee v. #17 Texas A&M at 4pm. BTW, Dave’s podcast asks: #WhyNotVandy? Melanie Balcomb & Vanderbilt host South Carolina in a battle of SEC upstarts.

“Big Monday” means USC v. Stanford for the top spot in the Pac 12. Which means  Tina Thompson and Candice Wiggins will do a little Twitter ‘Smack Talk’

From Todd Carton: Can the Terps stop the Irish Invasion?

Glenn Logan worries about Kentucky:

I hate to say it, but right now, the women’s Kentucky Wildcats basketball team is just not very good. They are shooting the ball extremely poorly, and the object of the game of basketball, or at least one of the two main ones, is to put the ball into the basket. Kentucky is defending well enough to win, but when they simply cannot score.

Better, but a lot of ground to be made up: Texas women’s basketball still struggling to reinvigorate fan base – Over past decade, average home attendance has declined by half

Spotlight #1: Dunbar’s Rowe poised to become Middle Tennessee’s all-time scoring leader

Also the school’s all-time rebound leader, Rowe is averaging 22.2 points and 11.7 rebounds this season. She has 16 double-doubles, including 10 in a row, and a school-record 69 in her career.

“I’m not the fanciest, I can’t do the best moves, not the quickest, can’t jump the highest. But I’m just in a system that all five people on the court know what to do, and we work so well together.”

Spotlight #2: UNC’s Diamond DeShields dares to dream

UNC’s leading scorer can splice two defenders, perform pirouettes on her way to the basket, make passes that some point guards would never dare try to make. When she makes a routine play by her standards, a highlight reel, “did-you-see-that?!” play by layman’s standards, DeShields, 18, simply smiles, a cheek-to-cheek glow that lifts her 6-foot-1-inch body off the hard court.

“It can make me very happy,” DeShields said of basketball, “but it can also make me really mad.”

Spotlight #3: Jersey girl Mabrey boosts Irish

In WNBA land, Nate has: 2013 Tulsa Shock season review: What kind of talent did Fred Williams inherit?

In the “Please Buy The Sparks” vein, it’s James Bowman with Sparks Watch Day 24: The Vetting Process

SPOILER ALERT!!! That’s 900 wins for Bentley’s Barb Stevens. BTW, the Falcons are undefeated this season, and sit atop the DII poll.

Up next, Jim Foster going for #800.

Don’t have Netflix? Check this out! “Off The Rez,” the documentary about Louisville’s Shoni and Jude Schimmel from the Umatilla reservation, will finally be available for download TODAY, Jan 24, on iTunes and VOD platforms.

Great excuse to remind you of more good stuff (though it’s old): Eight Native Basketball Players You Need to Know Better: Cliff Johns the first Native American to play for legendary NCAA coach Lute Olsen at the University of Arizona; Kenny Dobbs, the all-universe dunking star; University of Kansas and WNBA star guard Angel Goodrich; Hall-of-Famer Reyneldi Becenti who was the first Native American to play in the WNBA; Two-time Continental Basketball Association champion with the Yakama Sun Kings Richard Dionne; GinaMarie Scarpa, cofounder of the Native American Basketball Invitational basketball tournament.

And did you catch this piece from Graham? Green Bay’s Tesha Buck embraces heritage

To understand her is to understand the universality of a father’s influence on a daughter. Her struggles with separation from what was familiar are the same as those of freshmen across the country. So, too, her ability to eventually adapt and thrive in that new setting. It is a story of someone who aspires to live up to the words tattooed above an ink basketball on her torso: Strong Hearted Woman.

To understand why that is only part of the story is to understand that “Strong Hearted Woman” is merely a translation of the words inscribed permanently on her skin. The words themselves are written in the Dakota language. The language of those who came before her. Of where she comes from. A language and a history rarely represented on Division I basketball courts.

Back in November, Brent Cahwe’s 10 Native American Basketball Players to watch this College Basketball season included Tesha and also named Lakota Beatty, Oklahoma State; Keli Warrior, Kansas; Abby Scott, New Mexico State; and Shauna Long, Lamar University.

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Whooop! (W’Hoop!) History Alert! History Alert!

Just got this from Keith Fulcher, Executive Director, Delta State University Alumni and Foundation:

See the attached photos on Coach Margaret Wade. Many are “never before seen” that were just digitized by Emily Jones in the Charles Capps Archives and Museum at Delta State University.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delta-State-University-Archives-Museum/149608545092356

Be sure to LIKE and SHARE the Facebook page dedicated to Coach Wade.https://www.facebook.com/coachmargaretwade

From the Facebook page:

(Lucy Harris – Look at those packed stands!)

These photographs were taken by Nanette Laster and donated by her and her brother James Larry Laster. The DSU Archives and Museum is thrilled with this new addition to our University collections. 

And, of course, this allows me to re-post one of my favorite blog entries (and update some of the dead links. sigh):

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Margaret Wade: She’s not just a name on a trophyIt’s been about 75 years since most competitive state high school girls basketball was wiped out and 35 years since Title IX was signed. So how about a little history?

The Wade Trophy is awarded to the best women’ s basketball player in Division I. First offered in 1978, it was named after legendary Delta State coach Margaret Wade (1912-1995).

Many forget Wade the player who, in 1929, played forward and became captain of the Delta State Teacher’s College team. The team, though, was disbanded in 1932 because the administration thought “intercollegiate basketball could not be defended on sound grounds.” Basically, it was unlady-like.

But, like many women of the era who were driven to play, Wade found a place on the court with “semi-pro” AAU teams. In Wade’s case it was the Tupelo Red Wings. She served as the team’s captain and led them to the Southern Championship before a knee injury ended her career.

As a Red Wing, Wade played with Mary Nelle Brumley Chalk and her sister Dew Drop Rowlett, both who have been inducted into the Freed-Hardeman College (TN) Hall of Fame. Clark was part of 1931-32 Freed-Hardeman College team that won the Mississippi Valley Conference despite the fact that they were a junior college competing against senior colleges. Rowlett attended FHC from 1930 to ’32 and was named to the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament team in ’30, ’31 and ’32. FHC’s women’s team was eventually disbanded.

All three women made a careers teaching and coaching, most famously Wade who, in 19 years at Cleveland High School (MS) compiled a 453-89 record. Invited back to Delta State to resurect the program in 1973, she guided the Lady Statesmen to three consecutive AIAW championships (’75-’77) with a team that included the fabulous Lucy Harris.

Chalk taught in the Tennessee school system, and coached both boys and girls basketball at Lexington High School for 20 years. Rowlett attended Murray State, and then started coaching tennis, track and field in 1936 at Kentucky’s Murray High School. One of the founders of the Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, in 1968 Rowlett was recognized as one of Kentucky’s Outstanding Women in Sports. There’s an interview with her at the Louie B Nunn Center for Oral History.

Rowlett return to FHU as a coach from 1965-1981. In 1979, her sister joined her to help revive the FHU women’s basketball team. The Lady Lions play in the NAIA and have made ten National Tournment appearances since 1997. This year Stacy Myers was the fourth player in FHU history to be named a Kodak All-American.

All hail unlady-like women!

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As the neanderthals crawl back into their caves,

Boom! Down goes #20 Iowa State. Oklahoma is 12-7 (3-3 B12) and it’s their first win AT Iowa State since 2008.

Boom! Down goes #9 Kentucky. Alabama is 9-10 (2-4 SEC) and it was IN Lexington.

Boom! Down goes #6 Maryland. Virginia is 10-9 (3-3 ACC). Yup, it was a “trap game.”

Almost-boom! #3 Duke escapes in OT. (Of course, it would be OT!) #24 Florida State is 14-5 (2-4 ACC).

Almost-boom, deja vu! #25 Gonzaga escapes in OT. (Of course, it would be OT!). Loyola Marymount is 5-14 (2-6 WCC).

In other games:

Whoops! Nevada surprised Fresno State, 63-60.

Whoops! Michigan State got surprised by Illinois, 61-51.

Seton Hall HAS improved, taking down Xavier to move to 12-5.

Penn HAS improved, taking down Temple, 74-70.

A lot of the conference races are a paragon of parity, but Southern is having none of that, moving to 6-0 in the SWAC with their win over Mississippi Valley State.

Ditto with Navy, which is 7-0. Army, Bucknell and American are lurking… but it’s still a tough first year in the Patriot League for Boston University.

Middle Tennessee is 5-0 in C-USA. That’s odd to type. Speaking of the Blue Raiders: Alysha Clark doubling as WNBA player, college coach

Speaking of C-USA – yup, another OT to our list: UTEP over Southern Miss by 1 (and the Miners had to come back from 23 down to make that happen.)

The battle of the Green Clad (Tulane v. Charlotte) added to our OT list. (The Green Wave won.)

Western Michigan exploded in OT (of course) to defeat Miami (OH).

And more OT: Georgia State over LA-Lafayette by 5.

OT: Ole Miss over Mississippi State by 2.

OT: The Fightin’ Campbell Camels over Winthrop by 3.

OT: Niagara over Manhattan by 4.

OT: Northern Colorado over Northern Arizona by 4.

My fault. VCU is now 4-3 in the A-10. It’s now Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham and St. Joe’s.

Idaho’s victory over Grand Canyon lets me type the following: Vandals rule the WAC.

Kansas couldn’t keep their upset mojo going against #8 Oklahoma State (though they tried).

Meanwhile, Baylor took their revenge on the Jayhawks in-state rival, stomping Kansas State in the first half and, depending on your point of view, cruising or giving coach Mulkey more cause to play her bench — or worry — in the second half.

#11 Tennessee used its game against Florida to regain its equilibrium after their loss, and to support “We Back Pat.”

The #2 Irish had no issues with Miami, even with Lloyd’s knee issues.

#7 North Carolina pulled away from Wake Forest in the second half.

#15 LSU eked away from Auburn in the second half.

#17 Texas A&M needed a comeback in the second half to defeat Missouri.

#1 UConn rolled, this time behind Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who seems to be finding her groove. Hard not to look ahead to Feb. 8th when Louisville travels to Connecticut.

In other news:

Un-fans of East Coast WNBA All-Star Games better show up in Arizona.

He’s baaaaak: Fred to coach Tulsa.

Sheeeee’s baaaaaak: Angela Taylor, a former executive with the Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx and WNBA, has been named the Atlanta Dream’s executive vice president and general manager.

Not the timing she’d like, but it’s better to have a healthy kidney.

Full Court notices the Gaels, too: Newly dominant Iona fuels hot race for top of MAAC

Marist adjusts to new lineup for same winning result

USC Trojans program on the rise (SPOILER ALERT!)

Congrats! St. Norbert College’s Tilley becomes 13th coach in DIII to reach 600 wins

Hello! Q&A with Becky Hammon

What’s next? Karen Bryant ready for new challenge

More congrats: E.J. (Lee) Ok’s Jersey Retirement Set for Saturday. Ok is one of two players in program history to score more than 2,000 points in a career as she finished with 2,208 points (second all-time).

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So, I’m thinking that those who say,

“There are no upsets in women’s basketball” are simply out-of-touch neanderthals.

’cause lookee what Graham said! Not only did he name the Penguins the “Team of the week,” he noted it was “a weekend in which nine ranked teams lost to opponents that were either ranked lower or unranked.”

And honestly, looking at some of the records of those unranked teams only makes the upsets even more stunning.

Kansas State took down #13 Iowa State by 6 (making one ponder the Cyclones’ pre-conference schedule.)

Not to be outdone by their in-state rival, Kansas became a Bear-toppler as Baylor left Texas for the first time this season and not only lost back-to-back for the first time since 2010, but they also lost their nation-leading road win streak and their 44 or is it 53-game conference win streak. That earned Kansas’ Gardner is player of week honors. Wrote Mechelle:

Mulkey knew her young players were perhaps too buoyed by their performance against UConn and not ready for potential adversity on the road in the Big 12. She said she saw the “deer in the headlights” look from several of them Sunday.

Baylor senior guard Odyssey Sims had 31 points, but it took her a school-record 37 shot attempts to get that. She made 13 shots from the field and 3 of 5 free throws. Combined with her 4-of-25 night against UConn, Sims has shot 27.4 percent (17-of-62) in her last two games.

#24 Vandy stayed red-hot with its 9-point win over #14 LSU.

“Vanderbilt did a nice job of getting the right players the right shots at the right times,” head coachNikki Caldwell said. “They didn’t force anything, they played within their gameplan and they did a good job of sharing the basketball. We have to be more discipline in our halfcourt defense and not miss assignments. We just weren’t aware and alert, that hurt us. We have to be more serious about our defensive effort.”

Miami’s Saunders went toe-to-toe with #20 NC State’s Gatling, and the Hurricanes earned the upset by 9.

Saunders joked that the rim has never looked that big for her in her career.

“It was pretty huge,” Saunders said. “I was really feeling it, and it was a great feeling. My teammates found me in great places, all of my guards have great vision, and I was just happy they were able to find me and I was able to knock it down.”

Flip-the-coin-and-see-which-team-you-get #22 Purdue eked out the upset over #18 Nebraska by 2. This has sure become a fun B10 rivalry.

In the “almost” vein –

#10 Kentucky escaped Auburn (11-7, 2-3), 73-71… and the Tigers had a chance in the final seconds.

“Besides the fact that we blew it, I don’t know what to really say,” Tigers head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “The opportunity was there, we played hard, sometimes we just didn’t do everything that we needed to do like rebounding the basketball on the defensive end.”

#3 Duke showed it IS missing Gray, but leaned on Liston to escape Virginia Tech, 74-70.

Meanwhile:

• #5 Louisville (welcome back Antonita) handled SMU.
• #9 UNC dispatched BC.
• #6 Maryland over Georgia Tech by 11.
• #8 South Carolina rebounded and rolled Alabama.
• #25 Texas A&M obliterated Mississippi State.
• #16 Penn State had to rally to take down Michigan State. Ah, the Big 10.
• #1 UConn wiped out Rutgers, impressing the heck out of CViv (who has  Scaife and Copper to look forward to).

“Remember when Geno said, “`I have Diana Taurasi and you don’t’?” Stringer said. “That’s what he means. Breanna’s the No. 1 player in the country, right? She’s the best player in the nation. It doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten but it’s Connecticut and everybody else.”

Said Auriemma of the (almost) “end of an era”:

“It was one of the better games we’ve played here in a very long time,” Auriemma said of the ease with which his team went about its business. “But it didn’t even feel like we were at Rutgers. I don’t know what’s going on. The last two games – maybe the fans are feeling sorry for me now that I am getting older. When I was younger they didn’t treat me like that.”

In other games –

Get mojo back? Check! San Diego handled BYU, 60-45.

Keep improving? Check! St. Francis (NY) wins.

Continue to challenge for the Horizon? Check! Penguins ruuuuule!

Let go of the Horizon? Not so fast! Green Bay took down Cleveland State, 90-72.

Run away with the Big Sky? Not so fast (Pt. 2)! North Dakota stumbles against Montana State, 76-65.

Clear leader in the A-10? Not so fast! Dayton over Fordham, 73-64 and St. Joe’s over La Salle.

An itty bit of revenge? Yup! Drexel over Delaware. Dragons and JMU are 3-0 in the CAA.

Oregon continues to score a lot and lose a lot. And USC is now the first team ever to score 100 points at the Galen Center AND 6-1 in the Pac-12.

Adding to the OT list:

• Howard over MD-E Shore by 2.
• Buffalo over E. Michigan by 1.
• Rice over Marshall by 6.
• Tulane over Southern Miss by 2.
• Jackson State over Prairie View by 1 (2OT)
• Cal Poly over Long Beach State (in a game Debbie would have loved), 107-102. Yes, LBS lost, but there IS going to be a wedding!
• UC Davis over CS Fullerton by 2.
• Big win for UNC-Asheville over Liberty, 83-80. It’s the first victory for Asheville over Liberty since Feb. 24, 2007.
•  Zahui netted 25 on 10-11 shooting, but it was still Indiana over Minnesota by 5

Charlie tries to make sense of the wins and loses in his new Bracketology. (Though I probably would have procrastinated until AFTER tonight’s Tennessee/ND game.)

And, on this MLK day, I invite you to read Kate Fagan’s piece.

Nobody wakes up one morning and understands the experiences of everyone who is “other.”The goal is to keep our minds open and be willing to listen — to realize that even when we think we get it, sometimes something happens that makes it clear we have so much more to learn.

And in those moments, the only wrong move is digging in your heels.

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Yah, like you saw that coming…

So, not only did Washington State thump #21 Colorado, 70-60, consider their records:

Buffs: 11-5, 1-4 Pac-12
Cougs: 11-6, 5-0 Pac-12 (BTW – USC is 5-1 in the 12)

After an awkward start, WSU seems to have hit a groove with some odd hiccups. They’ve beaten (then) #24 ASU, #10 Nebraska. They’ve lost to Dayton (?), BYU (sure), and WVU (understandable, considering what the Mountaineers are showing – SPOILER ALERT! Down goes Oklahoma!).

What does this tell us? I’m thinking that, save UCONN, there is a TON of parity, talent-wise, in women’s basketball. Coaching is key.

Any-hoot-n-annie: The 12 also added to our OT count: Washington over Utah by 1.

Yes, Oregon scores a lot. But they also lose a lot. And UCLA is putting together a season stitched with pride.

Upcoming/current games that have my attention:

• Can San Diego get their mojo back? They face BYU.
• The Black Bears v. the Great Danes. No, I don’t expect a Maine win, but it’s fun to see a team move from being a total doormat to a team that you need to think about.
• Sacred Heart v. St. Francis (NY). The Stags aren’t having their usually stellar (NEC) season, but they have history on their side. SF(NY) is trying to change theirs.
• Speaking of changed histories: Cleveland State (3-0, Horizon) goes up against the Horizon team generalists know, Green Bay, who are a stunning 1-2 in league play.
• The Penguins, 3-0 in the Horizon, will go up against Phoenix Slayer Milwaukee.
• North Dakota will pit its 6-0 Big Sky record against Montana State’s 4-1.
• Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, keep those Mocs a rollin’! Under Jim Foster, Chattanooga is 6-0 in the Southern.
• It’s not gone to their heads (yet): Iona moves to 7-0 in the MAAC (but their spelling has suffered:  “juior (sic) guard Damika Martinez” was one of 29 players named to the watch list of candidates for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award.)
• Speaking of the MAC, not the MAAC – they were kind enough to add to the OT list: Important win for Central Michigan over Bowling Green, 82-79.
• The SEC has not been kind to Mississippi State (1-3) and has been to Texas A&M (4-0). Wonder what’ll happen when the go at each other. BTW, welcome back! Texas A&M women’s basketball taps Sydney Colson as graduate assistant coach
• #14 LSU v. #24 Vandy might — or might not — tell us something.
• #2 Notre Dame v. #12 Tennessee (Monday, ESPN2) sure as heck will.
• Drexel’s (and Redick, who got the Dragon’s first triple-double) turn? They face the Blue Hens.
• Rutgers and UConn meet for the second-to-last-time as conference-mates… stoopid football, game that I love. Hoping there will be a General Admission ticket for me somewhere.
• So, how interesting will the A-10 be? Let’s chat post Fordham (4-1) v Dayton (3-0) and LaSalle (4-1) v. St. Joseph’s (2-2)
• Ah, the Big 10: Michigan State (4-0) v. #16 Penn State (3-1). Ought to be fun.

Check out the Dishin’ and swishing’ Roundtable with Steph White, Mechelle Voepel and Cindy Brunson as they talk the first half of the season.

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’cause we love history….

Mae Young, Unladylike Wrestler Who Loved to Be Hated, Dies at 90

Mae Young — make that the Great Mae Young — who pulled hair and took cheap shots, who preferred actually fighting to pretending, who was, by her own account and that of many other female wrestlers, the greatest and dirtiest of them all, died on Tuesday in Columbia, S.C. She was 90, and her last round in the ring was in 2010.

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Remember when I mentioned excessive OTs?

Looked what happened!

Richmond over George Mason by 3. 

Navy over Bucknell by 2 (2OT).

Sam Houston Over SE Louisiana by 1. 

Fairfield over Siena by 1. 

Presbyterian over Costal Carolina by 3.

Liberty over Winthrop by 7. (You’ll remember their coach, Kevin Cook)

#18 Nebraska over Minnesota by 3.

And that there are no upsets in women’s basketball?

#25 Texas A&M over #8 South Carolina AND it was in OT.

Michigan knocks of confusing #22 Purdue, 65-49.

West Virginia (unranked ’cause???) stomps all over #13 Iowa State, 73-59.

#20 NC State dittos that over #17 Florida State, 80-57.

(5-9) San Diego State over (10-6) Fresno State, 70-69, giving the Bulldogs their first loss in the Mountain West.

(SPOILER ALERT!!)
From tonight: #19 Arizona State over #15 Cal, 68-59.

In other fun games:

Oh, yeah, the A-10 is gonna be fun: Fordham Rams by 3 over the VCU Rams.

Wondering how the new job is sitting for coach Boyle as #3 Duke dismantles Virginia, 90-55.

#2 Notre Dame dusts fellow gold-wearing Pittsburgh, 109-66.

Hey! Penguins are 3-0 in the Horizon AND they beat Green Bay!

Welcome to the ACC Syracuse (12-5, 1-3).

Yes, this Kulas kid for Missouri is good, but even her 30 couldn’t save the Tigers from the Geaux Tigers.

So, anyone notice that Michigan State is undefeated in the Big 10? They face #16 Penn State on Sunday.

Coach Godsey and the Gaels get some well-deserved press: A new era begins at Iona

So far so very good for the new women’s basketball coach at Iona College, Billi Godsey. A 2003 graduate of Hofstra, Godsey is one of several young female coaches of color recently hired for head coaching jobs in Division I women’s college basketball.

“I knew I was coming into a very talented roster,” said Godsey, who has been acquainted with assistant coach-recruiting coordinator Ashlee Kelly since both coached at Division II schools. “I’m one of the lucky ones. It was easy for me to get them to buy into what we wanted to do a little bit differently from last year and still play in a style they’re successful in, an up-tempo type of style.”

Superb news: Women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell in remission

Well yes, Beth and Debbie, the new rules have increased scoring dramatically. And yes, that is different than improving shooting percentages, though. No rules will replace the skills that need to be learned in high school and AAU ball. What’s the solution, folks?

Speaking of solutions... “Please buy the Sparks!”

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Important win for…

Iona and their first-year coach, Billi Godsey. They went into the Red Foxes’ den and escape with a two point win — thus ending a 29-game losing streak.

“To us, it’s really big,” Martinez, a junior, said after tying teammate Joy Adams for game-high honors with her 18 points. “We’ve been playing them since I’ve been here, for a long time, (and) we haven’t beaten them yet. It feels really good to win at their place because every time we come here, we get blown out.

Is is just me, or do there seem to have been a lot of overtime games this season? Three last night.

No overtime in the UConn-Baylor game. The Bears kept is close, and got closer when Sims trusted her teammates and served a score-attemptor AND distributer. But, honestly, the star of the game was sophomore Moriah Jefferson, who was steady and effective from start to finish. The young point guard played with poise beyond her years, and one could argue she out-played Sims, and helped guide the Huskies to a win in Waco. It wasn’t a particularly elegant or aesthetically pleasing game, but I’m guessing both teams will walk away with much learned.

Read all about it courtesy of friend HuskyNan:

UConn responds late to finish off Baylor, Post
No. 1 UConn survives Baylor upset bid, Post
UConn Fights Off Determined Baylor, 66-55, Courant
UConn Trio Leading The Way In Blocked Shots, Courant
Jeff Jacobs: Huskies Pass Composure Test, Courant
Pictures: Undefeated UConn Women at Baylor, Courant
Live Updates: No. 1 UConn Women At No. 7 Baylor, Courant
Huskies work for win over No. 7 Baylor, Register
A game both teams benefited from, ESPN
Lady Bears put up fight, get overrun by top-ranked UConn, 66-55, Waco Tribune
Brice Cherry: Passion mirrored in coaches Mulkey, Auriemma, Waco Tribune

In other news:

Dang: South Carolina assistant McCray diagnosed with breast cancer

What tha…? Gators ban Mercer following robbery charge

Welcome back: Bill Gibbons Returns To Women’s Basketball Team

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Well…. double crap.

Injury ends Gray’s Duke career

A second injury to her right knee means star point guard Chelsea Gray has played her last game for the Duke women’s basketball team, a Duke source said Monday.

Gray suffered a fractured right kneecap during Sunday’s 78-57 win over Boston College at Cameron Indoor Stadium and will need season-ending surgery.

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“The Fall of the Ranked” part deux

#19 Cal took down #17 Colorado by 2.

Not only did Ohio State defeat #22 Indiana rather handily, the win also knocked the Hoosiers out of the “Still Undefeated” club.

#15 Oklahoma State did the same to #11 Iowa State, 69-62.

Gonzaga stomped all over the #24 Toreros, 79-50.

Texas A&M topped #25 (why are they still ranked?) Georgia, 58-44.

#21 Purdue pulled away from #14 Penn State IN Happy Valley, 84-64.

Helping Vandy get a rare win over Tennessee earned 5’4″ Jasmine Lister espnW POW honors. Said coach Balcomb:

…if this were a sequence of one-on-one matchups, the Lady Vols might dominate, based on sheer physical ability. But that’s not how a basketball game works. Vanderbilt sweated the small stuff and refused to back down.

“I was concerned about their height. I was concerned about their athleticism. I was concerned about the talent level,” Balcomb said. “The big thing with us is just to execute our game plan. …

“We just showed a lot of discipline, a lot of composure and a lot of toughness.”

Chiney… I mean #4 Stanford handled Utah and #17 Colorado.

It took  #23 Arizona State OT to take down USC (which got a game tying 3 with seconds left in the 2nd), 94-86, and then ASU barely just snuck by UCLA.

#13 North Carolina escaped #18 Florida State, 65-61.

#2 Notre Dame escaped Virginia, 79-72.

#10 South Carolina escaped Auburn, 72-66.

#5 Louisville escaped South Florida, 62-54.

Sims… I mean #7 Baylor handled the Horned Frogs, 80-46.

#12 LSU skinned the Gators, 82-68.

Duke plucked the Eagles, 78-57.

#9 Kentucky managed to overcome Missouri’s Kulas (27-14-4)  and get the 80-69 win.

In other news, Iona (12-2)  is having fun in the MAAC. They get to face Marist (11-4) on Monday.

Wichita State is enjoying the Missouri Valley — let’s see how they feel after they meet Northern Iowa.

Wow. Revenge is sweet, huh? JMU exploded — and I mean a 60 point second half explosion — against Delaware, handing the Blue Hens a 36pt. loss.

A decent tussle turned into a serious blowout as #1 UConn took down Temple.

Navy seized the top spot in the Patriot League with their win over Army, 74-64:

 “Huge win,” said Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper. “To us, this was like a post-season game. So much respective for what Army has done. I think their defense is fantastic; I’m still trying to figure out how we scored 74 points against them.”

Wow, it IS a tough year for Green Bay (8-6) – they lost to Milwaukee (5-9)!

I’m not sayin’ nothin’, but St. Francis (NY) is 12-2.

In that same vein – Rhode Island has six wins and Maine is 8-8. Oh, and Seton Hall is 10-4.

It is mighty crowded atop Conference USA.

Princeton took care of Penn. They’ll go up against Harvard on the 31st in a game that could be significant come NCAA tourney time.

Hmmm… might have to do some rethinking about the A-10. VCU over St. Joe’s, 73-69. Fordham’s up next for the (other) Rams.

Oh, so yeah, so the Baylor Bears put their 69-game home streak on line as they host the UConn Huskies  Monday.

“It will be a good game. They’re pretty big in size. We’re a little undersized this year. But we’ll figure it out,” said Sims, the national scoring leader at 31.8 points a game. “And I’ll just tell you, it won’t be a blowout. It will be a tough game for them and us, so just be ready for it.”

Obviously, writes Jim Fuller, Slowing Baylor’s Odyssey Sims no easy task for Huskies.

“I have watched her on film and she is the best player I have seen this year, no question. Nobody else is even close,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of the nation’s leading scorer who needs 34 points to become the third player in Big 12 history with at least 2,000 points and 500 assists. “She can hit the 3, she gets in the lane, she fouls you out and she makes runners.”

Rich Elliot thinks Sims is a big test for UConn soph Jefferson

“That’s what you sign to play for,” Jefferson said. “You want to play against the best players. When you play big games that’s when big players step up. So I’m going to come out and try to do whatever I can to help my team out.”

Jeff Jacobs pokes at the Bears a bit: Unlike Baylor’s Kim Mulkey, Geno Welcomes The Nonconference Challenge

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So, much has happened since the “Fall of the Ranked”

Blizzard!

Snow day! (but not for me!) and a trip to D.C. for an Early Childhood Symposium.

Frozen doors on the Amtrak train up and back.

Leading my first “STEM” infused professional development with some amazing early childhood teachers (STEM and Storytelling – a match made for teaching!).

There was a Polar (Bear) Vortex.

I walked into a room and got a(nother) grant.

My mom called to say that the next time we have an argument, she’s going to order a traffic jam in my neighborhood. (Lucky for my neighborhood, we don’t argue much.)

Oh, and some basketball with more “TIM-BERRRRRS.”

#11 Oklahoma State lost to West Virginia, 71-67, giving the Cowgirls their first loss of the season. When the Mountaineers went up against Baylor, though, they couldn’t beat Sims.

NC State took down #20 Syracuse. That got the Wolfpack ranked 20th, but a horrible first half doomed them against #13 UNC. Even so, they’ve earned attention from  the AP and Mechelle: Wolfpack off to winning start

Florida took down then #6 Kentucky (and made the players cranky). And then #10 South Carolina added to the #9 Wildcat’s misery, defeating Kentucky 68-59.

Ignore’em at your peril: Texas A&M defeated #12 LSU, 52-48. Can I just say “Ick.” Aggies shot 34% , Tigers shot 26%.

They had a close call against Pacific, but #24 (ranked for the first time in program history) San Diego righted the ship and got a win. Not so lucky against Portland, which stomped the Toreros 72-52.

Michigan State took it to #16 Nebraska, 70-57.

Missouri defeated #25 Georgia. Yes, the Dawgs over-indulged on cupcakes.

Northwestern over #21 Purdue by a whisker.

Oh, and just a reminder… there are no upsets in women’s basketball…..

In other news, UConn continues to roll with wins over Memphis and Houston. Temple is next, but I’m sure folks are looking ahead to the Baylor game IN Waco.

The Irish are smiling. The Terps are too, probably ’cause they don’t face Notre Dame until the 27th.

Duke rolled the Orange.

Howard’s 27/18 helped Florida State escape Miami, 68-63.

Yes, that’s the Dons at 7-7.

Is anyone paying attention to the job coach Austin Parkinson is doing at IUPUI?

Hey! VCU looks to have recovered from the loss coach Cunningham. They’re at 14-2 (cause they lost to LaSalle?!?!).

Delaware hasn’t collapsed into nothing with EDD’s graduation. They’re now 10-3.

Army is putting together a nice season. As is Navy. Oh, oh…look out on January 11th!

Gosh, “my” Penguins are missing their old coach Bob Boldon. Who is, but the way, 6-7 over at Ohio. That matches their win total last year but, more importantly, they’re 3-0 at home, which is cool.

And yes, 3-9 San Diego State misses Beth Burns.

And yes, 1-14 UNC-Wilmington misses Cynthia Cooper.

How long will T-Spoon stay a Louisiana Tech?

Maine is 7-8. I’m just sayin’: Richard Barron.

Even though I’m still not sayin’ nothin’ about Fordham and Erin Rooney, the Rams did slip up v. Duquesne. But it’s lookin’ like a showdown with the Hawks is looming’.

Rutgers may have found their footing.

Ditto with Texas.

Look at that! The Quakers are atop the Ivy League. Princeton is up next. (Dum de dum, dum)

Debbie missed her game of the week: St. Francis (PA) v Central Connecticut State, 106-97.

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Well….AWESOME!!!

Blood clot gone, Antonita Slaughter can play again for Louisville basketball team

From the Card Chronicle:

“I am excited about returning to the court,” said Slaughter in a release. “After being away the last month, I realized how much I love the game of basketball. I am grateful for the opportunity to return and being able to contribute to my team. I am looking forward to competing with my team and picking up where we left off last year.”

Friend Jeff is going to be wicked happy —

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Whoops, there it is!!!

Upset City!

I’m sure there were mixed feelings on the Tiger bench. # 16 LSU ruined Candace Parker’s return for her jersey retirement ceremony… and gave Coach Caldwell the biggest win of her young coaching career – though they almost let it slip away: They had a nice double-digit lead with under five minutes left and lost their composure, resulting in a ton of turnovers. #5 Tennessee took advantage, cutting it closer and closer… until they lost their composure – two technicals later, and the Tigers get the three-point win. Glad I’m not a coach.

Speaking of big wins: If you thought Indiana’s game against #22 Iowa would mean the Hoosiers would soon exit the ranks of the undefeated, you were wrong. Important win for “drama free” coach Miller.

Take a deep breath, Indy, ’cause #17 Purdue is up next… and they might be ticked after being blown out in the second half by (I told ya!) tough out Ohio State.

“Every night, you’re going to play a well-prepared team and it’s going to be a challenge,” head coach Kevin McGuff said. “It’s a great league for women’s basketball and hopefully we continue to be better, so we meet these challenges head on. I thought our defense was good, but more importantly, we took turnovers and turned them into points.”

Coach Landers got a T, but coach Balcomb and Vandy got the win.

“Honestly, I didn’t think we ever really looked that good,” head coach Andy Landers said. “The scoreboard looked good when we were up seven, but we turned the ball over 24 times. We started it off turning it over and we were turning it over the last five minutes. You really don’t have to go any further than that. You’re playing on the road against a quality basketball team.”

James Madison almost joined the upset wave, but the Diamond Deshields-less #10 Tar Heels escaped with a three-point win. Next game ought to be fun – in-state rival NC State (13-1).

Speaking of  “almosts” – #18 Nebraska clawed back from a deficit in the first half, then squeaked out a one-point win over Northwestern.

It’s looking like Aston will be a nice hire by Texas. The Longhorns fought Oklahoma State tooth and nail throughout the game, finally falling to the #11 Cowgirls by 6.

Speaking of tooth and nail — South Carolina dealt Arkansas their first loss of the season, but Dawn and crew are lucky the game ended when it did. In the second half, the Razorbacks roared back from a 12-point deficit, but fell short by 4.

Speaking of a Conference that would be wicked fun to watch:

• St. Mary’s couldn’t slay undefeated San Diego. “With the win, the Toreros remain perfect on the season at 14-0, mark the best start for any sport at USD in the Division I era, extend the program’s longest winning streak, and are now one of six undefeated schools left in Division I.” (Who’ going to be knocking on Cindy Fisher’s door next year?)
• Pacific (6-7) took down perennial powerhouse BYU (12-2) for their first WCC win, 75-62.
• Azzi’s Dons took down Loyola Mary for their sixth win of the season. (Baby steps, pt. 1)
• Pepperdine and St. Clara went to double overtime and made Debbie happy: The Waves prevailed, 100-93. (Baby steps, pt. 2: Pepperdine’s five wins already matches its total from last season.)

Not interested in being part of the news frenzy:

# 6 Kentucky took care of Alabama, 85-63.

#2 Notre Dame got some dead-eyed shooting from Kayla McBride as they went huntin’ wabbits, 94-51.

#3 Duke dominated Old Dominion, 87-63.

#25 Oklahoma crushed Texas Tech, 68-38.

Simms… I mean, #9 Baylor was 29 points better than the Wildcats.

#14 Iowa State took care of TCU, 71-49.

Considering the state of Pittsburgh basketball, I consider Suzie’s loss to #21 Florida State by 9 impressive.

Mississippi State didn’t survive their encounter with the Gators.

Not sayin’ nothin’ about Fordham ’cause I don’t wanna jinx’em.

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Well, crap….

Tough day for Candace. And the League: Sparks owner ends involvement with team; WNBA looking for new owner

Asked if the Sparks would field a team for the 2014 season, or if the franchise would fold, Richie repeatedly said that several entities have expressed an interest in owning a WNBA team and the league is exploring those options regarding the Sparks.

The Sparks’ front-office staff, including General Manager Penny Toler and President Vincent Malcolm, have been laid off. Sparks Coach Carol Ross and her staff have also lost their jobs.

The Times obtained a copy of an email that was sent by Malcolm to team employees on Tuesday: “… we regret to inform you that effective December 31, 2013 you no longer will be employed by the Los Angeles Sparks.”

 

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