**All Sing** IIIIIIII’m Moving Out

Biggest non-surprise of the WNBA off season: Delle Donne to Washington. Mechelle wonders, How good can the Mystics be with Elena Delle Donne? No doubt, EDD will be under a microscope. Lots of eye rolling, bad mouthing of her in the internet-sphere. Who knows if those folks have inside scoop or not (never appreciated the “oh, if you only knew what I knew” power play), but Mechelle does offer some insight:

That intersected with Delle Donne’s strong desire to be back closer to her Delaware home, which was augmented by her growing disenchantment with the Sky. She had thumb surgery and missed the playoffs last season, and her relationship with then-coach Pokey Chatman seemed strained. Chatman was let go after the season but was quickly hired by Indiana to replace Stephanie White, who went to coach at Vanderbilt.

The Sky organization’s philosophy, from some players’ perspective, might be called no-frills — or less charitably, nickel-and-diming. To be fair, the Sky have some financial challenges in not being affiliated with an NBA team and competing in a sports-saturated city that includes two MLB teams.

Howard kinda disses Big Syl and Tina in his NY Times article: Elena Delle Donne Is Traded on Eve of WNBA Free Agency

Speaking of Chicago: Hello! Carlene Mitchell Joins Chicago Sky as Assistant Coach

Other changes: WNBA: Swords to Seattle, Vaughn and Hartley to NY in three-team trade

Go, team! Breanna Stewart inspired after joining first protest at LAX

Congrats: Smyrna to honor former standout Betnijah Laney Friday night

And yah, there was some basketball played:

Gonna start taking offers for the WHB Diss – ’cause look what happens! UNC over NC State with threes. (Sue’s got Coach Hatchell in the Chair)

“We’ve played really well at times, but we haven’t been able to put a whole game together …” head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “We had some breakdowns and lack of experience, but we’re getting better and better and better.”

Case in point #2? USC topples #16 Arizona State, 65-50.

#17 Miami 27 turnovers, Boston College 34. Hurricanes win.

No really, what.the.what with Tennessee? They pull off the upset of #4 South Carolina courtesy of (perhaps?) a little Mississippi State end-of-game karma. But still, can Tennessee fans trust the Vols with their heart? As for the Gamecocks? South Carolina women’s basketball gets a much-needed wake-up call against Tennessee.

Warned you about Syracuse/Va Tech. Orange with the upset, 82-72. And, um, ok? How is Syracuse WBB modeled after the Soviet Union hockey dynasty?

And yes, Temple is stronger. They battle #23 USF, only to fall 55-51.

Anyone notice that the Hampton v. Howard battle in the MEAC is back on? The Pirates are at 7-0 and the Bison are at 6-1. Nice work by second year coach Ty Grace.

The Plum-i-na-tor scored a ton against the #10 Cardinal, but her Washington teammates couldn’t dredge up a lot of support for her. Stanford rallied and got the upset. Now Tara is one away from 1,000 wins. 1.0.0.0.

Oregon kept it close against #11 Oregon State. Must make the Ducks feel better about their future, but I’m sure they’d rather the win.

Creighton roared back in the fourth to defeat Marquette, 80-77. Speaking of Marquette and new(ish) head coach Carolyn Kieger: Women’s basketball utilizing unique up-tempo offense

Fourth. Quarter. #22 West Virginia scored 9. #12 Texas scored 21. Longhorns win by 15.

Whack a newly ranked team continues as MU women’s basketball team gets first win against Kentucky since joining SEC

Congrats to Clemson, who got their first ACC win in for.e.ver.

Not quite there: Towson falls to Delaware. And William & Mary falls to James Madison.

Hmmm… Wright State’s at 9-1 in the Horizon. Only loss: Green Bay. Rematch on February 24th.

Dang, but Washington State is feisty! 84-79 winners over Cal.

NCAA.com offers up  7 of the most talented tandems in the country

It might not be the world’s purest form of basketball, but coach Joanne P. McCallie has implemented a clear plan for her Blue Devils this year: Give the ball to Brown or Greenwell and let them decide the rest.

The usage rates of the two have been staggering this year. They have combined to attempt 44 percent of Duke’s field goals, and a mind-blowing 83 percent of the team’s 3-pointers. Brown and Greenwell have combined to hit 101 shots from deep; the rest of the roster has made 20.

Matthew Giles: Kelsey Plum is Superb

Fresh off the program’s first Final Four run, Washington might be the most intriguing team in women’s basketball this season: a west coast outlier amidst the sport’s pseudo east coast bias. That rise is wholly due to Plum, who bypassed the WNBA for one more chance to win a national title. And if she breaks a record that had largely been deemed to be unbreakable, well then, she’s fine with that too.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought of the record at all,” says Plum, referring to Jackie Stiles’ NCAA-record 3,393 points. “It’s an honor, and it’s probably something I should relish a bit more, but that’s not where I want to spend my time. Right now, I don’t really care.”

Graham: Nared sisters draw strength from each other — but go their own paths

It isn’t easy to be Tennessee. It isn’t easy to be both iconic and unranked ahead of a nationally televised game against South Carolina (ESPN2, 6 p.m. ET). It is difficult to be both David in the moment and Goliath in collective memories. Yet as long as that challenge appeals to some, it will still be Tennessee.

Find the challenge that calls you. Try to meet it, whether it’s in the shadow of the Alps or, in the case of Tennessee junior Jaime Nared, the footprint of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Lady Swish has a Chit chat with William and Mary’s Alex Masaquel and with James Madison’s Hailee Barron

From Ray’s Daily Dose of (Big East) Hoops: Jim Crowley adapting to life in Big East during his first year at Providence

The scene is too familiar.

Pacing the sideline with the play under close scrutiny. Taking a moment for a teaching moment with a player. Grimacing for a second as a well-designed and executed play terminates with a ball being thrown out of bounds. Jim Crowley has changed jobs, but not demeanor.

The latest scenario has happened a little more in than in recent years. Crowley, in his first year at Providence, has found that life in the Big East can be unforgiving and demanding, not to mention an exciting challenge.

From the AJC: Georgia Tech forward’s compassion inspires shoe drive

They call her Auntie Elo, and they rarely stop trying to reach her.

Georgia Tech forward Elo Edeferioka once was one of them, a youth in Warri, Nigeria, wanting a pair of basketball shoes but unable to afford them.

“They send me messages on Facebook and Instagram, direct messages and stuff like that,” she said.

They reach out because Edeferioka, a junior, has blessed them with her thoughtfulness. In her returns home to Nigeria from the U.S. over the summer, she has made a practice of bringing her own sneakers and those of teammates to share with young players at the basketball academy where she learned the game.

FYI, something to consider as we move into the second week of the Presidency: Progress and Inequality: Women’s Sports and the Gender Gap

Editor’s Note: February 1, 2017 marks the 31st National Girls & Women in Sports Day, an observance of the outstanding achievements of athletes, coaches, athletic directors, parents and lawmakers committed to women and girls’ sports.

And finally, my dad and I watched the Watergate Hearings together, back in the day.  Dad, who was in the diplomatic corps, started Moody’s international bond rating, and then taught American history for 18 years, is proud of his membership on the White House Enemies List. I dropped him a note, asking if he was having flashbacks. “Cheer up,” he wrote me, “the worst is yet to come.”

Thanks, dad.

#resist

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So. Deep breath.

Today’s games of interest:

12pm EST: Temple v. #23 USF. The Owls are undefeated in conference play. Good test to see where they stand.

pm: #14 Duke v. Wake Forest. I’m paying attention not because I think the Demon Deacons can upset the Blue Devils, but because their program is doing the slow climb back to relevency.

2pm: Marquette v. Creighton. Battle for Big East supremacy.

2pm EST: The wheels have really come off for the #19 Hokies. Can coach Brooks right the ship against an inconsistent Syracuse team?

2pm: Who doesn’t like an in-state rivalry? Oregon v. #11 Oregon State. How “Civil” will it be?

2pm: James Madison v. William & Mary. ‘cause the Dukes‘ stranglehold on the CAA is under siege.

(Speaking of which) 3pm: Not quite ready to call this the rise of one program and the slow decline of another, but… #18 NC State v. North Carolina.

4pm: Aggies, thy name is Agita-causing. Which team will show up against the likely still-cranky #4 Mississippi State team?

4pm: The Big 12 Gauntlet continues: #12 Texas v. #22 West Virginia.

6pm: USC v. #16 Arizona State. So yeah, USC is (again) disappointing. What are they thinking as they watch their fellow Pac12 programs rise?

6:30: #20 Oklahoma v #2 Baylor. Sure, their athletic program is a disgusting mess… but the Bears are clicking on all cylinders. Expecting a Sooner Smackdown.

8pm: #10 Stanford v. #7 Washington. Both teams are 8-1 in conference play. AND, the Plum-i-na-tor has Jackie Stiles’ record in her sights.

While I was away…

Wowza! Iona shut down Quinnipiac, 58-44.

Look at the Fighting Camels of Campbell at 7-1 in the Big South! (And I see you Radford, surviving UNC-Asheville in OT to also move to 7-1)

Big Mountain West win for Boise State (5-4) over Wyoming (7-2), 64-54.

Ditto for UT San Antonio (6-2) over Western Kentucky (7-2) in C-USA.

Good things happening in the UT’s: Arlington’s up to 8-1 in the Sun Belt.

Remember when I said Omaha was going from a doormat to someone who you should pay attention to? The Mavericks beat the Wabbits!

Battle of the tops in the MAC saw Northern Illinois (8-1) over Ball State (7-2), 101-96. Did Debbie get the alert?

Northern Colorado is now 10-0 in the Big Sky.

After a rough out-of-conference schedule, New Mexico State is 7-0 in the WAC.

Same could be said for Dayton, who’ve found their A-10 footing. They’re 8-1 in the conference.

Not to be ignored, A-10 rival St. Louis (7-2) felled Fordham, 82-58.

Yup, the A-Sun will be fun this year. FGCU escaped with a 60-57 win over Jacksonville. They meet again on Feb. 4th.

Blinks twice. Furman beat Chattanooga?

Blinks thrice: Loyola Marymount beat BYU?

Whoopsie! Central Michigan (6-2) falls to Toledo (4-4), 74-72.

Whoopsie, too! Charlotte (7-2) falls to Rice (3-6), 55-52.

WHB jinx avoided: Harvard escapes Columbia, 70-68.

Little Rock at 9-0 in the Sun Belt.

With a 68-62 win over Army, Bucknell making their case for Patriot top dog.

Some Sunday reads:

Harvard Crimson: Hey America, Take Harvard Women’s Basketball Seriously and Harvard Magazine: “Unconditionally Relentless”

LAST FALL, Harvard women’s basketball head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith gave each of her players a bracelet. These were not merely mementos; the significance lay in the two-word inscription printed on each band: “Unconditionally Relentless.” The coach was sending her players a message, and outfitting them with a constant reminder, about the mindset she expected from them.

Michelle Smith: Stanford’s Samuelson Is Putting In The Time

Washington Post: ‘That Brionna Jones, she’s a monster’ for Maryland women’s basketball. And: Everything’s in place for Brionna Jones

In her three years in College Park, Jones has become a player that her teammates can always rely on to get a bucket. She has over 1,200 points and 800 rebounds in her career, averaging 15.2 and 9.8 as a junior. She’s been named to consecutive All-Big Ten first teams and started in two Final Fours.

Jones is also a pre-med major who plans to be a pediatrician. She graduated in three years with a kinesiology degree. She’s a two-time academic all-conference selection in addition to being a two-time all-conference honoree for basketball.

Graham: Lexie Brown’s fresh start in Durham reinvigorates Duke, her passion for the game

If Duke goes far this season with Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell, it will be a testament to how the two players push each other.

As part of preseason conditioning, the Blue Devils are tested with a series of sprints — a shuttle run. The test ends, at least in theory, when the player fails to meet the time constraint. Greenwell and Brown completed the requisite number of rounds necessary to pass. As others dropped out, they kept going. The goal Greenwell set for herself came and went.

They doubled the workload required of them and just kept going, neither willing to concede.

Hartford Courant: Jay Bilas Turns Up Volume On UConn Women, And Geno Appreciates It ’cause As Serena [rightly] Feted, UConn Women’s Dominance Hardly Noticed

We’ve been watching: Barnes Arico quietly builds Michigan into women’s basketball power

Projection: Pac-12 leads the way with five teams in espnW’s top-16 seeds

Really? Winthrop suspends basketball coach Kevin Cook for ‘personnel matter’

Really?!? UTEP player, 6 others indicted in bank fraud

.com: Senior Watch: Midseason Update

WNBA:

Athlete Ally and Shirzanan Publish Open Letter Demanding FIBA Overturn its Hijab Ban – Athlete Ally

Harumph: Petersen steps down as Lynx associate head coach

ABC News: For WNBA stars who play overseas, positives outweigh negatives

Dab-bug-it! Elena Delle Donne returning to U.S. after Lyme disease flare-up

Chicago Now: Before You Bid Us Adieu – Elena Delle Donne

Holla! North: Time for Bulls, Sky to get their acts together

Ciao: Atlanta Dream trade Reshanda Gray to Connecticut Sun

Yes! Crystal Robinson would be nice choice for Hall of Fame

I had the pleasure of covering Robinson during her prep career and during her many battles against East Central University when she was a SOSU Lady Savage. 

In December of 1994, she showed off to the tune of a 58-point outing in a win over the Lady Tigers of then-coach Kent Franz.

I watched many epic battles between Robinson’s Atoka squads and the Byng Lady Pirates, under the direction of head coach Rocky Clarke.

Of course, it was 6-on-6 battles back then and Byng had a great guard in Janelle Brewer (Brannon). I’ll never forget one time when Robinson was standing in the corner near midcourt with Brewer guarding her up close and personal. Brewer started yelling and waving her hands in Robinson’s face. Robinson remained stoic. It seemed like that moment lasted forever.

High School:

Saratogian: On The Record: UConn sets standard for girls basketball

LA – No rest for the weary: For the second time, Judi Edwards comes out of retirement to take over at Fairfax

Wisconsin: Madison East, Middleton girls basketball teams address negative social media remark

A Middleton player posted the following comment to her Instagram page: “I would say good game but a good game doesn’t involve intentionally trying to hurt two of our players and then laughing about it like it was a funny joke. Be aggressive not violent!! Thanks #youregonnaworkforusanyways.”

The Instagram page has been deleted.

The post has sparked a conversation on social media about the intent of the player’s comments. The Middleton student who posted the comment to her Instagram page is white, while the majority of the Madison East team are students of color.

This is not the first time race and class tensions have erupted between the two schools. In 2006, Middleton High School’s administration issued a statement apologizing to Madison East after Middleton students chanted, “food stamps, food stamps” during a boys basketball game.

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In case you were absent that day in school….

This is what you missed….

 The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, 

With conquering limbs astride from land to land; 

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand 

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame 

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name 

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand 

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command 

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. 

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she 

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Written by Emma Lazarus, the daughter of an immigrant.

Consider donating to the ACLU.

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A day that will live in infamy…

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Listen my children, and you will hear…

Ears on Around the Rim: We Back Pat All-Orange episode.

Robinson first talks with former Lady Vols, ESPN basketball analyst Kara Lawson and new SEC women’s basketball announcer Tamika Catchings, on the impact Coach Summitt had on them as players and as women. They each share various memories of why they believe they are who they are because of Summitt.

In the second half, Robinson speaks with Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey on the state of the Lady Bears, the depth of their roster and how Mulkey was groomed into the person she is today because of the guidance from Summitt, both as a coach and as peer.

Robinson also profiles Tennessee guard Diamond DeShields and delves into her memories of Summitt and the coach played a part in her recruitment.

Eyes on freshman Sabrina Ionescu: She records her third career triple-double (14 pts, 13 assts and 10 bds) as the Ducks blow out Utah. That’s wins in the last 4 of 5 for Oregon.

Eyes on sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson:  First UConn player since Tiffany Hayes to record back-to-back 30-point games and tied Maya Moore’s program record for points in a three-game span. Huskies over Tulane by 46.

Eyes on junior Chantel Osahor: 30 rebounds, new Pac 12 record. The Huskies dispatched Washington State, 87-44. BTW: All-time scoring leader Jackie Stiles rooting for Kelsey Plum to break the record

Eyes on UCLA (thanks, Sue!): Kennedy Burke purposefully misses a FT, Bruins get the board, Canada is fouled, hits’em both. Bruins over USC.

Rude ACC awakening for coach Brooks: #17 Va Tech falls to #7 Florida State, 82-54.

“For the second game in a row, I just felt like we really lost our composure, what we were trying to get accomplished,” said Head Coach Kenny Brooks. “I was disappointed in the way we competed.”

The sweet and sour Orange squeeze #14 Miami big time, 81-48.

#20 Oklahoma had to come up big in the fourth to overcome Oklahoma State, 68-62.

Ditto for NC State who pulled away from Clemson for the 65-53. Yes, the Tigers are 0-7 in conference play, but they are SO much better. Keep an eye on this program in the next couple of years. Coach Smith needs some recruits.

Told you William & Mary is a rising program: the miss upsetting Elon courtesy of Lauren Brown’s free throws.

And ditto with Towson, who didn’t miss in their (2nd) upset of James Madison, 60-55.

MONDAY MATCHUP!!!!!

This ought to be fun: South Carolina v. Mississippi State. They have combined for one loss. Clearly, the Gamecocks have played a more challenging schedule…AND it’s a home game for them. Great test for coach Schaefer. Check out GHR for the keys to the game.

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Time keeps on slippin’…

into the future….

What a week (life), what a week (work), what week (basketball). Setting some time aside to review the last.

See, when they put it all together, they can be quite a force! #24 West Virginia gave #2 Baylor quite the run for their money (lets not talk about that call with three minutes left, shall we?). Bears win, 79-73.

Yesterday’s Debbie Antonelli special? Marquette over #19 DePaul in OT, 102-101. Which gives me a moment to remind folks that the Big East is a dogfight between the Golden Eagles, the Blue Demons and the Blue Jays.

#17 Va Tech reality check: they fall to #15 Duke, 84-59.

Whack-a-Ranked-Team (again): #22 Kansas State falls to Iowa State, 75-69.

Interesting MAC: Ball State over Bowling Green to move to 6-1. Buffalo gives the Chippewas their first conference loss, 67-56.

After their 58-61 stumble against Monmouth, Quinnipiac regained its footing with a 79-53 thumping of MAAC challenger Rider.

Hello, Belmont and their 8-0 OVC record.

This is what you call a double overtime ouch: UMass had the 15-point lead over George Washington, went 0-fer in the fourth, then lost the game in OT. Hard lessons learned for coach Verdi’s new team.

Tough 1-point loss for Norfolk State to Hampton. But the close call still highlights how far the Spartan program has come. Some sucky news for the Pirates, though: Here’s the word on Hampton’s Tate-DeFreitas and her knee

All eyes on the CAA, as James Madison’s win over Elon evens up the conference score. Fun times!

Honestly, if I were a Tennessee fan, I’d be bald right now. 79-61, Auburn.

I think I’d feel similarly about being a #25 Texas A&M fan, as the Aggies fell to Missouri, 78-76.

Programs that are having tough years? Montana, North Carolina, Fresno State.

Non-game writings:

This is some beautiful writing from Graham, and deserves the over-quote: 

They came in their largest numbers of the season. Despite the opportunity to slip away from campus for a long weekend, by tipoff Saturday against Indiana, Northwestern students filled the bleachers at either end of Welsh-Ryan Arena in matching seas of white shirts.

They roared when Nia Coffey scored for the Wildcats and did their best to hoodwink Indiana players into shaving seconds off the shot clock unnecessarily. They cheered like college kids. Northwestern coach Joe McKeown said they were worth at least 10 points in a 13-point win.

Yet those bodies could have filled not only the small arena but the larger football stadium next door. They could have spilled onto the streets of this suburb on Lake Michigan. It wouldn’t have mattered. No more than it mattered that there were exactly enough chairs on the sideline for the team’s players, coaches and staff. Not a single seat went unfilled. All of it was an illusion.

No matter how many were there, Jordan Hankins was not.

Daily Northwestern: Amber Jamison finds motivation in Hankins’ memory

“I am definitely playing with more energy and more confidence,” Jamison said. “I’m trying to do what I know she would do. Just trying to be like her.”

Sending good thoughts: MSU women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant takes leave

Well, this is a hot mess: WSU holds out coach Jody Adams-Birch for two games; sources say team boycotted practice

NCAA.com: Perfect streak continues for Wright State junior forward Lexi Smith

“That kid has not missed a practice in three years,” Merriweather said. “She’s so extremely tough, and she plays herself into shape and she cares about being ready to play. You just have to love that kid. Most players miss at least one practice or two every year.”

It’s one thing to fight through the standard bumps, bruises, sprains and strains that arise over the course of a season and make it to every practice when you know you’re going to be starting every game. 

But that wasn’t the case for Smith when she showed up at Wright State, which was the only Division I offer she had coming out of the storied Homewood-Flossmoor prep program in Chicago as an undersized post player at 5-10 1/2 inches.

NCAA.com:  Katie Lou Samuelson thriving as UConn’s go-to offensive player

Hartford Courant: UConn Women Have Had No Trouble Finding Points Despite Loss Of Big 3

Where would the new-look Huskies find all of those baskets?

As it turned out, the are coming from all over the court and from multiple players. Seventeen games into the season, the unbeaten Huskies are averaging 84.1 points and they have two of the best scorers in the country: Katie Lou Samuelson (21.4) and Napheesa Collier (19.4).

As they go for #93, from Ron Sirak: Don’t let UCLA do to UConn what Tiger did to Annika Sorenstam

Here we go again. The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team is dominating opponents in an unprecedented way, yet there are those who bend over backward trying to devalue the team’s accomplishments. That’s not something new in women’s sports. I’ve been down this road a few times before.

Tough times for the Bears. From the Daily Californian: Cal women’s basketball hopes to stop recent skid against Arizona

Fans who have been consistently watching the Cal women’s basketball team this season have a plethora of reasons to be disappointed. If someone isn’t upset by the fact that the Bears haven’t triumphed over a top-25 team since Dec. 20 (which shows a distinct lack of high-caliber basketball), there are a wide range of other issues that could enrage a watcher.

Courier-Journal: Walz’s Cards aim to prove themselves on road

From Sue: Ability, work elevating UCLA’s Monique Billings to a new level

Finding the words to describe Monique Billings’ game isn’t easy.

First, there is the UCLA junior forward’s skill set. In Sunday’s game against Oregon, where she posted a career-high 30 points, Billings’ full cache was on display. She was 11-16 on turn-around jumpers, reverse layups, floaters and hook shots. She snatched a game-high 14 rebounds, which lead to many critical second-chance points. Billings stole the ball six times, had one block, and at the end of the game tried a dunk after running away from everyone else on the floor.

She missed, but the Pauley Pavilion crowd rose to their feet and cheered.

BYU women’s basketball freshman continuing the family legacy

Excelle: Generations: Why is Stanford’s Erica McCall so good? Take a look at who’s in her family.

Dayton Flyers: Women’s Basketball Has Turned Corner, Found Success in A10

Tallahassee.com: Culver: FSU women’s basketball team deserves packed house

NCAA.com:  No. 4 Mississippi State on a roll with 20 straight wins

Graham: Green Bay returns to top of mid-major rankings

In case you were wondering: DI Women’s Basketball Championship to maintain format

After reviewing survey results from NCAA member schools, in which almost 80 percent of Division I conferences felt the tournament should not change its format, the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee on Tuesday decided it will instead focus on ways to enhance the championship.

WNBA

Cool! Obama sent 2016 WNBA champions a letter

Round and round we go: Tayler Hill, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, and Leilani Mitchell enter WNBA free agency

But not you:  Dream put franchise tag on Angel McCoughtry

WNBA players starting to invest in food industry

Whether it’s to plan for their future once basketball is done, promote healthy living or just to have some fun, WNBA players such as Sue Bird and Maya Moore are getting involved in the food industry.

The key is to do it with people they trust.

Bird has invested in restaurants in the Northeast for over a decade, getting started when UConn coach Geno Auriemma presented the opportunity for his former players to buy into his place at the Mohegan Sun.

WATN: R.I native, retired WNBA player Brenda Atwater wants to build youth center for at risk kids

WATN? At UC-Riverside, January 24th: WNBA superstar Chamique Holdsclaw will visit UCR for the screening of “Mind/Game,” the documentary based on Holdsclaw’s life.

WATN? Penny Taylor on post basketball life

So can we get a HandClap?

 

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Tuesday tidbits

First: OUCH (and phew!) Breanna Stewart flying home from China to rehab sprained right knee

Also: “COME TO NEW YORK!” WNBA free agency begins

Speaking of “come to New York,” Kelsey Plum‘s at a lot of points. Oh, and #8 Washington  over #19 Arizona State, 65-54,

That was close! Ohio State 61, Purdue 56 as Buckeyes turn deficit into a win

Feisty, but hamstrung: Depleted Washington State loses at Arizona

The Ramblin’ Wreck has had moments of rumbling this year. This was one such moment: Cold-shooting Syracuse women’s basketball falls at Georgia Tech

#2 Baylor by 49.

Still A’ja-free, #4 South Carolina by 23.

#7 Florida State by… hold on, need more fingers…59.

Tight, ’cause it should be: #9 Louisville over #14 Miami, 63-59.

Tight, but it shouldn’t be: #11 Ohio State over Purdue, 61-56.

Tough time to be a Trojan. With their loss to #10 Oregon State, they fall to 1-5 in the conference.

0-5 in the SEC for Vandy, as they fall to Missouri, 74-68.

Whoops! #23 NC State takes down #12 Duke in a low-scoring slog, 55-52.

That’s the game they were hoping for! Utes over #24 Cal, 63-57.

All DePaul keeps doing is win.

It’s as weird not to be talking about Tennessee as it is to not be talking about UNC. Tar Heels are 1-4 in the ACC after Pittsburgh beats them, 68-48.

Of course, everyone is talking about the Lady Vols as they roar back from 15-down to beat the puzzling #6 Irish, 71-69.

Wake Forest gave’em a tussle, but #17 Virginia Tech escaped, 72-70.

Fordham’s at 6-0 in the A-10. They’ve got St. Louis on the 28th and George Washington on the 1st. The Billikens were dealt their first conference loss by Dayton, who’s holding it together post-Jabir.

Anyone notice that Iowa State is 1-5 in the Big 12?

If not Canada, then Billings. Monique’s 30 power the Bruins over the Ducks, 79-63.

NO, I’m NOT going to call the CAA, but Elon did stuff Drexel, 75-65. It’s early, but anyone looking for a new head coach? (That’s #100 for Smith.)

In case you were wondering, from the NCAA.com: UConn’s record win streak by the numbers

Bracketology: Bulldogs make big jump to top line

Mississippi State has never been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But in this week’s projection — and for the first time in Bracketology — the Bulldogs have risen to the top. The last remaining unbeaten team in the country that isn’t also riding a 91-game winning streak, Mississippi State slides to the top line past Maryland, which hasn’t fallen backwards. Rather, the Bulldogs’ overall profile continues to rise and get better as their winning continues.

Interesting: White: Fewer prep participants becoming bigger concern in girls basketball

Many factors have contributed to the decline of girls basketball participation. But coaches often point to one thing as the primary culprit: club volleyball. Club programs fire up during the winter and extend through the spring and sometimes summer months.

Said one western Iowa A.D.: “Single-sport athletes — club volleyball especially — is killing girls basketball.”

Congrats!

After six years of coaching junior high and junior varsity girls basketball at Bettsville and St. Wendelin, Randy Baker inquired about and received the head girls basketball coaching position at Arcadia.

“I didn’t go into this expecting to be a varsity basketball coach my whole life,” Baker, 65, said. “It just kind of happened.”

And quite a bit has happened under Baker’s watch as girls basketball coach at the little school on Ohio 12, more than simply 500 games the Redskins have won with Baker at the helm.

Ahem: CSU personnel management contributes to discrimination problems

On Sept. 28, a jury awarded $3.36 million to Beth Burns, the former head coach for the women’s basketball team at San Diego State University, in her wrongful termination suit. The jury found that the university had retaliated against Burns after she demanded that it comply with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools. 

The Burns verdict comes nine years after the California State University system lost three similar cases filed by former Fresno State Athletic Department employees Diane Milutinovich, Lindy Vivas and Stacy Johnson Klein. Clearly, the CSU has a problem.

In part, this problem is rooted in the wider world of college athletics.

Worth pondering: An Early Look at How Trump’s Presidency Could Affect the Sports World

As he plans his transition and administration, like every sector of society, the athletic world considers how a Trump administration could alter its landscape. On issues such as immigrant players, visiting national teams, team and individual protests, White House team visits, and sexual assault and rape, how will the policies, cabinet, coverage, and reaction to the new president color one of the world’s favorite diversions?

Where will politics and sport blur, or collide? It didn’t take long after Election Day for clues to emerge.

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