Let’s start off with a little USA Basketball news…
December 14, 2017 by Helen
Pool time! From USA Basketball: Teleconference: 2017-20 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Pool Announcement
From Mechelle: All eyes on USA Basketball backcourt as 29-player pool named
Trying to get on the World Cup or Olympic roster, as always, will be extremely tough for any of the newcomers. Eleven of the 12 players who won gold for the United States in the 2016 Olympics are still in the pool for the 2018 World Cup. The only one who is not is former Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings, who retired as a player after the 2016 WNBA season.
Candace Parker’s omission was the most notable absence. The Los Angeles Sparks post player is a two-time Olympian and two-time WNBA MVP who controversially was left off the 2016 Olympic team. Callan did not indicate whether Parker was not invited or declined an invitation, saying USA Basketball does not discuss reasons why any specific player was not in the pool.
Inquiring minds sure as heck wanna know, though…
Desert reveal: Vegas lights up for WNBA’s arrival, CBSSports: Las Vegas has a WNBA team, and one minor-league baseball club isn’t thrilled and Michelle Smith: Laimbeer, Aces Looking Forward to Playing New Hand
Woot! Big Syl is Minnesota’s Professional Athlete of the Year!
College:
NCAA.com: Tennessee Lady Vols share Christmas spirit with party for hospital patients
Well done! DII women’s basketball rankings: Ashland maintains No. 1 poll spot for record 17th straight time
Wowza: Kragthorpe: SLCC coach Betsy Specketer is on pace to become Utah’s all-time wins leader at one school
Betsy Specketer spent a lot less time worrying about someday reaching 500 victories as the Salt Lake Community College women’s basketball coach than she did about being stuck on that number for one game too many.
The celebration of her achievement came during the Bruins’ next home appearance in late November and was a nice occasion, except the visiting Casper (Wyo.) College Thunderbirds didn’t play along. “My mind was just on that game, and we end up losing that game,” Specketer said. “That’s what keeps you up at night: ‘What could I have done differently?’ ”
Drummers drumming? Lords a leaping? Maids a milking? That’s all well and good, but what would December be without 10 mid-majors mingling?
We’ll be back after Christmas. For now, here are the rankings.
“She couldn’t remember what that set was, so I just coached her through the entire thing,” Walz said. “But she did it, I’ll give her that. That’s what I like about her: She’s coachable. I was able to tell her exactly what to do, and we got a layup.”
Such is the life of a freshman. Even one ranked among the best recruits in the nation.
“I definitely had a brain fart,” Evans said. “We were running a play, and I was supposed to kick it to the four player, go through and set a back screen. I totally blanked out.”
Optimism: ODU women’s basketball team is struggling mightily now, but won’t for long
Not even Geno Auriemma, the wizard who built UConn into a national powerhouse, could fashion a winner with the Old Dominion women’s basketball team this season.
ODU doesn’t have enough size, depth and talent – and especially not enough experience – to win this season.
I intend no disrespect for the 11 women playing with so much heart for the Monarchs. I’ve rarely seen a team work harder. I watched the last 90 minutes of a three-hour practice Tuesday, and they busted their you-know-whats.
But former coach Karen Barefoot left the cupboard bare when she departed for UNC Wilmington after last season.
Speaking of ODU, great work by William & Mary: (8-1) Tribe Women’s Basketball Game vs. Old Dominion Set for Broadcast on Cox TV Sunday.
Chi-chi: Creighton volleyball, women’s basketball will get own training facility
Do you agree? Here is our Mississippi Bicentennial women’s basketball team
Good on y’a: Makayla Epps takes time out from pro career to earn UK degree, but: Epps’ mother terrified about seeing her daughter going overseas to play
Summitt: Take 5: Two of our writers plus a special guest answer five WBB questions
What a week it has been in women’s basketball since our Take 5 post last week. Several upsets, many breakout performances and another week of shake ups in the polls. As the non-conference season begins to wind down, the matchups on the court continue to heat up with plenty of surprises surly in store. Speaking of surprises, this week we thought we would bring in a special guest writer to give her thoughts on the week: LaChina Robinson! One of the premier voices in women’s basketball today, Robinson was kind enough to join us this week to weigh in on some questions.
Some many programs have someone like this: Rutgers women’s basketball loses a dear friend and supporter
It isn’t a name you likely know. But the women who play basketball for C. Vivian Stringer – and CVS herself – know who Glenys Manfre was.
Glenys was a loyal supporter of Rutgers women’s basketball and she passed away on November 29 of this year after a lengthy fight with cancer.
If you think this is a story about a Rutgers grad who supported her Alma Mater, you’d be wrong. Glenys was born in Pennsylvania and graduated from King’s College in Wilkes Barre. That’s coal country and the last thing on the minds of folks up there is Rutgers women’s hoops….or anything Rutgers.
About those games I was interested in:
It took double overtime, but Fordham topped St. John’s, 67-64.
Whose state? MY state! Rutgers over Princeton by 20.
Didja catch this? DePaul was down to Northwestern, and then they exploded for 41 points in the third quarter. They cruised to a 92-63 win. Bad news for the Blue Demons, though: Dahlman and Daninger Sidelined by Injuries
A strong first half powered #5 Mississippi State over #9 Oregon by 11.
“Tonight we were pretty good, especially offensively,” Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. “I just think we’re hard to deal with offensively. I think people are having a hard time guarding us right now.”
Reminder: Friday
Saturday
Sunday
- Toledo (7-2) v Western Kentucky (6-3), 11am. Both programs fighting for recognition.
- #12 Florida State v. #8 Texas,12:30am n FSU’s lovely 10-0 record includes nary a single (currently) ranked team. Longhorns played poorly in their last game. Ah, intrigue!
- DePaul v. #2 Notre Dame, 1pm. Interesting to see how DePaul stacks up against the Irish after being blown out by UConn.
- Georgia Tech (9-1) v. Georgia (8-1), 1pm. ’cause in-state rivalries ROCK!
- #11 UCLA v. Seton Hall, 1pm. It’s been a little rocky for the Bruins. Good match up to settle things down a bit.
- Bucknell (6-3) v. Fordham (6-3), 2pm. Bison v. Rams. What’s not to love?
- Central Michigan (8-1) v. Duquesne (9-2). Just interested to see these teams take each other’s measure.
- #3 Louisville v. Kentucky, 3pm. Can the Wildcats right the ship against a soaring Cardinals team?
- Ole Miss v. #9 Oregon, 4pm. Rebels have one loss, but this is their first ranked team. The Ducks are coming off a loss…and are at home.
- Marquette (5-4) v. Milwaukee (8-2), 5pm. After a promising start, the shines a bit off the Golden Eagles. Can the Panthers make a splash? ‘sides, it’s an in-state, in-CITY game!
In other news:
Check out this podcast with about how women in sports media are treated.
As the #MeToo movement spread through entertainment and politics, the sports world collectively wondered when it would hit our heightened bastion of sexualization. It finally has as a disturbing lawsuit alleges mass sexual harassment at NFL Network. This week’s guest, noted sports and feminism journalist Julie DiCaro, has some fascinating thoughts on whether the floodgates will really open and the difficulty of being a woman in sports.
Ugly: At ESPN, the problems for women run deep.
Uglier? Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s drop USA Gymnastics sponsorship after sex abuse scandal.
A response: Nancy Hogshead-Makar @Hogshead3Au: Wow – and leave after 140+ victims of come forward; probably worst in US sports history. Curious: will those administrators and coaches that looked away from Larry Nassar’s get salary cuts? Or will athletes suffer?