There’s a game today, btw. 7pm, NBATV
Hartford Courant: UConn Alumna Jen Rizzotti Continues To Impact UConn Players Long After Leaving Huskies
“It’s always special for me,” Rizzotti said. “Obviously I haven’t played with any of these guys, but I’ve been a part of their journey a little bit through USA basketball. … I’ve kind of seen them grow up through the game, and it’s really fun … just to see how much they’ve grown, how much they’ve matured, and the fact that they’ve been able to elevate their game so high that they’re still a part of this pool. And Napheesa (Collier), it’s just fun to watch the next in line and the expectation everyone has for her and how she’s handled herself in this atmosphere.”
Hartford Courant: Mike Anthony: Napheesa Collier Gaining Wealth Of Experience With Team USA
“Any time you can be around these players, it’s going to benefit you,” national team coach Dawn Staley, also South Carolina’s coach, said after a Team USA workout at the Knicks practice facility. “I don’t think the pace of the game bothers her. I think just being able to play with other players and seeing how your game fits in [is important]. With Napheesa, she plays hard all the time. There’s no big transition there. She understands the game, so there really isn’t any transition there. What’s missing is just her being out here, experience. Which she’s getting.”
WNBA
Listen up! WNBA Weekly reacts to @seattlestorm‘s win over @WashMystics in game 1 and look forward to the coming game 2 (Sun @ 3:30pm ET on ABC).
Seattle Times: Without Sami Whitcomb’s heroics off the bench….
What did Renee Montgomery think? SportsCastr.
Check out Chris’ photos.
Seattle Times: The Storm builds and rebuilds. Sue Bird just keeps going to WNBA Finals
Got some spare change? Isaiah Thomas
“The Storm is Seattle basketball royalty — and you can put that on a T-shirt.” Well guess, what… I did. Cop my custom tee while supplies last! Celebrate women’s hoops! And let’s goooooo
@seattlestorm. All proceeds go to@goZGiRLS.
Well, hello! WOMEN OF INTRIGUE: A’JA WILSON
Wilson’s evolution mirrors that of the Aces, formerly the San Antonio Stars before being purchased by MGM Resorts International in October and moving into a refurbished Mandalay Bay Events Center in time to tip-off in May. It was hectic development to say the least, but Wilson, who reached WNBA All-Star status, and her teammates handled it with poise, narrowly missing a playoff berth.
“I haven’t really had the opportunity to sit back and take it all in, but it’s definitely been a lot of fun and a great experience all around,” she says. “The community welcoming us and just being here in the facilities has been great, and I go to other places and know I’m spoiled.”
HOOP HALL HEROES!!!!
Lindsay Gibbs, Yardbarker: Tina Thompson and Katie Smith were the foundation for WNBA greatness
Still, as gaudy as Thompson and Smith’s statistics are, they tell only part of the story of their impact. Thompson wasn’t the first WNBA player to give birth during her career, but the way she seamlessly integrated her son, Dyllan Thompson-Jones, into her life as a basketball star, both domestically and overseas, really paved the way for future mothers in this league, such as Candace Parker and Tayler Hill, to thrive. Thompson-Jones traveled the world with his mother; he was on the bus rides and in the hotels and simply became a part of the team. She gave birth before the 2005 season and was back playing with the Comets just two months later. When she retired, Thompson-Jones was 8 years old.
And now, after paving the way for women basketball players, Thompson and Smith are paving the way for female coaches. Both legends have seamlessly transitioned into the coaching ranks. After retiring with the Liberty in 2013, Smith worked as an assistant under Laimbeer for three seasons. This season, she took over as head coach.
Streaking the Lawn: Virginia Women’s Basketball coach Tina Thompson inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Photos/USA Today: 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony
.com: Hall Of Famer Tina Thompson: By The Numbers
Weren’t watching when she was terrorizing opponents? Take a look.
The original W’s Big Three were there. Sweet!
Listen up! HoF Speech.
Katie Smith, Ohio State, Columbus Quest, Minnesota Lynx, Detroit Shock, Washington Mystics, Seattle Storm, NY Liberty, USA Basketball
Columbus Dispatch: Katie Smith gets chance to reflect, give thank in her Hall of Fam induction
Katie Smith was driving a few days before the NCAA Women’s Final Four in March when an area code for Springfield, Massachusetts, popped up on her phone.
“I was like, ‘Well, this is it,’ ” Smith said.
The voice on the other end asked Smith if she was having a good day.
“Because we’re gonna make it better,” Smith remembered the person saying.
With that, Smith learned of her selection for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but she didn’t get a chance to celebrate with her fellow 2018 inductees at the men’s Final Four in San Antonio. Instead, the Logan native celebrated in Columbus, which was hosting its first Women’s Final Four.
Logan Daily News: Naismith HOF awaits Logan’s Katie Smith
.com: Hall of Famer Katie Smith: By The Numbers
Weren’t watching when she was terrorizing opponents? Take a look.
Listen Up! HoF Speech.
Let’s not forget Doris Burke, Providence, Broadcaster extraordinaire
Doris Burke’s stellar broadcasting career – 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bill Reynolds: The Hall is where Doris Burke belongs
WEEI: Thinking out loud: Doris Burke is one of the best
Back in April: Doris Burke has Game
But Mr. Antetokounmpo, known around the league as the “Greek Freak,” had other thoughts on his mind. Sitting courtside in what looked like a toddler-size chair, the Freak noticed an athletic woman in workout clothes a few yards away.
“Oh, that’s Doris,” he blurted, with all the self-control of a celebrity gawker. “Hey, Doris!”
“Doris” would be Doris Burke, the longtime ESPN basketball personality, who, 27 years into her career, last September became the first woman to land a regular job as an N.B.A. analyst on national television — cracking what many consider one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings in broadcasting.
Listen up! HoF speech.
Speaking of history: Across the Timeline’s got a new one!! Sheri Sam
For players who spend several years in the league, it’s not uncommon to move at some point. But today’s subject is on the more extreme side, having played for seven teams in her 10-year career. A WNBA champion in her own right for the Seattle Storm, today’s “And One” profile is on ABL and WNBA guard Sheri Sam.