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WNBA Folds in Sacramento, Seeks Bay Area Owner for 2010

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-20T20:06:00 00:00

Filed under: Kings, WNBA

The Sacramento Monarchs, one of the WNBA's original eight franchises folded Friday, leaving the league to scramble to find a new ownership group, possibly in the San Francisco Bay Area, in time for the 2010 season.

The league announced Friday that it is in talks to find a Bay Area ownership group prepared to take the team over.

WNBA president Donna Orender confirmed Friday evening that negotiations with an investor group are underway.

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Charles Learning to Meet Big Expectations

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-19T20:45:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Connecticut, Women's Basketball

Tina Charles' stat line in the box score looks just fine by almost any measure: 15 points, 11 rebounds in 18 minutes.

Unless the person doing the measuring is UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma, who sees the personal fouls that kept her out of the game for much of the first half.

Auriemma has a knack for viewing the glass half-empty when it comes to Charles. Fine has never been good enough to stop the yelling and the cajoling. It is really an existential thing between the demanding coach and his senior center who hasn't always risen to meet his demands.

"It's easy to be frustrated with Tina. If I didn't get frustrated with Tina it wouldn't be any fun coaching this team," Auriemma said Tuesday after the top-ranked Huskies' 83-58 win over Texas in San Antonio. "You watch Tina play for the first six or seven minutes and you will say 'Wow, there is nothing this kid can't do.' She could go for 30 every night.' "

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Geno Auriemma: Tennessee Won't Be Back on UConn's Schedule

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-18T11:45:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Women's Basketball

SAN ANTONIO -- I should have known better.

Never leave a Geno Auriemma press conference. At least, not without leaving behind the tape recorder.

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Blowouts Rule the Night in San Antonio

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-18T01:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Connecticut, Tennessee, Women's Basketball

SAN ANTONIO -- Tennessee and Connecticut in the same gym, but not on the court at the same time. Maybe San Antonio will bring Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma back together, but not on this night.

Instead, the top-ranked Huskies and the Lady Vols combined to behave a little ungraciously to their Texas hosts in the ESPNU Road to the Championship doubleheader at the AT&T Center.

Tennessee routed overmatched Texas Tech in the first game, 91-53, while the Huskies had little trouble with No. 10 Texas, winning 83-58.

But the night wasn't going to end without a little excitement. Not with Auriemma in the house.

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First Impressions of the Brand New Women's Basketball Season

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-16T16:02:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Women's Basketball

What have we learned after one weekend of the college season?

Brittney Griner is a freshman. OK ... that's a little obvious. But we might forget that as we are distracted by the dunking. When Griner picked up four fouls early in the second half against Tennessee, it was a needed jolt of reality. Freshmen, well, they have a tendency to foul at inconvenient times and with maddening frequency. Keeping Griner on the floor may be a bigger challenge for Baylor than breaking in a load of young players.

Jayne Appel isn't 100 percent. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said as much about her senior center, who is coming off offseason knee surgery for the second year in a row, after the team's win over Rutgers, the end of a very good starting weekend for the No. 2 Cardinal. Appel finished with 11 points against the Scarlet Knights on 3 of 10 shooting, and 12 rebounds. But VanDerveer sounds concerned.

"She has no ups," VanDerveer said. "She doesn't have spring."

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Another Inevitable Conclusion for UConn?

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-13T19:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Connecticut, Duke, Stanford, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

When Connecticut ran through the 2008-09 season with a 39-0 record and cruised through the Final Four to a national title, they turned an entire season, thousands of games involving hundreds of teams, into an exercise in inevitability.

At the cusp of a new college season, the biggest question is: Can the Huskies do that again? Or will the search for a new point guard to replace Renee Montgomery will bring UConn back to the pack?

Connecticut is the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation at its start, the unanimous choice in both national polls. But, of course. The Huskies have Maya Moore and Tina Charles, two of the top three or four players in the country, they have outstanding role players such as Kalnna Greene and Kaili McLaren. They have Geno Auriemma, who embraces the role of front-runner in a big, enthusiastic bear hug.

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Stanford Now Has 1-2 Ogwumike Punch

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-12T19:30:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Tara VanDerveer, right, has been coaching for nearly 30 years. She doesn't think she's recruited siblings before. So as new experiences go, it's worked out pretty well.

Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-foot-3 forward from Texas and the No. 1-rated recruit in the country, signed her national letter of intent to play at Stanford on Thursday. Chiney will join her older sister Nneka, who is a sophomore forward for the No. 2-ranked Cardinal. Ogwumike chose Stanford over Connecticut and Notre Dame.

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Brittney Griner Cleared for Takeoff

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-11T17:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Stanford, Tennessee, Big 12, Women's Basketball

Dunks in women's basketball have been like meteors in the night sky, fleeting moments of excitement, flashes that fade quickly until the next one shows up. Six women have dunked in a college game, totaling 15 dunks.

When a dunk happens, it makes the highlight reel, sparks a brief discussion about the impact on the women's game and then fades away again.

But along comes Baylor's Brittney Griner, who promises a meteor shower. It's no overstatement to say that Griner will change the women's game beginning Sunday when the seventh-ranked Bears take on No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville in the State Farm Tip-off Classic.

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Bonvicini Finds Bliss at Seattle University

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-09T14:22:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Women's Basketball

For the first time in a long time, Joan Bonvicini is living in an apartment, one that takes up the first floor of an old house and overlooks Puget Sound.

For the first time in a long time, Bonvicini's days are about coaching basketball.

For the first time in a long time, Bonvicini is happy.

The former Arizona coach has found new bliss at Seattle University, a program beginning its transition to Div. I status.

"I've come through something extremely difficult and I know this is going to be great," Bonvicini said. "I just really feel happy to be here."

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One Week Later, Oregon Not So Rosy

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-07T22:05:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Oregon, Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. -- What a difference a week makes for Oregon.

The Ducks looked invincible and unbeatable a week ago, taking apart USC like they were ... Stanford?

They spent the week answering questions about letdowns and hangovers. No way. Not going to happen. Not us.

But by sunset at Stanford Stadium, the No. 7-ranked Ducks were walking off the field after a 51-42 defeat and there was no doubt they felt the letdown.

"We didn't focus on the past, didn't look to the future. We got beat by a better team," said Oregon coach Chip Kelly. "If you say that we got caught looking behind or ahead, it takes away from Stanford. Stanford is a heck of a football team."

More Upset Saturday: Hawkeyes No Longer Perfect | Navy Sinks ND

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Harper Filling Yow's Big Shoes

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-06T20:10:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: NC State, Oregon, Tennessee, ACC, Pac-10, SEC, Women's Basketball

Kay Yow is still very much a presence in the North Carolina State women's basketball program.

Her name is on the athletic department's Wall of Fame, and on the basketball court at Reynolds Coliseum. Her photo still hangs in the women's basketball locker room.

"She was North Carolina State basketball, and you don't and you can't wipe that away with a new staff," said new N.C. State head coach Kellie Jolly Harper.

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WNBA Notebook: League Watching Russian's Murder Investigation Closely

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-04T17:30:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: WNBA

When Spartak owner Shabtai von Kalmanovic was murdered in Moscow on Monday, the women's basketball world was rocked. Kalmanonic put together a powerhouse team in Russia with Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson. He showered his players with huge paychecks and opulent accommodations, and he raised the standard for top U.S. players overseas.

And he won championships.

The WNBA has not commented on Kalmanovic's death but has to be watching the investigation closely considering that some of the league's biggest names are tied in here. Spartak's current roster includes Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Janel McCarville, with Bird and Jackson yet to report because of injuries.

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A Look At the Top 5 Schedules in Women's College Basketball

Michelle Smith — 2009-11-02T09:53:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Connecticut, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, Women's Basketball

Part of the beauty of college basketball is that it isn't like college football. The top teams don't have to be afraid of playing a tough opponent; worried that risking a single loss would derail a season's worth of effort.

Instead, the best teams in college basketball want to cut their teeth on one another, learn from their shortcomings, shore up before spring, or build a resume for the NCAA committee by collecting wins against stiff competition.

The following is a list of the top five schedules in women's college basketball this season. These teams are going to do it the hard way. And you gotta admire that.

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Cal's Youth Movement Taking Hold

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-29T10:32:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: California, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Joanne Boyle came to Cal four years ago as the head coach, inheriting a team built on freshmen talent.

And here she is again, in a gym full of young, inexperienced players, not entirely sure what she has or how they will perform when games begin in two weeks.

"It's going to be an interesting season," Boyle said. "I think we're going to be good. I'm just not sure when."

Boyle has taken the Bears from a struggling program to one that has cemented itself among the national elite -- a regular member of the rankings, an NCAA participant, a player in the Pac-10.

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Oregon Women's Coach Paul Westhead Working to Get His Ducks in a Row

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-26T12:43:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Oregon, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Paul Westhead spent 18 years coaching college basketball, making stops at La Salle, Loyola Marymount and George Mason. But for the first time in his long basketball life, he said he feels like he's coaching in a true college town.

Westhead is embracing life in Eugene, Oregon, the single-mindedness of its residents when it comes to green and yellow, football Saturdays at Autzen Stadium, and the fact that he's got a ready-made base of rabid fans just waiting for him to turn the Oregon women's basketball program into a winner again.

"I'm doing morning coffee talks with fans, radio shows, they are itching," Westhead said. "This is a whole new world for me. Especially with football. In all of my jobs, I've never been in a program with a football program. It really changes the feeling around campus. Everybody in this town is all about the U of O."

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Ohio State Women Determined to Make Final Four Breakthrough

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-23T19:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Ohio State, Big Ten, Women's Basketball

Ohio State women's basketball coach Jim Foster isn't a guy prone to hyperbole, not one to oversell. The fact that his program last year reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005 last season was, in his estimation, "a step in the direction of success."

The steps that come next are much bigger and much harder. Case in point: the Buckeyes haven't been to the Elite Eight since 1987.

But this might be the team to break through that barrier.

Ohio State, with the inside-outside core of Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis (pictured), are ranked as high as No. 3 in the country in the preseason magazines, behind only Connecticut and Stanford. The Buckeyes are favored to win their sixth consecutive Big Ten title with four returning starters, three of those among the top players in the conference.

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McCray Has Resurgent Kansas Focused on NCAA Tournament

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-21T12:58:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Kansas, Big 12, Women's Basketball

Danielle McCray has never played in the NCAA Tournament. "But I don't think you have to have been there to know what it takes to get there," the Kansas standout guard said this week. "We want it so bad, and I think we have it in us."

McCray and her teammates are trying to break a 10-year NCAA drought for the Jayhawks women's team. Four returning starters and McCray's emerging status as the top player in the Big 12 Conference may finally be the ticket.

After a 22-14 season that ended with a defeat in the WNIT title game, the Jayhawks have been picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the league's coaches. McCray, who averaged 21.6 points a game as a junior, has been selected as the preseason player of the year.

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'40 Minutes of Hell' Comes to WNBA

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-20T22:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: WNBA

Nolan Richardson was doing his research, trying to decide if he wanted to accept the offer of the ownership group trying to bring a WNBA team to Tulsa, asking old friends what it was like to coach in the women's game.

One of the phone calls he made was to LSU women's coach Van Chancellor, whom Richardson knew from their SEC days (Chancellor coached the Mississippi women when Richardson was at Arkansas.) Chancellor spent 10 years in the WNBA coaching the Houston Comets to four WNBA titles.

"He told me that once you've dealt with women athletes, you are going to wish that you had coached them all your life," Richardson said.

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WNBA Will Weather Shocking Move

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-20T11:33:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: WNBA

It's a bit of whiplash that two weeks after fans filled arenas in Indianapolis and Phoenix, after the WNBA got some momentum out of a fabulous Finals series, one of the league's most successful franchises is packing up and leaving its town.

The Detroit Shock reportedly are headed to Tulsa, a new ownership group ready to take over with former Arkansas men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson at the helm. It's another blow to a league that has gotten awfully adept at absorbing them over the years.

The Detroit Shock debuted in 1998. They earned a reputation as a hard-nosed, battle-ready reflection of coach Bill Laimbeer and won titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008. Just a few weeks ago, the Shock were facing off with the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals. And now, they are off to Oklahoma.

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Stanford at Full Strength for First Practice

Michelle Smith — 2009-10-17T10:00:00 00:00

by Michelle Smith

Filed under: Stanford, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

In recent weeks, Tara VanDerveer's go-to line about Jayne Appel and JJ Hones has been: "If we had a game today, they'd be playing." But instead, Stanford had its first official practice of the season on Friday night at Maples Pavilion and Appel and Hones ... well, they were playing. Appel, the senior All-American and national player of the year candidate, and Hones, a key factor in the Cardinal's Final Four run in 2008, are both coming off knee injuries.

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