Inside Women's Basketball

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Including six Olympic gold medalists, the official roster for the 2010 USA Basketball Women’s National Team that will compete in the WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game, was announced today by USA Basketball and the WNBA.  WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun will be televised by ESPN at 3:30 p.m. (all times EDT) and the coverage will be presented by adidas. In addition to the game, the U.S. will conduct a training camp July 7-11 with all available members from the USA National Team pool participating.

Named to compete in the game for USA Basketball were: Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Cappie Pondexter (New York Liberty) .

“This training camp is the first and only opportunity that I’m going to have the chance to be with the majority of the players that were in the last Olympics that were a part of our core group,” said USA and University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, who will guide the USA National Team through 2012. “So whatever amount of time we have, it’s going to be used in the best way that we can. We’ll get a chance to see how they interact with each other.They’ll get a feel for me, and I’ll get a feel for them and we’ll play the game and go from there.

“I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to coach them and to get a feel for them in game situations,” Auriemma continued. “So, I’m really excited. Some of them I haven’t seen play yet, and I really haven’t had a chance to see some of the guys that I had coached before. I haven’t had a chance to be around them since they graduated, so all-in-all I think the Stars at the Sun game will be great opportunity for me, and it’s a great opportunity for them as well.”

Bird was the top vote getter in the online fan balloting and was joined on the list of fans’ top 10 favorites by Cash, Catchings, Parker and Taurasi.
Additional USA National Team members confirmed to attend the July training camp are: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Shameka Christon (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).

USA National Team hopefuls Jayne Appel (Stanford University), who attended the team’s first two training camps, but was injured and unable to participate, Ebony Hoffman (Indiana Fever) and Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty) will practice alongside USA National Team members in the hopes of being added to the squad at a later date.

Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx) are injured and unable to participate in the training camp.

Available USA team members will begin practice at 5:00 p.m. on July 8 at Connecticut College, with media availability to precede practice from 4:30-5:00 p.m. On July 9 the team will open its practice, held at the Mohegan Sun Arena, to the public at 2:45 p.m. U.S. players who do not have to immediately return to their WNBA teams following the July 10 game, will remain in Connecticut to scrimmage the Australia National Team on July 11 at 11:00 a.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The USA versus Australia scrimmage is not open to the public.

As the head coach at the University of Connecticut, Auiremma has led the Huskies to seven NCAA championships, including the 2009 and 2010 titles. In his first stint as head of the national team Auriemma led the U.S. to a 3-0 slate against a trio of Europe’s top professional teams at the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg Invitational.

This marks the second time a USA National Team will go against a team comprised of WNBA standouts. Prior to the 2004 Olympic Games the U.S. faced a team comprised of WNBA players in an exhibition game at Radio City Music Hall. In an exciting send-off for the U.S. team that eventually captured gold in Athens, the USA was led in the 74-58 victory by Lisa Leslie’s 15 points.

Auriemma will be assisted through the 2010 FIBA World Championship by DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom and Atlanta Dream head coach Marynell Meadors.

In the past dozen years, the highly successful USA Basketball Women’s National Team program, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIBA, has posted a 63-1 slate in major international competitions, winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008), two FIBA World Championship golds (1998, 2002), one FIBA World Championship bronze medal (2006) and one FIBA Americas Championship gold medal (2007).

The Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird led all players (127,490) in fan voting for the 2010 “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun”, San Antonio Silver Star Becky Hammon (116,391) finishing second.
WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun will showcase the world’s best female basketball players under one roof when the WNBA’s top talent faces the USA Basketball Women’s National at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 10.

Sue Bird                                      127,490

Becky Hammon                           116,391

Tamika Catchings                        100,248

Diana Taurasi                               93,649

Swin Cash                                   85,236

Photo Gallery Top 10 Fan Favorite

Lauren Jackson                            80,392

Candace Parker                            78,624

Jayne Appel                                 69,316

Michelle Snow                              67,906

Sophia Young                               65,974

Tuesday night at her high school graduation, Shoni Schimmel announced she will be attending Louisville.  Schimmel kept the announcement a secret, not even telling her family or friends.  She made the announcement when she received her diploma.

THIS IS CONFIRMED!!!  Here is the exact press release information sent to Inside Women’s Basketball by her father and assistant coach Rick Schimmel:

Shoni Schimmel will attend the University of Louisville.

Tuesday night at Franklin High School’s Class of2010 graduation ceremony, Shoni announced her college selection.  Unbeknownst to even family, friends and school staff the announcement was made as she received her diploma. The decision process has been a long and difficult one, but still an amazing experience.  The challenge was picking just one college as there were a handful of outstanding programs that at the end made her final decision extremely difficult.  There were several great programs with outstanding coaches, academic opportunities and strong community support.

Shoni summarizes “This decision was more than basketball.  It was about an opportunity to get a great education, follow my hoop dreams, and represent my Native American heritage.  Playing at Louisville in the Big East Conference offers the best opportunity for me to compete at a championship level under great administrative and coaching leadership.”

Shoni states, “I am looking forward to college, meeting my teammates, embracing the Cardinal’s fans.  It’s exciting to be a part of an amazing 2010 Louisville recruiting class and look forward to getting in the gym and begin working with my new team.”

“I offer a heartfelt thank you to the basketball programs that have shown their interest in me throughout this recruiting process and also to the many supporters that have been there for me.  And of course and most importantly my family” Schimmel says.

New York, NY, June 2, 2010 – The New York Liberty today announced a new multi-year premier partnership with Foxwoods Resort Casino, North America’s largest resort casino. As part of the partnership Foxwoods will receive prominent logo placement on the Liberty jersey, a first-of-its-kind partnership for an Eastern Conference WNBA team and the first resort casino to have branding on the front of a professional sports team jersey.

“The New York Liberty has a passionate fan base in the world’s largest media market, and we are thrilled by the opportunity this partnership presents to promote our brand to WNBA fans, the team’s loyal followers and the New York Metropolitan area at large,” said chief marketing officer for Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises Robert Victoria. “As North America’s largest resort casino and the East Coast’s premier entertainment destination, Foxwoods always strives to align itself with other best-in-class industry leaders, and we’re confident we’ve done just that with this partnership of the Liberty and its home venue, the legendary Madison Square Garden.”

The Foxwoods name and logo will appear on the front of the Liberty’s home and road jerseys as well as shooting shirts for all games, providing the company with premium brand exposure to fans in-arena and other consumers via national and local media coverage and television broadcasts. The Liberty will debut its new uniforms when the team takes on the Connecticut Sun on Friday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.

“We are excited to welcome Foxwoods Resort Casino as the premier partner of the New York Liberty. This partnership between two premium brands and industry leaders is a perfect match, bringing together one of the world’s largest resort casinos and ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.” said Scott O’Neil, president, MSG Sports. “This innovative new partnership provides Foxwoods with a powerful platform that connects an entertainment destination with our incredibly loyal and passionate Liberty fans and New York.”

Added Carol Blazejowski, president, New York Liberty: “We are very proud to partner with Foxwoods Resort Casino and welcome their support of the Liberty and WNBA. We look forward to strategically integrating the Foxwoods brand across all of our business platforms and developing a partnership that will be great for our team and fans both on and off the court.”

The partnership helps build presence for Foxwoods in the New York area and beyond, with brand integration across all of the Liberty’s promotional and marketing platforms, including extensive presence in-arena during Liberty home games with courtside LED signage, logo presence on-court, a feature on GardenVision, and Foxwoods branded on-court contests. In addition, Foxwoods will be promoted to the thousands of passersby daily on The Garden’s outdoor marquees on 7th and 8th Avenue.

“This partnership between Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Liberty is emblematic of the fact that there is strong interest among brands to align with the WNBA, not only for its elite athletes, high level of play, and outstanding entertainment, but also for its authentic connection to communities and to women,” said WNBA president Donna Orender. “For Foxwoods, this unique partnership is a great way to build their business by reaching the loyal and passionate WNBA fanbase.”

As part of the new partnership, the Liberty and Foxwoods will also join together to host a number of community events each season, furthering each company’s strong commitment to the community. Through the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the Liberty along with all other areas of Madison Square Garden help “to make dreams come true for kids in crisis” by creating unique and unforgettable events and activities that have brightened the lives of more than 135,000 special children and their families. Foxwoods, which recently celebrated a milestone $3 billion cumulative contribution to the state of Connecticut, has a long, committed history of charitable giving. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, owner of Foxwoods Resort Casino, has donated tens of millions of dollars in cash and in-kind services to hundreds of charitable organizations both locally and nationally. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation first established a revenue sharing act with the state in 1993 to ensure that the benefits of tourism and commerce enjoyed by Foxwoods extended to the local community.

Chiney Ogwumike is one of 26 top players in the country invited to try out for team USA

Twenty six of the top players in the country have been invited to the 18U USA team trials set to take place June 8-11 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The players will battle for 12 roster spots and the opportunity to represent the United States in the 2010 FIBA Championship July 23-27 in Colorado Springs.  Here is the list of invitees:

A surprising announcement came today during the Atlanta Dream media day.  Head coach Marynell Meadors informed reporters that Chamique Holdsclaw will NOT play for the Dream this season.

“Chamique called me on April 22nd and asked to be traded,”said Meadors.  “It came as a total shock to me.”

Meadors said she didn’t know why Holdsclaw wanted to leave, but would honor her wishes and do her best to find a new home for the 32 year old WNBA veteran.

“I think it is so important for players to be in an environment that they are happy with and if they are not happy here, then I don’t want them here.”

Friday at 2:00pm is the deadline for rosters to be submitted to the league.  Meadors indicated she was trying to secure a trade for Holdsclaw prior to the deadline.

Holdsclaw returned to the WNBA last season after a four year hiatus.  She signed a three year contract with the Dream and was centerpiece of Meadors reconstruction of the two year old expansion team.  Holdsclaw was an instant fan favorite.  She averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds last season and helped the Dream to one of the best turnarounds in league history.  The Tennessee grad was a 7-time WNBA all-star.

Diana Taurasi and Spartak Moscow defeated rivals Candace Parker and UMMC 87-79 to advance to the EuroLeague Championship game on April 15th.  Taurasi put on a show with 37 points, 12 boards and 6 assists in the victory.  At one point in the second quarter Diana rattled of 13 consecutive points.  Sylvia Fowels added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the three time defending champions.

UMMC was lead by Parker who had 18 points, Cappie Pondexter added 16 in the losing effort.

You have to love the WNBA Draft!  You get a rare opportunity to see the best women’s basketball players in the world out of their uniform.  Fashion and style are definitely on full display at the draft!  We loved Tina Charles look!  The number one draft pick had an elegant grey dress with that fell just above the knee and had cropped sleeves to tastefully show off the fantastic shape she is in!  Basketball players are beautiful, professional, strong and successful!  Tina Charles is a perfect role model for young players!  This once lanky kid from Queens New York has transformed into one of the best basketball players in the world!

2010 WNBA Draft Results

WATCH CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO GALLERY

The Connecticut Huskies are perfect for the second year in a row, have a historic 78 game win streak and now a total of seven national championship titles!  The Huskies defeated Stanford 53-47 in the lowest scoring national championship in women’s NCAA history.

Two time All-American Tina Charles and Kalana Greene finished their college careers on top.  “We were able to experience this two times,” said an emotional Charles.  “Just the hard work that we put into it and just the support we had from just everybody from the fans, from our student body back at school, just everything, I think this is for everybody and how special it is.”

Charles finishes her career as the all-time rebounder for the UConn Huskies.

It wasn’t a pretty win though, the Huskies were very cold in the first half, shooting just 17% from the field!   “I was worried all year long that what exactly happened in the first half was going to happen,” said Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma.

Stanford came out with an excellent game plan and appeared to have Connecticut rattled.  Nnemkadi Ogwumike’s main assignment was to guard Maya and it work, Moore had just 5 points in the first half.  “I thought Stanford did a great job in the first half, just being physical, trying to jam up our cuts, not letting us kind of move where we wanted to,” said Moore about the Cardinal.  “It forced us to have to work harder off the ball to get open and just being tougher with the basketball.”

But the scoring woes weren’t just for the Huskies.  Jayne Appel was held scoreless in the game for the first time in her college career.  She suffered sprained ankle which the trainers re-taped, but was never able to get in a scoring rhythm.

As usual, Geno found a way to motivate his team at half-time.  Trailing 12-20 at the half, the Huskies began the second half with a 17-2 run to take a 29-22 lead with 12 minutes left in the game.  Moore flipped the tables on the scoring woes, she dropped 18 second half points and finished with 23.  Stanford shot just 27% from the field.

Maya Moore scored 54 points over the two games in this Final Four, tying her with Diana Taurasi in 2003 for fourth place on the all-time list. Moore’s 18 second half points are tied for fifth highest output in a championship game.

UConn is the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball team ever to post back-to-back undefeated seasons, and first Division I team of either gender to do so since John Wooden’s UCLA teams of 1972 and 1973.

The UConn win streak will continue to next season, if they win their first 10 games they will pass UCLA’s all time win streak.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH PHOTO GALLERY OF WOMEN\’S SEMI-FINAL GAMES!

UCONN vs STANFORD….THE RUBBER MATCH!!

The all-time series between Stanford and Connecticut is tied at 5-5 heading into Tuesday’s national title game.  UConn is on the well publicized win streak that now sits at 77.  That streak started after UConn lost to Stanford two years ago in the national semi-finals.  Since then, Stanford has a won 69 games of their own and lost just 5 times.  Two of those loses were to Connecticut.

Stanford and Connecticut meet on the season’s final weekend for the third straight season with Tuesday’s matchup being the rubber game!  Two years ago, the Cardinal upset the Huskies, 82-73 in the national semifinal in Tampa, Fla. before Connecticut got its revenge last year, eliminating Stanford with an 83-64 win in the national semifinal in St. Louis. The best two out of three will be decided tomorrow!