Inside Women's Basketball

Watch our video from previous training camp

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

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.

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

Diana Taurasi scored 28 points in the game

A huge Euro-League matchup yesterday between UMMC and Spartak.  Basically Diana Taurasi vs Candace Parker!

Diana Taurasi’s Spartak Moscow handed Candace Parker’s UMMC their first home loss of the season 84-70! Taurasi put up a ridiculous 28 points, Sue Bird had 16 and Sylvia Fowles added 11.  Strangely, Parker did not start the game, she came off the bench and put up 12 points in 24 minutes.  Both Teams are tied at 15-1, but  Spartak takes first place in the league thanks to yesterday’s win.

Box Score:  http://www.eurobasket.com/boxScores/Russia/2010/0321_7631_7635.asp

Online Video of Game:  http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/Basketbol/Vyschaya_liga/Zhenskij/spbvideo_V-1700-17-marta-CHR-ZHenschini-UGMK-Spartak

Online Photo Gallery of Game:  http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=6401791

Washington, D.C. –– Washington Mystics Vice President and General Manager Angela Taylor announced today that three-time Olympian and perennial all-star guard, Katie Smith has signed with the team.

“This is a very exciting day for the Washington Mystics organization. Katie Smith is the most prolific scorer in U.S. professional women’s basketball history and will bring invaluable experience and competitiveness to our roster,” stated Taylor. “She has been a huge success everywhere she’s been and as we look to make our vision of bringing a WNBA Championship to Washington, DC a reality. We are ecstatic that someone with Katie’s pedigree is looking forward to being part of our championship journey.”

An 11-year WNBA veteran, Smith started her professional basketball career in 1997 with the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League (ABL). She helped lead her team to an ABL Championship in 1998. In two seasons, she made consecutive all-star appearances and in 1998 she was named to the All-ABL First Team.

Smith joined the WNBA in 1999 when she was assigned to the Minnesota Lynx. During her time with the Lynx, Smith set numerous scoring records such as the then WNBA single-season records for scoring average (23.1) and points (739), and three-point field goal attempts (240). In 2002, she led the Lynx in minutes played, field goals (162) and field goal attempts (401). Smith and the Lynx earned a post season berth in 2003 before losing to eventual WNBA Champions, Los Angeles Sparks. Smith has the distinction of setting a WNBA record for total regular season games played (36) when she was traded from the Minnesota Lynx (23) to the Detroit Shock (13) in 2005.

As a guard with Detroit, Smith set a Shock franchise record for most three-point field goals made (55) and attempted (155) in a season. She helped Detroit earn a second WNBA Championship by leading the team during the playoffs in assists (40), three pointers made (20) and three pointers attempted (50) and finishing second on the team in scoring (14.7). In 2007, Smith became the first woman to score 6,000 points in professional basketball. She currently is the all-time leading scorer in American women’s professional basketball history with 6,879. In 2008, the Shock earned another WNBA Championship with Smith leading the way with 21.7 points per game during the Finals series. She was named the 2008 Finals MVP. In a career that spans over a decade, Smith averages include 15.7 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game.

A three time Olympian, Smith was a member of three USA Basketball Women’s National teams that captured gold medals in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. She was named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 2008. A graduate of the Ohio State University, Smith was the 1996 Big Ten Player of the Year.

“I am really excited to be joining the Washington Mystics who are hungry for a championship. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the ownership group, coaches and staff and I feel that the transition will be a smooth one,” said Smith. “I also look forward to playing in front of some of the best fans of the WNBA.”

The Mystics also re-signed restricted free agent Guard Kristen Haynie. Washington acquired Haynie with the sixth pick in the dispersal draft on December 14, 2009. In 2009, Haynie averaged a career high 5.2 points per game and 2.0 assists per game. She also shot a career best 83.3% from the free throw line. She finished the 2009 campaign ranked fourth in steals per 40 minutes (3.41.)

ATLANTA, March 17, 2010 – The Atlanta Dream announced today that team has signed unrestricted free agent guards Coco Miller and Kelly Miller to two-year deals.

“This will be the first opportunity they have had to play on the same team in the WNBA and it’s going to be a great situation for them,” said Dream General Manager & Head Coach Marynell Meadors. “Both players excel in the up-tempo game. Kelly is a veteran point guard that can set her teammates up to score, and Coco is an excellent three-point shooter.”

Kelly Miller, a 5-10 guard, started 25 of 34 games for the Minnesota Lynx last season. She averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 19.9 minutes per game. The nine-year veteran is averaging 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in her WNBA career. In 2007, she helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to its first WNBA championship as the team’s starting point guard. Miller was the co-winner of the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2004.

“I’m so excited to be playing for Atlanta,” said Kelly Miller. “Coco and I have dreamed about playing on the same team again and are so grateful for this opportunity. I loved my years at the University of Georgia and have a lot of great memories there. I’m sure I’ll see many familiar faces at our games.”

Coco Miller, a 5-9 guard, returns for her second season with the Dream. Miller appeared in all 34 games in 2009, averaging 3.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 12 minutes per game. Miller spent the previous eight seasons with the Washington Mystics before joining the Dream. She is averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in nine seasons in the WNBA. Miller was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2002.

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to play with Kelly again,” said Coco Miller. “With the new roster additions and talented returning players, it’s going to be a very exciting year for the Dream!”

The Miller twins played together in high school and college but have not played together in the WNBA. The Millers were co-Ms. Basketball in Minnesota in 1997, leading Mayo High School to a 27-0 record and state championship as seniors. At the University of Georgia, they helped the Lady Bulldogs reach the 1999 Final Four, capture the 2000 SEC Championship and win the 2001 SEC Tournament. In the 2001 WNBA Draft, Kelly Miller was selected No. 2 by the Charlotte Sting and Coco Miller was drafted No. 9 by the Charlotte Sting.

At Georgia, Kelly Miller was a three-time All-American and the first four-time consensus All-SEC player in league history. She ranks fourth in total points, second in career assists and fifth in career steals. Coco Miller was a four time All-SEC selection and two-time All-American. She ranks fifth in scoring (2,131 points) and holds Georgia’s single-game scoring record of 45 points.