Sparks to retire Lisa Leslie’s jersey

The Los Angeles Sparks will retire the jersey (No. 9) of WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on tonight, August 10th as the Sparks match-up against the Indiana Fever at 7:00pm at STAPLES Center.

Leslie, who led the Sparks to back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002, retired at the conclusion of the 2009 season. The jersey retirement ceremony will be held during halftime of the game and will be carried in its entirety on the ESPN2 broadcast.

“Lisa and I came into the league together and I have had the privilege of experiencing and witnessing firsthand how great her impact has been on women’s basketball and the WNBA,” said Penny Toler, Sparks VP/GM. “She was a phenomenal friend, teammate, leader and player and we are so proud to be able to honor her by retiring her jersey.”

Leslie, 38, was the first Los Angeles Sparks player to be placed with the franchise in the 1997 Initial Player Allocation and finished her career as the Sparks and WNBA career leader in points and rebounds. As the most decorated player in WNBA history, she has earned three WNBA MVP awards, two WNBA Finals MVP awards, three WNBA All-Star MVP awards, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight 1st Team All-WNBA selections, was named to the WNBA All-Decade Team and was selected WNBA Player of the Week 15 times.

She was also honored in 2001 with the prestigious Flo Hyman Memorial Award by the Women’s Sports Foundation and the 2006 Sportswoman of the Year award by the Los Angeles Sports Council. She became the first player in WNBA history to record 6,000 points in 2009 and the Sparks home court was renamed “Lisa Leslie Court” in her honor in 2006.

The Inglewood native ranks among the WNBA’s all-time leaders in points (2nd, 6,203), rebounds (1st, 3,307), field goals made (1st, 2,332), blocked shots (2nd, 822), minutes (5th, 11,634) and points per game (6th, 17.3). In international play, Leslie is second to none. As the floor leader and mentor to Team USA, Leslie finished with a 32-0 record in Olympic competition and won four consecutive gold medals, (1996, 2000, 2004 & 2008). She closed out her fourth Olympic competition ranking as the USA’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker after compiling 488 points, 241 rebounds and 36 blocked shots in four Olympic Games, while ranking fourth in assists (45) and sixth in steals (35). She was honored as the 2002 FIBA World Championship MVP and the 1993, 1998 and 2002 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

Leslie becomes just the second player in Los Angeles Sparks franchise history to have her jersey retired, joining Penny Toler (No. 11) as the second woman to have her jersey hanging in the rafters at STAPLES Center.

To honor Leslie’s accomplishments, the Sparks will give the first 5,000 fans in the doors Lisa Leslie jersey backpacks, courtesy of Farmers Insurance. For more information or for tickets to the jersey retirement ceremony for Sparks legend Lisa Leslie visit www.LASparks.com or call 877-44-SPARKS.

I have special memories of watching Leslie play as well as give back to the community. Here’s a photo of her coaching Maddy at a clinic the Sparks held for young girls.  What a treat to get tips from one of the greatest women to play the game.

Now a mom of two, Leslie is moving on to the next chapter of her life.  I saw her recently at the Gatorade Player of the Year luncheon, where she presented the 2010 award to basketball player Chiney Ogwumike. With Leslie’s jersey now being hoisted to the rafters in her honor, it’s great to reflect back on what a great role model she has been throughout her career.   Good luck Lisa and congratulations on all your many accomplishments.

[2010 WNBA Basketball] Lisa Leslie Jersey Retirement Ceremony – August 10, 2010 – Images by Craig Bennett

Chiney Ogwumike chosen as Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year

The biggest names in high school and professional sports convened in Los Angeles today as Gatorade honored the top prep male and female athletes with the eighth annual High School Athlete of the Year awards.  Just yards from L.A. Live’s Nokia Theatre and tonight’s ESPY Awards, players and their families came from around the nation to find out who would take home the big trophies.

Power forward Chiney Ogwumike, who will join her sister at Stanford in the fall, was honored as the 2010 National Female High School Athlete of the Year.  Future Kentucky Wildcat Brandon Knight, a guard from Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest who averaged 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season for the Panthers, scooped up the male athlete of the year.

It was the fourth time in eight years that the male and female awards went to a pair of basketball players. The previous hoops duo to win were Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Maya Moore of Connecticut in 2007.

Chiney averaged 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.1 blocks last season for Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Texas. She led the 36-1 Bobcats to the state Class 5A state championship. She graduated third in her class with a 3.45 GPA.

The Texas teen seemed surprised when retired Los Angeles Sparks star and 1990 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Lisa Leslie announced her name. Soccer star Brandi Chastain of FC Gold Pride handed her  the impressive silver G trophy.

“I was very shocked,” Ogwumike said. “It’s one of those things you hope to achieve, but you’d be happy with anybody else winning, too.”

At Stanford, Ogwumike will team with her sister Nneka, the defending Pac-10 player of the year.

“I’m very excited because the past few years she’s been on the road a lot and I haven’t seen her as much as I’d like to,” she said. “Now we’ll start getting time back and sharing each other’s passions like school and sports.”

Leslie saw Nneka Ogwumike play last season and said: ”I hear that Chiney is better than her sister, which is kind of hard to believe.”

Chiney responded, “We’re two different kinds of players. I’m more of a ballhandler and penetrator, and she’s more of a post, block-oriented player. One thing for sure, I’m going to be a freshman next year, I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m going to try my hardest.”

Knight and Ogwumike join such previous winners as LeBron James, Allyson Felix, Dwight Howard, Candace Parker and Greg Oden, all of whom went on to successful pro careers.

The luncheon emceed by ESPN’s Stuart Scott who kept the program moving with good-hearted jibes and comedic timing.

Chiney was among six female finalists for the award that recognizes athletic achievements, academic excellence and character.

The other girls’ finalists were: outside hitter Ashley Wittman of Shakopee (Minn.) High; distance runner Megan Goethals of Rochester High (Rochester Hills, Mich.); soccer forward-midfielder Mollie Pathman of Durham (N.C.) Academy; softball third base-pitcher Kasey Fagan of Dunnellon (Fla.) High; and sprinter Ashton Purvis of St. Elizabeth High (Oakland, Calif.).

All the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk the ESPY red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPY Awards Show. The star most the athletes are looking most forward to seeing? LeBron James.

Chiney Ogwumike Bio:

Ogwumike led the Bobcats (36-1) to a No. 7 national ranking and the Class 5A state tournament title this past season. She averaged 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.1 blocks playing just 18 minutes per game. As a senior, Ogwumike shot 67.8 percent from the floor and recorded 22 double-doubles, including 24 points and 25 rebounds in the state semifinals followed by 31 points and 18 rebounds in the title game.

• Led the Bobcats (36-1) to a No. 7 national ranking and the Class 5A state tournament title
• Averaged 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.1 blocks playing just 18 minutes per game
• Shot 67.8 percent from the floor and recorded 22 double-doubles
• 2010 McDonald’s High School All-American Game National Player of the Year
• 2010 Naismith Girls High School Basketball Player of the Year
• 2010 PARADE Co-Player of the Year
• 2010 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America Game MVP
• No. 1 national recruit in the Class of 2010 as ranked by ESPNU and Blue Star Basketball
• 2010 Texas Girls Coaches Association 2009-2010 4A-5A Athlete of the Year
• 2009-10 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A All-State selection
• 2010 District 15-5A MVP

Established in 1985, the Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. In 2003, the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards were established to identify and honor the nation’s top overall male and female high school athletes from among the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year honored during the high school athletic season.

Check back for our video interview with Chiney and some of the other finalists.

The Stars at the Sun

WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun will showcase the world’s best female basketball players  on Saturday, July 10. The event will mark the second straight year that the WNBA’s midseason showcase has been played before a sold-out crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Serving as head coach of the WNBA stars will be Brian Agler of the Seattle Storm, who earned the honor by virtue of his team having the best winning percentage through games of July 1. Nancy Darsch, the lead assistant under Agler with the Storm, will serve in the same capacity with the WNBA team during The Stars at the Sun.

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team is coached by Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach. His assistants are Doug Bruno (head coach, DePaul University), Jennifer Gillom (head coach, Los Angeles Sparks) and Marynell Meadors (head coach, Atlanta Dream).

Pregame Challenge:

The top WNBA players will participate in the Three-Point Contest and the Skills Challenge as part of the 2010 WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Pregame Challenge. The Pregame Challenge will take place prior to The Stars at the Sun game and will be streamed live on WNBA.com beginning at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 10.

Six of the league’s elite shooters will compete over two rounds in the Three-Point Contest, including Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Katie Douglas (Indiana Fever), Monique Currie (Washington Mystics),Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).

Players will have one minute to make as many three-pointers as they can from five shooting stations behind the arc. Each spot consists of five basketballs – four WNBA balls worth one point apiece and one “Money Ball” worth two points. The top three scorers will advance to the final round.

The Skills Challenge will feature six players competing to make a series of baskets while navigating an obstacle course. Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Cappie Pondexter (New York Liberty), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx), Iziane Castro Marques (Atlanta Dream), and Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun) will participate in the event.

Rosters:

WNBA

Player	Team
Jayne Appel	San Antonio Silver Stars
Rebekkah Brunson	Minnesota Lynx
Lindsey Whalen	San Antonio Silver Stars
Iziane Castro Marques	Atlanta Dream
Katie Douglas	Indiana Fever
Lauren Jackson	Seattle Storm
Crystal Langhorne	Washington Mystics
Sancho Lyttle	Atlanta Dream
Michelle Snow	San Antonio Silver Stars
Penny Taylor	Phoenix Mercury
Sophia Young	San Antonio Silver Stars

USA BASKETBALL
Player	Team
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
Maya Moore	University of Connecticut
Renee Montgomery	Connecticut Sun
Cappie Pondexter	New York Liberty
Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury

More info at WNBA.com. ESPN will televise the game Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, with coverage presented by adidas.

Five things to watch Saturday at Stars at the Sun

Happy Birthday WNBA!

Thirteen years ago this week, the Women’s National Basketball Association began its very first season.

On June 21, 1997, the inaugural season began when the Los Angles Sparks hosted the New York Liberty with 14,284 in attendance.  New York defeated Los Angeles Sparks 67-57- and the game was nationally televised on NBC.

The WNBA wasn’t expected to last. Yet, here it is, 13 years after the NBA Board of Governors approved the concept, in the midst of  its 13th season. Talented players such as Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Cynthia Cooper helped bring the merits of the WNBA to the attention of the world and they earned it enormous respect on once exclusively male-dominated courts.

The league started out with eight teams but  doubled in size by the early 2000s.  In 2006, it became the first team-oriented women’s professional sports league to survive ten consecutive seasons. Players and coaches credit the growing success of the league to the increasing talent pool of players that come in every year.

Like most professional women’s sports leagues, the WNBA is unable to rake in nearly as much dough as its male counterpart. According to WNBA.com, the gender breakdown of their TV audience is about 50/50 but obviously interest in the league still needs to grow.  Injuries and restrictive rules have hampered this season somewhat but for those that love the game, there’s still a lot of great action on court. Be sure to tune in or attend a game!

Happy Birthday WNBA – here’s to another year!

Volleyball star Megan Hodge and basketball standout Maya Moore both win 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards today announced that for only the second time in its 34-year history two female athletes have tied for the annual Honda-Broderick Cup, its top honor designating the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

This year’s winners, both of whom were presented with their prestigious awards at a special ceremony today in Los Angeles at UCLA’s J.D. Morgan Center, are volleyball star Megan Hodge, a senior at Penn State University and basketball standout Maya Moore, a University of Connecticut junior. Both athletes were selected as winners of the Honda-Broderick Cup by voting among 1,000 NCAA member schools and the Board of Directors of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program.

Today’s ceremony in Los Angeles was attended by all “Top Three” finalists for the 2010 award, including both Hodge and Moore as well as track & field distance runner Lisa Koll from Iowa State University. Hodge is the first athlete from Penn State University to be honored as Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, and Moore is the third athlete from the University of Connecticut to receive the award. Last year’s Honda-Broderick Cup winner was gymnast Courtney Kupets of the University of Georgia. Previous winners include: basketball superstar Candace Parker (2008), track and field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1985), soccer great Mia Hamm (1994) and volleyball star Misty May (1999).

The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year award recognizes not only outstanding athletic achievement but also team contributions, scholastics and community involvement. This year’s tie marks only the second time that two athletes have received the Honda-Broderick Cup in the same year. In 1984, the award went to both swimmer Tracy Caulkins from the University of Florida and basketball player Cheryl Miller from the University of Southern California.

Judith R. Holland, co-founder and executive director of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards, noted: “This year’s history-making tie for our top award is highly unusual. And while it is extremely rare for us to have a tie for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, in this case it is quite fortuitous, as we are delighted to be able to give the award to two such outstanding athletes and exemplary young women as Maya and Megan. They are both very worthy recipients and we are proud to have them join our legacy.”

Megan Hodge: Team Leader of Undefeated Season

Outside hitter Hodge is a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands who grew up in Durham, North Carolina. During her career, she led the Nittany Lions to their second undefeated season and third straight NCAA championship title in 2009, winning 102 straight matches. Her average of 4.67 kills per set (560 kills total) led the Big Ten and earned her an eighth place national ranking. She ranked second on her team in digs with 295 (2.46 per set). She is one of only two players ever to reach 2000 career kills at Penn State, with 2,142 total, and she amassed a career win/loss record of 142-5. Her win/loss career percentage of .966 is the best in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball history for classes that have won national titles. Hodge was chosen AVCA Division I National Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and is a four-time AVCA First-Team All-American. She was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2009 for the second time, the first as a freshman in 2006. She was also honored as CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. Megan graduated with a business management degree and is currently a member of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team. Her parents, Michael and Carmen, are both former members of the Virgin Islands National Volleyball team.

Maya Moore: First Junior in UConn History to Score Over 2000 Points

Moore, a native of Jefferson City, Missouri, grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She helped her team achieve an NCAA record of 78 consecutive wins over two seasons, as well as its sixth undefeated season and second straight NCAA National Championship. Moore ended the season averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, and scored in double figures 34 times. She finished the 2009-2010 season with 736 points, the second most points scored in a season by a UConn player (the most was 754 pts in 2008-09, also achieved by Moore herself). So far in her career Moore has scored 2168 points, with 963 rebounds and 243 three-pointers. She is also the first junior in the program’s history to score over 2000 points. She received both the 2010 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and Dayton Regional’s Most Outstanding Player award and is a three-time AP First Team All-American. A Sports Marketing and Media major with a 3.85 GPA, she has been honored this year as the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, ESPN Academic All-America of the Year, CoSIDA Academic First-Team, 2010 Wade Trophy winner and Wooden Award finalist.

Other Honors Presented in Los Angeles

In addition to the annual Honda-Broderick Cup, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program also presented its annual “Honda Inspiration Award” to a deserving collegiate female athlete at the Los Angeles ceremony. This year’s recipient is Antoinette Cobb from Zachary, Louisiana, a track star at Louisiana Tech University who was forced to withdraw from classes for two quarters and forego track her entire sophomore year due to stage III colon cancer. Cobb courageously came back to become the seventh best 100-meter hurdler in the country and earned four WAC titles in her junior and senior years.

The program also honored top athletes from both NCAA Division II and Division III colleges. Concordia University volleyball setter Maggie McNamara from Zumbrota, Minnesota, was named Honda Award Division II Athlete of the Year. She led her team to an undefeated season this year, as well as to a “three-peat” third straight national title and a fourth NSIC crown. In her senior year of competition, she sealed her name in the NCAA record book as the all-time leading setter, putting up a new record for career assists with 7,351. For the fourth season in her career, McNamara led the nation in assists per set, this year with a mark of 13.26.

The Honda Award Division III Athlete of the Year went to Bethel University track & field standout Marie Borner from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. She capped her remarkable senior season by earning National Championships in the indoor mile, with a time of 4:50.20, as well as the outdoor 1500-meter (4:23.85) and outdoor 800-meter (2:06.87). She was also the MIAC champion in the 800-meter and 1500-meter, setting a stadium record in both races. She set a meet record in the 800-meter in the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships. In all, she holds 10 school records.

Individual Honda Sports Award winners, in each of the 12 sports in addition to the “Top Three” included: University of Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri for cross country, Katie O’Donnell from the University of Maryland for field hockey, Whitney Engen from the University of North Carolina for soccer, Julia Smit from Stanford University for swimming & diving, Susan Jackson from Louisiana State University for Gymnastics, Caroline Hedwall of Oklahoma State University for golf, Caitlyn McFadden of the University of Maryland for lacrosse, Laura Vallverdu of the University of Miami for tennis and Danielle Lawrie of the University of Washington for softball.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has sponsored the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program for 24 consecutive years. Honda has donated over $2 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees over the course of the program. See www.hondaawards.com for more information.

(via press release)

WNBA and 2010 Lilith Tour unite to celebrate female artists and athletes all summer long

The WNBA has finally done something right on the marketing side and we’re excited to share the following news:

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the 2010 Lilith Tour — one of the highest-grossing touring festivals in the world — will join forces to celebrate female artists and athletes all summer long through special ticket promotions, appearances, and community activations.

As part of the partnership, the WNBA and Lilith will provide special ticket promotions and packages for fans to purchase in select WNBA markets, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, New York, Hartford, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Additional information on packages, tour dates, and promotions will be found on WNBA.com, Lilithfair.com and team websites.

“WNBA games and the Lilith Tour are the premier summer entertainment experiences by and for women, making this partnership a perfect match,” said WNBA Vice President of Marketing Hilary Shaev. “Our partnership with the Lilith Tour is a great opportunity to showcase our respective properties to each other’s audiences through national promotions and community activation.”

WNBA athletes and artists are also tentatively scheduled to make appearances at select games and concerts this summer and blog about their experiences. These memorable moments will be captured and promoted via the league and Lilith’s websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. The WNBA and Lilith are also working together to promote awareness on important issues including staying fit, breast health and greening initiatives through various activations.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the WNBA,” says Seth Freed, Sr. Director of Sponsorships for Lilith. “It’s the perfect alignment of two brands with a strong focus on delivering great entertainment, while at the same time engaging the local communities in charitable and greening initiatives.”

Lilith 2010 will feature Sheryl Crow, the Indigo Girls, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, and Martina McBride, among others, and will take place from Sunday, June 27 to Monday, Aug. 16. The tour will make stops in select WNBA markets, including:

Saturday, July 3 Seattle

Saturday, July 10 Los Angeles

Saturday, July 17 Chicago

Sunday, July 18 Minneapolis

Tuesday, July 20 Indianapolis

Saturday, July 31 New York

Sunday, Aug. 1 Connecticut

Tuesday, Aug. 3 Washington, D.C.

Sunday, Aug. 8 Atlanta

Saturday, Aug. 14 Austin, Texas (*WNBA team is in San Antonio)

About Lilith 2010:
The original Lilith Fair ran from 1997-1999. With over 1.5 million fans in attendance and more than $10 million raised for national and local women’s charities, it was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world. Co-founded by Grammy-award winning artist Sarah McLachlan, Lilith Fair was a celebration of women in music, featuring artists like Sheryl Crow, Christina Aguilera, Erykah Badu, The Dixie Chicks, The Pretenders, Queen Latifah, Indigo Girls, and Tegan and Sara. Nearly 11 years later, Lilith returns and continues to break down boundaries by uniting iconic and up-and-coming female artists across all genres into one musical community of support and celebration. Once again led by McLachlan, the 11-artist line-up per city will constantly rotate among more than 80 confirmed acts, including Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Emmylou Harris, Tegan & Sara, Loretta Lynn, Metric, Rihanna, Court Yard Hounds, Gossip and more. The philanthropic spirit of the original Lilith Fair remains in tact, with $2 from every ticket sold going to charity: $1 to a local women’s charity in each tour market, $1 to the Lilith i4c Campaign, a for-profit venture that will help fund Lilith’s future non-profit initiatives. Lilith 2010 is The Celebration Of Women In Music. http://www.lilithfair.com

About WNBA

The WNBA is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity.  Now in its 14^th season, the WNBA features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world.  Following a 2009 campaign that saw regular season attendance increase for the third consecutive year and increased viewership on ESPN2 for the second straight summer, the 2010 season tipped off with tremendous momentum on May 15.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.

Sunset Showdown: Basketball under the stars

And on Sunday, June 6th, you can join the Los Angeles Sparks players and coaches and help clean up Santa Monica Beach.  Meet 9:00 am at 1600 Ocean Front Walk (North side of Pier, Tower 1550).

For more info on both events, go to LASparks.com

Miley Cyrus rocks the WNBA

When you think WNBA you might not immediately think “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus but the league is using her song “Can’t Be Tamed” as a promotional theme for a new TV spot. What do you think?

Crystal Langhorne’s Got Milk

WNBA player Crystal Langhorne is the latest model-athlete to stump for the “Body by Milk” campaign.

Crystal has known basketball success at every level, including on the international stage. As a member of the 2007 U21 USA Basketball Team, she won a Gold Medal. She’s also the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, 3 time Associated Press All-American.

Selected in the first round (6th overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics  out of the University of Maryland, this past season Crystal was named WNBA Most Improved Player.

While at Maryland Crystal won many honors including: Associated Press and USBWA All-American for the third-consecutive year and second time selected WBCA All-American … 2008 ACC Player of the Year… first team Senior CLASS All-American … earned All-American honors by Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, CBSsportsline.com and Full Court Press… surpassed Len Elmore’s school rebounding mark of 1,053… led the team with 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, both of which ranked third in the ACC … received preseason All-American nods from the AP, ESPN.com, Lindy’s, Women’s Basketball Magazine, CBSsportsline.com, Sporting News, Athlon’s and Sports Illustrated … among ESPN.com’s top five centers in the country … ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 and second team All-American … the ACC’s Scholar Athlete for women’s basketball, All-ACC Academic team and recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award, which is given to the student-athlete who plans to continue to play at the Olympic or professional level.

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Transcript of President Obama’s comments to UConn women’s basketball team

“Hello everybody. Please have a seat. Have a seat.

Well, welcome to the White House, everybody. Congratulations to the UConn Huskies on your second straight undefeated season and your second straight NCAA championship. I want to point out this team has not lost a game since I was elected president. I’m just saying.

I want to acknowledge a few UConn fans who made the trek from the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue. We’ve got Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman in the house. And Congressmen John Larson and Joe Courtney are here as well.

Now, when this team came to the White House last year – I was just pointing out to Maya. We went out back. I’ve got a little court. We shot a little bit. I’m not going to say who won. But I noticed then there were people who were saying, `You know, these Huskies, they’ve got little bit too much swagger because they said that they’d be back in 2010. They said that at the time.’ I’m not sure anybody believed them. I believed them listening to them, and that confidence was well deserved.

This team has had an unbelievable run. I think most of you know the statistics: Seven of the last 16 NCAA titles; Six undefeated regular seasons; Four undefeated championship seasons; And last year Coach Geno promised you guys would go 40-0 this year. It’s not your fault that he can’t do math very well and there were only 39 games. So … Coach, you can’t win 40 if there are only 39 games. But 39-0 is pretty good.

These women beat their own NCAA record to become the first women’s basketball team in history to win 78 games in a row over the past two years, which is just a staggering achievement. And I was telling them … Michelle and I workout in the morning. We’ve got a little gym here in the White House. And we just watch SportsCenter. I know you’ll be surprised that we don’t watch the news shows. But this is really true … During the entire season I just kept on repeating, and I truly believe, this was the best team in all of sports, any sport, any gender, by far. They were just something that made us all very proud.

I want to point out that Coach Geno’s teams have had a 100 percent graduation rate over the past 25 years. And that’s true again this year because these players work as hard in the classroom as they do on the court. I want to congratulate the seniors that graduated last week. If I’m not mistaken, the No. 1 WNBA draft pick Tina Charles, who is going to be graduating. Jacquie Fernandes. Meghan Gardler. Kalana Greene. And Kaili McLaren. Give them all a big round of applause.

Congratulations to Tina for winning the Naismith Trophy as Player of the Year, for graduating as UConn’s all-time scoring leader. I do have to say, though, Maya has her sights set on that record. She’s coming after it. And Maya, congratulations on being named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. When you consider that Maya says she approaches her academics as she does her basketball, it’s no surprise that she was named first-team Academic All-American for the third year in a row. That is worth some applause.

So, obviously, this team was under enormous pressure this season. Everyone was watching and waiting for them to stumble, figuring there was no way for them to go undefeated again. When your toughest test came in this year’s national championship game … You trailed the longest that you had all year. You came out swinging in the second half and brought that championship home yet again to the Storrs community that loves you so deeply.

When you’re at home in Storrs you apply the same winning attitude off the court. You read with elementary children. You spend time with cancer patients. Today, you brought that sense of service to Washington in visiting Wounded Warriors in Walter Reed. And I know they were thrilled to see you. Whether it’s winning a national championship, balancing practice with schoolwork or serving others these young women made it all look easy despite the fact that we all know they put in enormous amounts of work. That perseverance and dedication and that will to succeed makes them so special. And that’s why every single one of these young women sets a terrific example for girls and women today, as athletes, as scholars and as leaders. And I think Coach, you have just been an extraordinary leader. And I think all of us are extremely proud of the example that you set. So, as your President, I commend for setting that example. As the father of two tall girls, who are also very cute and also do great work in the classroom, I’m just so glad that they’ve got all of to look up to and I thank you for it.

I will say I will be very impressed if you make it here a third time in a row.

Congratulations to all you. Give them a big round of applause.”