Seventeen: Play like a pro with Candice Wiggins’s tips

Basketball player Candice Wiggins, the star Stanford shooting guard, always had a goal of going pro. And after many obstacles, she’s finally there, playing in the WNBA for the Minnesota Lynx.

Her sponsor, Nike, recently announced they will feature Wiggins in a new program called Delicious Training, which is designed to inspire teen girls.

Seventeen.com caught up with the player recently. Read what Candice has learned about getting in shape (and making it fun), staying focused on the court, making sacrifices and dealing with the teammates she didn’t always like!

17: The new Nike ads you’re in are about “Delicious Training,” or making training fun for yourself. What are some of the workouts that are fun for you?
Candice Wiggins: As an athlete, I loved playing in the game. But there’s a whole other side of training, not necessarily just on the court. I love doing core workouts. In the [campaign photo] shoot, I was really doing boxing, and it was probably one of the hardest workouts of my life.

17: Are there any fun workout tips you can suggest for people who don’t necessarily like to train or work out?
CW: Being with friends is number one! Having fun means being around people who you can help motivate. There’s a lot of strength in numbers.

More of the interview at Seventeen.com

Hoops: WNBA Draft Day

April 9, 2008 - It was Candice vs. Candace last night… And today, they start all over.

You’ve heard the hype: Candace Parker, Candice Wiggins and the deepest class in WNBA history.  It’s a given that both will be star players at the next level, in their own special ways.

As anticipated, Parker submitted the appropriate paperwork renouncing her remaining intercollegiate eligibility to be available for selection in today’s WNBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Sparks had the first draft pick and as expected they chose Parker. (Since we’re based in LA, we couldn’t be more excited!) The number two pick went to the Chicago Sky who added LSU’s Sylvia Fowles to their roster. Rounding out the top three was Wiggins who’s heading to the Minnesota Lynx (though there may well be a trade in her future). 

Detroit Shock had the fourth pick and chose Tennesse guard Alexis Hornbuckle. Fifth pick was Houston who selected Rutger’s guard Matee Ajavon. Next up, the Washington Mystics picked Maryland’s Crystal Langhorne who is a local favorite. Congrats to all the picks and you ladies looked great in your glam outfits and high heels – way to show off those pretty tough attributes.

See the full Draft Board here  and get the latest news at WNBA.com

Ace Wins; Parker and Tennessee NCAA Champions

April 9, 2008 – Injured or not, a bum left shoulder wasn’t enough to stop Candace Parker from hoisting that championship trophy one last time.

Parker scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford on Tuesday night. The Lady Vols also became the first repeat champs since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04.

The AP player of the year will leave the Lady Vols (36-2) with a year of eligibility remaining, but has accomplished one of her goals by winning multiple national titles.

Parker also became the fourth player to win back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four honors. She joined Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi (2003-04), Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw (1997-98), and Southern Cal’s Cheryl Miller (1983-84).

Stanford’s loss ended Candice Wiggins’ remarkable run through the NCAA tournament. She scored 14 points and finished with 151 over the six games _ the fourth-best total in tournament history. Sheryl Swoopes holds the record with 177 points, when she led Texas Tech to the championship in 1993. Wiggins is the first player to have two 40-point games in the tournament.

Wiggins took the Cardinal (35-4) further than they’d been since 1992, when the program won it all. Stanford hadn’t reached the Final Four since 1997 or advanced to the championship game since the ‘92 team.

The Ace vs. Ice battle may be over on a collegiate level, but we’re bound to see both of these Pretty Tough players again and again. 

Hoops: ‘Ice’ vs. ‘Ace’

April 8, 2008 – Candace Parker and Candice Wiggins made memorable first impressions on each other when they met on a basketball court as 13-year-olds at an AAU tournament.

Tonight, as 21-year-old women, Candace and Candice will end their distinguished collegiate careers on the same floor, when Parker’s Tennessee team plays Wiggins’ Stanford squad for the NCAA title. Both hope the final snapshot from their stellar college careers will include a national championship.

University of Tennessee All-America Forward Candace Parker was recently named winner of the 2008 Naismith Trophy. Parker led the Lady Vols in scoring (20.6 points) and rebounds (8.8) this season.  She is a two-time Kodak All-American, a three-time first-team All-SEC unanimous selection, the 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year and 2007 SEC Player of the Year.

Stanford senior guard Candice Wiggins added to her list of prestigious honors received over her illustrious career this week, as she was named the State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year and was also selected to the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team for a school record-breaking fourth time. Wiggins was named Pac-10 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, after averaging 21.7 ppg in three contests while making 14-25 three-pointers overall.

Ace vs. Ice – who will prevail? 

Hoops: Tennessee, Stanford advance to title game

April 7, 2008 -Alexis Hornbuckle’s only basket of the game was enough to get Tennessee back in the championship game.Hornbuckle’s putback with seven-tenths of a second left lifted the Lady Vols to a 47-46 victory over LSU in Sunday night’s national semifinal. It was the lowest scoring game in Final Four history.

AP Player of the Year Candace Parker, recovering from a dislocated shoulder, scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Lady Vols.

Tennessee (35-2) moved within a win of its eighth national championship. To do it, the Lady Vols will have to beat Stanford, which stunned Connecticut 82-73 in the other semifinal.

Cardinal star Candice Wiggins, the first player to have two 40-point performances in the same NCAA tournament, finished five assists shy of the first triple-double in women’s Final Four history.

The Lady Vols are looking to become the first repeat champions since the Huskies won three straight titles from 2002-04.

Ladies’ Night: Women’s Final 4 on tap

April 6, 2008 – Tennessee, LSU, Connecticut, Stanford – The women’s NCAA basketball tournament will dwindle to two teams after tonight’s Final Four. Contending for the two spots in the national championship are perennial contenders Tennessee and Connecticut, LSU — which is looking for its first NCAA crown — and Stanford, looking to extend its 22-game winning streak.

Will coaches Pat Summitt (Tenn.) and Geno Auriemma (UConn) meet in a championship showdown? Will Candace Parker’s shoulder — which she dislocated in regional final — hold up? Will Cardinal star Candice Wiggins,  the Pac-10’s all-time leader in scoring (2,590 points) and 3-point field goals (290), end her collegiate career with a national championship?

Tune in to find out the answers to these questions, and more!

7:00 PM EST: Stanford (4)  vs. Connecticut (1)
9:15 EST: LSU (6) vs. Tennessee (3)

Candice Wiggins honored as USA Basketball Female Athlete Of The Year

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Jan. 3, 2008 – Stanford University All-American Candice Wiggins (San Diego, Calif.), who was part of four separate USA Basketball teams in 2007 and helped those teams to three gold medals and a flawless 23-0 record, has been named USA Basketball’s 2007 Female Athlete of the Year. She becomes the first Stanford women’s basketball player to ever earn the honor.

The 5’11” Wiggins was selected for four USA Basketball teams in 2007. On Sept. 7, 2007, she became one of just four current collegians named to the elite 2007-08 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team. She was also selected as the lone alternate for the 2007 USA FIBA Americas Championship Team and traveled and trained with the team that finished 5-0 to win gold and qualify the U.S. for the 2008 Olympics in Chile, and participated in the USA Senior National Team’s two exhibition games versus Australia in early September 2007. She started her rewarding summer as a member of the 2007 USA Women’s U21World Championship Team that finished 8-0 and earned the gold medal in Moscow, Russia, and she was also a member of the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team that finished 5-0 and won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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