Sun announces second annual Women in Sports essay contest

The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun is inviting Connecticut students in grades 4-8 to participate in the Second Annual Women in Sports Essay Contest in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD).

All Connecticut students  interested in participating in the project may submit a one-page essay answering the question: “Who is your favorite female athlete and why?” All essays must be received by the Connecticut Sun front office by Fri., April 9. Sun players, along with members of the organization, will judge the essays.

NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women’s sports. It has evolved into a day that acknowledges the past while recognizing current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.

One grand prize winner in the Sun contest will receive an exclusive school assembly with Sun mascot Blaze and/or players to recognize the winning student, essay and school. The winner will be recognized at a Sun pre-season game, receive four tickets to a pre-season game and have their essay posted on the team’s web site. Five runners-up, one from each grade level, will receive four tickets to a Sun pre-season game and their essays posted on the team’s web site. The first 50 entrants in the contest will receive a special gift from the Connecticut Sun as well as two complimentary tickets to a Sun pre-season game.
Entry forms are now available on www.connecticutsun.com.

Hoops Hoopla: UConn Champs, WNBA Draft & more

In case you’ve been living in a hole, or under a rock (I’ve been neither but I have been on vacation) here’s an update on what’s been happening in the world of women’s basketball.

On Tuesday night, the UConn women finished out their perfect season by beating Louisville 76-54 and capturing the NCAA championship for the 6th time.  With that one final blowout, Connecticut grabbed the national title and a piece of basketball history.

It wasn’t just that Connecticut claimed another title. It was how the Huskies did it. They won every one of their 39 games by double digits, an unprecedented run in college basketball.

Associated Press Player of the Year Maya Moore and senior point guard Renee Montgomery played well  throughout the season but it was center Tina Charles who really delivered in the championship game.

Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry finished off her stellar career with 23 points in the final collegiate game.

On Thursday, the WBNA Draft took place and McCoughtry led the class as a surprise first pick for for the Atlanta Dream. With the second pick the Washington Mystics chose Maryland’s Marissa Coleman while her Terps teammate Kristi Toliver went third to the Chicago Sky. UConn standout Renee Montgomery was picked fourth by the Minnesota Lynx.

My local team, the Los Angeles Sparks, picked forward Ashley Paris who will join her sister Courtney in California (Courtney was drafted by Sacramento). See Complete Draft Board.

Megan Hueter (from Because I Played Sports and Women Talk Sports) was at the Draft and has some fun behind-the-scenes footage and commentary including a great interview with Nancy Lieberman.

Congrats to all on a great season and a great future with the WNBA.

Making a Fashion Statement on WNBA Draft Day

With this year’s collegiate basketball season over (congrats UConn), and the 2009 WNBA Draft taking place on Thursday, April 9, rookie players are facing a lot of pressure. Sure, there’s the question of which player gets picked by which team. But equally important is what to wear on the big day? It’s a decision that each player attending the draft must make.

Fifteen of the top women’s basketball prospects have been invited to this year’s Draft. The list is highlighted by Renee Montgomery (Connecticut), Courtney and Ashley Paris (Oklahoma), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman (Maryland) and Kia Vaughn (Rutgers).

Do the players keep their Draft Day outfits simple or try to make a statement? Do they go with a dress or a suit? If they go with a suit, do they wear pants or a skirt? WNBA players have many options when putting their draft-day outfit together and through the years have shown their style with much success.

Last year, Candace Parker got things started in the right direction with her all-white pant suit. Any coincidence that a phenom from the NBA named LeBron James also wore all white on Draft day?

Perhaps the biggest fashion statement of last year’s draft came from No. 2 pick Sylvia Fowles (photo), who topped off her black pants, white shirt and black vest with a black fedora hat. Pretty Tough? You bet!

Making the right fashion choice can help make players’ memories of draft day all the better. They should smile – not cringe – when they look back at the photos from such an important day, so choosing an outfit wisely is of utmost importance.

Read what players have said in the past about their fashion choices and get all the deets about this year’s draft at WNBA.com.

Good luck to all (on the fashion choices as well as the draft picks)!

Getting to know your new WNBA

With the Final Four upon us and the WNBA draft taking place next week, it’s time  to take a look at the new class of professional ballers.

Last year was considered the deepest class in WNBA history. This year there isn’t as much depth but with roster reductions, the competition for spots in the league will be equally fierce.

Two of the top picks will be playing this weekend in the Final Four so be sure to catch UConn’s Renee Montgomery and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris in their final collegiate contests.

Montgomery is the whole package. She could be a starting point guard for almost any team she goes to. She’s a great leader who exudes confidence and knows how to build team chemistry. She’s smart, knows how to play both ends of the floor and has extemely high basketball IQ.

Six foot four Paris knows how to bang the boards and is a strong presence physically and mentally. She got a lot of attention last month when she offered to repay her scholarship if Oklahoma didn’t win a national championship this year so the stakes for her are high.

Atlanta Dream has the first pick in the draft followed by the Washington Mystics and there’s a good chance Montgomery and Paris will go in early rounds. But  Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, the Big East conference’s defensive player of the year, and Maryland’s Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman are also considered top picks.

The Terrapins are going to have to face life next year without seniors Coleman and Toliver. Toliver is a shooting point guard always willing to go for the big shot. She’s going to fit best with an uptempo team such as Phoenix.

Who else will have a chance to play with the pros? Look for Cal’s Ashley Walker,  the second leading scorer and top rebounder in program history, Rutger’s Kia Vaughn, and Duke’s Chante Black. Both Vaughn and Black might be a good fit for a team like Connecticut.

All these players know how to play under pressure. They’ve got the necessary work ethic and each brings a unique set of skills to a team. Once the top players are picked, it will be like a game of dominoes to see how the rest fall.

The goal of a competitor is to play as long as possible so those not picked for the WNBA draft will probably look at their prospects for playing overseas. Stay tuned.