WNBA playoffs begin tonight

Detroit opens it’s title defense vs. the Dream tonight. The WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinal series pits the second-seeded Atlanta team against the third-seeded Shock.

The Dream, in just their second year of existence, are making their first-ever appearance in the playoffs after posting an 18-16 record in the regular season, something that was thought to be impossible after they posted just four wins in their entire inaugural campaign.

The 1-2 opening round format, in which the lower seed plays at home first, could be a huge factor here. If veteran-laden Detroit is able to capture the opener at home, where it has won six straight, it could give them the mental edge over an Atlanta team getting a taste of the playoffs for the first time ever as a group.

Some fast facts about the first-round Shock-Dream matchup:

• Detroit snapped a three-game skid to Atlanta in their last meeting on August 27.
• The Shock lead the all-time series, 4-3.
• Atlanta is making its first trip to the playoffs, while Detroit is making its seventh straight and eighth overall.
• Erika de Souza posted three double-doubles vs. Detroit this season.
• Shavonte Zellous averaged 16.8 PPG vs. Atlanta this season.
• Detroit has won three straight opening-round series.

The second match up of the night features Los Angeles vs. Seattle in the Western Conference semifinal. The Sparks have been a thorn in Seattle’s side for years now. L.A. eliminated Seattle in a series that went the distance last season as well as in 2006. And with Tina Thompson now added to the mix, Candace Parker at full strength, Lisa Leslie motivated to win a title in her final season, the Sparks should present problems for the Storm once again in 2009.

Some fast facts about the first-round Storm-Sparks matchup:

• The Storm (74.82) and Sparks (74.50) are 11th and 12th in the league in points per game.
• Leslie has played in just one of the four games against the Storm this season. Parker has played in only two.
• Seattle was the two seed in 2004 when they won their only trophy.
• Lennox was part of that Storm championship team. Only Jackson and Bird remain off that roster.
• Leslie has spent her entire 13-year career with the Sparks. During that time, she’s made seven All-Star appearances and has won two titles.
• Milton-Jones and Leslie are the only two current Sparks from their 2002 championship team. Leslie has remained with the club over the years, while Milton-Jones left three seasons (2005-07) to play in Washington.

Be sure to catch both games tonight on ESPN2!

Naperville basketball court named after Candace Parker

How’d you like a neighborhood basketball court named after you? That’s exactly what happened to WNBA star Candace Parker last week. The Naperville Park District honored their fave local player by dedicating a newly renovated basketball court in her honor.

Spring-Field Park is where Candace practiced basketball growing up so  when she cut the ribbon on Candace Parker Court, she recalled her childhood.

“This is where I pretty much first picked up a basketball,” said Parker,  “The first time I was on the court I was 5, had these huge braids and played with my big brothers. The park meant so much to our family.”

A plaque implanted in the sidewalk leading to the court notes that it was “the place where, for many years, Parker practiced and honed her craft under the guidance of her father.” Larry Parker was a former college basketball player who helped his daughter shape her game through countless hours of play.

“I am so excited to welcome Candace back to Naperville and present her with a Key to the City,” Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel said. “Candace is one of our hometown heroes and a positive role model for future generations of Naperville athletes. This is a fitting tribute for an outstanding individual. She truly has the key to our hearts in Naperville.”

Parker’s prowess on the basketball court has earned her numerous distinctions, from her high school prep career at Naperville Central High School where her contributions drove the Redhawks to consecutive state titles, as a member of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols where she led in scoring and rebounds during her final season, and as the top pick of the 2008 WNBA draft, going to the Los Angeles Sparks, her current team.

Most recently, Parker led the U.S. women’s basketball team to the gold medal during the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China.

Parker said she never imagined evolving into a role model for female athletes during her days playing in Naperville, but believes she has plenty of company.

“My generation was probably the first that had a few female athletes to really look up to, but today there are countless female athletes for young girls to look up to,” she said.

WNBA All Star voting underway

The Beijing Olympics replaced the WNBA All-Star game last season, but online voting for the 2009 All-Star game begins this week.

Balloting will determine the starting lineups for the league’s premier event, which will be hosted by the Connecticut Sun on Saturday, July 25 and televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Fans worldwide will have the opportunity to select their favorite players as starters for the ninth All-Star Game by voting in person at WNBA arenas or online beginning June 15 at WNBA.com.

The 65 players included on the 2009 All-Star ballot represent all 13 WNBA teams. Voters will  select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference. A write-in option is also available, allowing fans to choose players not listed on the ballot.

The WNBA All-Star Balloting Program will be conducted from June 14 through July 7.  Following the completion of fan voting, starting line-ups will be announced on July 14 during the nationally-televised Sun vs. Los Angeles Sparks game on ESPN2.  WNBA head coaches will then select the remaining All-Stars from their respective conferences, with the reserves announced on July 20.

The Western Conference dominated play by winning six straight before MVP Katie Douglas led the Eastern Conference to a 98-82 victory in the 2006 All-Star Game. The East followed that up with another victory in 2007, when Cheryl Ford poured in 16 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to earn MVP honors.

You can vote daily for your favorite players to be named to the team here and be eligible to win a trip for two to Mohegan Sun for the All-Star Game.

Weekend Sports June 11-14

Looking for sports to watch this weekend? Here are some choices:

Tennis
June 8-14, Aegon Championships, London, UK
June 8-14, Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany

Golf
June 11-14, PGA St. Jude Classic, Memphis, Tenn.
June 11-14,  McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola

Track & Field
June 10-13,  NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships

BMX
June 13-14, The ABA First State Nationals,  Milford, Delaware.

FRIDAY JUNE 12

NHL
STANLEY CUP FINAL Game 7
Pittsburgh v. Detroit, 8 pm

WNBA (All Access)
Los Angeles Sparks v. Indiana Fever, 7 p.m.
Seattle Storm v. Minnesota Lynx, 8 p.m.
Atlanta Dream v. Chicago Sky, 8:30
Phoenix Mercury v. Sacramento Monarchs, 10 pm

MLB
Minnesota v. Cubs, 2:20pm
Detroit v. Pittsburgh, 7:05pm
Red Sox v. Phillies, 7:05pm
Braves v. Orioles, 7:05pm
Mets v. Yankees, 7:05pm
Cardinals v. Cleveland, 7:05pm
Florida v. Blue Jays, 7:07pm
Nationals v. Rays, 7:38pm
Dodgers v. Texas, 8:05pm
White Sox v. Milwaukee, 8:05pm
Cincinnati v. Kansas City, 8:10pm
Seattle v. Colorado, 9:10pm
Houston v. Arizona, 9:40pm
San Diego v. Angels, 10:05pm
Oakland v. San Francisco, 10:15pm

NPF
Pride v. Bandits 7:05pm

SATURDAY JUNE 13

NBA
Lakers @ Magic 8:00pm (Championship Game?)

NPF
Pride v. Bandits 7:05pm

WNBA (All Access)
New York Liberty @ San Antonio 8:00pm
Sacramento Monarchs @ Phoenix Mercury 10:00pm

WPS
Chicago Red Stars @ Washington Freedom 4:30pm
Los Angeles Sol @ Sky Blue FC 7:00pm (NBCU)

MLB
Twins v. Cubs,  1:05 pm
Marlins v. Blue Jays, 1:07 pm
White Sox v. Brewers, 4:05 pm
Mets v Yankees, 4:10 pm
Cardinals v. Indians, 4:10 pm
Nationals v.  Rays, 6:08 pm
Braves v. Orioles, 7:05 pm
Red Sox v. Phillies, 7:05 pm
Tigers v. Pirates, 7:05 pm
Reds v. Royals, 7:10 pm
Dodgers v.  Rangers, 8:05 pm
Astros v. D-backs, 8:10 pm
Mariners Rockies, 8:10 pm
Padres v. Angels, 9:05 pm
Athletics v. Giants, 10:05 pm

SUNDAY JUNE 14

NPF
Pride v. Bandits 3:05pm

WNBA (All Access)
Atlanta Dream  @ Connecticut Sun 3:00pm
Seattle Storm @ Chicago Sky 6:00pm

WPS
Saint Louis Athletica @ Boston Breakers 6:00 pm

MLB
Mets v.Yankees, 1:05 pm
Marlins v. Blue Jays, 1:07 pm
Braves v. Orioles, 1:35 pm
Red Sox v. Phillies, 1:35 pm
Tigers v. Pirates, 1:35 pm
Nationals v. Rays, 1:38 pm
White Sox v.Brewers, 2:05 p.m.
Reds v. Royals 2:10 pm
Twins v. Cubs 2:20 pm
Dodgers v. Rangers, 3:05 pm
Mariners v. Rockies, 3:10 pm
Padres v. Angels, 3:35 pm
Athletics Giants 4:05 pm
Astros v.  D-Backs, 4:10 pm
Cardinals v. Indians 8:05 pm

WNBA design contest brings fans creativity to the court

Get out your Crayolas and Sharpies. The WNBA wants to make someone a design superstar.

For the second consecutive season, adidas is giving WNBA fans the opportunity to combine their passion for the game with their creativity to design a shooting shirt that will be worn on court during the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game on July 25 in Connecticut.

Fans can log onto WNBA.com/idesign from June 8 to July 5, 2009 and submit their designs. The winning design, as determined by a panel of WNBA and adidas representatives, will be manufactured by adidas, the Official Outfitter of the WNBA, and worn on court by all players participating in the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game. Fans can also rate and comment on each submitted design online.

The winner will receive a trip for two to the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game and will be acknowledged during the game. The winning shirt will be sold on nbastore.com, at the NBA Store on 5th Avenue in New York City, and in-arena at the Mohegan Sun Arena during the All-Star game.

Last year’s winner, Meghan Farley, designed a creative shooting shirt incorporating each WNBA team logo united within a silhouette of the WNBA logo. Her shirt, which all players wore on court during the 2008 WNBA Finals, was sold online at wnbastore.com and was the top-selling item during its first on-sale date.

For more information, log onto www.wnba.com/idesign.

WNBA: Expect Great

Be the first to see the two new ad spots for the WNBA’s Expect Great campaign for the 2009 season.The ads will begin to air nationally this weekend, but you can check them out now. Visit WNBA.com for more details.

Pomp and Circumstance: Athletes Graduate

It’s that time of year. All across the country,  graduations are taking place.  But when they play “Pomp and Circumstance” and call the roll, there will be a number of no-shows at many of these graduation ceremonies.

Why miss graduation? Well, for student-athletes it can be a busy time of year. Some are participating in post-season play and others are transitioning into their professional careers.

Former Oklahoma women’s basketball stars Courtney and Ashley Paris are two who will not be donning a cap and gown this year. OU’s ceremony is Saturday and the sisters are due to start WNBA training camps on Sunday.

With the camps on the West Coast the two don’t want to travel so soon before practice starts. Courtney was a first-round draft pick of the Sacramento Monarchs and Ashley was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks.

Courtney says she’s not happy about missing the graduation ceremony but the decision is best because of the short amount of time involved.

Other student-athletes are faced with similar dilemmas. Four University of Houston-Victoria softball players are choosing their jerseys over a cap and gown.

Sam Campagna, Lauren Garza, Lindsey Ferguson and Kristen Lindley will graduate on Saturday, but instead of attending their graduation, they’ll be playing in the NAIA National Softball Tournament in Decatur, Ala.

Similarly, there will be four no-shows at Mesa State College’s graduation. Seniors Meagan Hennessy, Jamie Prather, Kristen Silva and Jessica Rayman will be celebrating graduation on the diamond, preparing to play the second game of the NCAA Division II Super Regional 3 tournament, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Duke University’s official graduation ceremony was held last Sunday inside Wallace Wade Stadium, but seniors on the women’s lacrosse team were hosting the opening round of the NCAA Tournament (defeating Virginia 15-13 in overtime).  Luckily, Duke holds a special graduation ceremony for student athletes unable to attend the main graduation.

Former LSU women’s basketball standout Sylvia Fowles will return to campus to graduate this week, according to the Athletics Department. The former Olympic gold medalist, All-American, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year, Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, WNBA first-round draft pick and All-Rookie Team member, EuroLeague Center of the Year, who was two credits shy of graduation when she left school,  said the degree will be a crowning achievement on an already illustrious career.

So which schools do the best job of graduating female athletes? In general, female athletes graduate at a much higher rate than their male counterparts.

With this summer’s graduations of two former basketball players, Georgia coach Andy Landers’ 30-year streak is intact. Fifty-three of his 54 four-year letter winners will have graduated by August; the 54th will wrap up after a one-year internship ends in May 2010.

Lady Hardmon Grooms,  who played at Georgia from 1988-1992, wasn’t exactly on the college graduation fast track. But in August, after this summer’s internship, the former UGA basketball player will finish her long pursuit.

And 12 years after shedding her UGA uniform for those of professional teams around the world, Kedra Holland-Corn will finally get to wear her cap and gown.

Slow and steady, fast and furious, it doesn’t matter. UGA women are unbeaten in their graduation record.

The UConn Husky women’s basketball team also has a pretty good record. Just last month, the National Champions were recognized by the NCAA for top academic performance as a team.  And over the course of 24 seasons, Coach Geno Auriemma’s players have had a 100-percent graduation rate. Renee Montgomery, recently drafted by the Minnesota Lynx,  is among this year’s graduating seniors.  She became the first Husky to have her jersey retired before graduation.

Earlier this month the NCAA released its annual grades known as ”Academic Progress Rates,” a rolling four year measure of Division I athletes’ basic progress toward graduation.

APR scores are calculated by a point system that measures each athlete’s eligibility, retention and graduation in school. For falling below the 925 standard, programs can suffer immediate penalties ranging from loss of scholarships and practice time to a ban on postseason play.

Among the squads with a perfect APR score were Penn State’s women’s field hockey lacrosse, and tennis  teams. Only 7.2 percent of the nation’s 6,323 teams in the survey earned a four-year APR score of 1,000.

Congratulations to the Penn State women’s teams and good luck to all the graduates, even if you go pro in something other than sports!

Candace Parker welcomes baby girl

According the the WNBA site, Candace Parker gave birth to a baby girl today at 11:29 a.m. It is the first child for the WNBA MVP / Rookie of the Year and husband Shelden Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The baby girl weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 20 inches in length. “Shelden and I are thrilled,” said Parker. “This is such a life changing moment for us, we feel blessed to have a healthy and beautiful baby girl.”

Parker plans to rejoin the Los Angeles Sparks once she has received clearance from her physician.

Congratulations Candace! Girls kick grass!!

Welcome back LJ and Happy 10th season Seattle Storm

Lauren Jackson’s free agency and rumors of her signing with the Phoenix Mercury have had Storm fans on an emotional rollercoaster.  She’s been playing in Russia during the off-season and her legions of supporters have been on edge waiting to hear about her WNBA plans.

It was with great relief then, when Seattle’s Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel Brian Agler announced today that they re-signed two-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson for the 2009 season.

“Lauren is a key to our team’s success and we’re thrilled she has decided to continue her career in Seattle,” said Agler. “She’s an MVP, an All-Star and one of the best women’s basketball players in the world. Her renewed commitment to this organization is a big asset as we continue to work toward bringing another WNBA championship to the city of Seattle.”

The Aussie 6′5″ forward – who has been the face of the Storm franchise since she was drafted in 2001 – led the team to the 2004 WNBA title with teammate and friend Sue Bird. Jackson’s departure would have been devastating to the team and its fan base. There’s no doubt that she, along with Bird, is largely responsible for the Storm’s intensely loyal following.

The 27-year-old Jackson has spent her entire WNBA career in Seattle, leading the Storm to the league championship in 2004. She has averaged 19.4 points and 8.0 rebounds, and is the franchise leader in scoring with 4,602 points. Most recently, Jackson was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2008 – the second time Jackson received the nod. Her first nomination to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team came at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Jackson compiled 147 total rebounds, 108 total defensive rebounds and 33 total blocks in 21 games for the Storm during the 2008 season. Should she have qualified by playing the league minimum games, she would have ranked 11th  and 6th  respectively. Jackson missed five games prior to the WNBA’s Olympic break to practice with the Australian National Team, and eight games following the break due to ankle surgery.

Given her storied career and huge popularity, she’s bound to get a lot of love from Storm fans this year. Welcome back LJ.

Pretty Tough Trivia
LJ sunk her 1,000 career point at 22 years, 27 days old — the youngest in WNBA history.

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.

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