Nikki Caldwell is the new Coach at UCLA and can really be summed up in these words: 6 years Assistant at Tennessee, 5 Final Fours and two NCAA Championships. Now what can she do on her own, great question, but there is no question that the background is there for success.
Caldwell's first task to make her four big post players productive. The loss of Regina Rogers, who transferred to Washington might hurt, but the talent is there, just waiting for coaching. Several of the UCLA post players are very aggressive, so that doesn’t have to be taught.
Chinyere “Ray Ray” Ibekwe is a 6-4 Sr who patterns her play after Dennis Rodman. And to be fair, her hobbies include modeling. Back to basketball, she had a poor season last year, but as a Soph averaged just short of 8 points and 7 rebounds a game. New coach, SR season, could well mean breakout year. Moniquee Alexander is a 6-6 Jr who started 15 games last year. However she only averaged 12 minutes, 4 points and 3 rebounds a game. Her high game? Against her new coach, last vs Tennessee. Christina Nzekwe is a 6-4 Soph who averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds a game. Candice Brown is 6-3, a Soph, who averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds a game.
These four post players hold the key to a successful season. If they can rebound, score and stay healthy, UCLA, with their good Guards could have a fine season.
The Point Guard is Darxia Morris, a 5-8 Soph who had a huge game against Stanford last season. She averaged 8 points a game, but must improve her assist total, she has a career high of only 5. 5-10 Sr Tierra Henderson will also play the Point, after averaging 8 points per game last year. Henderson is an outstanding defensive player, and will probably also see playing time at the off guard position.
Wings include 5-10 Soph Dorenna Campbell. Doreena averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 ½ assists in her frosh season. She also shot 43% from three, although only taking 53 shots from beyond the line. 6-1 Soph Nina Earl started half the games last year, averaging almost 9 points per game. If Morris, Campbell and Earl all start, that’ll give the Bruins 3 very good and young, backcourt athletes.
UCLA has three more fine wings in JR Erica Tukiainen, who averaged 4 ½ points per game last season. The recruiting class yielded two outstanding incoming frosh. Atonye Nyingifa is 5-11 but a very strong player who could play any of several positions. She was the # 19 High School player last year. Nyingifa is a strong slasher with a nice shot and a very strong rebounder despite being under 6 foot. Rebekah Gardner is 6-0 and was the # 66 player last season in High School. Any of these three could start, and they give the young UCLA team six solid rising backcourt players.
Morris is not playing yet, recovering from March knee surgery. UCLA edged Love and Basketball 86-80 in their first exhibition game and then beat Team SRP 107-63 on Sunday. Earl with 23 and Gardner with 19 led the scoring.
If the four post players can play good defense, and rebound well, UCLA has a shot at post season.
November 9, 2008
November 6, 2008
First Week in the Pac 10
Exhibition play has started in the Pac 10 and here are the highlights and lowlights.
Arizona: Their first exhibition game was against their Male practice players, ‘nuff said. Then they played Oklahoma Panhandle and won 85-33. Rieko Thomas hit 16 of 18 FT’s for 20 points, PG Ashley Frazier had 7 assists and only 3 turnovers and also hit 3 of 4 three point shots, Amina Njonkou had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Arizona had only 10 turnovers.
First game is Nov 14 against Toledo.
Arizona State: Beat a Travel team from Houston in their only exhibition. Sybil Dosty had 17 points and 9 rebounds and Lauren Lacey had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Orsillo returned after missing last season and scored 8 points in 15 minutes, Alex Earl, teammate of JJ Hones in High School, scored 4 points in her debut.
First game is in the WNIT against Cleveland State on Nov 14.
USC: Beat Love and Basketball 79-63 despite 32 turnovers. 32!!! Ashley Corral hit 5 of 10 Three’s and Kari LaPlante had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
First game is Nov 15 against Charlotte.
UCLA: Beat Love and Basketball 86-80. Dorenna Campbell led with 16 points. 3 of their 4 Posts had 4 fouls each . They play another exhibition on Sunday.
First game is Nov 16 against Fullerton.
Cal: Beat Chico State 95-51 without Hampton. They play another exhibition on Sunday. Against Chico, now Sr Gray-Lawson had 17 points. But the big news was Sr Shantrell Sneed scoring 15 points in a big step up game.
First game is Nov14 against Albany.
Oregon: Defeated Northwest Christian University 87-40. And had 2,247 people in attendance. Frosh Amanda Johnson, from Santa Rosa, began her career with a team leading 18 points. Forward Rita Kolla had NINE!! assists. They play an exhibition on Monday.
First game is Nov 15 against San Jose State.
Oregon State: Beat Lewis and Clark 98-36. Brittany Davis was high with 18 points and Talisa Rhea hit 3 of 4 three’s on her way to 17 points. They play another exhibition on Tuesday.
First game is Nov 16 against Sacramento State.
Washington: Beat Love and Basketball 77-73. Heidi McNeil had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Michelle Ausgustavo hit 4 of 8 three’s. On the down side, Washington had 27 turnovers. Liz Lay did not play. They play another exhibition on Monday.
First game is Nov 16 against Gonzaga.
Washington State: Beat Showtime 101-64. The frosh scored 53 points and the team only had 12 turnovers. They have another exhibition Sunday.
Arizona: Their first exhibition game was against their Male practice players, ‘nuff said. Then they played Oklahoma Panhandle and won 85-33. Rieko Thomas hit 16 of 18 FT’s for 20 points, PG Ashley Frazier had 7 assists and only 3 turnovers and also hit 3 of 4 three point shots, Amina Njonkou had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Arizona had only 10 turnovers.
First game is Nov 14 against Toledo.
Arizona State: Beat a Travel team from Houston in their only exhibition. Sybil Dosty had 17 points and 9 rebounds and Lauren Lacey had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Orsillo returned after missing last season and scored 8 points in 15 minutes, Alex Earl, teammate of JJ Hones in High School, scored 4 points in her debut.
First game is in the WNIT against Cleveland State on Nov 14.
USC: Beat Love and Basketball 79-63 despite 32 turnovers. 32!!! Ashley Corral hit 5 of 10 Three’s and Kari LaPlante had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
First game is Nov 15 against Charlotte.
UCLA: Beat Love and Basketball 86-80. Dorenna Campbell led with 16 points. 3 of their 4 Posts had 4 fouls each . They play another exhibition on Sunday.
First game is Nov 16 against Fullerton.
Cal: Beat Chico State 95-51 without Hampton. They play another exhibition on Sunday. Against Chico, now Sr Gray-Lawson had 17 points. But the big news was Sr Shantrell Sneed scoring 15 points in a big step up game.
First game is Nov14 against Albany.
Oregon: Defeated Northwest Christian University 87-40. And had 2,247 people in attendance. Frosh Amanda Johnson, from Santa Rosa, began her career with a team leading 18 points. Forward Rita Kolla had NINE!! assists. They play an exhibition on Monday.
First game is Nov 15 against San Jose State.
Oregon State: Beat Lewis and Clark 98-36. Brittany Davis was high with 18 points and Talisa Rhea hit 3 of 4 three’s on her way to 17 points. They play another exhibition on Tuesday.
First game is Nov 16 against Sacramento State.
Washington: Beat Love and Basketball 77-73. Heidi McNeil had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Michelle Ausgustavo hit 4 of 8 three’s. On the down side, Washington had 27 turnovers. Liz Lay did not play. They play another exhibition on Monday.
First game is Nov 16 against Gonzaga.
Washington State: Beat Showtime 101-64. The frosh scored 53 points and the team only had 12 turnovers. They have another exhibition Sunday.
October 28, 2008
The Cougars are on the Rise
It’s been a long time since even the most ardent Washington State fan thought that their team might be on the rise, but they can think the impossible now. June Dougherty has a fine first recruiting class with seven frosh will make their debut in November. April Cook from Long Beach Poly is the only Top 100 recruit,
# 84, but the other six might have been in the Top 200 so they will immediately vie for playing time.
Most of the newcomers are wings or guards, but frosh post Jessica Oestreicher at 6-8 will be the Pac 10’s tallest player and immediately challenge 6-4 Sr Ebonee Coates for playing time. Coates averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds per game last year, despite missing the first 7 games with a foot injury and another 6 games during the season with a concussion. She is 5th on the all time WSU shot blocking list. She also recorded several double/doubles, including against Stanford. Oestreicher, the # 71 player per Blue Star, was a very high recruit, but dropped a bit due to injuries. All League in Softball and Volleyball, she will be a strong player for the Cougars.
At the 4 position, 6-3 Heather Molzen returns, having started every game for the Cougars last year, averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds per game.
There are several players who could play either the 4 or 3 positions, and not knowing June’s plan, I’ll just talk about the possible 4 players first. 6-0 Soph Katie Calderwood started 20 games as a frosh averaging 4 points and 4 ½ rebounds per game, playing more wing, she took 97 three point shot attempts. Frosh Rosie Tarnowski is a touted 6-1 frosh. She played on the Fencor Travel team, DelleDone’s team. Rosie was named Player of the Year in Philly, the first woman ever given that honor. And like a number of Cougars, a 4 point student in High School. Another frosh is 6-1 Lexie Petterson a local from Spokane.
A newcomer who transferred from Idaho is 6-0 Jr Katie Madison. She has to sit out this year, but may well be the best newcomer. She led the WAC Conference in scoring while a frosh at Idaho. As a Frosh she averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds and as a Soph 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Washington State has three possible Point Guards. Kezia Kelly started last season as a frosh, in fact played the entire season as a 17 year old. Kelly is originally from England and moved to New Zealand while in High School. She averaged 5 points and 2 ½ assists per game. 5-8 frosh April Cook was the # 84 player in the country and # 16 Point Guard. April also was a several time league 100m dash champion. The 3rd candidate is another frosh, Danielle LeNoir, from famed Narbonne High School in Los Angeles.
The Wing Positions will have lots of competition also. Katie Appleton is a 5-8 Sr who started almost every game last season. Appleton led the Cougars in scoring with 12 points per game and was 2nd in the conference with a 40% three point percentage. Salena Dickerson transferred from Gonzaga two years ago and last season averaged 4 points per game for WSU. Twice Dickerson, whose brother was a star at Arizona, scored 40 points in a High School game.
More on Wings with Jasmine Perkins, a 5-10 frosh from Berkeley, who scored 28 points in the NorCal Championship game for her Division last year. Alexa Price is a 5-8 Jr who appeared in all 30 Cougar games last year and averaged 5 points a game but also hit 34 Three pointers. 5-9 Soph Jasmine Williams started 23 games last year as a frosh and averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds per game. Both Williams’ brother and cousin play for the Washington Sate Football team. Frosh Katie Grad was an All State player in Washington.
There should be lots of excitement for Cougar fans, but the real excitement may be the making of new fans in the Palouse. Already for 2009, June has a top 5 in the conference class for next season.
Lots of young players, only 3 Srs and a single Jr. Goods times are happening.
# 84, but the other six might have been in the Top 200 so they will immediately vie for playing time.
Most of the newcomers are wings or guards, but frosh post Jessica Oestreicher at 6-8 will be the Pac 10’s tallest player and immediately challenge 6-4 Sr Ebonee Coates for playing time. Coates averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds per game last year, despite missing the first 7 games with a foot injury and another 6 games during the season with a concussion. She is 5th on the all time WSU shot blocking list. She also recorded several double/doubles, including against Stanford. Oestreicher, the # 71 player per Blue Star, was a very high recruit, but dropped a bit due to injuries. All League in Softball and Volleyball, she will be a strong player for the Cougars.
At the 4 position, 6-3 Heather Molzen returns, having started every game for the Cougars last year, averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds per game.
There are several players who could play either the 4 or 3 positions, and not knowing June’s plan, I’ll just talk about the possible 4 players first. 6-0 Soph Katie Calderwood started 20 games as a frosh averaging 4 points and 4 ½ rebounds per game, playing more wing, she took 97 three point shot attempts. Frosh Rosie Tarnowski is a touted 6-1 frosh. She played on the Fencor Travel team, DelleDone’s team. Rosie was named Player of the Year in Philly, the first woman ever given that honor. And like a number of Cougars, a 4 point student in High School. Another frosh is 6-1 Lexie Petterson a local from Spokane.
A newcomer who transferred from Idaho is 6-0 Jr Katie Madison. She has to sit out this year, but may well be the best newcomer. She led the WAC Conference in scoring while a frosh at Idaho. As a Frosh she averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds and as a Soph 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Washington State has three possible Point Guards. Kezia Kelly started last season as a frosh, in fact played the entire season as a 17 year old. Kelly is originally from England and moved to New Zealand while in High School. She averaged 5 points and 2 ½ assists per game. 5-8 frosh April Cook was the # 84 player in the country and # 16 Point Guard. April also was a several time league 100m dash champion. The 3rd candidate is another frosh, Danielle LeNoir, from famed Narbonne High School in Los Angeles.
The Wing Positions will have lots of competition also. Katie Appleton is a 5-8 Sr who started almost every game last season. Appleton led the Cougars in scoring with 12 points per game and was 2nd in the conference with a 40% three point percentage. Salena Dickerson transferred from Gonzaga two years ago and last season averaged 4 points per game for WSU. Twice Dickerson, whose brother was a star at Arizona, scored 40 points in a High School game.
More on Wings with Jasmine Perkins, a 5-10 frosh from Berkeley, who scored 28 points in the NorCal Championship game for her Division last year. Alexa Price is a 5-8 Jr who appeared in all 30 Cougar games last year and averaged 5 points a game but also hit 34 Three pointers. 5-9 Soph Jasmine Williams started 23 games last year as a frosh and averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds per game. Both Williams’ brother and cousin play for the Washington Sate Football team. Frosh Katie Grad was an All State player in Washington.
There should be lots of excitement for Cougar fans, but the real excitement may be the making of new fans in the Palouse. Already for 2009, June has a top 5 in the conference class for next season.
Lots of young players, only 3 Srs and a single Jr. Goods times are happening.
October 24, 2008
Washington Needs Time to Develop
Any story about the University of Washington Women’s Basketball program has to begin, sadly, with who isn’t at Washington. Washington lost three fine players due to a somewhat normal process, graduation and an injury. Gone are Point Guard Emily Florence and Post Andrea Plouffe who both graduated. Guard Dominique Banks retired rather than return for a final season. However the real disappointment for Husky fans was the lost of four prize frosh who decided to transfer rather than continue in Seattle.
Leading scorer Katelan Redmon, whose sister is an outstanding 2010 prospect, transferred to home town Gonzaga. Center and Tall Fern Jess McCormack transferred to UConn. Center Kali Bennett transferred to Arizona State. Finally Candice Nicholas transferred out even before the 2007-08 season started. Only two are left from this outstanding Frosh class, and both of them battled injuries last season.
2008-09 hopes to be more than a new year for 2nd Year Coach Tia Jackson, as they strive for continuity and success. To that end Jackson, a former Stanford Assistant, has the # 18 recruit, the dynamic Liz Lay. Liz is recovering from knee problems suffered in February, but when she is ready she’ll present problems for all Pac 10 defenses. Other top frosh include Guard Kristi Kingma, an outstanding shooter, and # 44 last year and Mollie Williams, a 6-2 Forward, named # 64 in the country by Collegiate Girls BB Report.
Washington finished 6th in the Conference last year with a 13-18 overall record. I don’t see too much improvement for them, but as they build it will be interesting. The Huskies have seven returning players, five new frosh and three transfers. Regina Rogers transferred from UCLA and must sit out the year. The other two transfers are JC players who can play immediately.
The Huskies have 5 potential post players to play the 4/5 positions. Returnees are 6-2 Jr Laura McLellan (from San Jose), a true post player, and F/C’s 6-3 Sr Heidi McNeill, redshirt frosh, 6-3 Mackenzie Argens, 6-1 Frosh Liz Lay and 6-2 Frosh Mollie Williams.
McLellan averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes last year while starting 7 games. She did shoot 59% from the floor. McNeill averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes. Losing Bennett and McCormick really hurts here. Argens was hurt and only played in 4 games.
The two Frosh, Lay and Williams could both start. Lay would be an undersized 5, so expect her, if healthy, to start at the 4, and McLellan at the 5. Lay is a battler. She is extremely aggressive and talented. You’ll love to watch her play. If Williams lives up to her Collegiate Girls BB ranking, she’ll see lots of minutes. Regina Rogers will help tremendously in 2009-10 after sitting out this season under the transfer rule.
It appears 5-6 Frosh Nicole Romero will be the Point Guard. Jackson has called the Australian “one of the purest point guards one will ever see”. She was named the top player on her country’s 21U team. The back up could be 5-8 Soph Sarah Morton or 5-8 Jr and JC transfer Christina Rozier. Morton averaged just 8 minutes a game last season.
At the Wings will be Sami Whitcomb, the top returning scorer for the Huskies. Sami, a 5-10 Jr, averaged 11 points per game and hit 62 three’s at an average of 34%. The other starter could be 6-0 Sr Michelle Augustavo who only averaged 6 points per game, but made 46 three’s at a rate of 31%. Michelle took 183 shots last year, 150 of them were from behind the arc.
5-10 Frosh Kristi Kingma will play right away, probably the 3rd wing. She is an outstanding offensive player with a nice three, but even better pull up jumper. She is very quick, called explosive by Coach Jackson.
Sara Moisman is a 5-10 Jr who averaged 4.5 points per game while starting 9 games last season. One of Sara’s Travel Coaches was Glenn Nelson of HoopGrulz.
Washington now has to rebuild after losing so many talented players. Lay, Kingma, Williams and Romero could be great starts for the Huskies.
Leading scorer Katelan Redmon, whose sister is an outstanding 2010 prospect, transferred to home town Gonzaga. Center and Tall Fern Jess McCormack transferred to UConn. Center Kali Bennett transferred to Arizona State. Finally Candice Nicholas transferred out even before the 2007-08 season started. Only two are left from this outstanding Frosh class, and both of them battled injuries last season.
2008-09 hopes to be more than a new year for 2nd Year Coach Tia Jackson, as they strive for continuity and success. To that end Jackson, a former Stanford Assistant, has the # 18 recruit, the dynamic Liz Lay. Liz is recovering from knee problems suffered in February, but when she is ready she’ll present problems for all Pac 10 defenses. Other top frosh include Guard Kristi Kingma, an outstanding shooter, and # 44 last year and Mollie Williams, a 6-2 Forward, named # 64 in the country by Collegiate Girls BB Report.
Washington finished 6th in the Conference last year with a 13-18 overall record. I don’t see too much improvement for them, but as they build it will be interesting. The Huskies have seven returning players, five new frosh and three transfers. Regina Rogers transferred from UCLA and must sit out the year. The other two transfers are JC players who can play immediately.
The Huskies have 5 potential post players to play the 4/5 positions. Returnees are 6-2 Jr Laura McLellan (from San Jose), a true post player, and F/C’s 6-3 Sr Heidi McNeill, redshirt frosh, 6-3 Mackenzie Argens, 6-1 Frosh Liz Lay and 6-2 Frosh Mollie Williams.
McLellan averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes last year while starting 7 games. She did shoot 59% from the floor. McNeill averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes. Losing Bennett and McCormick really hurts here. Argens was hurt and only played in 4 games.
The two Frosh, Lay and Williams could both start. Lay would be an undersized 5, so expect her, if healthy, to start at the 4, and McLellan at the 5. Lay is a battler. She is extremely aggressive and talented. You’ll love to watch her play. If Williams lives up to her Collegiate Girls BB ranking, she’ll see lots of minutes. Regina Rogers will help tremendously in 2009-10 after sitting out this season under the transfer rule.
It appears 5-6 Frosh Nicole Romero will be the Point Guard. Jackson has called the Australian “one of the purest point guards one will ever see”. She was named the top player on her country’s 21U team. The back up could be 5-8 Soph Sarah Morton or 5-8 Jr and JC transfer Christina Rozier. Morton averaged just 8 minutes a game last season.
At the Wings will be Sami Whitcomb, the top returning scorer for the Huskies. Sami, a 5-10 Jr, averaged 11 points per game and hit 62 three’s at an average of 34%. The other starter could be 6-0 Sr Michelle Augustavo who only averaged 6 points per game, but made 46 three’s at a rate of 31%. Michelle took 183 shots last year, 150 of them were from behind the arc.
5-10 Frosh Kristi Kingma will play right away, probably the 3rd wing. She is an outstanding offensive player with a nice three, but even better pull up jumper. She is very quick, called explosive by Coach Jackson.
Sara Moisman is a 5-10 Jr who averaged 4.5 points per game while starting 9 games last season. One of Sara’s Travel Coaches was Glenn Nelson of HoopGrulz.
Washington now has to rebuild after losing so many talented players. Lay, Kingma, Williams and Romero could be great starts for the Huskies.
October 3, 2008
The Ducks look to move up in the Standings
Oregon has been down for awhile and 2008-09 doesn’t look good for them. They lost 2 Srs including a solid player in Chapadelaine. Then Nurse left the team suddenly after last season along with one of their European imports. Adding to their losses, Soph Guard Nia Jackson tore her ACL and is lost for the season.
The Ducks have 12 players including 5 foreign, 3 frosh and a JC transfer. None of the newcomers are highly rated, nevertheless they do have promise.
In the Post position are two solid players and they are only in their 2nd year. 6-4 Ellyce Ironmonger, now there’s a name for a banger in the paint, and 6-5 Nicole Canepa return for the Ducks. Ironmonger averaged 6.5 points and 5 rebounds per game while starting about half the games. Canepa, from San Francisco, averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game as she started about half the games. She was also Honorable Mention all PAC 10 Frosh last season. There were a few games when both started, so something we might see again this season.
Ellie Manou is a 6-3 frosh who played a lot at the 4 position despite battling injuries last season. She averaged 7 points and 5.5 rebounds. Another 4 is frosh Amanda Johnson, 6-2, from Santa Rosa. Johnson averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds a game as a High School Sr. She scored over 2,000 points in her High School career.
Oregon lists 4 players on their roster as F/G so I’ll assume one of them will play the 3. JC transfer Lindsey Stafford is a 5-10 Jr who has had rebound success at the High School and JC level despite being 5-10. Stafford averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds per game last year, and as a High School Sr averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds. Being 5-10 will be hard for her in the PAC 10 at the 3, although a number of teams will be playing with 3 Guards.
The other 3’s are Rita Kollo a 6-0 5th year Sr. Kolla played two years of JC, a year at Oklahoma State and then sat out last year under the transfer rule. She scored 21 points per game in JC as a Soph and 10 points per game on Hungary’s U21 team in 2007. She brings some talent, but will be in her first and last season. Victoria Kenyon is a 6-2 Soph from Australia. Kenyon redshirted her first season at Oregon, and last year scored 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. She started 12 of the Ducks’games last season. Tatianna Thomas is a 5-11 Soph who saw little time last season, but was rated as the 40th best Guard as a Sr in High School. Incoming 6-0 Frosh Jasmin Holiday rounds out this group, although Holliday is listed only as a Forward on the Ducks roster. Holiday averaged 14 points and a solid 11 rebounds a game last year as a High School Sr.
Oregon returns two good Guards, 5-8 Jr Micaela Cocks and 5-6 Jr Taylor Lilley. Also they have added 5-6 Frosh Darriel Gaynor. Lilley is Oregon’s best player, having averaged 13 points per game last season and was named 3rd team All PAC 10. She’s also an excellent Three Point shooter, hitting 74 last season, 35% and is already 6th on the all time Duck list in Three Pointers made. Cocks averaged almost 7 points per game. Frosh Gaynor is the only true Point Guard on the team, She averaged 11 points and 6 assists per game last year in High School.
Little or not so little known facts: Lilley is the choice of most as the best dancer. Gaynor was a Travel teammate of Stanford’s Lindy LaRocque and has a sister playing for the Houston Comets. Cocks, of course, was a Tall Fern with Jillian in the Olympics.
The big question for Oregon: Who plays the Point? Gaynor, a frosh, is the only one with experience and that’s High School level. Or Lilley or Cocks?
Oregon has a pretty good non conference schedule, so they’ll come into league play prepared. Women’s Basketball is still pretty exciting in Oregon, they average 2,600 at home. But do they have the players to make a run to the top 5 in the league?
The Ducks have 12 players including 5 foreign, 3 frosh and a JC transfer. None of the newcomers are highly rated, nevertheless they do have promise.
In the Post position are two solid players and they are only in their 2nd year. 6-4 Ellyce Ironmonger, now there’s a name for a banger in the paint, and 6-5 Nicole Canepa return for the Ducks. Ironmonger averaged 6.5 points and 5 rebounds per game while starting about half the games. Canepa, from San Francisco, averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game as she started about half the games. She was also Honorable Mention all PAC 10 Frosh last season. There were a few games when both started, so something we might see again this season.
Ellie Manou is a 6-3 frosh who played a lot at the 4 position despite battling injuries last season. She averaged 7 points and 5.5 rebounds. Another 4 is frosh Amanda Johnson, 6-2, from Santa Rosa. Johnson averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds a game as a High School Sr. She scored over 2,000 points in her High School career.
Oregon lists 4 players on their roster as F/G so I’ll assume one of them will play the 3. JC transfer Lindsey Stafford is a 5-10 Jr who has had rebound success at the High School and JC level despite being 5-10. Stafford averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds per game last year, and as a High School Sr averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds. Being 5-10 will be hard for her in the PAC 10 at the 3, although a number of teams will be playing with 3 Guards.
The other 3’s are Rita Kollo a 6-0 5th year Sr. Kolla played two years of JC, a year at Oklahoma State and then sat out last year under the transfer rule. She scored 21 points per game in JC as a Soph and 10 points per game on Hungary’s U21 team in 2007. She brings some talent, but will be in her first and last season. Victoria Kenyon is a 6-2 Soph from Australia. Kenyon redshirted her first season at Oregon, and last year scored 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. She started 12 of the Ducks’games last season. Tatianna Thomas is a 5-11 Soph who saw little time last season, but was rated as the 40th best Guard as a Sr in High School. Incoming 6-0 Frosh Jasmin Holiday rounds out this group, although Holliday is listed only as a Forward on the Ducks roster. Holiday averaged 14 points and a solid 11 rebounds a game last year as a High School Sr.
Oregon returns two good Guards, 5-8 Jr Micaela Cocks and 5-6 Jr Taylor Lilley. Also they have added 5-6 Frosh Darriel Gaynor. Lilley is Oregon’s best player, having averaged 13 points per game last season and was named 3rd team All PAC 10. She’s also an excellent Three Point shooter, hitting 74 last season, 35% and is already 6th on the all time Duck list in Three Pointers made. Cocks averaged almost 7 points per game. Frosh Gaynor is the only true Point Guard on the team, She averaged 11 points and 6 assists per game last year in High School.
Little or not so little known facts: Lilley is the choice of most as the best dancer. Gaynor was a Travel teammate of Stanford’s Lindy LaRocque and has a sister playing for the Houston Comets. Cocks, of course, was a Tall Fern with Jillian in the Olympics.
The big question for Oregon: Who plays the Point? Gaynor, a frosh, is the only one with experience and that’s High School level. Or Lilley or Cocks?
Oregon has a pretty good non conference schedule, so they’ll come into league play prepared. Women’s Basketball is still pretty exciting in Oregon, they average 2,600 at home. But do they have the players to make a run to the top 5 in the league?
September 22, 2008
Oregon State looks for respect
Oregon State has had a tough time in Women’s Basketball. LaVonda Wagner is beginning her 4th season with the Beavers trying to turn the program around. With a below average, for the PAC 10, recruiting class and the loss through graduation of leading scorer Ashley Allen, this season does not appear to be what Wagner had hoped her 4th year would be. On the other hand, Oregon State under Wagner has usually been quite competitive and able to score points.
At Center will be the twosome of 6-2 Sr Tiffany Ducker and 6-4 Soph Alex Mitchell. They offer good scoring and rebounding but really need to step up their defense. Ducker (who really should be playing for the Ducks) averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game, Mitchell, 4 points and 4 rebounds. They played together at times last season.
At the 4 position could be 6-1 JR Stacey Nichols who started most of her games here. A bit of a mismatch as she is not a strong rebounder or scorer, averaging 2 points and 3 rebounds per game. And like last year it is likely Oregon State will play a 3 Guard line-up. Other candidates are JC transfer, 6-3 Anita Burdick, 6-3 Soph Brittany Eskridge or 6-1 frosh Kristen Tilleman.
Burdick averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds as a JC Soph and lesser numbers as a frosh, but in High School she was All State in Nevada. Burdick holds her High School records with 46 points and 26 rebounds in a single game. Eskridge played only 5 minutes per game as a Frosh. Tilleman was the Gatorade Player of the year the past two seasons, over Tinkle, so that speaks highly of her. Tilleman was also the State Triple Jump Champ for 2 years and a past Gatorade soccer Player of the Year.
The starting Point Guard will be returning 3rd team All League Mercedes Fox-Griffin. She’s a 5-7 SR who averaged 4.8 Assists per game last year, 2nd in the league and 6.4 the year before to lead the league. Mercedes averaged 8 points per game, without hitting a single three pointer. She’ll give strong leadership to a team that has only 3 Seniors.
The other two Guards in the Three Guard Line-up will be 5-10 Sr Brittney Davis and All Frosh 5-11 Soph Talisa Rhea. Davis averaged 13 points per game although hit only 22 three’s at a 32 % rate. Rhea on the other hand averaged 10 points per game, finishing 3rd in Three Points made, 67, and 5th in Three Point percentage, 37 %.
Only one other experienced back up Guard returns, 5-8 Jr Julie Futch who averaged almost 3 points per game. However two good Frosh will give the Beavers backcourt depth. Kassandra McAlister redshirted last year for family reasons. She’s from Mitty High School and was an outstanding scorer there. She teamed with Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson to form one of the Nations best backcourts in High School two years ago. 5-7 Frosh Brittany Kennedy will back up Fox-Griffin at the Point Guard position.
Arkansas and North Carolina are the toughest of the Beavers pre-season foes, otherwise a light schedule. However once the Conference season starts Oregon State will be in tough company, fighting to finish at the top of the PAC 10’s second division.
Stanford connections are Fox-Griffin who played in High School with Candice Wiggins, and Stacy Nichols, a High School teammate of JJ Hones.
At Center will be the twosome of 6-2 Sr Tiffany Ducker and 6-4 Soph Alex Mitchell. They offer good scoring and rebounding but really need to step up their defense. Ducker (who really should be playing for the Ducks) averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game, Mitchell, 4 points and 4 rebounds. They played together at times last season.
At the 4 position could be 6-1 JR Stacey Nichols who started most of her games here. A bit of a mismatch as she is not a strong rebounder or scorer, averaging 2 points and 3 rebounds per game. And like last year it is likely Oregon State will play a 3 Guard line-up. Other candidates are JC transfer, 6-3 Anita Burdick, 6-3 Soph Brittany Eskridge or 6-1 frosh Kristen Tilleman.
Burdick averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds as a JC Soph and lesser numbers as a frosh, but in High School she was All State in Nevada. Burdick holds her High School records with 46 points and 26 rebounds in a single game. Eskridge played only 5 minutes per game as a Frosh. Tilleman was the Gatorade Player of the year the past two seasons, over Tinkle, so that speaks highly of her. Tilleman was also the State Triple Jump Champ for 2 years and a past Gatorade soccer Player of the Year.
The starting Point Guard will be returning 3rd team All League Mercedes Fox-Griffin. She’s a 5-7 SR who averaged 4.8 Assists per game last year, 2nd in the league and 6.4 the year before to lead the league. Mercedes averaged 8 points per game, without hitting a single three pointer. She’ll give strong leadership to a team that has only 3 Seniors.
The other two Guards in the Three Guard Line-up will be 5-10 Sr Brittney Davis and All Frosh 5-11 Soph Talisa Rhea. Davis averaged 13 points per game although hit only 22 three’s at a 32 % rate. Rhea on the other hand averaged 10 points per game, finishing 3rd in Three Points made, 67, and 5th in Three Point percentage, 37 %.
Only one other experienced back up Guard returns, 5-8 Jr Julie Futch who averaged almost 3 points per game. However two good Frosh will give the Beavers backcourt depth. Kassandra McAlister redshirted last year for family reasons. She’s from Mitty High School and was an outstanding scorer there. She teamed with Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson to form one of the Nations best backcourts in High School two years ago. 5-7 Frosh Brittany Kennedy will back up Fox-Griffin at the Point Guard position.
Arkansas and North Carolina are the toughest of the Beavers pre-season foes, otherwise a light schedule. However once the Conference season starts Oregon State will be in tough company, fighting to finish at the top of the PAC 10’s second division.
Stanford connections are Fox-Griffin who played in High School with Candice Wiggins, and Stacy Nichols, a High School teammate of JJ Hones.
September 17, 2008
PAC 10 preview of the new season
This is our first column on the 2008-09 season, and we’ll begin with the Arizona Wildcats. Lots of change in Tucson, where long time coach Joan B has been replaced by Niya Butts who had been the Assistant Head Coach at Kentucky. She was at Kentucky for 5 years, and an Assistant elsewhere for 3 more years. She graduated from Tennessee, where she played for 4 years, All Academic SEC for 3 of those years and has a Masters Degree. Butts has brought in a new staff, including former Arizona player Sue Darling who has more than 20 years of experience, including having been Head Coach at the Air Force Academy.
As for the Arizona team, well out with the old in with the new, as they are truly starting over. They only have 5 scholarship players returning this year. Their roster includes a walk-on, 5 new frosh and 2 JC transfers. They will be building this year and next, and they will have 6 scholarships to give for this year’s recruiting class. It’ll take time, and it won’t be pretty, but they certainly brought in a neat blend of coaches to try to work their way to the top half of the PAC 10.
Arizona actually had a decent recruiting class, but no one who projects to be a top PAC 10 performer.
At the Post will be Beatrice Bofia, who I believe will be the PAC 10’s tallest player, at 6-7. However in a reserve role last season she only averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds per game. She played two years of JC ball but had similar stats. Bofia will be backed up, or replaced by their top recruit, 6-5 Malia Nahinu, the # 89 recruit in the country. Nahinu averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last year at a Hayward, CA High School.
At the 4 position will be the Wildcats best player from a year ago, Amina Njonkou. She’s a 6-1 Sr who last season averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds per game and earned Honorable Mention All PAC 10. She’s a tough and skillful player. At the other forward will be Ify Ibekwe, 6-1, who was All PAC 10 frosh a year ago. Ify had a fine frosh year averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds per game. Depending on how the two Centers play, Ify would be a bit out of position. It would not be surprising if Ify and Amina both play the Post positions.
The only back up post/Forward is 6-1 Sr Sarah Hays who averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds last season. So a 3 Guard line up is also possible for the Wildcats.
At the 2 Guard will be Soph Tasha Dickey. She averaged 7 points per game while taking over the starting spot early in the season. Dickey will be challenged by frosh Jhakia McDonald, who was ranked approximately # 150 last season. Of interest to Stanford fans is the fact that her godbrother is former Card great Joss Childress.
At the Point will probably be incoming frosh, and CIF 2A Player of the Year, Amani Butler. Butler was # 103 in the Hoop Gurlz rankings last year. An interesting point on Butler, she turns 21 mid November. The back up may be JC transfer Ashley Frazier.
Three other players could well get playing time. 6-0 frosh Courtney Clements averaged 18 per game in a strong SoCal High School league. Frosh Reiko Thomas averaged 16 point per game at famed Narbonne High School in LA. Also JC transfer Ipek Turkyilmaz could help in the backcourt.
The pre-season schedule is not tough, Middle Tennessee State and Texas A&M being the highlights. However the PAC 10 season will be really hard for the first year staff, as Arizona may go into each game as the underdog.
In another story, we’ll review recruiting for each team. The Letter of Intent period is November 12-19.
As for the Arizona team, well out with the old in with the new, as they are truly starting over. They only have 5 scholarship players returning this year. Their roster includes a walk-on, 5 new frosh and 2 JC transfers. They will be building this year and next, and they will have 6 scholarships to give for this year’s recruiting class. It’ll take time, and it won’t be pretty, but they certainly brought in a neat blend of coaches to try to work their way to the top half of the PAC 10.
Arizona actually had a decent recruiting class, but no one who projects to be a top PAC 10 performer.
At the Post will be Beatrice Bofia, who I believe will be the PAC 10’s tallest player, at 6-7. However in a reserve role last season she only averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds per game. She played two years of JC ball but had similar stats. Bofia will be backed up, or replaced by their top recruit, 6-5 Malia Nahinu, the # 89 recruit in the country. Nahinu averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last year at a Hayward, CA High School.
At the 4 position will be the Wildcats best player from a year ago, Amina Njonkou. She’s a 6-1 Sr who last season averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds per game and earned Honorable Mention All PAC 10. She’s a tough and skillful player. At the other forward will be Ify Ibekwe, 6-1, who was All PAC 10 frosh a year ago. Ify had a fine frosh year averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds per game. Depending on how the two Centers play, Ify would be a bit out of position. It would not be surprising if Ify and Amina both play the Post positions.
The only back up post/Forward is 6-1 Sr Sarah Hays who averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds last season. So a 3 Guard line up is also possible for the Wildcats.
At the 2 Guard will be Soph Tasha Dickey. She averaged 7 points per game while taking over the starting spot early in the season. Dickey will be challenged by frosh Jhakia McDonald, who was ranked approximately # 150 last season. Of interest to Stanford fans is the fact that her godbrother is former Card great Joss Childress.
At the Point will probably be incoming frosh, and CIF 2A Player of the Year, Amani Butler. Butler was # 103 in the Hoop Gurlz rankings last year. An interesting point on Butler, she turns 21 mid November. The back up may be JC transfer Ashley Frazier.
Three other players could well get playing time. 6-0 frosh Courtney Clements averaged 18 per game in a strong SoCal High School league. Frosh Reiko Thomas averaged 16 point per game at famed Narbonne High School in LA. Also JC transfer Ipek Turkyilmaz could help in the backcourt.
The pre-season schedule is not tough, Middle Tennessee State and Texas A&M being the highlights. However the PAC 10 season will be really hard for the first year staff, as Arizona may go into each game as the underdog.
In another story, we’ll review recruiting for each team. The Letter of Intent period is November 12-19.
April 24, 2008
Changes in the Pac 10
While Tara remains the Dean of Pac 10 Coaches, we have added two new faces to the programs of Arizona and UCLA. Turnover among the Head Coaches has been so great the past few years that only Tara, Charli Turner Thorne and Bev Smith at Oregon have held their positions more than four years.
Let’s look at the seven relatively new Coaches and the Oregon situation.
Niya Butts is the new Head Coach at Arizona, coming from the University of Kentucky where she was the Associate Head Coach. Niya is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where she played for Pat Summitt. She started coaching at Tennessee Tech, and in her two years there also received her Master Degree in Education. She then moved to Michigan State as an Assistant for one season, then on to Kentucky for the past five seasons, the last one as the Associate Head Coach. While at Tennessee as a player, she was Academic All SEC.
Several players were suspended this past season at Arizona, but they have either graduated or, with the recent announcement, won’t be back next season. No rumors of players wanting out of the November Letters of Intent either. So signs are that Niya is being accepted by many of the new and continuing players. Maybe Arizona will look to High School Srs who were not signed or a JC player as ASU just signed. In any case the young Coach will bring a new outlook to a rather stagnant program.
At UCLA, former Tennessee Assistant Nikki Caldwell was signed to a 5 year contract to be the Head Coach. Nikki played for Tennessee and graduated in 1994 with a degree in Public Relations. At a glance one might think Nikki jumped into coaching, but not so. Upon graduating she became the TV color analyst for Tennessee and then SEC games. She also hosted a local TV show, Shop at Home. She returned to Tennessee as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the 1999 season, then to Virginia as an Assistant for three seasons. Nikki then returned to Tennessee and was an Assistant there for the past six seasons.
Two newcomers to the Pac 10 and the West, let alone the West Coast, Butts and Caldwell represent hope to two programs that have missed the NCAA’s more often than not in the past few seasons.
Tia Jackson spent a year coaching for Tara, five years for UCLA and two years for Duke, before becoming the Head Coach at Washington. Her first season was 13-18, but 8-10 in the conference and 10-5 at home. This with a young team. However since the start of last season four of the frosh have left along with another who will graduate and move on.
June Daugherty just finished her first season at Washington State with a 5-25 record. However June has been a Head Coach for 19 seasons, including 11 at Washington. Her career record is 314-213. And she was once an Assistant to Tara. There was only one Senior last season for Washington State and they had their best recruiting class in years. Given the situation of this program for some time, it looks to be on its way up.
LaVonda Wagner has now coached three years at Oregon State. She came to Oregon State after a long time career as an Assistant Coach, including the previous years at Duke. Last season the Beavers were 12-18 and 4-14 in league play.
Joanne Boyle has been at Cal for three years and last year had her team in the Top 10 for much of the season. Cal finished 27-7, and Boyle has a record at Cal of 68-28 for her three years. She came to Cal from Richmond where in three seasons she won 70% of her games. She was a four year letter winner at Duke and has a Masters Degree. Boyle coached as an Assistant at Duke for nine seasons before becoming the Head Coach at Richmond.
Mark Trakh was the Head Coach for 11 seasons at Pepperdine before becoming the Head Coach at USC where he has been in charge for the past 4 seasons. His record at USC is 73-49, a 60% and his overall record at both USC and Pepperdine is 272-172, a 61% winning percentage for 15 seasons.
Bev Smith is a former Oregon All American and in the Oregon Hall of Fame. She became the head Coach at Oregon for the 2001-2002 season and will enter her 8th season next year. Oregon was 14-17 last season and the AD at Oregon has publicly said improvement is needed.
Let’s look at the seven relatively new Coaches and the Oregon situation.
Niya Butts is the new Head Coach at Arizona, coming from the University of Kentucky where she was the Associate Head Coach. Niya is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where she played for Pat Summitt. She started coaching at Tennessee Tech, and in her two years there also received her Master Degree in Education. She then moved to Michigan State as an Assistant for one season, then on to Kentucky for the past five seasons, the last one as the Associate Head Coach. While at Tennessee as a player, she was Academic All SEC.
Several players were suspended this past season at Arizona, but they have either graduated or, with the recent announcement, won’t be back next season. No rumors of players wanting out of the November Letters of Intent either. So signs are that Niya is being accepted by many of the new and continuing players. Maybe Arizona will look to High School Srs who were not signed or a JC player as ASU just signed. In any case the young Coach will bring a new outlook to a rather stagnant program.
At UCLA, former Tennessee Assistant Nikki Caldwell was signed to a 5 year contract to be the Head Coach. Nikki played for Tennessee and graduated in 1994 with a degree in Public Relations. At a glance one might think Nikki jumped into coaching, but not so. Upon graduating she became the TV color analyst for Tennessee and then SEC games. She also hosted a local TV show, Shop at Home. She returned to Tennessee as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the 1999 season, then to Virginia as an Assistant for three seasons. Nikki then returned to Tennessee and was an Assistant there for the past six seasons.
Two newcomers to the Pac 10 and the West, let alone the West Coast, Butts and Caldwell represent hope to two programs that have missed the NCAA’s more often than not in the past few seasons.
Tia Jackson spent a year coaching for Tara, five years for UCLA and two years for Duke, before becoming the Head Coach at Washington. Her first season was 13-18, but 8-10 in the conference and 10-5 at home. This with a young team. However since the start of last season four of the frosh have left along with another who will graduate and move on.
June Daugherty just finished her first season at Washington State with a 5-25 record. However June has been a Head Coach for 19 seasons, including 11 at Washington. Her career record is 314-213. And she was once an Assistant to Tara. There was only one Senior last season for Washington State and they had their best recruiting class in years. Given the situation of this program for some time, it looks to be on its way up.
LaVonda Wagner has now coached three years at Oregon State. She came to Oregon State after a long time career as an Assistant Coach, including the previous years at Duke. Last season the Beavers were 12-18 and 4-14 in league play.
Joanne Boyle has been at Cal for three years and last year had her team in the Top 10 for much of the season. Cal finished 27-7, and Boyle has a record at Cal of 68-28 for her three years. She came to Cal from Richmond where in three seasons she won 70% of her games. She was a four year letter winner at Duke and has a Masters Degree. Boyle coached as an Assistant at Duke for nine seasons before becoming the Head Coach at Richmond.
Mark Trakh was the Head Coach for 11 seasons at Pepperdine before becoming the Head Coach at USC where he has been in charge for the past 4 seasons. His record at USC is 73-49, a 60% and his overall record at both USC and Pepperdine is 272-172, a 61% winning percentage for 15 seasons.
Bev Smith is a former Oregon All American and in the Oregon Hall of Fame. She became the head Coach at Oregon for the 2001-2002 season and will enter her 8th season next year. Oregon was 14-17 last season and the AD at Oregon has publicly said improvement is needed.
March 6, 2008
The Pac 10 Tournament
The Pac 10 Tournament begins Friday at 6PM with # 7 Oregon playing # 10 Washington State. Should be a romp in the park for Oregon.
At 8:15, # 8 Oregon State plays # 9 Arizona. I think Arizona will prevail in this one.
Four games on Saturday with the first at 11:00, matching # 3 Arizona State against # 6 Washington. Both teams have been playing well lately, the Huskies with their huge win over Cal and Charli’s Angels winning both of their LA games. I believe it will be a close game, and an ASU win.
At 1:15 # 2 Cal takes on # 7 Oregon, if Oregon wins on Friday. Cal will stay focused and win by 12.
After goodies for the Fast Break Club, Stanford, the # 1 seed, meets the winner of a close Arizona-Oregon State contest. This game starts at 5:00. I believe it will be Arizona, but no matter, Stanford should win.
At 7:15 the final Saturday game will match the # 4 seed USC Trojans against the # 5 seed UCLA Bruins. OK, I’ll be rooting for USC so why not just predict them as the winner? OK done.
Sunday at Noon, the winner of the ASU-Washington game takes on the winner of the
Cal – Oregon (I predict) game. This game is almost too close to call, except I’m here predicting, so I’ll take Hampton and Walker over Lacey and Dosty and a very close Cal win.
At 2:30 Stanford, if the Card beats the OSC-Arizona winner, they take on the winner of the USC-UCLA game. Stanford over USC it says here.
The Final, which I believe will be Game three this season of Stanford –Cal basketball, starts at 7:30. No jinxing allowed, I’ll pass on a prediction, but I’ll be loud at the game.
Both the Final and Sunday’s 2:30 game are on FSBA. Which on Sunday are two different Channels because of the Sharks game.
Jillian Harmon might return this weekend, how about a Standing O when she takes the floor.
A final fantastic remark, congrats to Candice, Pac 10 Player of the Year, Kayla, Pac 10 Frosh of the Year and Tara, Pac 10 Coach of the Year.
At 8:15, # 8 Oregon State plays # 9 Arizona. I think Arizona will prevail in this one.
Four games on Saturday with the first at 11:00, matching # 3 Arizona State against # 6 Washington. Both teams have been playing well lately, the Huskies with their huge win over Cal and Charli’s Angels winning both of their LA games. I believe it will be a close game, and an ASU win.
At 1:15 # 2 Cal takes on # 7 Oregon, if Oregon wins on Friday. Cal will stay focused and win by 12.
After goodies for the Fast Break Club, Stanford, the # 1 seed, meets the winner of a close Arizona-Oregon State contest. This game starts at 5:00. I believe it will be Arizona, but no matter, Stanford should win.
At 7:15 the final Saturday game will match the # 4 seed USC Trojans against the # 5 seed UCLA Bruins. OK, I’ll be rooting for USC so why not just predict them as the winner? OK done.
Sunday at Noon, the winner of the ASU-Washington game takes on the winner of the
Cal – Oregon (I predict) game. This game is almost too close to call, except I’m here predicting, so I’ll take Hampton and Walker over Lacey and Dosty and a very close Cal win.
At 2:30 Stanford, if the Card beats the OSC-Arizona winner, they take on the winner of the USC-UCLA game. Stanford over USC it says here.
The Final, which I believe will be Game three this season of Stanford –Cal basketball, starts at 7:30. No jinxing allowed, I’ll pass on a prediction, but I’ll be loud at the game.
Both the Final and Sunday’s 2:30 game are on FSBA. Which on Sunday are two different Channels because of the Sharks game.
Jillian Harmon might return this weekend, how about a Standing O when she takes the floor.
A final fantastic remark, congrats to Candice, Pac 10 Player of the Year, Kayla, Pac 10 Frosh of the Year and Tara, Pac 10 Coach of the Year.
March 2, 2008
The Pac 10: Stanford is the Champion
1. Stanford (27-3, 16-2) Won the Pac 10 Championship outright, Candice breaks the all time Pac 10 scoring record, not a bad weekend at all. Candice Wiggins broke Lisa Leslie’s Pac 10 scoring record as she had 46 points this weekend. She wrapped up what surely will be Player of the Year honors and for good measure had 6 assists against WSU. Jayne Appel had 7 assists in the win at Washington, where JJ Hones added 4 three’s. Stanford had 21 three’s in the two games.
2. Cal (24-5, 15-3) Lost to Washington to lose their share of the Pac 10 title. They now have the # 2 seed in the Pac 10 Tournament. Lauren Greif had 4 three’s against Washington, and Alexis Gray-Lawson had 17 points, 29 for the weekend. Ashley Walker had 21 points and 17 points and Devanei Hampton had 25 points and 14 rebounds in the two games.
3. Arizona State (20-9, 14-4) Swept the LA schools in LA to make the Dance and be the # 3 seed in the Pac 10 tournament. Lauren Lacy was the big scorer for the weekend with 25 points. Briann January scored 17 in the win at UCLA.
4. USC (17-12, 10-8) Playing without Nadia Parker, and for the NCAA’s, lost twice to the Arizona schools. Camille LaNoir scored 35 points in the two games, while Morghan Medlock had 16 points and 19 rebounds in the two games.
4. UCLA (15-14, 10-8) Beat Arizona and lost to ASU. Lindsey Pluimer led the Bruins again with 29 points in the two games.
6. Washington (13-17, 8-10) Upset Cal to cap a pretty good record despite their youth, injuries and turmoil.
Sami Whitcomb made 5 of 9 three’s for 24 points in the upset of Cal. Emily Florence, the 5’5” guard had 17 rebounds, 8 assists and only 2 turnovers in the two games.
7. Oregon (13-16, 7-11) Ellie Manou had 18 points and Tamika Nurse had 16 points to lead the Ducks over the Beavers
8. Oregon State (11-18, 4-14) Alex Mitchell had her first double, double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Oregon. Tiffany Ducker had 17 points in that game.
8. Arizona (10-19, 4-14) Beat USC for a big road win, then lost to UCLA. Ashley Whisonant scored 28 in the two games. Ify Ibekwe added 28 points and 20 rebounds and Amina Njonkou had 27 points and 16 rebounds for the weekend.
10. WSU (5-24, 2-16) Lost twice to Cal and Stanford. Katie Appleton had 29 points in the two games.
A note, the 4 games in LA drew and average of about 800 fans. Sad.
2. Cal (24-5, 15-3) Lost to Washington to lose their share of the Pac 10 title. They now have the # 2 seed in the Pac 10 Tournament. Lauren Greif had 4 three’s against Washington, and Alexis Gray-Lawson had 17 points, 29 for the weekend. Ashley Walker had 21 points and 17 points and Devanei Hampton had 25 points and 14 rebounds in the two games.
3. Arizona State (20-9, 14-4) Swept the LA schools in LA to make the Dance and be the # 3 seed in the Pac 10 tournament. Lauren Lacy was the big scorer for the weekend with 25 points. Briann January scored 17 in the win at UCLA.
4. USC (17-12, 10-8) Playing without Nadia Parker, and for the NCAA’s, lost twice to the Arizona schools. Camille LaNoir scored 35 points in the two games, while Morghan Medlock had 16 points and 19 rebounds in the two games.
4. UCLA (15-14, 10-8) Beat Arizona and lost to ASU. Lindsey Pluimer led the Bruins again with 29 points in the two games.
6. Washington (13-17, 8-10) Upset Cal to cap a pretty good record despite their youth, injuries and turmoil.
Sami Whitcomb made 5 of 9 three’s for 24 points in the upset of Cal. Emily Florence, the 5’5” guard had 17 rebounds, 8 assists and only 2 turnovers in the two games.
7. Oregon (13-16, 7-11) Ellie Manou had 18 points and Tamika Nurse had 16 points to lead the Ducks over the Beavers
8. Oregon State (11-18, 4-14) Alex Mitchell had her first double, double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Oregon. Tiffany Ducker had 17 points in that game.
8. Arizona (10-19, 4-14) Beat USC for a big road win, then lost to UCLA. Ashley Whisonant scored 28 in the two games. Ify Ibekwe added 28 points and 20 rebounds and Amina Njonkou had 27 points and 16 rebounds for the weekend.
10. WSU (5-24, 2-16) Lost twice to Cal and Stanford. Katie Appleton had 29 points in the two games.
A note, the 4 games in LA drew and average of about 800 fans. Sad.
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