Both Indiana's Kathi Bennett and Purdue's Kristy Curry were upset with their teams last night. The Boilers played uninspired but still beat Wisconsin and IU played phantom defense and got smoked by Minnesota. Purdue Story Indiana Story
#18 Michigan State beat Illinois in a comeback win at Champaign. Lindsey Bowen had 17 for the Spartans. MSU/UofI Recap
#6 Penn State had no problem with an out of conference game with St. Josephs winning 80-44. Mazzante was only 1 for 7 from 3 point range in 32 minutes. Story
OSU gets a big road win at Michigan 51-49. Caity Matter had a double double for the Buckeyes and Tabitha Poole had a double double for Michigan. Story
Iowa rolled over Northwestern in Evanston 76-61. Story
In Non Big-Ten (11) Action from the Hoosier State :
Indiana State found out why SMS is the top dog in the Valley last night as the Bears scored a 73-47 victory in front of 6580 fans in Springfield. Story
Not sure if everyone saw this but on Wednesday night Notre Dame knocked off their 3rd top 25 team this season by beating #17 Miami 59-50. This almost assures them of an NCAA bid based on their RPI and the magnitude of their big wins. ND/Miami Story
WNBA News
Connecticut traded Pee Wee Johnson to move up to the number 4 position in the draft. Rumor has it they are salivating for Florida's Vanessa Hayden. I don't think she'll be available, however. She's an almost lock for Indiana at #3. Speaking of Hayden, here's a recap of Florida's victory over Alabama. Despite being triple teamed she still scored her career best 46th double double with 14 points and 15 bounds. VANESSA!
Here's a feature on the Fever's Tamika Catchings. She sounds determined to have a special season. TAMIKA!
The thought of Tamika and Vanessa in the same lineup is exciting - but the Fever still need to find some outside scoring.
Other NCAA TOP 25 action last night
# 1 Tennessee beat Kentucky 81-72. Zolman hit a key three pointer and finished with 23 points while Shyra Ely tallied 22. STORY
# 9 LA Tech cruised by Boise State - (Why are they playing Boise State??) STORY
# 8 Stanford gets back to winning ways knocking off Washington 85-59. STORY
# 11 North Carolina squeaks by Virginia 75-70.
#25 Auburn too much for Mississippi State 80-53.
Over Coffee
Not much women's hoopage on this weekend thanks to all the Super Bowl crap. For the first time in my life, I couldn't care less about the Super Bowl. I'm not intrigued by the match-up and I have no plans to watch it. I'm sure it's a good game for football purists but I would just do other things than watch Carolina and New England play. I'll be birding instead, looking for the snow buntings and horned larks this weekend that are being seen throughout Indiana. Wish me luck!
Peace!
Ball State loses big to Toledo 91-69. Story
#3 UCONN had no trouble with #22 Va Tech last night. UCONN/VA TECH
#12 Kansas State blew out #19 Baylor 85-65. Story
Notre Dame heads to the sunshine state for a battle tonight with #17 Miami. ND Pregame Story
A nice article on Indiana State's Terre Haute South High connection. STORY
Who leads the Big Ten (11) in assists?? Stephanie Rich of Wisconsin. Learn more about her here. Stephanie
Here's a link to the NWBL women's pro basketball league site. The Fever's Tamika Catchings plays for the Chicago Blaze. LINK They do a good job with their web site. The WNBA should learn from them.
Ann Meyers has a nice feature on the old WBL. My claim to fame is that I guarded Ann at UCLA when I was a freshman for IU. I held her to 28 that night! WBL Story
Be safe and warm!
Peace!
A lot of news today on the nations #1 team. Pat Summit has signed a contract extension and received a raise matching her base salary with that of football coach Phil Fulmer - $824,500. Well done Tennessee! On a sadder note, UT lost PG Loree Moore for the rest of the season with an ACL tear in the Duke game. Story The AP Poll was released and, as expected, UT is # 1. AP POLL
Here's a link to the Big Ten (11) Standings - Standings Link
A feature on Univ of Illinois 6th year senior Cindy Dallas - Cindy
This week's Big Ten (11) schedule is a little quirky in that there are no games scheduled until Thursday. Hard to believe we have reached the mid point of the conference season!
There's no score yet on last nights IUPUI vs UMKC game. Sorry I have no details!
Ball State takes on Toledo tonight in MAC action. BSU Pregame
Here's an article on Penn State and the impact that Indiana High School native Reicina Russell has had on their team. PSU Inside game
Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone is going with a smaller lineup and likes the results. Story
Purdue G Shereka Wright was named Co Big Ten (11) POW along with PSU's Kelly Mazzante. Shereka story
Amber Harris of North Central High School in Indianapolis dunked in a high school game and there was no mention in the Indy media about it. Story
Have a good one! Peace!
North Harrison High School junior point guard Tara Miller has verballed to the Indiana Hoosiers. Story
IU was as cold as the winter storm blowing outside Assembly Hall. Shooting 21% in the second half and playing a step behind their in-state rivals enabled Purdue to post a 71-47 victory. Story
#23 MSU knocks off #9 Minnesota in the Barn 72-69 despite Lindsay Whalen's record setting game. She had 27 points to become the Gophers all time scoring leader. The loss was Minnesota's first in 19 games at home. Minn/MSU Story
#8 Penn State captured another Big Ten road victory at Ohio State 70-64. Kelly Mazzante had 19 for the Nittany Lions. PSU/OSU
Wisconsin gained an easy win over Northwestern 69-53. The Badgers tied a record for fewest turnovers in a game committing only 9 in the contest. Jordan Wilson posted her second double double of her career. Wis/NW Postgame
In a foul plagued contest, Iowa got by Michigan 69-58. Unhappy with her teams play, Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett commented: "I thought we had more air balls than any other game in history." Iowa/UM Story
By now, everyone knows that #2 Tennessee knocked off #1 Duke on Saturday. The Lady Vols could be number one this week for the first time since 2001. Tenn/Duke Postgame
In other Top 25 action:
Unranked Louisville beat #22 Houston on their own floor in OT 77-75. Story
#6 Stanford and Indiana's own Tara Vanderveer was upset by USC 59-56! Potential WNBA first round pick Nicole Powell had 29 points in the Stanford loss. USC/Stanford
In an ESPN 2 televised game, # 16 Georgia beat #13 LSU and ended the Tigers 15 game winning streak. Story
Miscellaneous notes:
Butler defeats UW-Milwaukee in OT 67-61. Nancy Bowden had 10 assists and only 2 turnovers in the game playing the entire 45 minutes. Recap
Ball State coach Tracy Roller became the schools all time winningest Womens Basketball Coach as the Cardinals smacked Buffalo 73-49 Saturday. BSU Recap
IUPUI got by Oral Roberts in OT 67-62 as Brooke McAfee blocked a Mid Continent record 12 shots in the game. Story
Indiana State gets a big Missouri Valley win beating Illinois State 83-73. The Sycamores had four players in double figure scoring. ISU Recap
In a low scoring affair Notre Dame beat Villanova 38-36. ND/VU recap
Have a great week! Is physicality a real word?
Peace
Indiana finally gets a Big Ten road win at Illinois 63-56. IU/UofI Story Jenny DeMuth continues to make her case for being an All Big Ten selection.
Purdue gets a big road win too at Ohio State 74-68. PU/OSU Postgame Shereka Wright scores 23 and Erika Valek netted 18 to break out of her shooting slump.
Kelly Mazzante became the Big Ten (11) all time leading scorer last night, and she did it with flair, scoring 29 points in Penn States big win over Minnesota 75-56. The game was tied at half time but the Gophers had no answer for Penn States trapping defense. Story
#20 MSU needed an overtime to get by improving Northwestern 67-57. Lindsay Bowen had five three-pointers in the game. MSU/NU recap
Michigan got a big road win at Wisconsin 63-60 thanks in large part to all Big Ten center Jennifer Smith's 32 points and 6 rebounds. Mich/Wisc recap
Pat Summit got her 1000th win - easily as Tennessee cruised by Vanderbilt. Next up for the Vols is #1 Duke at 6 PM EST Saturday. Former Indiana Miss Basketball Shyra Ely had 22 point in the 79-54 win at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Vols story
#17 Georgia is upset in double OT by Mississippi! Story
Machelle Joseph's Georgia Tech team nearly pulled off the upset of #13 North Carolina last night. UNC shot 30 free throws while the Yellow Jackets only got to the line 6 times. Story
Indiana State's Melanie Boeglin was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Melanie story
Fever draft target Vanessa Hayden registered her 12th double double of the year as Florida got past South Carolina 61-56. The linked article also has a picture of the All American. Vanessa!
Have a good hoops weekend everyone!
Peace!
The Notre Dame Irish cruise over 'Cuse 64-35. ND/Syracuse Recap
Ball State gives up 100 points to Eastern Michigan. BSU/EMU Postgame
Butler prevails over Youngstown State 55-45. Story
Tonight against Vandy, Pat Summit will coach her 1000th game! What a record! 835-164 with six National Championships. How lucky we are to be able to watch her coach. For my money, she is the best coach in the country - men or women! Tenn/Vandy Story
In Big Ten (11) Action tonight:
#7 Purdue vs Ohio State
#9 Minnesota vs #8 Penn State
#20 Michigan State vs Northwestern
Michigan vs Wisconsin
Indiana vs Illinois
What a big night for Minnesota and Penn State. PSU coach/gay basher Rene Portland is calling it a must win game. Here are the pre-game notes from both teams sites.
Minnesota Pregame Penn State Pregame
The Indiana Fever released their schedule yesterday. Schedule Their season tips off on May 21 with a Friday game against rival New York followed by a Sunday game (May 23) against Washington.
Speaking of Washington, another female coach has left the WNBA. Marianne Stanley resigned as coach of the Mystics yesterday. Stanley Resignation I'll bet the trend will continue with a male with NBA ties coaching this team. Currently, only 3 of the 13 WNBA teams have women coaches. What is up with that??
Over Coffee
I decided to get on my soapbox today and write about the WNBA coaching situation. But it is a tired issue, one which will not be changing anytime soon, and it emotionally wears me out. I can't believe it is 2004 yet we continue to see blatant discrimination in this country. I'm showing my age here, but I remember the day when men wouldn't touch women's basketball with a ten foot pole. Women could only find women to coach them and a lot of the coaching was done voluntarily with little or no compensation. As soon as money started coming into the game, it was invaded by male money hungry power brokers. They destroyed the AIAW, using the male dominated NCAA to oversee the game that had been built up with blood sweat and tears by the AIAW. Oh, the NCAA has been good for the women's game - don't misunderstand me, but the right thing to do would have been to incorporate the AIAW into the NCAA fold - using the expertise of the women who created the product in the first place. But now, it is in the hands of others, dominated by greed and power. The game has progressed from a talent standpoint but has certainly gone downhill from a leadership standpoint. When I see women coaching in the NBA or a public outcry to stop giving high school, college and pro women's jobs to men instead of qualified and deserving women then I'll believe it has changed for the better.
Peace!
Sorry for the absence for a couple of days - I've been updating the links and getting the page more like I wanted it. But I'm back! So here we go...
Mazzante breaks Big Ten (11) scoring record on Sunday. Mazzante Record With the Fever's need for an outside shooting presence, wouldn't she look great in Fever gear!
I saw the Purdue / Minnesota game and Curry is all upset that Shereka Wright isn't getting any love as one of the best guards in the Big Ten (11). No respect story I guess Curry has a point, Wright is probably a better pro prospect than Whalen but I'd take Mazzante over either of them.
IU hits the road again this week traveling to Illinois. Pre-game notes On January 25th the Hoosiers host Purdue and a local business will donate $10,000 for breast cancer research if the Hoosiers draw 10,000 fans to the game. Pack the Hall Story
Tonight. Notre Dame travels to Syracuse. ND Pregame
In Women's top 25 action, Iowa State upset Oklahoma last night. Cyclones story
Saturday is the big game people are talking about - Duke versus Tennessee! The Lady Vols Courtney McDaniel sprained her ankle in practice on Monday and may not be able to play. McDaniel Injury
There's a nice article on WNBA.com featuring the Fever's Natalie Williams workout regimen. Natalie
Over Coffee
Been to the Fever Web site lately? You won't find much you didn't already know. Shoot, on WNBA.com the link to the Fever has the Top Stories of 2003 still on there. For those not in the know, that article was written in December. The Fever's marketing strategy still centers on community outreach of players to children. Hmmm. OK, I like kids, so I'm all right with some of that but for those of us who are adult season ticket buying WNBA fans, throw us a bone! Who writes for their web-site? What are they doing during this off season period? I know the league is struggling and resources to pay journalists are not a primary concern, but I truly believe, with the staunch supporters out there, that you could get someone to keep the web sites up to date and post some meaningful information daily for free! I volunteer! Maybe you could get an intern from one of the local colleges to take on this task. I mean, why is it so hard to find someone who generally has an interest in the sport, give them access to the players and coaches, let them interview and research, and then let them build on the interest that already exists out there? Heck, several people are already doing it anyway! For proof just type in women's basketball on your favorite search engine. Instead, we get an occasional blurb from one of the writers covering the Pacers on what is happening with the Fever. As a season ticket holder, I'd like to see an interview with the newly acquired Deanna Jackson. Maybe an insight into the draft preparation and scouting of college talent! I'd much rather read about that then which elementary school Niele Ivey is visiting on Thursdays. Well, maybe it's just me.
Peace!
IU falls to Iowa - Story
Kelly Mazzante continues her assault on the Big Ten (eleven) record books with 19 points in Penn State's win over Michigan last night.
PSU/Mich Link Indiana's own Reicina Russell had 5 blocks, 4 points abnd 4 rebounds in 30 minutes.
Number 6 Minnesota cruises by Illinois 74-59 behing Janel McCarville's seventh double-double of the season. Minn/ILL game
Number 23 beats Number 22 as MSU ends Ohio States 24 game home winning streak! Story
Northwestern commits 28 turnovers against Number 9 Purdue and falls by 30 to the boilers - NW/PU Story
Number 9 Georgia gets crushed by Number 20 Auburn 72-54 - Story
Fever first round draft target Vanessa Hayden scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards while being triple teamed last night but still her Gators fell to Number 14 LSU 74-59. FL/LSU Story
Another protential Fever first round target, Nicole Powell of Stanford was named Pac 10 POW last week. Story
Over Coffee
A big weekend coming up!! Let's see...what's available on tv...well at 2PM Saturday Creighton is playing SMS - hmmmm. At 6PM we have Baylor at Texas Tech - sounds like a potential blowout to me! 3 AM UCLA at Arizona - well TIVO will catch that one for me. Aha! Sunday! Missouri at Colorado! Auburn at Vanderbilt! Duke at Virginia! YES YES YES!!!! Oh, and I have Monday off for MLK day. Anything on? WHAT?? No kidding?? Rutgers at UCONN at 2PM. I've died and gone to heaven!!
Of course I have to do those "responsible, grown up things" too. Those always seem to interfere with fun, don't they? Things like grocery shopping, bill paying, house cleaning, car washing, pet grooming and laundry steal my time do what I really want to do - PLAY! The inner child! We all have one! I have been told that I am very much in touch with mine - maybe too much - but I still get excited to do some of the things that bring joy to my life. If I didn't have them to look forward to, I can't imagine what pleasure in life might come from! Nevertheless, I love my inner child, I venerate my inner child and I hope you are in touch with yours too! Life is short! Let's have fun!
Peace!
Notre Dame upsets UCONN!! I love the opening line of the AP Story, "Suddenly, Connecticut is no longer so invincible." Upset All of a sudden, ND has downed 2 top 20 teams.
The Big Ten (eleven) continues to show it's balance and strength. Streaking Wisconsin made a statement by beating Illinois last night as the conference teams continue to beat up on each other. Story
Butler uses outside shooting to down IUPUI 63-48. Story
Ball State ran their record to 3-1 in the MAC by defeating Ohio last night. Story
Over Coffee
It occurs to me that the rest of the country must be seeing what we in Indiana have known for a long time. Indiana has no rivals when it comes to Women's College Basketball. All of the Big 3 have winning records. (IU, PU and ND) Ball State is strong in the MAC and Indiana State is improving and currently is .500 in the MVC. That doesn't even include the smaller schools that are having excellent seasons that are not Division I. Indianapolis is once again host of the Big Ten Women's Tournament in March and we are priveleged to enjoy a WNBA franchise with one of the leagues biggest stars in Tamika Catchings. I challenge any other state to surpass that show of support and success. There may be rivals - but better? Ha! No chance.
What an amazing recruiting advantage this should be for the in-state schools to keep Indiana's own high school players in the state. But no! We still lose some of our best athletes to the other schools. Why is that? What is the answer? Winning? Well, what about Purdue? They win! Still, players like Shana Zolman and Shyra Ely opt to play for Pat Summit. Well, who can blame them? Shoot, if I were a youngster and Pat Summit came to my house and offered me a scholarship I'd take it in a heartbeat. So, ok, we'll give anyone going to Tennessee to play for a Hall of Fame coach a pass. But, the fact is, these schools should be expected to keep the other talent in-state. Purdue does a reasonably good job - capturing Katie Geralds was a big step forward. But Indiana University shouldn't be losing recruits to other Big Ten schools from our state. Kathi Bennett must do a better job of attracting local kids in order to take that next step into the upper eschelon of the Big Ten. Losing in-state talent to Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan State is not going to get it done. Fortunately, I see signs of that trend changing. Last season was Bennetts first nationally ranked recruiting class and included 2 Indiana All State caliber players in Carrie Smith and Leah Enterline. Added to those were the Nebraska Miss Basketball, a 6'7" center, and a promising guard from Minnesota. A good step forward. This year, Indiana had only one senior on the team so schollies were limited and they signed an Ohio prep. So, in my opinion, next years recruiting class is critical for Bennett and Indiana. They must show they can attract the top in state athletes and eventually they have to get one of the high school All Americans that Indiana produces when going head to head with Purdue. When that happens, they will begin to crack the Big Ten elite.
Peace!
In Big Ten (eleven) action yesterday, #23 MSU beat up on non conference inter state rival Detroit Mercy - LINK
Tonight Illinois travels to improving Wisconsin. Ill Pregame site
In the Hoosier state tonight a cross town rivalry game between Butler and IUPUI in downtown Indy. Link Though both teams are struggling, this is an always intense, competitive game.
Over Coffee
Yesterday, I called and inquired about getting tickets to the Big Ten Women's tournament in Indianapolis in March. You would have thought I was from Mars asking for directions in dealing with the Conseco Fieldhouse Ticket Office. The gentleman there had no clue about what I was asking for, what he needed to do to help me and he had the customer service skills of a slug. Nevertheless, I persevered and, thanks to Ticketmaster, have my seats reserved in my favorite seats at Conseco. Club level - Row 1 against the glass near the handicapped access ramp. Today I will schedule the vacation days for Thursday and Friday and I'm all set! Hard to believe it is only 7 weeks away! The Thursday session is always the best day with fans from all the teams converging on Indy, Conseco, the local pubs and Circle Center Mall. My favorite time of the year for in-state site-seeing (if you know what I mean!) ;-)
Peace!
Michigan beats IU at Crisler - Mich IU Story
Purdue Bounces Illinois at Champaign 58-49. PU over Ill
Minnesota beats Iowa in front of sell out crowd. Minn over Hawks
Buckeyes crush Northwestern - OUCH!
Penn St outlasted Wisconsin Sunday in what might have been the game of the week. PSU/WI
Michigan State is hosting an out of conference game at noon today against Detroit - MSU Pregame
Fever 1st round draft target Vanessa Hayden scored 22 points as Florida upset #22 Vandy 67-61 in Gainesville - Link
Over Coffee
Well, another weekend has passed and despite getting caught up in the Indianapolis Colts victory Sunday I was able to catch a few women's hoops games. The TV games were mostly disappointing as Duke crunched UNC and DePaul rolled over Cincinnati. I was thinking how nice it would be to see more SEC, Big Ten and Big Twelve games instead of Duke, Tennessee and UConn all the time. Hopefully as the season rolls along better matches will be upcoming.
Around here, the buzz continues about what the Indiana Fever will do in the free agent market and with the draft. I have been unable to secure a free agent listing so it's hard to project when we don't even know for sure who is available. The only definite I know is Merlakia Jones from Cleveland. As for the draft, I believe that Vanessa Hayden, Lindsay Whalen and Nicole Powell are all players the Fever are considering - assuming Taurassi and Beard go #1 and #2. As soon as I can get my hands on a free agent listing, I'll post it here.
Peace!
Minnesota sells out Williams Arena ! A huge statement for how far this program has come and just proves that the Big Ten (eleven) strongly supports women's hoops. Sellout
Indiana at Michigan notes - a key match up Saturday for both teams. IU/MICH
In addition to the big game in Minnesota other Big Ten (eleven) Action on Sunday:
Purdue travels to Illinois
Penn State visits Wisconsin
Ohio State travels to Northwestern
Over coffee
Ahh...the weekend is finally here! I look forward to the weekends to catch up on women's' hoops that I miss during the week because of that nagging obligation called work. But, thanks to a wonderful invention that came to our house over Christmas, I am able to catch up on all the games I have missed. This wonderful creation is called TIVO and it didn't take me long to get hooked.
It's simple, really. You create a Wish List of what you'd like to see and, like magic, TIVO records it whenever it comes on - regardless of channel or time. So all those 2 AM west coast games that play during the week on Fox Sports West or ESPN2 are now captured for my viewing pleasure whenever I choose to watch them! Of course, I have saved the UCONN/Duke game and will be transferring that to a permanent vhs format since it is one of the three best games I recall watching.
So, if you have ever felt cheated about seeing all the programs you wanted and have no patience for programming your VCR every day, look into TIVO. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Peace!
What is it about IU's Assembly Hall that the Wisconsin Lady Badgers have been unable to overcome. IU dominated from the tip and spanked Wisconsin 60-39 in their Big 10 (eleven) home opener. IU/WI
The Purdue women also got a big win Thursday night. Shereka Wright scored a season high 28 points and the Boilers beat #23 MSU 77-67. PU/MSU
In other Big Ten (eleven) scores:
Another strong showing by the two best guards in the Big Ten (eleven). Mazzante scores 30 as PSU defeated Iowa last night 92-64 and Lindsay Whalen had 21 points and 6 assists in Minnesota's win over Northwestern at Evanston.
Illinois upsets Ohio State in Champaign 52-51 handing the Buckeyes their second loss in a row.
Here's a real nice story from the Big Ten web site on Jamie Gathing from IU and her continued battle to overcome adversity. Jamie
Over coffee
The Big Ten (eleven) women are quickly emerging as one of the most balanced conferences in the country. I've seen 18 games this year involving Big Ten (eleven) teams and the balance of talent sprinkled throughout the conference (particularly the underclassmen talent level) is better than I've seen it in my 30 years of following it. All the teams are playing excellent defense and the athleticism of the post players has improved immensely over the past 5 years. While the SEC and Big Twelve may boast very strong teams, the Big Ten (eleven) may be unmatched in talent distribution over the entire conference.
Have a good weekend!
IU Women host their big ten opener tonight in Assembly Hall against the Wisconsin Badgers at 7 PM.
Link
Purdue women have a tough one on the road at #23 Michigan State. PU Site Both teams could make a statement in their quest for the Big Ten Championship tonight!
Duke beats the number one team in the country and Texas Tech vaults into the number one spot! Poll
Rutgers upsets #15 Va Tech Wednesday night. Upset Also #25 Miami was knocked off by Villanova 58-55. Mia
The Fever selected Deanna Jackson with the 5th pick in the Dispersal draft for Cleveland Rocker players. This is just the latest in a series of blunders made by this team.
Not that there is anything wrong with Jackson - she's a nice player with a good upside. The issue is that, once again, the Fever front office does a poor job analyzing their roster and appreciating their immediate needs. Since the Fever's first season, they have struggled with consistent, meaningful guard play. Here was a chance to remedy the situation by selecting Betty Lennox as a true scoring shooting guard. With her as a threat from the outside, the lane would open up a little more for Tamika Catchings to exploit her defenders. Sure, the Fever have Coretta Brown but she is no Betty Lennox. With Lennox on board perhaps Coretta could blossom as a point guard under Brian Winters. Instead, in their infiniite wisdom, the Fever front office selected Jackson - a 6'2" forward. So add her to the logjam at forward for the Fever, Natalie Williams, Catchings, Kristen Rasmussen, Olympia Scott Richardson, Kelly Schumacher, Leigh Aziz... meanwhile our backcourt returns Niele Ivey who has never proven capable of playing PG in the WNBA, Brown - a nice player with an inconsistent jump shot, Stephanie White - a local player coming off knee surgery that is primarily here for PR, and a host of other teams rejects, projects and reclamations.
So - where do we go from here. The Fever have the third pick in the draft. It seems like they should draft Vanessa Hayden and finally fill the void of center that has plagued this team since the losss of Kara Wolters. Surely they would not use the third pick overall to grab a guard, would they? You never take a perimeter player when a natural center is available, do you?
Not so fast. This is the same franchise that has only made a couple of good draft picks/trades in their history. Drafting Tamika Catchings was an incredible move, especially since when drafted they knew she would be unable to play her first year so she could recover from a knee injury. Let's look at their recent draft selections.
Last year - Selected Gwen Jackson - then traded her (along with Sylvia Crawley) to San Antonio for Coretta Brown and Natalie Williams. I like Brown over Crawley but Gwen Jackson for Natalie Williams was not a success. Despite 2 all stars in Williams and Catchings, the Fever failed to make the playoffs and now have an aging post player in Williams whose skills will only decline.
Then there was the season prior when they drafted a 6'4" center who never played a game for them and was later waived.
Don't forget Jurgita Stremikita! Another first rounder, oops, she was out of the league last year and was no help at all! OUCH!
Note to the Fever front office....Hire someone that understands basketball talent and how to evaluate your team! What the Fever need is a guard - Lindsey Whalen would be perfect - but you can't use the 3rd overall pick on Whalen. Besides, Hayden is too tempting to pass up that's why it is even more mind boggling that the Fever selected a forward in the expansion draft. Lennox or Helen Darling would have been better picks for the Fever - filling the need of the team instead of simply selecting the "best athlete" available. At least, dip into the free agent market now available and grab a seasoned scoring guard that can keep the defenses honest and off of Catchings!
Hrmphf.....................
