Milena Flores at Princeton

Milena moved from Yale to Princeton last summer to become assistant coach under new head coach Courtney Banghart. An article in last week's Daily Princetonian provides a summary of Milena's post-Stanford career, including two years in the WNBA, playing in Lithuania and her coaching experience.

Brooke Smith: Update from Italy

After five games, Brooke is averaging 14 points a game and a team-best 10 rebounds a game for the Virtus Viterbo in Italy's A-1 League. In an interview with the Marin Independent-Journal, she describes her experience and adventures this year.

Jamie Carey Added To USA Basketball’s College Tour Roster

Jamie Carey has been added to the roster for the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Team College Tour, USA Basketball announced today. USA Basketball's fall tour ends with a game at Maples Pavilion on November 15. Carey replaces Loree Moore (New York Liberty) who left the team due to injury. Here is the complete announcement.

Starbird in Stanford Hall of Fame Class of 2007

The Stanford Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced the class of 2007 today, a group that includes eight of Stanford's all-time great athletes across eight different sports -- one of them is:

Kate Starbird- Women's Basketball (1993-1997) 1997 senior season capped banner career... Won 1997 Naismith Award as college basketball Player of the Year... A consensus First-Team All-America selection in 1997... 1997 Pac-10 Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference performer... Set Stanford single season scoring record in 1996-97 with 753 points, including 20.9 per game... In four years, her Stanford teams posted an overall record of 118-14, advanced to the Final Four three times, and went 68-4 in conference games... First round draft pick by the Seattle Reign of the ABL.

While surfing the internet for a photo of Kate, I found this memorable moment from her Stanford career:

Point guard Jamila Wideman is tearing down the court and zings a half-court pass to Vanessa Nygaard under the basket. But Nygaard, who leaps into the air to catch the ball, doesn’t shoot. Before her feet hit the ground, she flips the ball to Starbird, who has driven toward the basket from the other side and already is in the air. She catches the ball and does a silky lay-in.

Video interview with Seb and Cori

As reported in yesterday's Alumae blog, the Turkish national team did not advance to the quarterfinals of EuroBasketWomen 2007. But in the qualifying round, Turkey had an unexpected big win against Germany. FIBA published a video interview with Seb and Cori after that game. We know about Seb's Turkish connection, but during the interview, Cori explains how she came to play in Turkey. She is now a Turkish citizen. Although she's changed her name (Is Korel Engin the Turkish version of Cori Enghusen?), she and the interviewer both called her "Cori", so I'll do that too.

Seb and Cori on Turkish national team

Sebnem Kimyacioglu and Cori Enghusen (now Korel Engin) are members of the Turkish national team that recently competed in EuroBasketWomen 2007. Unfortunately, Turkey was 1-2 in the qualifying round last week and did not advance to the quarterfinals. Here is an interview with Seb about her EuroBasket adventure, Seb's player profile and Korel's player profile.

Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Sheehan III

Christina D. Batastini and Frank J. Sheehan III were married June 29 at St. Pius V Church, Providence, by the Rev. Ken Letoile, OP. The bride is the daughter of Armand and Mary Batastini of Providence. The groom is the son of Jane Sheehan of Canton, Mass., and the late Frank Sheehan Jr. The honor attendants for their sister were Laurie Batastini and Maria Dell’Ovo. The bridesmaids were Kara Batastini, Chandra Benton, Caroline Kautzman, Nicole Marchand and Jen Tutalo. The flower girls were Olivia Pallister and Emilia Dell’Ovo. The best man was Dan Bohane. The ushers were Armand Batastini III, brother of the bride, Tom Dempsey, Ron DeVincenzo, Joe Davis, Paul Frisone, Abbott Burrell and Scott McGowan. The ring bearer was Paul Joseph Dell’Ovo. The bride graduated from Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. She is the owner of Batastini School of Basketball. The groom graduated from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. He is the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Brown University football. They honeymooned on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and make their home in Providence.

Brooke is off to a good start

Brooke has now played two "friendly games" in Italy. Viterbo beat Pomezia 45-43 and then Santa Marinella 73-28. In the second game, Brooke scored 23 points, and Michelle Maslowski, the other American on the team scored 24 points. They pretty much owned that game. The articles on the Viterbo website have this to say about them:

Brooke Smith ... arrived in Viterbo on Monday afternoon, but appeared already in good physical condition. Thanks above all to the defense and the initiative of the two Americans Smith and Maslowski, more and more integrated in the games and the group.

It's nice to see that Brooke has started her international basketball career so well! Here is a link to the Viterbo website. Most of the information there (roster, schedule, results) is for the 2006-07 season, but hopefully that will be updated soon when the season starts. You can use Google Translate to translate the Italian information to English. The result is fairly understandable. Thanks to Anna, the Stanford WBB fan who provided the information for this post.

Katie Denny studying the mental health of student-athletes

Katie Denny was the teaching assistant last year for Hans Steiner's Psych seminar "Mental Health in Women Athletes". She earned her M.A. in psychology at Stanford and will apply to graduate school this year. She plans to launch a mentoring program with the Stanford women's tennis team, offering advice to student-athletes on dealing with stressful situations. Here is the article from Stanford Magazine.

New is going to Turkey

Kristen Newlin will be playing professional basketball for Botas in Adana, a large city in southeastern Turkey nineteen miles from the Mediterranean coast. One of her teammates will be Cori Enghusen (Korel Engin). Sebnem Kimyacioglu is also playing professional basketball in Turkey, but for a different team -- Galatasaray in Istanbul. Here is the Botas roster (New's not listed yet).

Brooke is going to Italy

Brooke will be playing professional basketball with Viterbo, an Italian team based about 70 miles north of Rome. Here is the team roster. (There's not much more information available on-line without a subscription to Eurobasket.com)

Kate Starbird, football player

Basketball is not Kate's only sport. She has been playing Gaelic football since she was in school. "My sister was dating an Irish bartender for a while, and she got involved with some of his friends in Gaelic," Starbird explains, "and she told me it was a lot of fun and that I should come watch them play. I went to a tournament and watched a match, and told a basketball friend who was with me, 'Wait! We need to be out there! I could do this game.'" Kate has been a dominant force for the Seattle Gaels women's gaelic football team the last several years, and is managing the team this year. Here's more about Kate and football.

Azzi's Induction into Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

Jennifer Azzi was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on April 28th, along with Will Clark, Jerry Rice, and Jerry Coleman. Dave Albee, Marin Independent Journal columnist, attended the induction banquet, and reports:

Mill Valley resident Jennifer Azzi delivered the most eloquent and emotional acceptance speech on Thursday night at the 28th annual Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement banquet, which attracted a record turnout for the event at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Jerry Rice, Will Clark and Jerry Coleman were also inducted. Azzi likened the support and encouragement she has received from family, friends, coaches and teammates over the years to the interconnected roots of a redwood tree. She concluded her speech by thanking her parents ("You gave me everything"), her sister, Susanne, and asking people to pray for her 41-year-old brother-in-law, Todd Kramer, a Major in the reserves who was deployed to Iraq last week.

Albee also reports:

The BASHOF banquet will be shown on KTVU Channel 2 on Sunday, May 6, at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. It's must-see TV.

Here is the complete article.

Brooke's and New's first day as a pro

By: Dave Albee, Marin Independent Journal Brooke Smith's first day as a pro was certainly eventful. "It's like you just wait until you're told you're drafted," said Smith, who had to wait even longer later in the day when her connecting flight home was delayed on the ground by snow in Cleveland. "I'm definitely excited about the girls I'll be playing with. They are talented and they are good people. That'll be fun." (More ...)

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By: Patrick Schmiedt, Casper Star-Tribune When Kristen Newlin saw her name pop up on the television screen -- pick No. 34 in the WNBA draft -- she had to take a moment to let it all sink in. "It was just awesome, it was surreal," Newlin said in a telephone interview with the Star-Tribune on Wednesday. (More ...)

Brooke and New selected in WNBA draft

Brooke and New were selected in the WNBA draft today -- Brooke in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx and New in the third round by the Houston Comets. Here is the story from GoStanford.com Here are the complete WNBA draft picks Here is Michelle Voepel's story about the draft.

A letter & pictures from Krista

Hej FBC members!! (hej = hi!) How are you? You must be having fun cheering on the team this PAC-10 season! Wish I could be there to cheer too (well actually, I wish I could still be playing with them!). Nothing beats Stanford basketball! You are truly part of something special!! I thought it would be fun to give you an update about what I’ve been up to and perhaps see if you might be willing to be involved in a future adventure of mine. As you know (or might not), I’m currently in Sweden playing basketball for 08 Stockholm Human Rights . We travel throughout Sweden playing games in the Swedish national league. We are one game behind the league-leaders and every game from now until playoffs is very important. Swedish basketball is different from American basketball, but the ball is still round, bounces, and seems to find its way into the net (most of the time!). Even though nothing will ever compare to my time at Stanford, I’m having fun with my team and grateful for the opportunity to still be playing! While living in Stockholm, I’ve also had the tremendous opportunity to conduct research in the Bacteriology Department at the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control. I’m learning lots of new lab techniques and I get to work with strains of bacteria that cause pneumonia! Additionally, I’ve been able to shadow physicians at Karolinska Hospital (thanks to the help of Dr. Lambert, the Stanford team physician), coach basketball for children, and I’m hoping soon to begin teaching English in the schools. Yes, I’m keeping busy – but I love how each day brings something new! Basketball has really enabled me the chance to live in another country, and God certainly has provided me with lots more opportunities to get involved with other activities I love too! This coming April, after my team here advances as far as possible in the playoffs (and Stanford makes a special appearance in Cleveland!), I am going to participate in a 10-day basketball tour of Turkey with a Christian basketball team sponsored by Athletes-in-Action (AIA), the athletic ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC). Our team will be working with AIA/CCC in-country staff to help build relationships with basketball players, fans, coaches, and officials to help their ministries through conversations, games, and basketball clinics. I have always wanted a chance to combine two of my loves, God and basketball; now, I have the chance to do it! I wanted to let you know about this specific opportunity, in hopes that you might be willing to support this passion of mine. The team is made possible by those people willing to invest in this ministry, and thereby become a part of our team as we travel and compete. Each member of our team is asked to raise $3,000, which is a portion of the team’s goal. You have already provided me with so much support and encouragement during my time at Stanford, and the last thing I want to do is ask for more; however, because you care so much, I thought I would just tell you about this adventure in hopes that you might want to help. If you would be interested in helping me raise my portion of the team’s goal or if you just want to hear some more stories about my time here in Sweden, I would love for you to contact me (all the info is below!). Whether it is getting to play basketball here in Europe, volunteering in a research lab, or coaching kids during gym class, Stanford has impacted all of these experiences. My Stanford education – in the classroom, on the court, and off the court too! – has armed with the skills and support to go out and explore the world! And, yes, for all of you wondering about me and med school… I still VERY much cannot wait to start! I’m working on my application now, hoping that I will be accepted somewhere (maybe Stanford?!), and ideally will start my first class in the fall of 2008. Katie Denny and I visited Susan and Curtis Borchardt to celebrate New Year’s in Granada, Spain! We made a roadtrip to Madrid, toured around Granada, played with Sammy (their dog), watched Curtis play a terrific game, and – yes, of course - were led in challenging workouts by Susan! (see pictures below) I really do hope to hear back from you! Tack så mycket (thank you very much!). GO CARDINAL!! Hej då, Krista Rappahahn Contact Information: Email Blog Swedish address: Hökens Gata 3 116 46 Stockholm Sweden *** If you are interested in investing in my AIA Turkey adventure, please email me for more details about getting the check where it needs to go and so that I can give you a BIG thanks! ***

Azzi moves to Mill Valley

By: Dave Albee, Marin Independent Journal The magnificent view from Jennifer Azzi's new hillside home overlooking Tam Valley in Mill Valley is expansive, which is just perfect for her. She's a big-picture person. Why? "Why not Marin? It's one of the most beautiful places on the planet," Azzi said from her living room. "I've lived in Europe. I've lived in a lot of cities in the U.S. and grew up in the South and been all over the place and I really fell in love with the Bay Area. For me, this is so much my personality. There is, what, 80 percent open space here and I am in heaven discovering the trails. I think it is like the way life should be." (More ... )