Lindsey is ready to win

Lindsey Yamasaki is in her third season as the women's basketball head coach at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, which is is in the process of becoming an NCAA Division II member institution.

Josh Flynn (SLAM) writes about Lindsey's path from Stanford to the Academy of Art.

After two losing seasons, Lindsey feels the Urban Knights are about to turn a corner. “I feel it coming,” she says. “I don’t know if it will be a slew of wins or just a couple but I think we’re getting there.” Read more...

(They're not quite there yet. They lost to USF tonight, 85-57.)

Candice takes on a new mission

Ron Kroichick (San Francisco Chronicle) writes about how life has changed for Candice this fall. ... here

Family and Mental Illness

BringChange2Mind is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to get rid of stigmas associated with mental illness. Jayne has joined that effort with her account of Family and Mental Illness.

Preparing for life after basketball

Nicole knows that she will be making a big career change in the next few years. She and several other WNBA players are preparing for life after basketball by interning in an executive development program. Read more...

Candice on World AIDS Day

Candice speaks to Michelle Smith about World AIDS Day here.

Q & A with Candice Wiggins

Sports Media Watch spoke to Lynx guard Candice Wiggins on Thursday, in advance of her appearance at Friday's Ivy Sports Symposium at Princeton. Topics of conversation include the most pertinent issues facing college athletes, the state of the WNBA, and the objectification of female athletes. Read more...

Ros impresses with her commentary

In addition to her job at Tesla Motors, Ros will be working for ESPN as a color commentator game analyst for women's basketball games. Her first game will be Oklahoma at Texas on January 16.

She is also doing color commentary for women's basketball games on Stanford All*Access webcasts.

Long-time Cardinal fan Warren Grimes had the pleasure of hearing Ros' commentary on the Stanford vs UCSD game. He was very impressed:

I watched the video feed of Stanford’s game against UC San Diego and had the great pleasure of hearing Ros Gold-Onwude’s color commentary. It wasn’t perfect – but it was so full of enthusiasm and informative insights that I would say without hesitation – the best basketball commentary I’ve heard in a long time – and maybe ever.

Ros is eloquent and knows the team and the coaches. I had the sense that she was telling us the very same things that Tara VanDerveer was telling the team in the huddle. Some quick examples:

In the first half, Nneka was called for a screening foul because she wasn’t firmly set. Ros observed that these little mistakes don’t matter in a one-sided game, but could be difference makers in a closely fought game.

In the second half, when UC San Diego’s Chelsea Carlisle made a string of three pointers, Ros questioned the lack of intensity on the perimeter defense. She observed that TVD would find this unacceptable; within nanoseconds after Ros’ remark, TVD had called a time out. Ros’ take on perimeter defense – the defensive player must commit to total and unfaltering concentration, with never a second of lapse.

When asked about the team’s focus for the UC San Diego game, Ros did not hesitate to say, “Defense.” Overall, I think Stanford’s defense was better on Tuesday night. Vanguard shot 47% from the three-point line last week, but UC San Diego was held to 33%.

Ros also had nice things to say about Toni Kokenis’ performance in getting the ball up court. She noted the relative difficulty that Stanford had late in the second half when neither Kokenis nor Pohlen was in the game.

Overall, one had the sense that Gold-Onwude’s comments were the same things that TVD or Kate Paye would be saying to the team. Color me impressed.

Go Ros!

Coach Azzi's debut

Q McCall [Swish Appeal] writes about Jennifer Azzi's debut as a college coach, USF's 61-34 home win against Sonoma State last Friday.

When asked about her first game as a coach, Azzi said, "Now no one will tell me anymore that I haven't done it before."

Her next challenge is to build a winning team at USF, which was picked to finish last in the WCC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.

But for now, she is focussed on making this season the best experience possible for her players. "It's gonna take time," said Azzi. "But one of the things that I don't want to do is kinda take for granted the players that are here now because we've got some talent on this team and, like I said, they've been working very, very hard. So I want to - and I have, from day one - treated them as if we recruited them because they get their college experience one time and as much as college athletics is about winning and losing it is an experience for these young women and I want them to have a good one." Read more...

Alumnae abroad 2010-11

The 2010-2011 season is underway for women's professional basketball teams in Europe. Here is a report of six Stanford alumnae who are playing abroad this season, two that aren't and one undecided.

Kristin Newlin ('07) is in Turkey playing for Fenerbahce for the third season. (The name she's known by in Turkey is Nevin Nevlin.)

New ruptured her plantar fascia last March, and her goal this season is to be healthy. See her comments about the upcoming season in her blog.

This should be a very good season for Fenerbahce. Last season, they won all 29 of their league games, were the league champion for the sixth consecutive season, and made it to the final eight of Euroleague Women. This season, they've added Diana Taurasi and have already won the preseason Turkish presidential cup.

Fenerbahce is playing in Euroleague Women again this season. Here is an evaluation of the team by Paul Nilsen, a European basketball journalist.

Nicole Powell ('04) will be playing in Poland beginning in January for Wisla Can-Pack. This is the fourth European country in six years for Nicole. She is, I believe, the first Cardinal alumna to play in Poland.

Wisla is playing in Euroleague Women, as well as in the Polish league, this season. Here is an evaluation of the team by Paul Nilsen. He expects that Wisla will win the Polish championship and be one of the final eight in Euroleague.

Brooke Smith ('07) is playing in Italy for the fourth season, but with a different team — Cras Taranto. Although she doesn't have to learn a new language, the environment is very different. Comense, where she played the prior three seasons is in northern Italy; Taranto is far south on the Mediterranean coast on the heel of the boot.

One of Brooke's new teammates is Michelle Greco, former UCLA point guard.

Taranto is playing in Euroleague Women, as well as in the Italian league, this season. Here is an evaluation of the team by Paul Nilsen. Rebekkah Brunson was the driving force for Taranto last season. But she has departed and left a gap of over 15 points and 8 rebounds per game. Nilsen expects that Brooke's contribution will be intriguing, but expecting her to get anywhere near the impact of Brunson is, "wholly unrealistic and absolutely unfair."

Jillian Harmon ('09) is in Italy playing for Comense for the second season

Comense, which finished 6th of 12 in their league last season, has a new coach and five new players. One of Jillian's new teammates is Cameo Hicks, who was an outstanding guard for the University of Washington several seasons ago.

Cissy Pierce ('08) is in Spain playing for Rhein Mainbaskets for the third season.

Rhein MB has already played six games this season, and Cissy leads the team in scoring (14 per game) and is second in rebounds (5.4). Not quite as good as last season when she averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, but it's early days.

Cori Enghusen ('02) is beginning her ninth season of professional basketball, her sixth in Turkey and her second with Mersin. (The name she's known by in Turkey is Korel Engin.)

Candice Wiggins ('08) signed with Turkish team Galatasaray in May before she ruptured her Achilles tendon. She is still shown on their roster, but has said she will take a full nine months to rehab and doesn't expect to play again until next summer.

Olympia Scott ('98) has played professional basketball in the WNBA and Europe since 1998, but she hasn't signed with anyone for the 2010-11 season. I don't know whether she has retired or is just taking a year off.

Jayne Appel ('10) signed with Turkish team Tarsus Belediyesi and practiced with them for several weeks before the season started.

She found that she wasn't getting the medical care and therapy she needs to fully recover from her injuries, so she came home to think it over. I don't know her decision about playing in the 2010-11 season.

Fenerbache wins Turkish President's Cup

Fenerbahce won the 18th Presidential Cup for the 7th time in history by beating Galatasaray with a sensational 75-58 victory at the sold out Abdi Ipekci Arena, and Kristen Newlin twitters:

President's Cup victory!! Thank you fans! We love you!

The President's Cup is theTurkish Basketball League's annual curtain raiser to the new season between the reigning Turkish league champion (Fenerbahce) and the Turkish Cup holder (Galatasaray).

New shared the celebration with her new teammate, Diana Taurasi.

There are no Cardinal alumnae on the Galatasaray roster this season. Candice signed with the team, but is not likely to play this season as she continues to rehab from her Achilles tendon injury. But there are two other powerful WNBA players on their roster: Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles.

Jayne's website

Jayne blogs and twitters and now she has a website too. Check it out.

Candice "in a really good place"

Candice was upbeat, positive and full of energy when she spoke with Michelle Smith (Left Coast Hoops) last week. She is at Stanford, taking classes to finish her degree in Communications, and she plans to be around to watch the Stanford women start the new season. Read more...

To learn more about what Candice has been doing lately, see her blog.

Gold for Team USA

The USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team defeated host Czech Republic 89-69 in the Gold Medal Game of the 2010 FIBA World Championship yesterday. The victory earned them the eighth gold for the U.S. in World Championship competition and a place in the 2012 Olympic Summer Games that will be held July 27-Aug. 12 in London.

Jayne said, "{Being on the medal stand] was awesome. It’s just a tremendous feeling, and I’m just so proud. Our team worked so hard to get here. We accomplished our goal, and we are world champions. It was a moment you will never forget. It was just really, really cool."

Below are photos of Jayne celebrating the moment with her teammates. You'll find the game report from USA Basketball with links to stats, quotes and more photos here.

Sonja Henning to be inducted into Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Stanford fans remember Sonja Henning as an outstanding point guard. She graduated from Stanford 19 years ago, but still holds all the records for assists -- career (757), single-season (237), and average per game (7.4).

Henning will receive her latest honor on Saturday when she will be inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Peter Jackel (RacineSportsZone) writes of Henning's achievements in the past 25 years since she captivated crowds at Horlick High School in Wisconsin with her unique basketball skills.

"Henning is someone who has lived her life ... maximizing her prodigious potential and refusing to concede that limitations exist."

"For me, my drive was always to do my best," Henning said. Read more...

Preliminary round of FIBA World Championship

As was anticipated, the USA team has done very well in the preliminary round of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. They've defeated Greece 99-73, Senegal 108-52 and France 81-60.

So they advance to the second round, where they'll play tougher games next week against Canada, Belarus and Australia.

In anticipation of upcoming games against Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Elizabeth Cambage and the rest of the Australian team, the USA team is loaded with back court talent — power forwards Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Candice Dupree; centers Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles and Jayne.

Jayne, as the rookie of that group, has had the least playing time. But she did play in each of the three preliminary games and contributed to the victories:

• Greece: 3 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound.
• Senegal: 11 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
• France: 4 minutes, 1 rebound

Jayne makes the team!

Jayne is one of the 12 international veterans who will represent the U.S.A. at the 2010 FIBA World Championship that will be held Sept. 23 - Oct. 3 in the Czech Republic!

This is a great achievement for Jayne. She is just the third Stanford alumna to represent the United States at the FIBA World Championship, joining Jennifer Azzi (1990, '94, '98) and Sonja Henning (1990).

Read more in:

• The USA Basketball announcement
• A report from the Associated Press
• A story in the Stanford Daily

Jayne makes the penultimate cut

USA Basketball announced today:

Following a two-week training camp that included four exhibition games, USA Basketball today announced the 14 finalists who remain in contention for a spot on the 2010 USA Women’s World Championship Team. The 2010 FIBA World Championship begins Sept. 23 in the Czech Republic, and the U.S. must have its final 12-member roster submitted to FIBA on Sept. 22.

Jayne is one of the 14!

Read more...

Jayne doing a great job for USA Basketball

Jayne went a long way towards securing a spot on the USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team with her performance in two friendly games last weekend.

On Friday, the USA defeated Australia, the current world champion, 89-56. Jayne did a stellar job in helping to defend against Australia's 6'8" Elizabeth Gambage (pictured on the right). Jayne scored seven points and had the game-high eight rebounds.

Coach Geno Auriemma said of Jayne's defense, "Jayne just did a really good job of being there. Jayne’s 6-5, she puts her hands up, she’s not 6-9, but it was … she had eight rebounds in 11 minutes. Jayne was exactly what we needed her to be. To be honest with you, that’s the best she’s looked in the five days we’ve been together. Maybe she finally had someone big enough, we’ve got to get some bigger practice players, I don’t know. We’re just not used to guarding anybody who’s 6-9. I was really impressed with Jayne. I thought she did a great, great job."

Here is USA Basketball's report of the game against Australia, with links to quotes, the box score and a photo gallery.

On Sunday, the USA defeated Spain, the #5 ranked women's team in the world, 85-69. Jayne played a lesser role in this game. She did not score, but contributed three rebounds, two assists and a block.

Tina Charles was the top scorer (17) and rebounder (10) against Spain. When asked about playing against Australis's Elizabeth Gabbage in the prior game, she replied, "I think Jayne did the best out of all of us post players, the way she guarded her and just controlled her and always had held her ground, and I get to learn from Jayne when I'm on the bench."

Here is USA Basketball's report of the game against Spain, with links to quotes, the box score and a photo gallery.

The USA World Championship team finalists will next travel to Spain to play Australia and either Spain or Senegal in friendly games on Sept. 17 and 18.

Then they will travel to Czechoslovakia for the 2010 FIBA World Championship that will be held Sept. 23 - Oct. 3. The gold medal winner earns a berth to the 2012 Olympic Games.

The official, 12-member 2010 USA Women's World Championship Team will be selected from the 18 finalists sometime before Sept. 21.

Candice feels great

Not as great as in this photo that accompanied an article in the Lynx News, but she's getting there.

Candice talks about her injury, her rehab, her plans for the next six months and her appearance as a guest at Kobe Bryant's skills academy. Read more...

10 Questions with Jennifer Azzi

Michelle Smith (Left Coast Hoops) asks Jennifer Azzi how the Lady Dons are shaping up and what her first summer as a basketball coach has been like in these 10 questions.

No Pain Jayne

For the first time since February, Jayne is fully healthy and going full-tilt in practice with USA Basketball. How does that feel to her? "it's just fun!" she says. Read more...

Jayne begins training with USA Basketball

Jayne and eight other of the nation's best basketball players began training for the USA Women’s World Championship Team on Saturday afternoon. There are 18 players in the running for the 12 spots on the team. The other nine contenders were not present due to WNBA commitments, injuries and other issues.

The team will compete in the FIBA World Championship for Women from September 23 to October 3 in Czechoslovakia. Before that, they will play friendly games against Australia (the current world champion) and Spain (ranked #5). The USA team members may not be selected until as late as September 21. Read more...

Here are some photos of Jayne hard at work at the training session.

Michelle joins the Utes

Michelle, who is working on her master's degree at the University of Utah, has received an NCAA waiver that allows her to play there this coming season as a redshirt senior.

Here's a report from the Deseret News.

Tall Ferns upset Japan

Together for less than a week, the New Zealand women's basketball team upset Japan 77-74 in Sapporo, Japan today.

The Tall Ferns were not expected to topple a Japanese outfit preparing for the women's world tournament in September.

Jillian had an off-day shooting, hitting just three of her 11 attempts, but she contributed 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal!

This is the game report from the Tall Ferns.

Jillian is a Tall Fern again

Jillian has rejoined the Tall Ferns, the New Zealand women's national team, as it builds towards the 2012 London Olympics.

The only item currently on their schedule is a three-game friendly series against Japan next weekend, Aug 28-31. Japan is hosting the series as a part of its preparations for the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women to be played in the Czech Republic at the end of September. (New Zealand did not qualify for the 2010 World Championship.)

Clare Bodensteiner, who is about to begin her second season as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago, did not try out for the New Zealand team.

Read more about the Tall Ferns squad here...

NP & The City: Just a "Wicked" Good time

Nicole blogs about chick theatre and doing the right thing.

Jayne added to USA Women's National Team pool

Four international veterans were today added to the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team, from which the 2010 USA World Championship and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams will be selected. Added to the USA National Team roster were Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars), Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx), Ebony Hoffman (Indiana Fever) and Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty), all of whom have aided USA Basketball teams to gold medals during their careers. Read more ...

Quotes from each of the four players and their bio's are here ....

NP & The City: Groovin' to the beat

Nicole blogs about jazz and basketball.

Nicole Powell inducted into Arizona hall of fame

Nicole Powell has been inducted into the 2010 class of the azcentral.com Arizona High School Sports Hall of Fame.

She is considered by many to be the best basketball player to ever come out of an Arizona high school.

She was the only athlete on this year’s ballot to get in by unanimous selection of the 15-member committee. It’s no surprise that her selection was unanimous. She was recently voted The Arizona Republic’s Player of the 20th Century.

Nicole wasn’t just a basketball player in high school, but an all-around athlete. Read more about the accomplishments that earned Nicole this honor in:

• azcentral.com Arizona High School Sports Hall of Fame
• PHXFan, a sports blog for Arizona High School and College sports

Catching up with Jayne

Jayne blogs about her passion for mental health.

Brooke's day at the White House

Brooke Smith shares her experience at the White House in this post to Michelle Smith's LeftCoastHoops blog.

Basketball at the White House

Jennifer Azzi was at the White House on Monday to support the first lady's fitness program for kids and to lead a clinic in which members of the WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury team played with kids from a local Y. The president made an appearance to congratulate the team members, and Azzi said she got to meet him, "shake his hand. ... And he said he knew who I was, and that shocked the heck out of me."

Azzi had been to the White House before, including a visit when her Stanford team won the NCAA championship and one with fellow members of the U.S. Olympic team; this was her second visit during the age of Barack Obama. But it was the first time the president talked with her and, of course, her first look at the new White House basketball court. "It's awesome," she said. "Someone said it had been a tennis court. There's a big tall fence around it, so it seems pretty intimate. With trees all around, you can't see onto (the) court." She described a row of basketballs in a rack, branded Obama '08. "They looked like they'd had a lot of use."

Another Stanford alumna was there as a member of the Phoenix Mercury:

Azzi reports on the experience in her blog, which includes a video of President Obama's speech honoring the Mercury for their WNBA Championship, a video of the basketball clinic, and more photos.

Jayne's potential is recognized

Morris Phillips (Full Court Press) reports on Jayne's progress as a professional basketball player:

Despite a slow start as she rehabbed from several collegiate injuries, Jayne Appel has made steady progress, earning the respect of coaches and fans alike.

Though her performance in the [All-Star] game was not one for the record books, her mere presence in the game was a recognition of her great promise.

Read more...

Jayne's black eye

Sophia Young chats it up with Jayne about her first All-Star experience.

Krista got married!

Posted by Harriet Benson

Krista Rappahahn (our 3-point specialist!) married David Birnie on July 10. David was graduated from Wake Forest; he has been working at Stanford the past two years. They were married in the courtyard by the Los Altos History Museum. Among the over 200 attendees were twelve of Krista's basketball classmates, Marcella Shorty, Dr. Elaine Lambert, Charmin Smith, and Amy Tucker. (All photos by Jeanne Mayr) David and Krista left July 12 for Kauai to honeymoon and hike the Napali coast. When they return Krista will continue in Stanford Medical School, her third year.