Chiney is working as a color analyst for ESPN. She called her first game (Arizona State vs Florida State) last night with Pam Ward on the play-by-play.
Click here for their postgame analysis.
December 22, 2015
Chiney is color analyst for ESPN
Chiney is working as a color analyst for ESPN. She called her first game (Arizona State vs Florida State) last night with Pam Ward on the play-by-play.
December 5, 2015
Kayla sends greetings from Lucca
Kayla is spending the WNBA off-season playing in Lucca, Italy. Here is the first installment in a series of blogs about her experience:
December 3, 2015
Catching up with Jos
The Australian Women's Basketball League caught up with Jos for a one on one Q&A last week: One on One with Joslyn Tinkle
Jos and her fellow U.S. import Carolyn Swords prepared a Thanksgiving feast for their teammates: Flames bring Thanksgiving Down Under!
December 1, 2015
Kayla's extraordinary performance
From Eurobasket News:
26-year old forward Kayla Pedersen (193-F-89, agency: LBM Management) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for second-ranked Lucca and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 8.She had a double-double of 18 points and 19 rebounds, while her team crushed Torino (#10, 3-5) with 21-point margin 60-39. Lucca maintains the 2nd position in Italian Serie A1. They maintain perfect record without any lost game in the league. It's already very far into the season and Lucca keeps perfect 8-0 record. Pedersen turned to be Lucca's top player in her first season with the team. Kayla Pedersen averages this season 15.0ppg and 7.9rpg.
November 26, 2015
Amber hitting her stride
Amber, who starts as the shooting guard for Vigarano in Italy, had trouble finding her touch in her first professional season. She averaged just 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in the first six games of the season.
But she found her touch in the seventh game last week. She hit just one of five from beyond the arc, but was a perfect ten of ten on 2-pointers and two of two at the line for a total of 25 points. And she grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
And, yes, that is Reshanda Gray in the photo, trying for a defensive stop.
November 17, 2015
On The Court With Basketball Great Jennifer Azzi
A tribute to Jennifer Azzi ('90) by Shelley Alingas (Women in Sports): On The Court With Basketball Great Jennifer Azzi
October 31, 2015
Nneka lighting it up in EuroLeague
Nneka not only earned Player of the Week status in the Russian league last week, she also received high praise from FIBA basketball specialist Paul Nilsen for her performance in the third week of EuroLeague:
There was little surprise to see Nnemkadi Ogwumike once more hogging the headlines with another scintillating experience.
Individual performance of the week: There is no looking past Dynamo Kursk forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike as the popular choice for her fantastic double-double against Schio of 27 points and 16 rebounds. It was also the highest individual score of the season so far.
October 28, 2015
Top performers abroad
Five of the eight Stanford alumnae playing abroad were ranked in the top ten performers of their league last week by Eurobasket.com (which ranks players based on an efficiency calculation).
In Russia
25-year old power forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike (189-F/C-90) had a great game in the last round for league's best team Dynamo Kursk and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for Round 4.
She had a double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds, while her team edged out Sparta&K MR (#7, 2-2) 65-61. It allowed Dynamo K. to take over top position in the Russian PBL. They maintain perfect record without any lost game in the league. The season is still on an early stage, but Dynamo K. already had a very good start winning all 4 without losing a single one.
Ogwumike turned to be Dynamo K.'s top player in her first season with the team. Stanford University graduate has very impressive stats this year. Ogwumike is in league's top in points (3rd best: 19.3ppg) and averages solid 2.3spg and 69.2% FGP.
----------
Ninth on the list of top players was Sarah Boothe (195-F/C-90) of Kazanochka - 11 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists.
In Italy
Third on the list of top players last round was American guard Jillian Harmon (185-G-87, agency: Players Group) of league's second-best Lucca.
Harmon scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds. She was a key player of Lucca, leading her team to a 85-59 easy win against Vigarano (#14, 0-3).
Lucca started extremely well this year. They recorded 3 victories without losing a single game.
Harmon turns to be one of the very best players in the league while she is also a leader of the top team having her eyes on the championship title. Harmon has a great season in Italy. After only 3 games, she made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 22.7ppg (2nd best).
----------
Seventh on the list of top players was Kayla Pedersen (193-F-89) of Lucca - 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
In Australia
Fifth on the list of top players was Mikaela Ruef (190-F-90) of Adelaide - 19 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists
Joslyn Tinkle didn't make the top ten, but she has scored in double digits in each of the first four rounds of the season.
October 20, 2015
Alumnae abroad 2015-16
Eight Stanford alumnae have signed contracts with professional basketball teams in Europe and Australia for the 2015-16 winter season, which began a couple of weeks ago.
These seven Stanford alumnae have played abroad recently, but aren't playing this season:
Cori Enghusen ('02) has ended the longest pro basketball career of any Stanford alumna (13 seasons) and begun her career in the business world as a Digital Solutions Manager at CDK Digital Marketing in Seattle.
Sebnem Kimyacioglu ('05), who played pro ball for six seasons in Turkey, during which she took three seasons off to earn her law degree at Santa Clara University, has hung up her sneakers and is about to begin her legal career. Sebnem is currently looking for corporate transactional work in Los Angeles.
Alissa (Cissy) Pierce ('08) may have retired from basketball. She is still living in Germany, but has not signed with any professional basketball club.
Jayne Appel ('10) is an intern in the Sports Information Department at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, New York, as she was last winter.
Chiney Ogwumike ('14), who spent the summer season recovering from microfracture knee surgery, is not playing basketball this winter, but she's not lacking for things to do. This week she's in Brazil with Jason Collins as part of U.S. State Department Sports Envoys program (story).
Candice Wiggins('08) andJeanette Pohlen ('11) aren't playing winter ball, but I don't know their plans for the offseason.
These are the women who are playing aboad this season:
Vigarano is in northeastern Italy, about 75 miles south of Venice [map]
Vigarano, which finished in the bottom third of the Italian A1 league last season, hired Amber as, "... a smart player, who can raise the level of her companions."
Amber has already shown her versatility on the court. In her first pro game, she missed all six of her shots, but tallied three rebounds, two assists and a steal. She found the basket (four of five times from beyond the arc) in her second game and led her team in scoring with 14 points.
Adelaide is on the southern Australia coast, about 750 miles west of Sydney, where Mikaela played last season [map].
Mikaela was named the SEABL (South Eastern Australia Basketball League) Defensive Player of the Year of the 2015 summer season, averaging 14.7 rebounds a game for Launceston, with 28 more defensive boards than the next best and with four games where she hauled down more than 20.
"I have had only glowing reports of Mikaela as a person and her work ethic, and she has a versatility with her game that will be an asset to our program," said Lightning head coach Tracy York.
In her first two games with the Lightning, Mikaela is living up to expectations with an average of 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Sydney is on the southeast coast of Australia [map].
Coach Shannon Seebohm believes Tinkle will be a brilliant addition to the team. “Joslyn’s versatility suits our style of play very well since she can score from both in the paint and from the perimeter. She is also going to add great game experience to the team with her time spent playing in some of the best leagues in Europe. We are very excited to have her join the Flames for next season,” he said.
Jos began her season down under with a double-double (14 pts, 11 rbs). In her first three games with the Flames, she's averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. A third of her shots have been from beyond the arc, from where she's made three of ten.
In the second round of the Australian season, the Flames played the Lightning in Adelaide and won 107-60. Jos and Mikaela each scored 18 points. Jos tweeted, "We may be playing against each other these days, but we are teammates forever."
Kazan is the eighth most populous city in Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers, about 500 miles east of Moscow [map].
Sarah starts at the center for Kazanochka and is averaging 7.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in the first three games of the season.
Kursk is in southwestern Russia, about 330 miles south of Moscow [map]
Kursk has won its first three games of the season. Nneka is the leading scorer with an average of 18.5 points per game. She's made 78.6% of her shots.
Kursk is the only "Stanford alumnae team" that's playing in EuroLeague Women this season.
Kursk cruised past Fenerbahce 72-40 in their Euroleague Women opener. FIBA journalist Paul Nilsen awarded Nneka "Game Hero" status, saying,
"Ogwumike has picked up right where she left off last season. The competition's top scorer last time around went for 22 points off 9-of-13 shooting in this one with 11 of those points coming during the decisive sequence [a 21-2 run] soon after half-time."
Lucca is in northwestern Italy, just 11 miles from Pisa [map].
Lucca has won their first three games of the season with Kayla starting at the center and playing 30 minutes per game. She has averaged 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.3 blocks.
(This is the first time that Stanford alumnae have played on the same international team since Kate Starbird and Jamila Wideman played together in Spain: Letter home from Kate)
Jillian is Lucca's starting shooting guard. In their first three games, she leads the team in playing time (34 min) and scoring (22.7 points).
This is New's ninth season of playing professional basketball in Turkey, her first with Gelistirenler,which was recently promoted to Superleague, the premier Turkish professional basketball league. Her husband, Emre Vatansever, is the assistant coach at Galatasaray, which is also in Istanbul.
Gelistirenler has played just one game this season; New did not play.
October 17, 2015
Nicole inducted into Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame
Nicole Powell ('04) was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame last night.
Nicole Powell Hall of Fame Induction SpeechForegone conclusion that this would one day happen. Last night, Nicole Powell was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame »
Posted by Stanford Women's Basketball on Saturday, October 17, 2015
October 6, 2015
Sara starts her career at Stanford
September 30, 2015
Candice's quest for a WNBA title
Yesterday, before the game, Sports Illustrated published a story of Candice's quest for a title for her dad: Liberty's Candice Wiggins chasing WNBA title in memory of her father
September 25, 2015
Candice opens up about her father's fight with addiction, AIDS
Candice spoke of her dad, Alan Wiggins to The Recollectors, a project that is collecting oral histories to remember parents lost to AIDS: “He Taught Me Not to Judge”
September 23, 2015
Candice lights up the Garden
She sank four of four shots from beyond the arc last night at Madison Square Garden as she helped the New York Liberty reach the WNBA Eastern Conference finals with a 79-74 win over the Washington Mystics. Here's the game story.
In Minneapolis, Nneka and the LA Sparks failed to advance to the Western Conference finals as they lost to the Lynx 80-91. Here's the game story.
September 15, 2015
Candice on defense
Candice takes pride in being a defensive-minded player and writes about: The Five Toughest Players I've Ever Guarded
September 9, 2015
New signs with new Turkish team for 2015-16
Gelistirenler is not a new team, but it was recently promoted to the premier Turkish professional basketball league – Superleague – which was previously known as the Turkish Basketball League (TKBL). Gelistirenler is one of five Superleague teams located in Istanbul.
This will be New's ninth season as a professional basketball player in Turkey, all but the first in Istanbul. She played for Istanbul Universitesi last season and for Fenerbahce for the six seasons before that. Her husband, Emre Vatansever, returns to Galatasaray next season as an assistant coach.
New, who has Turkish citizenship, has for many years been known as Nevin Nevlin in Turkey. Her professional basketball bio now gives her name as Kristen Nevlin and her full name as Nevin Kristen Vatansever.
New is slated to be the starting center for Gelistirenler. One of her teammates is Lindsey Harding (Duke '07).
September 2, 2015
Catching up with Jennifer Azzi
August 20, 2015
August 14, 2015
Candice comes full circle
Candice has come Full Circle.
July 23, 2015
Nneka is named to the WNBA All-Star game
The starters have been selected by the fans, as reported by the WNBA: A Look At Your Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 Starters.
Several of the selected starters are unable to play due to injury. Replacement players will be named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie.
July 20, 2015
Mikaela signs with Australian team for 2015-16
Story: Adelaide Lightning sign US import Mikaela Ruef to join Leilani Mitchell in a WNBL rebuild
Adelaide is on the southern Australia coast, about 750 miles east of Sydney, where Mikaela played last season. Here's a map.
July 19, 2015
July 16, 2015
July 10, 2015
Nicole to be inducted to Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame
The eight inductees will be honored at a private reception and dinner at Bing Concert Hall on Friday, Oct. 16. The class also will be introduced at halftime of Stanford's football game against UCLA on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Powell, a versatile guard/forward was a three-time All-American and three-time finalist for the James Naismith National Player of the Year Award.
She finished her career with 2,062 points (seventh all-time), 1,143 rebounds (fifth), 577 assists (fifth), 457 free throws made (fourth), .829 free throw percentage (second), 201 3-point baskets (seventh) and a 17.3 scoring average (fourth).
She was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2001, and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2002 and 2004, posting six triple-doubles.
During her four-year career, Powell sparked the Cardinal to a 105-26 record.
After graduating with a degree in urban studies, she played professional in the WNBA for 11 seasons and was the third overall draft pick in 2004 by the Charlotte Sting. She won a WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, earning the league's Most Improved Player award, and was named a WNBA All-Star in 2009. Powell led the league in three-point field goals made (66) in 2005 and was first in field goal percentage in 2007 (96.4) and 2009 (97.9).
She also played overseas, leading Fenerbahce to Turkish League titles in 2009 and 2010.
Powell is in her second season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Oregon.
See also: Stanford Athletics set to induct another Hall of Fame class
June 29, 2015
Amber signs with Italian team
Vigarano is in northeastern Italy, about 75 miles south of Venice [map]
Amber is expected to arrive in Vigarano early in September, soon after the team has gathered for the season.
Here is the announcement from Vigarano: Amber Orrange è la seconda USA di Vigarano. (La prima USA è Samantha Ostarello, Purdue '13.)
I suggest that you open the announcement with Chrome and request that it be translated to English. As is always the case with Google translations, the result is both informative and amusing. Vigarno expects that Amber will provide, "... quality shooting and rebounding presence, although not in possession of too many centimeters."
June 28, 2015
Chiney rises to the challenge
Peter Ogwumike, Chiney's father, is not surprised at how she has handled the news. He said, “You need to throw a challenge at them (Chiney and Nneka) and see how they respond and what they do ... They will rise to the occasion.”
Unable to play, Chiney is an ambassador for the Connecticut Sun, an unofficial assistant coach, a sports commmentator, whatever someone asks of her ...
Read more in Marc Allard's story for the Norwich Bulletin: Connecticut Sun's Chiney Ogwumke branches out during time off court
June 25, 2015
Mikaela's sensational season
Mikaela is enjoying a very successful season as the starting forward for two teams in Tasmania.
On weekends, Mikaela plays in the Southeastern Australia Basketball League (SEABL), which is one of five Australian State Leagues.
The SEABL season runs from mid-April to mid-August, with playoffs extending to mid-September.
There are 14 teams in the SEABL. Mikaela plays for the Launceston (aka Heritage Isle) Tornadoes. The Tornadoes are currently ranked fifth in the SEABL with a 9-4 win-loss record.
Mikaela is the leading rebounder in the league, with 13.5 per game, and she averages 15.9 points and 3.6 assists. She has tallied a double-double in every game, except the one where she was sidelined with a possible concussion. (Story: Timely return for Tornadoes).
She was recently named the SEABL Player of the Week, and was also named to the halfway SEABL all-star team.
On Tuesdays, Mikaela and three of her Tornado teammates drive about 75 miles to play in the Northwestern Basketball Union (NWBU). (Story: Trio sticks together for NWBU road trips).
The NWBU season runs from mid-February to mid-July, with playoffs extending to mid-August.
There are eight Senior Coastal Women's teams in the NWBU. Mikaela plays for the Ulverstone Red Hoppers, who lead the league with a 16-3 win-loss record. Mikaela joined the Hoppers in April after her season with Sydney Uni Flames in the Australian National Women's Basketball League (NWBL). (Story: Ruef gives Hoppers extra kick)
Mikaela is the leading rebounder in this league too with 17.5 per game and is the Hoppers' leading scorer with 20.3 points per game. Her performance at the free throw line is equally impressive — she is fouled more than any other Hopper and has made 78% of her free throws!
A recent game report from Ulverstone said, "Mikaela Ruef was sensational again," and with good reason — she scored 32 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. (Story: Ulverstone firm for flag after big win)
June 17, 2015
June 14, 2015
June 7, 2015
Ros wins an Emmy!
Congratulations!
The 44th Annual Northern California Area Emmy® Awards were presented Saturday evening, June 6 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco.
The Emmy® Award honors excellence in all fields of television and on-line production by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Among the recipients were:
On-Camera Talent-Anchor-Sports-Play by Play/Analyst
“Warriors Talent Composite,” Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
BOB FITZGERALD, Play-by-Play Announcer;
ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE, Sideline Reporter
Click here for the complete announcement.
Jillian leads Otago Goldrush to championship
The Otago Goldrush has won the 2015 New Zealand Women's Basketball Championship, largely due to Jillian's efforts.
Jillian led her team in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (10.6 rpg) and assists (2.5 apg) during the three-month twelve-team competition. She tallied 14 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and an assist in the championship game and was named the MVP.
Otago head coach Todd Marshall said, “Having the competitions leading player, Jillian Harmon in the team was a major factor in the team’s success. It certainly adds a bit of spice to it. When you already have a good team a player of that quality turns you into a stunning team.”
Here are reports of the championship game:
- Oceania Gold Rush Otago the 2015 WBC Champions
- Second title for Goldrush
- Tall Fern Harmon key to success
Jillian will join the Tall Ferns (the New Zealand Women's Basketball National Team) in July for a trial camp, after which a 12-player roster will be named to further prepare for the 2015 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship vs Australia on August 15-17.
Then Jillian will head to Lucca, Italy for the 2015-16 season.
June 6, 2015
Chiney is out for the season
Read more:
- Sun lose more than opener as Ogwumike is officially out for season by Ned Griffen (The Day)
- Sun's injuries lead to uncertainty by Jeff Jacobs (Hartford Courant)
June 5, 2015
Ros' dream comes true
May 29, 2015
Ros looking to outscoop the competition
Vytas Mazeika (Mercury News) reports on Ros' success as the Warriors'sideline reporter: Ex-Stanford standout Gold-Onwude provides inside scoop on the Warriors
May 28, 2015
Amber waived by the New York Liberty
May 21, 2015
Who's playing ball this summer
Eight Stanford alumnae are playing professional basketball this summer — six with the WNBA and two in New Zealand. In order of seniority:
Candice Wiggins '08, in her eighth WNBA season, is playing for the New York Liberty.
Jillian Harmon '09 is in Dunedin NZ playing in the New Zealand Women's Basketball Championship (NZWBC) for the Oceana Goldrush Otago. Jillian will return to Italy next season. She has signed with Lucca for 2015-16. Story: Gesam Gas Lucca signs New Zealander forward Jillian Harmon
Jayne Appel' 10 is in her sixth season with the San Antonio Silver Stars.
Kayla Pedersen '11, in her fifth WNBA season, is playing for the Connecticut Sun.
Jeanette Pohlen '11, is back for her fourth season with the Indiana Fever after rehabbing from an ACL tear last season.
Nneka Ogwumike '12 is in her fourth season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Mikaela Ruef '13 is in Tasmania playing in the Southeastern Australia Basketball League (SEABL) for the Heritage Isle Tornadoes and in the North West Basketball Union (NWBU) for the Ulverston Red Hoppers.
Joslyn Tinkle '13 isn't playing pro ball this summer, but has signed with the Sydney Uni Flames for 2015-16. That's the team that Mikaela played for last season – I don't know if she's re-signed with them. Story: Flames sign Joslyn Tinkle.
Chiney Ogwumike '14 has signed for her second season with the Connecticut Sun. She'll be sidelined indefinitely while she recovers from microfracture surgery on her knee.
Amber Orrange '15 is in her rookie season with the New York Liberty. Story: Rookie Q&A: Meet Amber Orrange
The WNBA preseason begins tomorrow (Friday, May 22). The regular season begins on Friday, June 5 and runs through September 13 (schedule).
Only a few of the games will be shown on national television, but most of them will be streamed live on WNBA Live Access.
May 18, 2015
Sparks are depending on Nneka
May 15, 2015
Alumnae Abroad: 2014-15 season-end report
The 2014-15 season is over for the eleven Stanford alumnae who played abroad. Here's how it went for them.
Seb, Cori and Jos got together at 2014 FIBA World Championship
Sebnem Kimyacioglu ('05) , Galatasaray (Turkey)
Galatasaray, who won it all last season — EuroLeague Women, the Turkish TKBL league and the Turkish Cup (a midseason intraleague competition) — didn't do quite as well this season. It lost to Fenerbahce (last season's runner-up ) in a fierce EuroLeague Women quarter-final series, with a 2-point loss, then a 2-point win and finally a 5-point loss. But it led the league with a 23-3 win-loss record, won the Turkish Cup again, for the fifth consecutive time, and the TKBL championship, for the second consecutive time.
Seb averaged 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in the TKBL games and 4.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in the EuroLeague Women games.
Cori Enghusen/Korel Engin ('02), Hatay (Turkey)
Hatay ranked 12th (of 14) in the Turkish TKBL league with a 7-19 win-loss record.
As Hatay's starting center, Cori averaged 3.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Joslyn Tinkle ('13), Canik (Turkey)
Canik ranked 10th (of 14) in the Turkish TKBL league with a 9-17 win-loss record.
Joslyn was Canik's starting power forward. She was their third-best scorer and rebounder with averages of 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She was the fourth-best shot blocker in the league with an average of 1.0 per game.
Josyln's season in Turkey ended early – she misssed the last four games of the season due to bone spurs and ligament damage in her ankle. But that had its bright side. She got back to the United States in time to see Gonzaga and her sister Elle play in the elite eight in Spokane.
Kristen Newlin/Nevin Nevlin('07), Istanbul University (Turkey)
Istanbul University ranked fourth in the Turkish TKBL league with a 17-9 win-loss record and ended its season with a loss in the quarter-finals of the league playoffs. It advanced to the semi-finals of EuroCup Women (the second-caliber international professional basketball league in Europe for women's clubs).
New, who had languished as a deep reserve for Fenerbahce for the past couple of seasons, had a rebirth this season as Istanbul University's starting center. She averaged 9.7 points, 8.5 rebounds (#8 in the league), 2.2 assists and 0.7 blocks (#10 in the league) in the TKBL games and 8.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.3 blocks in the EuroCup games.
New received Honorable Mention in the Eurobasket.com All-Turkish TKBL Awards.
Nneka Ogwumike ('12), Dynamo Kursk (Russia)
Dynamo Kursk had an excellent season. In its first-ever appearance in EuroLeague Women, it advanced to the Final Four where it won the bronze medal with a defeat of last season's silver medallist, Fenerbahce.
It ranked second in the Russian PBL league with a 15-3 win-loss record and ended its season at third place in the league playoffs.
Nneka was outstanding in both competitions. She led all EuroLeague players in scoring (19.5 ppg) and in double-doubles (12) and was second in rebounds (10.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.6%).
She was named the All-EuroLeague Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Import of the Year and a member of the 1st Team and the All-Imports Team by Eurobasket.com.
In the PBL games, Nneka was the league's top scorer (17.9 ppg). She made 56.8% of her field goal attempts and 83.9% of her free throws and led her team in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
She was named the All-Russian PBL Forward of the Year and a member of the 1st Team and the All-Imports Team by Eurobasket.com.
Jillian Harmon ('09), Townsville Fire (Australia)
Townsville had an outstanding season. It won its first-ever Australian WNBL league championship with a victory over the reigning champion, Bendigo, in the title match. It was also the top-ranked team in the league with a 17-5 win-loss record.
Jillian came off the bench for Townsville and played an average of 23 minutes a game. She averaged 6.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Mikaela Ruef ('13), Sydney Uni Flames (Australia)
Sydney Uni Flames ranked fourth in the Australian WNBL league with an 11-11 win-loss record and ended its season with a loss in the semi-finals of the league playoffs.
Mikaela had an very good season as Sydney UF's starting shooting forward. She led the team in rebounds with an average of 7.8 per game (#6 in the league) and in blocks with 0.9 per game (#7 in the league). She was their third-best scorer with an average of 10.4 points per game and tallied three double-doubles.
Regrettably, she lost her touch from beyond the arc that appeared late in her senior season at Stanford – she launched nine 3-pointers but made none. And her free-throw shooting hasn't improved. She went to the line, on average, four times per game but made only 59% of her attempts.
Kayla Pedersen ('11), Lucca (Italy)
Lucca ranked seventh (of 13) in the Italian Serie A1 league with a 13-11 win-loss record and ended its season with a loss in the quarter-finals of the league playoffs.
Kayla had a fine season as Lucca's starting shooting forward. She was Lucca's second-best scorer (12.8 ppg) and best rebounder (8.7 rpg, #10 in the league) and tallied ten double-doubles.
Chiney Ogwumike ('14), Famila Schio (Italy)
Famila Schio had an excellent season at home. It won the Italian Serie A1 league championship for the third consecutive time, was the top-ranked team in the league with a 21-3 win-loss record, and won its third consecutive Italian Cup (a midseason intraleague competition).
In EuroLeague Women, not so good — it went 6-8 in the first round, so failed to advance to the playoffs.
Chiney made a dazzling start in her rookie professional season before she injured her right knee in November. She left the team and returned to the United States where she had microfracture surgery on the knee.
Chiney played in only seven Italian A1 games and three EuroLeague Women games before the injury. She set records then that still held at the end of the season. She topped the Italian Serie A1 rankings for scoring (25.3 ppg), rebounding (13.1 rpg), steals (4.6 spg) and blocks (1.9 bpg). In EuroLeague play, she ranked second behind Nneka in scoring (19.3 ppg).
Sarah Boothe ('12), Widzew Lodz (Poland)
This was a very disappointing season for Widzew, which finished at the bottom of the Polish BLK league with a 4-18 win-loss record.
Sarah did a great job for Widzew in the post. She was Widzew's best shot blocker (1.3 bpg, #4 in the league) and best rebounder (9.2 rpg, #5 in the league). She was also their second-best scorer with 12.3 points per game. She had nine double-doubles.
Cissy Pierce ('08), Marburg (Germany)
Marburg ranked eighth (of 12) in the German DBBL league with an 8-14 win-loss record and ended its season with a loss in the quarter-finals of the league playoffs.
Cissy was Marburg's starting shooting forward. She averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
