Nneka is proud of her body

Nneka reveals how proud she is of her body and its ability to compete at the highest level in ESPN The Magazine's 2017 Body Issue: What's a WNBA MVP's 'kryptonite'? Krispy Kreme

Charmin named to national board

Cal associate head coach Charmin Smith (Stanford '97) has been appointed to the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Board of Directors.

She will serve as the assistant coach director — one of 24 voting members on the WBCA Board of Directors, which manages the business and affairs of the association.

Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition.

Charmin is now entering her 11th season in Berkeley, her sixth as associate head coach.

Read more in the announcement from Cal Athletics.

Nneka is a leader on and off the court

From the New York Times: W.N.B.A. Players Union Leader Takes a Thoughtful Approach

Chiney and her new job — a perfect match

Chiney has joined ESPN as the co-host of SportsCenter across sub-Saharan Africa.

She will co-host the African edition of SportsCenter with Phil Murphy on SportsCenter in Africa, which brings sports fans across 19 sub-Saharan nations a nightly look at the latest in International and American sports news, highlights and updates in the program’s signature fast-paced format.

Here is the WNBA announcement: Chiney Ogwumike To Host Africa's SportsCenter

Here is a behind-the-scenes video from her first day on the job:

Cameras are rolling with @Chiney321 on @kwesesports. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/4s7NExWsYw

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 14, 2017

Mikaela returns to Tasmania for the summer season

Mikaela Ruef ('15) has played basketball with the Launceston Tornadoes for the past two summer seasons.

She left the Tornadoes this summer to try out for the WNBA. When she was waived by the LA Sparks, the Tornadoes had already replaced her and had no room to re-sign her.

But the Hobart Chargers did have room and have signed Mikaela for the remainder of the season (a bit less than half).

The signing is quite a coup for the Chargers, who have struggled with the lack of a strong inside presence. A report in the Tasmanian Mercury began, "The Hobart women Chargers have secured the one missing ingredient which has instantly rocketed them into a SEABL title contender."

The Tornadoes and the Chargers are both located in Tasmania (see map) and are members of the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL), which is one of seven Australian state leagues.

Jillian and the Tall Ferns

Here's a nice story from the New Zealand Herald about Jillian and the Tall Ferns: Jillian Harmon hungry for World Cup opportunity

And another that explains why the Tall Ferns have a good chance of getting to participate in the FiBA 2018 Women's World Cup: Asian tournament offers Tall Ferns easier route to World Cup

Kayla returns to the Sun

Kayla Pedersen ('11) has signed a contract with the Connecticut Sun.

She had been waived for the season because she broke her thumb in the Italian League championship game. But that was almost five weeks ago, and she's apparently ready to play again.

Kayla replaces Jordan Hooper on the Sun roster. The Sun traded Hooper to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.

Kayla previously signed a contract with the Dandenong Rangers (Australia) for the 2017-18 season, but there probably won't be any overlap in the two commitments. Dandenong is scheduled to begin its season early in October, and the WNBA regular season ends on September 3. The Chiney-less Sun isn't expected to progress far in the playoffs.

Ros' Journey

Ros shares her journey from Queens to Stanford and on to the Golden State Warriors' sidelines in this video from The Relish: Why Ros Gold-Onwude Is the Warriors Real MVP

More about Bri and Karlie playing in Europe

Here's a nice story about Bri and Karlie from the Cardinal Sports Report:

Karlie Samuelson and Briana Roberson sign to play in Europe

Karlie and Bri will play on in Europe

Karlie and Bri have signed contracts for the 2017-18 season in Europe.

Karlie will be playing in Vigarano, Italy [map], for the team on which Amber has played for the past two seasons.

Vigarano Basketball is pleased to announce, "... a new entry in the roster 2017/2018, the first foreigner, coming knit Mechanics Novan Karlie Samuelson , shooting specialist, but also complete player who will complement the external quintet available to coach Andreoli."

Bri will be playing in Pécs, Hungary [map].

Head coach Gabriel Carrasco says, "Briana is a very intelligent player, both offensively and defensively will be very great help in the second and each post."