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 ... )

Alumni in Europe in 2006-07

Bethany Donaphin is playing for Famila Basket Schio, in northern Italy east of Milan. This is Bethany's third season with Famila Schio. She played in Turkey and Italy in the prior two years. Nicole Powell is playing for Halcon Avenida in Salamanca, Spain. Nicole played in Turkey and Spain in the prior two years. Sebnem Kimyacioglu is playing for Besiktas in Istanbul. This is her second year with that team. One of her teammates is Sheri Sam, who you may remember from the ABL. Cori Enghusen is playing for Botas in Adana, a large city in southeastern Turkey nineteen miles from the Mediterranean coast. Cori played for a different Turkish team in the prior two years. Enjoli Izidor is playing for Migros in Istanbul. In prior years, she played for a different Turkish team and in Greece. Krista Rappahahn is playing for 08 Stockholm in Sweden. One of her teammates is Erin Grant, who graduated from Texas Tech last year.

Azzi Changed Our Way of Thinking About Women's Basketball

By: Ann Killion, Mercury News Can one naive teenager change the mindset of an entire region? You bet. Beginning 20 years ago, Jennifer Azzi changed the way the Bay Area thought about women's basketball. Azzi, who will be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame tonight, turned the Bay Area into a hot spot. She helped change the way people thought about basketball. About women's team sports. Maybe even about women. "It always felt like it was about more than just basketball," said Azzi, 38. "Basketball was a vehicle to change perceptions about women." First came the coach. Tara VanDerveer arrived from Ohio State in 1985, ready to change things. But to do it, she needed a player. Not just any player, but a star to build around. "One person does make a difference," VanDerveer said. "What Jennifer brought was exactly what we needed." Her staff scoured the country and found Azzi. A hard-nosed, competitive, charismatic point guard who had the grades to get into Stanford and the desire to leave home. Which just happened to be in Tennessee -- one of the nation's true hotbeds for women's basketball. That Tennessee mindset was an important attribute that Azzi brought to Stanford. Fortunately for VanDerveer, Pat Summitt wasn't interested in Azzi. "They said they had an extra scholarship if I wanted it," Azzi said. "But I didn't feel like they wanted me to come there. And I never wanted to go there. I wanted a different experience." She wanted adventure and academics. And she just assumed that -- no matter where she went -- people would like to watch women's basketball. "We had 20,000 fans at our state tournament," she said. "I grew up in that atmosphere." The first time she got on an airplane was her recruiting trip to Stanford. The first time she set foot in California was that trip. She didn't have any second thoughts, no concerns about homesickness or adjustments. "I'm blessed sometimes with not being very realistic," Azzi said. "It didn't hit me until I got there, my first night in the dorm." That wasn't the only adjustment, when she arrived in 1986. When the team played, they didn't pull out the bleachers. No one came to the games. The team was terrible. "It was pretty depressing," she said. Azzi called her father and said she wanted to come home. He said he'd come and get her, but to get a good airfare he needed to purchase something a month in advance. Meantime, he wrote her every day. "By the time he came out, I was fine," she said. Except for the basketball part. One night after a loss, Azzi sat in darkened Maples Pavilion by herself, wondering what she'd committed herself to and despairing. Also sitting in the dark, having similar thoughts, was her coach. VanDerveer moved next to Azzi and told her, "Picture this place full. Picture us selling out by your senior year. Now picture us winning the national championship. Can you do that?" Azzi, still not very realistic, told her coach, "Sure." "I'd seen 10,000 fans at high school games," Azzi remembered. "Why not here? Why can't we make that happen?" Azzi helped make it happen. She and her teammates papered the dorms with fliers. She helped recruit other key players, such as Sonja Henning. Fans started to come. Victories started to pile up. "It was an obsession almost," she said. "We were so passionate about it." She made the Bay Area notice. She ran VanDerveer's up-tempo offense and embodied the coach's mantra of selling the sport every time she took the court. By Azzi's junior year, the team won the Pac-10 title and she was the league's player of the year. By her senior year, Maples was sold out. Azzi was the Naismith player of the year. And the team won the NCAA championship, in Azzi's home state. Azzi graduated in 1990. She was a member of the national-team pool and in 1995 was reunited with VanDerveer, who took a sabbatical from Stanford to coach the Olympic team. After the triumphant Atlanta Olympics -- where the team won the gold medal -- Azzi and a handful of other stars helped launch the American Basketball League. Azzi played for the Lasers at the Event Center at San Jose State. "That was my favorite 2 1/2 years of my career," she said. "I remember seeing people lined up around the Event Center on opening night. It was amazing what we had accomplished." But the ABL eventually folded because of stiff competition from the WNBA. Azzi played for the WNBA, in Detroit, Utah and San Antonio. She retired in 2004. Now she does public speaking and continues a relationship with the NBA. She's moving back to the Bay Area from Utah -- recently closing on a house in Mill Valley. She's sad that the excitement about women's sports that peaked in the late 1990s has died down. She's concerned that players don't realize they still have to sell the game. "I wonder if we've gotten a little bit lax," she said. "Each person has to earn their own respect." She'd love to see the Bay Area become home to a WNBA team, building around a local name such as -- for instance -- Candice Wiggins. For now, Azzi plans to catch some games as a fan at Maples, where the Cardinal will be putting together a run it hopes ends at the Final Four. Azzi can sit in the bleachers -- which will be pulled out and packed. And she can witness what she helped start two decades ago.