Jennifer Azzi Inducted into Hall of Fame

This summer, Jennifer Azzi received yet another recognition of her extraordinary career - induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 also included Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Jennifer Gillom, Sonja Hogg, Ora Washington and Jill Hutchinson. Ironically, the Hall of Fame is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, not far from Jennifer's hometown of Oak Ridge.

Brooke Scores for the Mercury

Brooke-with-the-Hook Smith is playing with the Phoenix Mercury this season, at least, when the Atlanta Dream is in town. Read about her experiences in the WNBA in these recent articles, from Arizona and from her home town paper, the Marin Independent Journal. After the WNBA season, Brooke will return to Italy to play for the Lake Como team. Until then...buona fortuna, Brooke!

Val Whiting, Newspaper Columnist

Several Cardinal alumnae have found careers in the sports world, including Val Whiting, whose GameShape business in Wilmington, Delaware, provides coaching for athletes who want to improve their performance. Val has recently expanded her scope, writing a column for the Wilmington New Journal on athletic performance. Catch a sample of her words of advice in this recent article.

The Cult of Candice

Cardinal fans have known for four years that Candice  is a star player and an impressive young woman. 

But now, after leading Stanford to the Final Four and two months as an outstanding WNBA rookie, her circle of admirers is widening. It now includes Ann Killion, San Jose Mercury News sports columnist, and Don Zierden, Minnesota Lnyx head coach.

Zierden is beginning to sound a lot like Tara:

"Candice is a joy to have."
"She's a gem, isn't she?"

Read more of Killion's story and, if you haven't been keeping track of Candice's professional career, her Lynx stats.

Anita Kaplan Update

The Albany (NY) Times Union recently ran a profile of Cardinal great Anita Kaplan that's fun to read. The article recaps Anita's college and pro basketball careers and updates her activities since she retired. Anita now lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three sons. Samuel, the eldest, is pictured here, keeping his mom company at mid-court during last season's Alumni Recognition celebration. On March 12th, he was joined by twin baby brothers, Leo and Jack. Without a doubt, all three will attend Cardinal games in years to come.

WNBA - Who's in and who's not

Here's a report of the four Cardinal alumnae who are playing in the twelfth season of the WNBA and two who aren't.

In a preseason interview, Candice said, "I learned at an early age that the way you feel changes how you play the game. I feel great about our team and am so excited for this season." She was at first a bit wary of going from being the "mother hen" at Stanford to just "a chick" as a rookie, but couldn't be more complimentary of her new teammates. Sounds good so far.

Teammate Charde Houston said, "Expect everything from Candice. Energy. Intensity. Desire. You have no choice but to feed off her energy ... She's amazing!" 

Brooke was signed to a training camp contract by the Phoenix Mercury early in the preseason and earned her place on their 2008 season roster. Here is the start of Brooke's WNBA career.

Nicole is back from her winter season in Russia, eager to start her fourth season with the Sacramento Monarchs.  Here is a brief interview with Nicole and some of her teammates, and her WNBA career statistics. Last season, she was the Monarch's leading scorer and their #2 rebounder.

This is Jamie's third season with the Connecticut Sun. She still has her sweet touch from beyond the arc -- her percentage last season was .451, the best in the WNBA, and almost as good as her freshman year at Stanford (.455).

She's known as a tough-minded player -- described as a "hardnosed point guard who plays aggressive defense" in her WNBA profile.

New played for the Phoenix Mercury and then the Indiana Fever in the preseason, but was waived.

Olympia had been in the WNBA since graduating from Stanford. She played for eight seasons, missing only 2003 because of a knee injury. This year, she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks as a free agent, but was waived in the preseason.

Here is a summary of Olympia's basketball career and some personal information.

Candice always a competitor

An article  from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune begins, "Those who have seen Candice's determination on and off the court have no doubt that she will shine in her next challenge with the Minnesota Lynx," and goes on to tell Candice's story from age 3 to a week ago.

And another one tells lots more about Candice: four short tales; eleven quotes about Candice from her coaches, teammates and family members; and five quotes from Candice.

Candice Scores 18 in First Lynx Game

The Minnesota Lynx played their first exhibition game this past week, posting a 68-57 victory over the Connecticut Sun. Candice contributed 18 points - a promising kickoff to her WNBA career. Lynx coach Don Zierden is trying out the team's new players while waiting on the arrival of several returning players who played overseas this winter. Check out the game summary and comments by both coaches and several players at the Lynx website.

Bethany Donaphin's Team Wins Eurocup

In her third year playing with the Beretta-Famila team in Schio, Italy, Bethany Donaphin contributed 16 points to the team's victory over BC Moscow to win this year's Eurocup Women Title. Read all about it on the FIBA Europe website. Bethany is holding the trophy in the post-game photo.

The 2008 WNBA Draft and Candice's Impact on It

Here's a thoughtful rumination from ESPN's Graham Hays on this year's WNBA draft, including analysis of Candice Wiggins' impact on the decision making process.