Candice, a star for Ros Casares

Candice has signed with Spanish team Ros Casares for the remainder of the season. Ros Casares is reported to have the best team in its history. They lead the Spanish league with a current record of 12-1. The team is located in Valencia. Read more in this announcement (translated to English by Google)

Wiggins' Picture of Inspiration

Tom  Shanahan, sports columnist for voiceofsandiego.org, reports:

When Candice was a student at La Jolla County Day, her inspiration was a mural of Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan  Salaam.  A mural of her next to Salaam's was unveiled last week at LJCD as she was honored for the accomplishments that make her an inspiration to young athletes.  Read more ...

Alumnae Abroad 2008-09

This report was premature. Most of the European teams have posted their 2008-09 rosters now.  Corrections below in green

Seven  Five of our alumnae are playing professional basketball in Europe this season. Here are Seb and Kristen in Istanbul not playing basketball.

Kristen Newlin ('07) is playing for Fenerbahce in Istanbul, Turkey. She had a very successful start with her new team in a preseason tournament where she was selected MVP after scoring 17 (team high), 10 (some foul trouble), and 29 (game high). New had a very eventful summer, which included travelling to Turkey several times to get her Turkish citizenship, sign with Fenerbahce, and train with the Turkish national team. You can read all about it in her blog and see more pictures in her online photo albums.

Brooke Smith ('07) is playing in Italy again, but for Pool Comense in Como, scenically a great change from Rome. She too has started well. In her first game (against Viterbo, her team last season), she started, scored 8 points and had 6 rebounds. Being a leading member of the team must be a welcome change after her summer with the Phoenix Mercury.

Sebnem Kimyacioglu ('05) is playing for Galatasary in Istanbul, as she did last season.

Nicole Powell ('04) is playing for Fenerbahce. For the first time, she and New will be teammates.

Cori Enghusen ('02) is also playing her second season with Galatasary.

Bethany Donaphin ('02) : Familia Schio, the team with which she played the prior four seasons reports that she has retired.

Enjoli Izidor ('02) is not playing for Sibenik in Croatia, nor does her name appear on any other European team roster.

Candice rehabbing from knee surgery

See Candice rehabbing from knee surgery at Stanford, photographed and narrated by Mel and read about her surgery, her rehab, her favorite TV shows and more in her blog.

Candice rehabbing from knee surgery

See Candice rehabbing from knee surgery at Stanford, photographed by Mel and read about her surgery, her rehab,her favorite TV shows and more in her blog.

Candice is WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year

Candice had an outstanding first season in the WNBA, and was a shoo-in for the Sixth Woman of the Year award. Although she came off the bench in all but one of her 30 games as a Minnesota Lynx, she was second on the team in points, assists, and minutes per game. Her 15.7 points per game  set a new all-time WNBA record for scoring by a player off the bench. 

Read more about her achievements in this report from the WNBA.  And in this report by Michelle Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jennifer Azzi, Basketball Ambassador

Jennifer Azzi continues her work to motivate and inspire young women through involvement in sports, representing the women's contingent of a recent NBA awareness and recruiting trip to South Africa. She shared playing tips and techniques at the first NBA-sponsored basketball camp for 60 young women in Johannesburg and spoke about the impact of athletics in women's lives. Read more about it in an article in the International Herald Tribune.

Art + Basketball = Lindsey Yamasaki

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that former Cardinal and WNBA player Lindsey Yamasaki has been hired to coach women's basketball at an unexpected venue: the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. AAU is applying for NCAA Division II "exploratory status" and has begun to offer athletic scholarships in 13 sports, including women's and men's basketball. Even if AAU's application is turned down, the university plans to compete as an independent school. Basketball games will be held at Kezar Pavillion, located adjacent to Golden Gate Park. Read the whole story in Sunday's paper and, if you're in the Bay Area , watch for opportunities to see Lindsey coach and cheer her on.

Candice on the Radio

Candice Wiggins was on campus recently to watch the Olympic team practice at Maples prior to their departure for Beijing. KNBR managed to interview her while she was in town and get her thoughts on the transition from playing college-level basketball to playing in the WNBA, her childhood sports heroes, the recent dust-up between the Sparks and the Shock and a few other interesting topics. It is an endearing 9-minute conversation that demonstrates, once again, what a special person she is.