http://www.kentucky.com/338/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Women's Sports 60 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:01:01 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/431302.html http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/431302.html Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:28 EDT
LOUISVILLE . On a team full of All-Stars, it's hard to stand out.

Almost all the players on the girls' Kentucky All-Star team led their teams in most statistical categories. All can put the ball in the basket.

Chantelle Pressley of Paul Dunbar knew that coming into the Kentucky All-Star tryouts nearly two months ago. She realized that if she were going to make the team, especially in a region with Lexington Catholic's Natalie Novosel, she'd have to do a little something extra.

It turned out Novosel didn't try out for the team because of nagging knee issues, but that's far from the reason why Pressley made it. As she set out to do, Pressley did a little bit of everything to become Lexington's only player on the Kentucky All-Star roster this season. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221077.html http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221077.html Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:23 EST
A coach sits on the cushy couch, with family portraits all around. Generations of a player's family watch his every move.

The coach sizes up his surroundings, looking for ways to connect with the mother, for ways to make the father feel more at ease.

The clock ticks more loudly, reminding the coach that there is only a finite amount of time to seal the deal and get that player to commit to his school.

As the recruiting coordinator for Kentucky from 2003-05, Matthew Mitchell sat in the living rooms of most of his current team's older players and leaders.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221079.html http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221079.html Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:20 EST
1. Can Kentucky figure out a way to turn around the close losses they had last season?

There has been more running and conditioning under new coach Matthew Mitchell than under former coach Mickie DeMoss, UK's players say. The new coach said that's the only way to ensure his team will be able to finish games. The players said they already see improvements. "Practice is harder than anything I've been through," guard Carly Ormerod said. "He's getting us prepared for being tired in late-game situations and having to work through that." Added depth at nearly every position could be a big boost at the end of games as well.

2. What are Mitchell's coaching philosophies?

The answer can be found on the back of a laminated card that each player is required to have on her at all times. If the card isn't presented when requested, wind sprints are the punishment, Mitchell said. The two-sided card has few words, but represents the new coach's philosophies succinctly. On one side are the words, "Losing Tools: Complaints, Excuses, Laziness." On the other side are the words, "Winning Tools: Honesty, Hard Work, Discipline." He discusses the winning tools every day in practice and meetings.

3. Will fans be able to see a difference in style of play under Mitchell? ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221036.html http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/221036.html Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:26 EST


Vitals: The 6-foot-5 freshman center is from Gadsden City, Ala. Her major is undecided. She was born July 14, 1988.

The lowdown: If her conditioning can continue to improve, Bett will be a dangerous weapon in the future. By the end of the season, she could be a solid reserve in the post. She has good touch around the basket and decent range from the high post.



Chante Bowman ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/338/story/428298.html http://www.kentucky.com/338/story/428298.html Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:46 EDT
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. . In her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, playing in only her third major championship, 19-year-old Yani Tseng felt lucky to become the youngest winner of the LPGA Championship on Sunday.

After the day she had at Bulle Rock, that was hardly the case.

First, she went 18 holes with Lorena Ochoa and closed with a 4-under 68 in searing heat, denying the No. 1 player a chance to win a third straight major. Then came a sudden-death playoff with Maria Hjorth that lasted four holes.

Tseng finished it off by choking down on a 6-iron out of the first cut of rough and hitting the perfect shot, the ball stopping 5 feet behind the hole for a birdie that made her the first rookie to win an LPGA major in 10 years. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/338/story/32203.html http://www.kentucky.com/338/story/32203.html Mon, 02 Apr 2007 08:37 EDT
Parker wrestled the ball away from North Carolina's Alex Miller in the final minute and the Lady Vols rallied to beat North Carolina 56-50 in a national semifinal last night, setting up an NCAA title date with Rutgers.
The Lady Vols (33-3) set a Final Four record with 20 steals and outscored the Tar Heels 20-2 over the final 8:08 to earn their 12th trip to the title game.

It was sweet revenge for Tennessee, which had lost the Cleveland Regional final on the same floor one year ago to the Tar Heels (34-4).

“At the eight-minute mark, I said, ‘We don't want to go home, we're not leaving here without a national championship,'” Coach Pat Summitt said.

Parker finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Nicky Anosike added 14 points, none bigger than her layup with 2:04 left when Tennessee, down 48-36 with 8:18 to play, finally caught the Tar Heels at 50-all.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/548/story/19623.html http://www.kentucky.com/548/story/19623.html Sat, 17 Mar 2007 10:56 EDT
Those winners will also play Monday night for a berth in the third round.

No. 25 Louisville enters having split its last 10 games, but as Coach Tom Collen pointed out, two of the losses were to No. 4 Connecticut and two of the other three were at No. 22 Marquette and at Notre Dame.

"I think it was more a reflection of the schedule and where those games were played," Collen said of the 5-5 finish. "We're very proud of the season we've had . arguably the best season we've ever had at the University of Louisville."

Louisville's Angel McCoughtry, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, is one of the most productive players in the country, averaging 21.9 points and 10.6 rebounds.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/499470.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/499470.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:31 EDT
Leslie capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a fourth straight gold medal scoring 14 points in a 92-65 victory against Australia on Saturday night. She joined former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players ever to win four gold medals.

"It's a blessing for me to be out on this floor, now participating in my fourth Olympics and walking away with a fourth gold medal," Leslie said.

Russia took the bronze medal beating host China 94-81 as Becky Hammon scored 22 points.

The Aussies have now lost to the Americans in the gold medal game in the past three Olympics with all three defeats coming by double-digit margins.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/499432.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/499432.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:31 EDT
Maria Stepanova added 15 points for the Russians, who also won the bronze in Athens four years ago. In a game in which neither team had much trouble getting good shots, Russia shot 54 percent and hit nine 3-pointers while maintaining a double-digit margin most of the way.

Hammon, the U.S.-born WNBA standout and naturalized Russian citizen, had struggled against the U.S. She managed just three points on 1-for-6 shooting in Thursday's 67-52 semifinal loss to the United States, but had 11 in the first half and finished with four 3-pointers Saturday.

Chen Nan scored 26 points for China, which was trying to win its first women's basketball medal since taking home silver in Barcelona in 1992. Its only other medal was the bronze in Los Angeles 24 years ago.

Playing in front of yet another vocal home-country crowd, the Chinese had a much better offensive showing than in their 90-56 loss to Australia in the semifinals. They shot 55 percent for the game and knocked down plenty of the open looks they missed against the Aussies, but they never managed to slow the Russians at the other end.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/497303.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/497303.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:13 EDT
Belinda Snell had 16 points to help the Aussies beat host China 90-56 Thursday night, sending them back to the gold-medal game for the third straight time for yet another matchup with the United States.

Lauren Jackson added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Australia, which played without Penny Taylor. The team's third-leading scorer sprained her right ankle in the third quarter of a quarterfinal win against the Czech Republic and spent Thursday's game watching from the bench wearing her warmups.

Taylor's absence didn't matter much against China, which managed little more than an array of missed jumpers against Australia's tough defense as the game slipped away before halftime. The question is whether Taylor will be ready to face the Americans in Saturday's final.

They have lost to the Americans in the medal round of the past three Olympics, taking home silver in the past two games and the bronze in Atlanta in 1996.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/497168.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/497168.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:20 EDT
Diana Taurasi scored 21 points and Tina Thompson added 15 to help the U.S. pull away from Russia 67-52 on Thursday night in the semifinals. The Americans will face Australia in the gold medal game Saturday. The U.S. will be looking to win its fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

The U.S. had been averaging 99.2 points as they cruised through the first six games, winning by 43 points a contest. The closest win was a 38-point rout of Spain, in which the U.S. only led by five at the half.

However the Americans hadn't played a team as good as Russia, which had been inconsistent during the Olympics - barely winning games in pool play. In the quarterfinals, the Russians trailed Spain by 18 in the first half before rallying for an 84-65 victory.

For nearly 23 minutes Russia gave the U.S. all it could handle, taking a 38-33 lead on Maria Stepanova's bank shot with 7:17 left in the third quarter.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/496567.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/496567.html Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:18 EDT
Delle Donne announced last week that she would not be playing basketball at Connecticut or enrolling at the school.

UConn released Delle Donne on Wednesday from the letter of intent she signed last year, contingent on her enrollment at Delaware.

UConn says its release includes a consent allowing Delle Donne to play any sport this school year, including basketball for the Blue Hens.

Delle Donne would be eligible to play volleyball immediately at Delaware, but would need to get permission from the NCAA to play basketball this season, because she spent two days in summer school at UConn in June, and could be considered a transfer student.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/494781.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/494781.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:22 EDT
"I just wanted to come out and make a statement that I'm back and let my teammates know," Fowles said. "I haven't played well since the first two games and I've been down on myself not contributing as much as I'd like."

It's the sixth straight Olympics that the Americans have advanced to the medal round. The only time they didn't qualify for the semis in the history of women's basketball was in 1980 and that's because the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Games.

The Americans will face either Russia or Spain in the semifinals Thursday night. China plays Australia in the other semifinal.

The U.S. has now won 31 straight games since losing to the Unified team in the semifinals of the 1992 Olympics. The Americans were 5-0 in their pool, winning by an average of 43 points. The only trouble they had during group play was in the first 3 minutes against the Czech Republic when they trailed 13-2 before going on to win by 40 points and when they led Spain by five at the half Friday before coasting to a 38-point victory.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/493047.html http://www.kentucky.com/546/story/493047.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:57 EDT
The U.S. closed out pool play in the same fashion as all its other games in the Olympics - with a blowout. The Americans won the five games by an average of 43 points. With the exception of a rough first half against Spain and the first 3 minutes against the Czech Republic, the U.S. looked unbeatable.

"You got to take care of this to move on," said U.S. co-captain Katie Smith, who added 13 points. "You can't look at this game and think we played well and we're going to move on. It's about what we do in two days."

The U.S. will play South Korea in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. The South Koreans advanced to the next round by holding off Latvia 72-68 on Sunday.

"We don't know much about them yet," Smith added. "They hit a lot of 3s and love to drive and kickout for the open shot."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/455978.html http://www.kentucky.com/279/story/455978.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:00 EDT
After the basketball season ended, Chrysti Noble would see her former player Sarah Rowe around the neighborhood, ball in hand.

The former Rockcastle County star would be shooting baskets or dribbling the ball around.

Those images made Noble want to look away.

.I was sad she wasn't going to play basketball anymore,. Noble said. .She was one of the best all-around players I'd ever coached in 18 years.. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/548/story/419303.html http://www.kentucky.com/548/story/419303.html Fri, 30 May 2008 07:59 EDT
A former star player at her alma mater, Chrissy Roberts will return to Eastern Kentucky as head coach of the women's basketball team.

Roberts, an assistant at East Carolina, will succeed Larry Joe Inman, who announced his retirement after 20 years at Eastern.

Roberts played two years for Inman, served as a graduate assistant then later spent two years on the EKU staff.

She led the Lady Colonels to their first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1997. She was OVC Player of the Year the next season. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/504527.html http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/504527.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:13 EDT
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Abrosimova helped her country win the bronze medal at the Olympics in Beijing, averaging 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in eight tournament games.

"Svetlana will bring us a great veteran presence at the three and four positions," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "Her ability to score from both the perimeter and in the lane will add a great dynamic to our offense. She played very well for Russia in the Olympics."

Drafted out of UConn with the seventh overall pick in 2001, Abrosimova averaged 10 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the Minnesota Lynx.

"I've been in the league for seven years, and played for one team," Abrosimova said. "I made good friends there, but I'm excited to be going to a different team, and especially the team in Connecticut. I'm very excited to be playing in front of the Connecticut people again. I'm just hoping I can help Connecticut win a championship."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/495574.html http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/495574.html Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:42 EDT
A statement released by the Australia Olympic Committee said Jackson has an impingement at the front of her right ankle joint. She has required repeated injections to compete in Beijing and will have arthroscopic surgery in Sydney next week.

The Australians are scheduled to play China in the Olympic semifinals on Thursday night.

The surgery likely will force Jackson to miss the rest of the WNBA regular season with the Seattle Storm. Typical recovery time from the surgery is four-to-six weeks, according to the Australian Olympic medical staff, meaning the earliest Jackson would return to the Storm would be during the playoffs.

In a statement, Seattle coach Brian Agler said the Storm are disappointed to hear the news of Jackson's surgery, but added that the team supports her decision to have the procedure done immediately.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/495284.html http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/495284.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:12 EDT
"We cannot continue on this path," Sheila Johnson, also a part owner of the team, said in a rare conference call with reporters. "The Mystics have not moved one ounce in their 11-year history, and we've got to start making some changes. It is the only way this team is going to survive.

"If I can't move the marker here, I'm going to lose my fan base, I'm going to lose my corporate support, and I just might as well shut down, and I don't want to do that. I want to make a difference in this team. I want a winning team."

The Mystics have defined instability since entering the WNBA in 1988. They have had 10 coaches in 11 seasons, leading to dizzying changes in philosophy and constant lineup shuffles. They entered this season's Olympic break with a 10-16 record and recently fired coach Tree Rollins, replacing him with interim coach Jessie Kenlaw. They have been to the playoffs four times, but Johnson noted the team is 70 games below .500 since it came into being.

"I think my fans are getting fed up," she said. "I'm getting fed up."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/489240.html http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/489240.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:14 EDT
The fourth overall selection of the 2002 WNBA Draft by the Mystics, Jones scored her 2,000th career point in the league earlier this season.

"I'm just excited knowing that Asjha is going to be here for the next several years," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "What she's done to become a prime time player in this league is terrific. She's done everything you could ask a player to do to become a leader and a go-to player. She's going to be an All Star for a long, long time."

This season, Jones is averaging a team-high 16.8 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds per game.

"Extending Asjha to a long-term contract makes good business sense," Sun general manager Chris Sienko said. "Trading for her in 2004 was based in part on her potential as an athlete and which has no doubt paid great dividends. Keeping Asjha here was a top priority for us, and we are very pleased with this new contract."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/487731.html http://www.kentucky.com/568/story/487731.html Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:10 EDT
The Mystics also obtained a second-round pick in the 2009 draft, but lose the services of McWilliams-Franklin, who averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 26 games this season, her first with the club.

In 202 career games with Connecticut, Los Angeles and Washington, McWilliams- Franklin has compiled averages of 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per outing in her five-year career.

Humphrey was the 11th overall selection in the 2008 draft, as the Georgia product logged 7.3 points and 2.9 caroms in less than 14 minutes per game with the Shock this season.

Murphy, a second-year player out of the University of Southern California, has recorded 4.3 points and 2.7 boards an outing in 47 career games.]]>