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Griner injured, but it’s win or go home for Chicago Sky in WNBA Finals

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“We want to be physical in all aspects of the game, but being strong mentally would help us out a lot more.”

Pokey Chatman, Chicago Sky head coach and general manager, on managing in the WNBA Finals

The ‘School of Hard Knocks’ opened at the WNBA Finals between first-time contenders Chicago Sky and 2007 and 2009 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury.

In a bruising game Game 2 in Phoenix Tuesday night,  6’6 Sky center Sylvia Fowles cut (accidentally or no?) 6’8 center’ Brittney Griner’s eye, for which Griner sat out four minutes. Reportedly, Phoenix point guard Diana Taurasi asked her…”Don’t you have TWO eyes?” And she was back in the game. Later,  the Sky’s Sasha Goodlett caused further damage when she elbowed Griner hard in the mouth, knocking out a tooth.  Griner spit the tooth onto the US Airways Center court and kept playing.

But damage was done. On Thursday, Griner underwent a procedure for a ‘retinal issue’ in Phoenix and is listed as a game-time decision if she will play Friday night in Game 3 at the UIC Pavilion.  If ophthalmologist Dr. Jay Schwartz clears Griner to play, she’ll hop a plane from Phoenix and join the team in Chicago.

Griner’s possible absence gives some hope to the Sky, who are first-time contenders for the WNBA crown. Down 0-2 after two humiliating games in Phoenix, the Sky could force a Game 4 on Sunday.

But it’s going to be tough, Griner or not. All five Mercury starters, including Griner, scored in double-digits in a 97-68 slaughter, a Finals record. Diana Taurasi, with 18 points, moved into second place on the Finals all-time scoring list, passing Katie Smith.  She trails only Deanna Nolan, who has 256 career points in the Finals.Despite what had to be excruciating pain, Griner finished the game with 19 points and four blocks.

But the scrappy Sky, who’ve endured lengthy absences this season from superstar Elena Delle Donne, All-Star Sylvia Fowles, Ephiphanny Prince, and Courtney Vandersloot, and came together relatively healthy in the postseason, have surpassed all expectations. Vandersloot explained:

“We’ve faced elimination in Round 1 and Round 2, and somehow we find a way to win it.  We’ve been through a lot this season.  We fight, we’ve got fighters on this team, we’re not happy with just being in the Finals, and I think if anything these first two games have been a huge wake up call for us.  Obviously, we need to be better and we’re going to find a way to be better.”

Other encouraging signs from Tuesday night included Delle Donne, clearly suffering from a back strain, bouncing back from a dismal, painful Game 1 by delivering a game-high 22 points in 28 minutes. How about Epiphanny Prince turning in her best performance of the playoffs, scoring 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting? She also had 3 steals.

An extra day of rest also benefits the hurting Sky. Delle Donne said her back felt better. Sylvia Fowles is eager to get back home and onto the court that launched her career at the UIC Pavilion. And they know their competition pretty well. Delle Donne analyzed the keys to the Mercury’s success after Tuesday night’s loss:

“They have several superstars on their team and they’re all very unselfish as well.  You know if you pay extra attention to D [Diana Taurasi], she will have 11 assists.  So they really know how to spread the floor, read the floor and get each other open.”

The key to extending the season will be Delle Donne’s health and her ability to play.

Other keys include:

  • Limiting turnovers
  • Scoring points in the paint
  • Outside shooting
  • Avoiding blocks from Griner
  • Successfully guarding Dupree and Taurasi

And for those who think ‘no one’s watching…the WNBA reports the Finals are averaging 688,000 viewers per game across all networks, up +92% versus last season’s Finals (between the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream) to-date (358,000 viewers) through two games.

Game 1, where the Mercury beat the Sky 83-62, was the most viewed WNBA Finals Game 1 since 2000.

 

 

I Forgot the Gamecocks! NCAA Women’s Bracket Seeds DePaul #7

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I predicted my top seeds for the NCAA Women’s Bracket on my Facebook Token Female  page. Guess what they were…..Oh, never mind…..I’ll tell you:

  • UConn (34-0) #1 all year on the AP Poll
  • Notre Dame (32-0) #2 all year on the AP Poll
  • Tennessee (27-5) #3 or 4 all year
  • Baylor  (29-4) #4 to end the regular season

Your Token Female was right on three counts. The fourth? Dead wrong. Where was Baylor? They’re a #2 seed, right under undefeated Notre Dame. I forgot the Gamecocks! There they are, at the top of the NCAA Women’s Bracket. Damn you, South Carolina! How could you sneak up on me like that? Aleighsa Welch, Tiffany Mitchell, and Alaina Coates, you surprised me!

The steely stare of South Carolina's Dawn Staley with Aleighsa Welch, Alaina Coates, and Tiffany Mitchell's joy. Hey, you're a #1 seed...lighten up!
The steely stare of South Carolina’s Dawn Staley with Aleighsa Welch, Alaina Coates, and Tiffany Mitchell’s joy. Hey, you’re a #1 seed…lighten up!

Well, here’s how they got to the top of the Stanford Region:

  • South Carolina (27-4) had won its most games in 34 years and earned its first-ever SEC regular-season title.
  • It’s  South Carolina’s third straight trip and 11th overall to the Big Dance

I didn’t think they were going to be a top seed…maybe #2 or #3, because they lost to their better competition in the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Tennessee Volunteers during the regular season. They lost in the SEC Conference Tournament to Kentucky. Credit their coach, Dawn Staley. She’s making her ninth NCAA appearance as a coach. The Hall of Famer led Virginia to three Final Fours as one of the game’s best players. They will open up against Cal State Northridge in the first round in Seattle. Stanford, who lost early in the Pac-12 tournament, still managed a #2 seed. They’re coming to the home of the ketchup and mustard of Iowa State in Ames to play the first two rounds. Penn State is the #3 seed and North Carolina, #4.  Closer to Home….

Chanise Jenkins leads the cheers for DePaul's #7 seed
Chanise Jenkins leads the cheers for DePaul’s #7 seed

Every time I hear someone say “There’s no Illinois team in the NCAA’s!” I JUST WANT TO FUME. For the  12th straight year, the No. 23/22 DePaul women’s basketball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament.  The Blue Demons are one of just nine programs to appear in each of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments.  They are joined in this elite category by Connecticut, Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. A dozen times, they’ve been in the BIG DANCE. What are they…chopped liver? The DePaul women are the only basketball program – men or women – from the state of Illinois represented in the NCAA Tournament field this season. And it was a well-deserved honor. DePaul had one of the most successful seasons in recent history and set programs records for points scored (2,763), 3-pointers (285), assists (654) and its 27 wins ties for the second-most in school history. I thought their #7 seed was a bit low, but they will face No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday, March 22 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. DePaul and Oklahoma’s first-round game will be played 30-minutes following the Duke vs. Winthrop game which is scheduled to tip at 10:00 a.m. (CT). Both games will air on ESPN2. Duke was chosen as the No. 2 seed and Winthrop is the No. 15 in the Lincoln, Nebraska Region. The winners of Saturday’s first round games play on Monday. DePaul (27-6) is making its 19th NCAA Tournament with its first appearance coming in 1990. As readers of Token Female noted last week, the Blue Demons earned the Big East’s  automatic bid after capturing the league’s tournament title last week. #10 Oklahoma (18-14) reached the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament this season and is making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance.  The Sooners are 4-6 in their last 10 games and are 0-1 in neutral site games this season. The Sooners started their season by making the championship game of the Preseason WNIT The Blue Demons and Sooners are meeting for just the second time ever.  The two schools last played when they opened the 2006-07 season in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners won the game 105-71. DePaul is 10-18 all-time in NCAA games and reached the Sweet 16 in 2011 and in 2006. The Blue Demons have reached the second round eight times, including in two of the last three seasons. Stay tuned for updates throughout the big dance. I’m expecting a serious dosey-doe.

DePaul Blue Demons Take Big East to the Big Dance; Party on…Monday

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The DePaul Blue Demons) are ready to step up and lead the Big East”

Coach Doug Bruno, DePaul Blue Demons

Welcome to a new era in Big East athletics.

No more UConn. No more Geno Auriemma.  No more Notre Dame. So long, Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw.

Hello, Coach  Doug Bruno.  You’ve been crowned.

After sweating  it out year after year for NCAA selection and seeding, the Blue Demons can take it easy on St. Patrick’s Day, aka Selection Monday for women’s basketball.

In winning the Big East Conference, the Blue Demons also punched their ticket to their 12th consecutive NCAA tournament.

This time, it’s an AUTOMATIC bid.

It seems like it’s all coming together…finally…for the DePaul Lady Blue Demons. They secured their first Big East regular-season title ever, and enter the NCAA Tournament with a 27-6 record.  They’ve won 16 of their last 17 games, and are ranked 23/22 in the nation.

“This was one of the best moments of my life,” said senior forward Jasmine Penny. “To see us work so hard all season and accomplish this is just amazing.”

Going into the Big East Conference tournament as the #1 seed, they battled Georgetown, Marquette, and finally,  #2 seed St. John’s to take the Big East Tournament title on March 11. It was the first women’s championship game for the realigned Big East since powerhouses Connecticut and Notre Dame departed last year for the American Athletic and Atlantic Coast conferences, respectively.

From the opening tip, the Blue Demons were intent on scoring inside along with attacking the basket. A back-and-forth first half ended with the Blue Demons on top, 30-29.

But as they approached crunch time, DePaul held the Red Storm off, maintained a five-to-seven point lead, until Brittany Hrynko‘s reverse layup gave DePaul a 53-46 edge with over four minutes to go.

Hrynko was aggressive from the opening tip as if determined to impose her will on this championship game no matter what.

“I came out ready to play,” Hrynko said. “I wanted to attack the basket. Once I got into the lane, I was patient looking for my teammates cutting to the basket.”

Senior forward Jasmine Penny was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and junior guard Brittany Hrynko was voted onto the all-tournament team. Megan Rogowski chipped in with 14 points while Megan Podkowa came up big with 12 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

DePaul vs. St. Johns

And now…it’s time for a party!

Join the DePaul women’s basketball team on Monday, March 17 for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special.  Coach Doug Bruno and his team will gather at McGrath-Phillips Arena to watch the selection show on ESPN on DePaul’s big screen at 6 p.m. (CT).  The event is open to the public and doors open at 5 p.m.

The selection show party includes food and soda while admission is free. Parking is available for $6 next door to the Sullivan Athletic Center at the 2335 N. Sheffield parking facility. Fans that plan on attending the selection show should RSVP to Katie Ramsey at (773)325-7504 or cramsey1@depaul.edu.

 

Blame Lolo Jones for Olympic bobsled fail?

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Blame Lolo Jones for Olympic bobsled fail?It could have been three American bobsleds, not two, in contention for women’s 2-man bobsled medals.

If not for a bad choice on the part of the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.

After all,  USA-1 pilot Elana Meyers and brakeman Lauryn Williams, the most experienced of the bobsledders, are currently in first place with a two-heat time of 1:54.89, .23 seconds ahead of Canada-1 pilot Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse and .56 ahead of USA-2 pilot Jamie Greubel and Aja Evans, a Chicago native.

Where are the third American team…former Olympic track star Lolo Jones and and pilotJazmine Fenlator?  They are currently in 11th of 19 bobsleds heading into Wednesday’s final two heats. On Tuesday, their first heat brought them in 58.27 seconds. In the second heat, they were .19 seconds slower at 58.46.

“Everything went as expected,” Jones told theWashington Post. “We knew we would have to fight. We knew it would be four tough runs.”

She expected to come in 11th? I don’t think that’s why the Federation picked her.

Though anything can happen in the final two heats on Wednesday, Jones and Fenlator, according toUSA Today and other media outlets, are unlikely to medal here.

I agree.  Why blame Jones?

Actually, I blame the Federation, not so much Jones. They made two critical errors:

1) The Federation went for better publicity, not a better pushman

Yep my heart is hurting and moments like these I just praise and worship God. This song on repeat pic.twitter.com/eOIMGU0mBy

In this case,  Jones was selected over the blonde, beautiful, and experienced Palos Hills native Katie Eberling. She was an immediate favorite for the Olympic team after claiming the 2011 U.S. National Push Champion title in her rookie season. Eberling, 25, was left off the team despite three bronze-medal finishes in four World Cup races this season. She was the national team’s most decorated brakeman and the reigning world silver medalist in the two-woman bobsled. She won three bronze medals on the World Cup circuit this season and finished second behind Evans at the national push championships, which clock how fast athletes can thrust the sleds off the starting line.

Katie Eberling, who's an alternate on this year's Bobsled team after being passed over for Lolo Jones

Katie Eberling, who’s an alternate on this year’s Bobsled team after being passed over for Lolo Jones

Yes, Jones had two silver medals in four bobsled races, and ultimately bobsled officials liked Jones’ chances. She’s also ‘hot,’ she’s charismatic, she’s a Christian, reportedly a virgin, and has achieved worldwide fame for her looks, her omnipresence on social media, and her ability to bounce back from failure.  The Des Moines, Iowa native has a sad backstory, which always makes for good press.

And now, she’s a two-sport Olympian. More good press.

But she’s failed in heavy competition for any Olympic medal, let alone a gold.

The former U.S. track star missed bronze by a 10th of a second in the women’s 100-meter hurdles in the London Olympics in 2012, taking fourth place in her second attempt at the Summer Games. Her poor showing at the 2012 Olympics  kept her out of the “world class runner” tag she has long desired.

She won indoor national titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the 60 m hurdles, with gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010. She was favored to win the 100 m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but tripped on the penultimate hurdle, finishing in seventh place. She went on to win silver at the 2008 World Athletics Final.

2) They went with inexperience in USA-3

To earn her silver medal, Jones was paired with Elana Meyers, arguably the best of all drivers in US bobsled history. How much push was actually necessary?

Paired with Fenlator, their chances were weakened considerably.

Why would they have paired these two? Well, the bobsled federation cuts itself a wide berth when picking the Olympic team. The vaguely worded nominating procedures state that athletes should be selected based on current season results, past performance, push times, work ethic and driver input.

In her seven years as a ‘slider,’  Fenlator’s best finish was a silver during the 2012-13 season in Lake Placid, and a 5th in Park City.  She ran track at Rider University where her coach encouraged her to try a bobsled camp after graduation.

Maybe on paper, the team looked like they could maybe muster a respectable run.  But both lack the experience to win big in such an important event.

Yes, we have our publicity. But we also want our medals. Go USA?

But Elana Meyers, who I’m predicting will win gold on Wednesday, played the peacemaker on her Facebook page:

“In a sport where medals are won and lost by hundredths of a second, it is very important to analyze all the numbers and make the best decision to try to win Olympic medals for our country. Everyone may not agree with the decision, but the fact of the matter is, the numbers supported the selection committee’s decision and 3 athletes were chosen. The three that were chosen have worked hard to earn there spots, and I am proud to call them my Olympic teammates. “

 

The 3D RadioActivity – OlympicSports

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This week on  The Award Winning 3D RadioActivity, and on this episode we are celebrating triple gold, Our 150th Show and in tribute to The London Olympics, Seanimal and I are playing songs about Sports!  Music and sports are so intertwined it’s hard to imagine one without the other. The action on the field has a built-in sound track—a perfect score.

The ancient Greeks intently tied the performance of music to sporting events, particularly at their quadrenniel Olympic games.  The use of music at sporting events is a practice that is thousands of years old, but has recently had a resurgence as a noted phenomenon. Some sports have specific traditions with respect to pieces of music played at particular intervals. Others have made the presentation of music very specific to the team—even to particular players. Music may be used to build the energy of the fans, and music may also be introduced in ways that are less directly connected with the action in a sporting event.

Tune in for 26 songs with over 100 minutes of music!

Happy New Year In Women’s Sports From The Token Female!

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Happy New Year…and a delightful, healthy and prosperous 2012 to all of you!

As this new year dawns, I am more excited than ever to cover women’s sports and sports in general. From the 40th Anniversary of Title IX to the Women’s NCAA Finals in Denver, Colorado to the London Olympics, in September, this year is going to be special….

It certainly started out with a bang. On New Year’s Day, reporters were tipped off by the Chicago Sky’s Media Director, Matt Robbie, that a “major announcement” was happening at 10:00 am January 2 . And it was. Swin Cash , the 10-year WNBA veteran and three-time All-Star who won titles with the former Detroit Shock and 2010  champion Seattle Storm, was aquired from the Storm along with Le’Coe Willingham.  Last year, Cash averaged 13.2 ppg and 6.9 rebounds. Eight-year veteran Willingham, who has won titles with the Phoenix Mercury as well as the Storm, averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.2 rebounds. The Sky also acquires one of the two second-round picks of the Seattle in the 2012 WNBA draft.

In return, Seattle receives the Sky’s #2 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA draft.

I like this deal. After last year’s sixth failure to make the playoffs, with a 14-20 record, I believed the Sky needed to acquire veterans who knew how to win, and help create an environment among the talented roster of current Sky players–none of whom have won a WNBA championship.  Cash has led her teams to the playoffs nine times. She’s very aggressive on the boards. Most important, Cash knows how to dominate during crunch times. She learned that at the hands of her old coach, former Detroit Shock coach and Piston Bill Laimbeer.

Seattle benefits as well, because they have a team deep in talent, including veterans Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson. The move provides the Storm the ability to acquire younger talent,  such as Stanford forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike (considered the probable No. 1 pick), or Tennesee’s Glory Johnson.

More about the Sky later. In the meantime, let’s recap 2011 on the Women’s Sports Scene:

Quick, who was the last team to win a championship for Chicago?

  • Aided by a four-team league and led by newly acquired pitcher Monica Abbott, the new “face” of the Chicago Bandits following Jennie Finch’s retirement in 2010,  delivered a second World Championship to the city with  a 10-3 victory over the USSSA Florida Pride in the decisive game two victory of the NPF Championship Series.
  • The Bandits also opened the 1,600-seat Rosemont Stadium, on 27 Jennie Finch Drive (Bryn Mawr and Pearl Streets) drawing a reported 1,000 fans per game.
  • In 2012, Rosemont Stadium will host the NPF Championship Series.

Chicago Sky: Improving the Odds and Attendance:

  • Expectations were as high as the Sky improved their chances of making the playoffs by hiring a proven, no-nonsense talent in 2010 European Champion Team Spartak and former LSU coach Pokey Chatman, who drafted Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot (who averaged 30 ppg in the Zag’s improbable run as a #11 seed to the Elite Eight) and reunited with 6’6 LSU center Sylvia Fowles.
  • The Sky posted the largest attendance increase in the WNBA, drawing 29% more to the Allstate Arena.
  • As a reflection of their increased attendance, the Sky had three players in the WNBA’s All-Star Game–more than any other team in either conference, including Fowles making her third appearance, sophomore sensation Epiphanny Prince, and Vandersloot.
  • Despite these improvements, the Sky’s record was the same as the previous year, 14-20 and failed to make the playoffs.
  •  The Sky may need to take a lesson from the Minnesota Lynx, who finally won a championship in 2011 with a roster of #1 and #2 draft picks.  The Lynx suffered years of underperfoming teams before the combination of Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore provided enough firepower to beat two-time bridesmaid Atlanta Dream and take the crown.

The Changing of the Guard in NCAA Women’s Basketball:

  • For the first time in a long time,  UConn, Tennessee, and Stanford were all eliminated before the Championship game .
  • The 2011 Final, a nail-biter  at a capacity-seating Conseco Fieldhouse from the home state Notre Dame Lady Irish (who had eliminated UConn) and the Texas A&M Lady Aggies (who defeated Stanford), seesawed, providing 10 times the entertainment received from the Men’s Final featuring fellow Hoosier Butler University and UConn the night before.
  • Aided by 30 points from future WNBA star Danielle Adams, Texas A&M prevailed and came from behind to put away Notre Dame, 76-70.
  • This year’s final is in Denver, Colorado. It’s almost anyone’s game, folks. Look for Baylor to advance to the championship round, on the strength of 6’8 center Brittany Greiner.

Women’s World Cup and the Future of Women’s Professional Soccer:

  • There were no better game highlights this year than “headbanger” Abby Wambach’s last-minute goals to lead the US Women’s National Team to the WWC Finals, before losing in an electrifying final with Japan,  who some argued needed the win more because of the country’s recent devastation.
  • However, the highly rated Cup series could not adequately boost attendance for the three-year-old WPS. The league was also embarassed by the financial improprieties and later revoked the license of the magicJack, the former Washington Freedom franchise.
  • That said, the WPS isn’t dead yet. Several proposals by longtime soccer proponents are being considered to keep the league going.

Resolution; ‘Like” The Weekend Sports Report on Facebook and Join Us! 

Finally, I’d like to invite everyone to join Les Grobstein,  Steve Leventhal and me for the Weekend Sports Report every Saturday morning from 7-8 am on WKRS-AM 1220/WKRS.com. I speak the truth when I say there is no other show like this in the Chicago area. Three passionate individuals, one encyclopaedic mind, one sports technician…and one redheaded spitfire!  We have a lot of fun…join our party! We also podcast our show every week, so you can find us at www.yoursportsfan.com if you sleep in!

For example, last week, we talked about Week 17 of the NFL regular season, and perhaps the last week of Mike Martz as Bears offensive coordinator. On the other hand, the Packers will be playing more games in January, on their way to the Super Bowl? Plus some NBA, NHL, and college football news.

Happy New Year everyone!