You can expect a knockdown, hard-fought battle in Phoenix tonight. The Mercury are back on their own home court, and ready to defend it to the fullest extent. But it’s clear that the Indiana Fever aren’t intimidated, not in the least.  You can feel the tension and anticipation in the air … this is what the WNBA Finals are made of. The level of intensity has been raised to “dangerously high.”
“I don’t expect anything else,” Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter said, according to ESPN.com. Pondexter and teammate Diana Taurasi are ready to air it all out and leave everything on the floor.
“At …read more

I’ve been talking about the Atlanta Dream’s miraculous turnaround for the entire 2009 WNBA season. Talk about amazing? The Dream went from a horrible 4-30 record last season to a respectable 18-16 record season. They were second in the Eastern Conference and earn a well-deserved spot in the playoffs.
You can ask for much better coaching than that.
That is exactly why Marynell Meadors received the 2009 WNBA Coach of the Year Award. She already had a wealth of coaching experience under her belt (35 years worth) when she was named head coach of the Atlanta Dream for their inaugural season. One …read more

I know I’ve been posting a lot about Diana Taurasi lately, but she’s the hot topic in women’s basketball. On Tuesday, Taurasi was awarded the WNBA MVP during press conference before the first game of the WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever.
The award came as no surprise to players, coaches, fans and certainly, Taurasi herself. She is the league’s leading scorer and the best all-around talent. I’d go as far to say that she is the world’s best women’s basketball player.
According to ESPN.com, Taurasi received 27 first-place votes and 323 points overall in ballots cast by …read more

Bobby Knight, the hot-tempered, red-sweater wearing, foul-mouthed, former Indiana basketball coach is going to be reunited with his old team. Of course, not on the basketball court. This reunion will take place in the Indiana University Hall of Fame.
According to ESPN.com, Indiana made the announcement on Saturday.
“I am honored to have been a part of selecting this outstanding class of tremendous coaches and student-athletes,” new athletic director Fred Glass said in a statement. “For my first Hall of Fame class to include heroes from my childhood as well as my student days is a dream come true.”
The induction ceremony is …read more

After a 6 – 11 start for the New York Liberty, head coach Pat Coyle was fired on Friday. Anne Donovan has taken over in the interim and hopes to help set the team on the right track.
“We’ve been a very up-and-down team,” Donovan said, according to ESPN.com. “Not just from game to game, but from quarter to quarter, minute to minute. We all know we have to be more consistent with that.”
After making a pretty good run in the playoffs last season, the Liberty are now 7½ games behind first-place Indiana and two behind Atlanta and Chicago for the …read more

The night was going well for WNBA all-star Diana Taurasi. She had just led the Phoenix Mercury to an impressive 93-81 win over the Seattle Storm with 22 points and four blocked shots.

Yet, the celebration quickly turned sour when Taurasi was pulled over by a cop in the wee hours of the morning. According to ESPN.com, the officer who pulled her over smelled alcohol and gave Taurasi several field sobriety tests. She was then escorted to a mobile DUI van where she gave a sample of blood.
Though her blood alcohol content is unknown, Taurasi was cited for a DUI. The …read more

Rick Pitino has “been there, done that” as far as the NBA is concerned. Twice actually. Is the third time the charm?
Not at the moment.
Although rumors around the Internet circulated that the Sacramento Kings were in interested in hiring him as a head coach,  ESPN.com reported that contact with the Kings was initiated by Pitino’s camp. Sacramento never considered him as it began drafting a list of potential candidates.
But Pitino told Louisville this morning that he had no intention of leaving his current coaching position.
May Sacramento wasn’t interested? Afterall, Pitino’s two NBA stints were with the  New York Knicks from …read more

Going 39-0 and winning a National Championship was cake for UCONN this year. Meeting President Obama … well, that’s just icing on the cake.
According to ESPN.com, moments after Monday’s event in front of the South Portico, Obama hustled the team over to the outdoor half-court, away from reporters and cameras.
He challenged a few of the players to a spontaneous game of P-I-G.
“He was pretty good from 17 feet,” said coach Geno Auriemma. “His shot’s a little unorthodox, but it goes in … He’s got a little bit of that swagger.”
Obama is a big fan of college basketball, and appreciates all …read more

Jonny Flynn, the quick-footed point guard from Syracuse, has hired an agent. This basically means it’s NBA or bust. Once college players hire an agent officially, they forgo the rest of their college career.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim wasn’t the least bit surprised.  According to ESPN.com he said, “. We hate to lose him, but the opportunity that he has and will take advantage of I think is tremendous. It’s a lot of money and it’s hard to not take. He’s been great for us and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Flynn may be considered a small point guard, but …read more

Here’s another one of those cool stories about a team getting invited to the Big Dance for the first time.
It’s great to watch all those long-suffering players, coaches, students, fans and alum rush the court after knowing they will play with the big boys for a day or two for the first time. Tears of joy all around from the fans, to the players and the coaches.
That’s what it was like today for the Binghamton Bearcats as they defeated defending conference tournament champs, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County 61-51 for the American East Conference title.
The Bearcats (23-8) have won …read more