First up: Jolene Anderson.

Post from: EveryJoe

Connecticut Sun fans, get your evals here

Post from: EveryJoe

Your Olympic viewing guide

Post from: EveryJoe

Team USA practice blog

But here’s what the skirmish proved: There is passion in the women’s game. For many, the WNBA is a below-the-basket game played by the old girls club. The brawl has revealed the players to be competitive athletes who would not be more at home on the Ladies PGA Tour. No one is advocating turning the WNBA into the WWE, but an outpouring of pure emotion is never bad for a sport. 

The fact that a bunch of people are talking about the league now can’t necessarily hurt, but the question has to be asked whether a fanbase that includes some alienation from other more prone-to-violence sports might risk turning off some viewers if these fights become more commonplace.

Post from: EveryJoe

Will brawl bring viewers to the WNBA?

Q: Is there anything positive you can take away from the 0-17 start?
A: Every game, I think, we’ve gotten better. We’ve seen improvements. Other teams we’ve played have said, “You are such a different team from the first time we played you.” So, you really have to focus on that stuff — every game we play, we are getting better.

David Zingler also takes a look at the rookies near the season’s midpoint.

Post from: EveryJoe

Five questions with Betty Lennox

The Silver Stars embody what people mean when they say that WNBA basketball is “basketball the way it should be played” or any number of variations on that statement. It’s not flashy, it can seem dull at times, but when they get into a rhythm it’s a beautiful thing to watch.

There’s no better example of that than their performance in their back-to-back road games against the aforementioned Sparks and Mercury. Winning the second game of a back-to-back after such a brutal loss in the first game is not easy and a testament to the character of this team.

So what attributes of this team allowed them to leave Phoenix with a win after such a brutal loss to the Sparks?

A well balanced rotation, outstanding execution, and faith in their system allow the Silver Stars to remain effective despite bad matchups, off nights, or fatigue. Most importantly, their players complement each other extremely well, which allows them to find a rhythm and stick with their strategy even when they’re struggling.

Q goes on to talk about the chemistry of the team with Young, Hammon and Ann Wauters. A very good read, a very good blog.

Post from: EveryJoe

How the Silver Stars succeed

Update: (Candace) Parker continues to live up to the hype, drawing larger than average crowds for away games. However, she has failed to reproduce her initial effort against the Mercury. This is in a large part due to the balance in scoring of the Sparks front line, however. Parker’s versatility, though, shows just how good she is. Through her first 14 games, per game CP3 was ninth in scoring, second in rebounds, ninth in assists and third in blocks. Overall, she ranks second in Efficiency Rating. Throw in 50% from behind the arc (but only about one per game taken). Best in the world? Maybe not yet, but easily top five. Who would you take to start your team with tomorrow?

If you don’t read it completely, you should, but Corwin makes some great points that can’t be ignored right at the finish.

So far still true …

Biggest surprise out West: Houston coming back into playoff contention after its miserable start, particularly with injuries to Thompson and Dixon.

Conference MVP through June: Diana Taurasi.

While you can argue about his conference MVP pick (cases can be made for Sophia Young and Candace Parker), you have to admit that Taurasi’s play this season has kept the Mercury in playoff contention after their horrible start.

Post from: EveryJoe

The wild, wild west from Scout.com

Q: Last year you won the Most Improved Player award. What was the key to your turnaround?
A: Confidence, overall — just having people believe in me and also getting the playing time I needed. I got a lot of confidence overseas, which carried over into the WNBA season.

Q: You also had health issues with your back. How did that affect your game?
A: My first two years I played injured in Charlotte — a herniated disc that turned into a ruptured disc … it was to the point where I couldn’t walk. I didn’t quite have tingling sensations in my legs, but it limited my mobility and overall flexibility as well … I am obviously never 100 percent healthy with minor injuries here or there, but I am back to where I was in college.

Don’t forget to check out McCarville in the Liberty’s Outdoor Classic game later this month. There’s something else from that article, though, that makes me ponder some questions. I’ll address those in a near-future blog.

Post from: EveryJoe

Five questions with New York Liberty center Janel McCarville

Here’s the team’s promotional video at YouTube.

I’ve got an e-mail out to see if this game will be livestreamed. As of now, there doesn’t seem to be any national broadcast of the game listed on the team’s Web site.

Post from: EveryJoe

New York Liberty plan Outdoor Classic Game

Essence Carson, Loree Moore, Ashley Battle, Jessica Davenport and Tiffany Jackson contribute.

Post from: EveryJoe

SLAM highlights five from the New York Liberty