Women's Hoops Guru

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - For the first time in three weeks on a Saturday, the Guru set out for the home office for his desk shift around 5 p.m. without having an email pop into his blackberry involving the status of one Elena Delle Donne,. the national high school girls basketball player of the year out of Ursuline Academy in Wilmington.

The first one was the official Connecticut announcement two weeks ago on her decision not to enroll with the NCAA-favored Huskies, followed by subsequent information from her camp noting she would state her collegiate intentions the following Monday.

At that time, Delle Donne announced she would stay near home and enroll at the University of Delaware in Newark, not to be confused with the New Jersey metropolis near New York City.

A week ago, the Blue Hens announced a press conference for last Monday in which Delle Donne discussed her transfer and decision to bypass basketball, citing "burnout," and play volleyball, which she did her senior year at Ursuline.

Meanwhile, on Saturday (as in 24 hours ago) the Delaware football team lost a close 14-7 nonconference game to Maryland. The Guru does not where that event fits on a scale between Delle Donne and newly minted Democratice vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, the United States senator from the first state in the nation.

But since many of you continue to visit here, drawn by the Delle Donne name in recent weeks, here is an update on the launch of her new passion, based on information off the volleyball page at the Delaware athletics internet site.

For those of you who can read a volleyball boxscore -- the Guru still needs to get up to speed -- feel free to visit the Blue Hens' page.

But the Guru can tell you that unlike her storied basketball career, Delle Donne is now experiencing something new -- a losing streak, although the Guru is without knowledge whether that occurred in volleyball at Ursuline.

Delaware, the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, lost all three matches at Fullerton's tournament in California.

Delle Donne, who is a non-scholarship athlete per her late enrollment under NCAA rules, did not play in Friday night's 3-2 loss to Fullerton. The Blue Hens won the first set, 25-21, lost the second by the same score, went ahead in the third, 25-16, before falling 25-17, and 18-16.

On Saturday, as Delle Donne saw her first action, the Blue Hens went out 3-0 to Pepperdine and then were similarly wiped out 3-0 to UNC Greensboro.

It should be noted that senior co-captain and all-conference pick Kelly Gibson was sidelined with a knee injury suffered in the final moments of Friday's match.

In the 14th paragraph of the Blue Hens' report -- that location might be a first in Delle Donne coverage history -- Delaware notes that she saw her first action in the Pepperdine game, coming off the bench -- another first without Guru awareness of the Ursuline experience -- and blasted a kill on her first attack attempt.

It is not known if Delle Donne had similar thoughts regarding the Connecticut women's basketball media contingent throughout the summer after she returned home following a two-day experience on campus in Storrs in early June.

She finished the day in the combined two-games with four kills and a block.

Incidentally, based on the pre-match report at Delaware's site, Delle Donne is just another Gatorade state player of the year with the Blue Hens, who are one of three schools to have multiple freshman with the honor in Delle Donne's former Ursuline teammate Meghan Bonk and Helen Fitzpatrick, who took the honor in Pennsylvania.

Delle Donne's name, incidentally, appeared in the 13th graf of the preview, which follows Monday's heavily-attended press conference, said to rank in athletic department history only behind legendary former football coach Tubby Raymond's retirement and the introduction of K.C. Keeler as his successor.

The Blue Hens are home this coming weekend to host a tournament involving New Hampshire Friday night, followed by Syracuse and Michigan State on Saturday.

Some Connecticut media types are a threat to attend Friday considering they will be in town here for Temple's revenge-sought football game on Saturday. The Owls, who gave Army the Little Big Horn treatment to start the holiday weekend, lost to the Huskies in East Hartford last season on a bad referring call that later drew an apology from the Big East Conference.

That's more than Rutgers got out of the Southeastern Conference last season after the infamous "clockgate" loss to host Tennessee, the alma mater of Blue Hens volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny, in Knoxville. -- But the Guru digresses.

Note to Kenny per Monday's side chat after press conference formalities -- This report just broke the Guru's record for most ever written about volleyball, eclipsing the Atlantic Ten tournament at Temple won by the Owls several seasons ago.

The Guru won't be on the scene in Newark this weekend, having to be on hand in Springfield, Mass., for former Immaculata coach Cathy Rush's induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Bunn award to USA Basketball president Val Ackerman.

But he is deciding between attending the WNBA San Antonio-New York Liberty game in Madison Square Garden or Delaware's match against Temple in Newark on Sept. 9, the day the Guru will mark the 39th anniversary of drawing paychecks from the home office.

-- Mel

(Guru's Note: In preparation for the resumption of play, entering the stretch drive of the season, the WNBA conducted a teleconference call Tuesday in four segments. Here is the transcript provided to us, perhaps others from the league. Some media members asking questions were local team beat writers, while others such as a representative from USA Today, Vin Cherwood of The Associated Press, broadcasters Nancy Lieberman and Doris Burke, your Guru and a few others were among the national contingent. Everything should be self-explanatory)

Transcript of Eastern Conference Head Coaches

Participants:
Mike Thibault (Connecticut Sun)
Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Shock)
Patty Coyle (New York Liberty)

Opening Statement, Mike Thibault: “Everybody here is anxious to get restarted. The best part about the break for us was we got to stay in first place for about a month and that can change within a few hours on Thursday. It’s going to be quite a race. When you have three teams like we have on this call, half a game apart from each other, it’s going to be interesting going down the stretch. All three teams have had great runs during the season and times when we struggled either with injuries or whatever. I’m looking forward to see what happens.”

Opening Statement, Bill Laimbeer: “It’s going to be some challenging times for our ballclub, especially for the first few games. Cheryl Ford is out of the remainder of the season. For our first game back, both Elaine Powell and Plenette Pierson will still be suspended with Pierson out two games for the scuffle that we had with the Los Angeles Sparks. We did get some practice time but we missed Katie Smith for the whole month. There’s no doubt it’s going to take a Herculean effort by the coaching staff to pull this one out; I think overall the break was good for us. We really needed it and I think we got our minds and bodies right for the most part. We’re looking forward to the last seven games. We’ve made a couple changes. We’ve got Taj McWilliams-Franklin and we also picked up Ashley Shields who is better than I expected, so we’re going to go out, have some fun and give it our best shot.”

Opening Statement, Pat Coyle: “New York is ready to get going having spent the last couple of weeks going against one another, we’re ready to beat up on someone else. I think the break was good for us because we had a chance to rest some bodies and a chance to fix some things. Like Mike said, this race is going to be great race down to the wire and we’re looking forward to being a part of it.”

Q: How will the Olympic break affect the league competitively? Also, how will it affect the league fan interest-wise?

MT: “Having not been here, I can’t speak for our market, but I know that going through this in 2004, because the Olympic team is featured on television and there’s been good press coverage from what I can tell, I think we’ve been able to stay in front of the media during this time period with a lot of our great players playing in the Games and I think all the teams, from what I can tell, did a great job locally in getting their players in front of the community and having public events. I know in Connecticut, we had our charity golf event during that time and most of our players were involved in three or four appearances as well as practices. I think the teams did a great job trying to be involved in their communities to keep the season alive and the interest going and certainly you have three teams on here who are competing for playoff positioning, so we can speak to it from that point.”

BL: “I think it had its moments when we’re forgotten, but at the same time, I think the Olympic ladies winning the gold medal helps. It has been in our newspapers that we’re right around the corner. I think from our personal team’s perspective, the break was good to defuse some of the publicity surrounding the incident with Los Angeles. From a league perspective I think it wasn’t too bad. It might take a few games to ramp up, but once we get going in the first week, it will be right back to normal.”

PC: “Here in New York, there was a concerted effort to get out into the community more and to keep us out there. Winning the gold medal really helps, I think.”

Q: Will winning the gold medal help increase interest down the stretch?

MT: “I can only go on past history and I know in our market just reading the articles that there has been a lot of talk about it. There was daily coverage of every game that was played in the Olympics and features done on the various players…and we didn’t even have a player go to the Olympics. I’m assuming in many of the markets with Olympic players, it would help.”

Q: For Coach Laimbeer…can you tell me what made you bring in Taj McWilliams-Franklin? Also, what does she bring to the table?

BL: “We looked at our ball club with Cheryl Ford down and it was clear that we needed a veteran presence. We had three rookies who were going to be counted on and we thought that was too many. So we brought in Taj; we were fortunate to get her. She’s an experienced player and she can make our team better with her calmness and pointers to our players. They respect her. At our practice, the level of intensity and concentration has improved dramatically. I think we sized up the situation and saw that we had a good chance to compete for the Eastern Conference championship this year and the next year and that’s why we made the deal. So far from what I’ve seen, my players pat me on the back every day.”

Q: For Coach Thibault…Sylvia Fowles was joining the Olympic team after coming off injury and playing a few games with the Sky. Can you talk about her progression with the Olympic team and how much better the [Chicago] Sky will be with her back in good shape?

MT: “There’s no question they’ll be a lot better. She’s going to be an incredible impact player in our league. It was a very, very tough break for Chicago for that time because it seemed like she was getting better and better. In the first days with the Olympic team practices, she was testing out her knee even though physically she was cleared to play. Once she got her confidence back and she knew she wasn’t going to do any damage, you could see her getting better every day. I thought she was a huge factor in how we played because of her strength and size; she could intimidate people on the defensive end and there were very few people who we played against that could stop her one-on-one in the post. I’m glad that Chicago is far enough back in the race from us and we only play her one more time this season.”

Q: The Olympic team is comprised of 12 players who will be future Hall of Famers. I’m wondering if there’s a lesson to be learned and brought upon your team about teamwork and playing roles on teams? Also, Mike, can you elaborate on how you plan to use Erin Philips?

MT: “Those players are the featured players on their team. It was highly pleasing and impressive that many of them could submerge egos or roles into what we needed to win. I thought as a group they made a concerted effort to play better defense than they did in the 2006 World Championships. We had five or six players that were highly improved on the defensive end of the court. When you’re only together for three weeks, it’s hard to become a cohesive offensive team with any kind of flow, but if you decide that you’re going to defend and rebound, things come a little bit quicker. I think that’s why we could do what we did. Certainly what those players probably learned from that reminds me to remind my own team about what we can do to win.

“As far as Erin Phillips, she got here today on about three hours of sleep, but I think by playoff time she can be a big part of what we do. She can play both the 1 and 2. We can play her with Lindsay. She’s an above average defender and her offense has improved greatly since she was here before. It remains to be seen. I like the players we have here but she has a little more experience and she is a strong, physical player and hopefully that can help us.”

BL: “I can speak from a Katie Smith perspective – who will be a Hall of Famer, obviously. It takes a special player to play as a group of that caliber and not get as many minutes and not get as many shots and not even start or not get in the game. You saw it on the men’s side in the last few years how you need to get the right chemistry and right personnel willing to do the right thing and sacrifice and have no egos get in the way. All Katie Smith cares about is wining and Mike will tell you she loves to play defense.”

PC: “I don’t have any future Hall of Famers yet but that’s been our thing all year – we’ve talked about all of it getting done. We’ve used 10 or 11 people all season and we’ll continue to do that.”

Guru's Question: For Patty…of the three teams, you had the best momentum going into the break; do you have some concerns about how fast you can get back to where you were going?

PC: “I think more people have made a bigger deal of it that we have. We were ready for a break. I thought a lot of our players didn’t have any legs. I thought they were exhausted. We won six or seven games [heading into the break] but I don’t think we played all that well. Am I concerned about getting back? No, not really. I’m just concerned that we stay healthy and keep doing what we do. We’re not going to worry about anybody else; we’re going to just worry about ourselves.”

Guru's Question: For all the concern going into the Olympics with scheduling, does it now appear that barring injuries that the WNBA schedule takes care of itself in terms of players getting ready to hit the floor right away?

MT: “As a coach, I don’t think we’re ever going to be in an ideal position in the WNBA to train properly for the Olympics. We were very fortunate that we had a group that bought in. If I could have a vote with the way our players play overseas and everything else, I would take a 10-day break every year just go get some rest and get our legs back. As far as preparing for the gold medal, I think you just have to have the right players that are committed to the right thing and hopefully we can go forward and our league can continue to produce the right kind of players who are aware of what they need to do compared to the other team’s training periods.”

Q: For Mike…since you were with the squad, how much will jet lag affect the players who are coming back to the WNBA?

MT: “There’s no question it will affect them. I think Los Angeles will be affected a lot because they had three players. It takes awhile to get adjusted. You’re talking about a huge time difference. The only good thing for this group was that because it was a deep team we didn’t kill them with a lot of minutes. We were able to spread out the practice time. No player was playing over 22 minutes per game on a general basis and they had days off. Had it been a situation where seven players had the bulk of the playing and a ton of practice, it would be a little bit different, but it will certainly affect them this week.”

Q: Bill, how much time off did you give your players during the break and was your approach to practice any different from the rest of the season?

BL: “We gave them a lot of time off especially at the start. I didn’t want to see their faces for awhile and I’m sure they felt the same way about me. Plus we had just gone through an emotionally trying period and lost a few tough games. You can’t grind them into the ground. We started slowly then we took a little side trip to a clinic about four hours away at a resort. We did some conditioning days with our trainer. Overall, we didn’t practice very long. We practiced maybe an hour to an hour and twenty minutes. It was more relaxation/getting our minds right. Conditioning wise it was not an issue so it was more of a mental recharging than anything else and so far I think it’s worked pretty well.”

Q: You come back now and it’s almost like a trophy-dash – a sprint – with seven or eight games remaining. How does your approach change, if at all?

PC: “Our approach hasn’t changed and it won’t change in the sense that we’re just going to take it one day at a time and worry about whom we’re playing and ourselves. I think we have the most games left. We have nine left and I think that’s the most. I like the fact that we’re going to play, travel and play. The next two weeks is definitely going to be a sprint for us, but we’ve had enough practice time that we’re ready to play games.”

MT: “Having not been here, my coaches stuck to the routine that we went through four years ago. I think what’s been best about this team – particularly being a young team – is the one thing we’ve emphasized is to play in the moment and not look too far ahead. I think it would overwhelm a lot of young players to think, “Oh we have to do this, and we have to do that.” We’ve tried very hard to stay within thinking about whatever the next game is, that’s what we’re going to deal with -- that’s what we’re going to work for. The habits we have on the practice court are things we’re trying to do that are long-lasting and it’s two things: 1. you’re trying to prepare for the next team and 2. what you try to do on the court is to create habits that sustain you long-term. We won’t treat this any different than we did before the break.”

BL: “What we’ve done is put in a whole new offensive structure at times. We’ve tried to put in stuff that we’ll be using particularly for the playoffs. Our stuff has been pretty stale over the past few years; everybody knows what we do. So hopefully, we’ll be a little surprising coming out of the break.”

MT: “Bill, can you send me tapes of that?” [laughs]

Q: Mike, what will you bring back from your experience in Beijing?

MT: “I think there were two kinds of experiences. Most of it was a basketball experience and being able to coach all those great players at one time. The basketball part was very good. The camaraderie on that team was fantastic. We didn’t have any nagtivity, people got along. We understood what we were there to do, so that was a positive experience all the way around. I thought Anne [Donovan] did a terrific job on selling them on what we needed to do to win going in. Outside the basketball part, I had never been to Beijing before. It’s a pretty enormous and impressive place. You’re talking about a city that has over 17 million people in the space and size of Rhode Island. It’s much more modern than I thought – obviously a lot of the buildings were done for the Olympics. It’s a pretty high-powered city in general anyway. The enormity is probably what strikes me. The people there did a great job putting on the Olympics. They were great hosts. Things went smoothly for the most part. I had nothing but a positive experience.”

Q: Was the Opening Ceremony extra special for you having your family there with you?

MT: “It was great to have my family share it. My kids are at the age where every part of it was great for them. The Opening Ceremony is different for a person watching than it is for the athletes and coaches participating in it. If you’re in it, you don’t really see much of it. I’ll have to watch it on Tivo and see what it was like. We were standing outside the stadium waiting to get in, so we don’t get to see much of it. But for everyone I’ve talked to and clips I’ve seen, whoever has the next one, I don’t know if they can top what the Chinese did with it. I guess it was quite a spectacle.”

Q: Looking at the Western Conference standings, what are some of the biggest surprises?

PC: “Sacramento stands out for me and how well they’ve done with what they lost.”

BL: “With all the buzzer shots that Minnesota has missed, if they make half of those, they’re substantially in the playoffs. I think the Western Conference has done a good job of attacking L.A.’s weaknesses to keep them in the position that they’re at. However, they all realize that they’re the ones that are going to be eye-balling them come playoff time.”

MT: “The last thing I would add to that is that I don’t think anyone is all that surprised about San Antonio being good. Whether they were going to be better than Los Angeles, I don’t know. They have more experience than L.A. does and in terms of a cohesive starting unit; you’re talking about terrific players who had a good experience last year and lost in a controversial game. We haven’t played them yet and I’m already worried about preparing for them because I think they’re a terrific team.”

Q: Given the tightness of the races in the East – Bill, you’ve generally had some strong opinions about home-court advantage – how important is it? How hotly will you pursue that ability to be the top seed in the East?

BL: “We talked about winning all seven remaining games. That is our goal; that is what we’re focused on. Whether it happens or not, obviously the other team will have something to say about it. We know we can win all seven games and we’ve had the home court throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and that’s carried us pretty far the last couple of years and that’s what we’re focused on again. We like to play at home and we play well at home. We’re comfortable. We’re healthy, we’re rested; we’re mentally charged and we’re going for it.”

PC: “Home court is huge. Every year you see it in the playoffs. Being the youngest team in the league, I think it’s huge for us. We’re much better at home. It’s something we’re trying to change by getting better on the road, but it’s huge.”

MT: “I don’t think I would disagree that it’s huge. It’s different than the NBA with our best-of-three format being a 1-2, it’s huge if you get a good start, but it’s even bigger if you lose that first game on the road. It’s good to have two home games. We haven’t talked about it as much as we have in the past because I’ve tried to keep my young players just focused on the games ahead. I understand Bill’s position and for teams in the past we’ve talked about doing things like that – winning seven in a row or six in a row. We haven’t done it much with this group because they are best served playing one game at a time. Though if it works out that way, great.”

Additionally, your Guru asked the three, who have been known to gamble on talent acquisitions, whether someone might take a chance in the draft four years from now after Elena Delle Donne's projected graduation from Delaware, should she not return to basketball in the interim,

Thibault said four years was a long time away, while Laimbeer said, "Any general manager will make that kind of move if he or she thinks the acquisition can help the ball club."

Transcript of Eastern Conference Players

Participants:
Tamika Whitmore (Connecticut Sun)
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Detroit Shock)
Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky)

Opening Statement, Taj McWilliams-Franklin: The break is going well for a lot of teams and players; you have a lot of players coming from overseas that get a chance to rest. The break allows a lot of the players to rest and get ready for the remainder of the season. Especially for me, since I have been traded, the break has given me time to get acclimated to a new team and system. I am sure many of the teams have added new things and are doing a lot of individual work with players. Once we resume play we are going to start moving toward, and working, for the playoffs. Most teams have seven or eight games. Most players will renew play with a harder, tougher, quicker mentality and try to gel again as a whole unit, like they were before the break. Once the Olympians get acclimated from jet lag, you will see all the teams in top form and get ready for the big playoff push.

Opening Statement, Tamika Whitmore: The break has definitely allowed for those players with injuries and everything to heal up and to refocus. The Connecticut Sun definitely got to gel more since we had a lot of new faces at the beginning of the year and didn’t have anyone on the Olympic squads. Our whole team has been here and it’s been good for the cohesiveness on the court and for understanding each other as players. It has definitely been a plus for us.
Opening Statement, Sylvia Fowles: I certainly didn’t have a break, but I am happy to be back and get things rolling with my teammates. Before heading to Beijing, I didn’t have a lot of playing time because of an injury; I am definitely happy to get things rolling and pick up where we left off.

Q: Sylvia, can you describe the impact that working with Lisa Leslie during the Olympics had on you? Lisa said that one point she taught you the running hook and then you used it in the games, is that true?

SF: Just the overall experience with working with the veterans and Lisa was great; it helped the game situations a lot easier. I appreciate everything they did for me to prepare me. After practice, Lisa would always go over things with me and teach me a lot of different things.

Q: For Sylvia…I saw a different player on the court in Beijing. The confidence you showed was at a different level then LSU and early during the season. What happened, if anything, that led you to this confidence that you showed?

SF: Just the coaches and veterans getting on me everyday. I had a good work ethic and did everything I could do to get the job done.

Q: Sylvia, in terms of your knee how much did your experience in the Olympics boost your confidence and assure you that your health was at 100 percent right now?

SF: I wanted to play before Beijing, but this was a breakout moment for me and made me comfortable to get out there and play.

Q: Tamika, how much of the break were you bonding and spending together and how much of the break were you resting?

TW: We had a couple of days in the beginning to rejuvenate and see our families, and then we got back to work. Everybody was back here in Connecticut on the August 11 and we have been practicing ever since. Basically just practicing against guys and holding our own against them, making tweaks on our offensive schemes. We definitely had a huge focus on our defensive end and getting better.

Q: Taj, did you have any idea you were going to get traded and after you learned you were traded to Detroit? What were your thoughts on being traded to a championship contender?

TMF: I had a premonition about being traded and it came true, you kind of see it coming. It wasn’t a complete surprise; I was more surprised on where I went, especially with Washington only being a few games out of fourth place. I am happy I landed in Detroit. I think Coach Laimbeer has been trying to get me since I landed in Connecticut that first year. I am real excited about being here and playing for Coach Laimbeer and the Detroit Shock who have been in the playoff picture year in and year out since 2003. It’s great for me. The attitude with the girls here is great, they are very competitive, even in practice.

Q: Tamika, with Detroit getting Taj, where do you see them in the playoff run in the East?

TW: I think it’s a great opportunity for Taj and a great move for them. They got someone with veteran leadership. Taj is the type of player that knows how to win. She has the will to make her team better. You need somebody like Taj on the court, even when I am playing against Taj, she still will tell me what to do and will teach me on the court. Her acquisition by Detroit will definitely help a lot of the younger players.

Q: Sylvia, what are your expectations to adjusting to the new plays and your jet lag?

SF: I have had a few problems sleeping, but once I get back on the court, I shouldn’t have any problems adjusting to the new plays.

Guru's Question: Taj, how difficult is it to switch from different teams with different dynamics?

TF: I compare it to the adjustment that I make to going overseas to play. You come from a WNBA team that understands a lot of the defensive and offensive principles. You then go overseas to a team that you can basically do whatever you want to do. You have to make adjustments quickly to go overseas and be successful anyway. For me, once I got traded I shut down all the stuff mentally and then just restarted; I am on a new team so I just forget all the old stuff. It took me about three days to shut it all down and restart.

Transcript of Western Conference Head Coaches

Participants:
Michael Cooper (Los Angeles Sparks)
Dan Hughes (San Antonio Silver Stars)
Brian Agler (Seattle Storm)

Opening Statement, Michael Cooper: “Up until this point, we are playing good basketball. I think the Olympic break was good, especially for us. It gave us a chance to re-organize ourselves and get some of our role players to really break down our offense. It gave us a chance to do a little extra work and conditioning. This month was very beneficial for us.”

Opening Statement, Dan Hughes: “I wasn’t in the league four years ago in 2004 when the league went through this, so this is a new experience for me. My feeling is that we tried to get better during this period in several ways. We prioritized rest for the players, re-identified who we were, and most importantly, we got better. We didn’t so much view it as training camp but as practice time that we don’t always get at this point in the season. I’m anxious for the season to re-start and we have a very challenging schedule ahead.”

Opening Statement, Brian Agler: “We are excited to get back on the floor. I think most of the players are tired of practicing against themselves. We’ve tried to get better in these 2 ½ weeks and we feel like we have made strides in certain areas. We have worked on some areas where we feel we could improve and we’ve tried to get the players some rest. I think everybody is excited about starting again on Thursday. This is a very, very competitive league, especially in the Western Conference.”

Q: How important is the tie-breaker coming down the stretch, since so many teams have the possibility of making the playoffs, I think the most since the inception of the league?

BA: “I think it is extremely important. All seven teams right now in the Western Conference have a legitimate shot and a strong chance to work themselves into the race. It’s interesting if you see the match-ups and how one game – even one you aren’t involved in - can impact how you play. Match-ups and tie-breakers could play a big impact in the placement of teams.”

MC: “It’s very important that we do win these tiebreaks. Championships are won on the road. It’s a lot easier when you are playing at home. That’s something we discussed even before the Olympic break. It’s about what we need to do against teams in our conference. It’s very important that we do win those tiebreakers. Playing against Seattle or San Antonio, you’d want that advantage.”

DH: “We played Seattle three times very early in the season and tie-breakers were part of our dialogue at that point. The three-way tie also comes into play - not only in head-to-head competition but in three-way situations whether you are talking about making the playoffs or placement. It’s about flat out winning games, especially in the West. It’s going to be about winning games.”

Q: What is Lauren Jackson’s situation?

BA: “Well there’s no question Lauren is a great player. She has had some ankle issues all season long but never missed a practice and never missed a game. She experienced some trauma in one of the pre-Olympic tournaments. Basketball Australia knew she injured herself significantly. We understood she had a tremendous desire to win a gold medal and she fought through it. She’s made a decision to have surgery, which will take place on Thursday. We support her decision and want the best for her. Her health comes first. I think it would be a stretch for her to get back. She assured me she’s a quick healer and has responded well to surgery in the past. I think it would be real difficult for her to get back onto the floor, even if we were fortunate enough to make the playoffs.

Q: How difficult will it be to re-incorporate players who were at the Olympics into your team and practices?

BA: “It’s been staggered for us. Kelly Santos got back last Thursday so she’s had a few more practices. Sue Bird just got back in Sunday night. Obviously we tried to really listen to Sue and how she felt. Today was her first practice. In fact she looked even more tired today than she did yesterday when she was just in to watch practice. We are going to monitor that but she’ll get her feet back underneath her quickly and get back to top form. The travel and quick turnaround is something that has to be monitored.”

MC: “Incorporating our three, because our offense revolves around them, has been pretty easy. Today was their first practice and the jet lag may set in tomorrow with them. Our three seemed to adjust well. Our role players were helped during the Olympic break.”

DH: “The reality of our league is that when we start the season we see similar situations. It’s not uncommon to the coaches or players or teams. You’ve got to monitor the fatigue situation. Becky was in practice today and was in part of it. You can see her from a physical standpoint progress each day. It’s a reality.”

Q: How will jet lag affect the Sparks?

MC: “Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones have done this in the past and I don’t see it as being a big factor. The one I’m concerned about is Candace Parker because in the last two years, she has played a lot of basketball. I’ll be monitoring her more than the other two. Again, that’s when your role players and people on the bench have to step forward. That’s why I enjoyed this off time because we really got a chance to do work with our post and perimeter players. They will give those three players a five or ten minute breather through the course of a game and through the course of practice.”

Q: How does losing Lauren Jackson affect the Storm’s playoff run?

BA: “There’s no question it’s a challenge. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we’ve played the last six weeks without her if you take into consideration the last five games before the break. It’s not something we want to get used to but we’ve gone through a series of days without her. We continue to learn more about our team each day and what we have to do to be competitive on the floor.”

Q: Will Minnesota be a factor in the playoff run?

MC: “I’d like to think they are a legitimate playoff contender. Minnesota has made it tough on us in the two games that we’ve played them. They are definitely a team you have to reckon with and be prepared for. This makes for good coaching and good basketball that the fans can appreciate and enjoy and it takes the league to another level. It’s all about getting your job done and being prepared.”

BA: “Minnesota has proven they are a quality team and they are definitely a contender for a playoff spot. Without question, they are one of the best offensive teams in the league. They have a lot of weapons they can put out there. With their youth, they are just going to continue to get better.”

Transcript of Western Conference Players

Patricipants:
Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)

Opening Statement, Sue Bird: We went to Beijing with one goal, and we achieved that goal, it was everything you could hope for in an Olympics. Now that I am back in Seattle, I have to switch gears. I know with Lauren Jackson having surgery a lot of people question if we can even make the playoffs, but we feel really confident only a half a game out of first in the West.

Opening Statement, Becky Hammon: My experience over at Beijing was a great one, everyone was gracious and kind over in Beijing, and everything was first class. I am very happy to walk out of there with a bronze, my club worked very hard. Coming back here to San Antonio, I am definitely eager to get back with my team; we just want to finish strong. I am looking forward to getting ready for this last stretch.

Opening Statement, Candace Parker: With this being my first Olympics I had a lot of expectations, Beijing exceeded my expectations and there couldn’t have been a closer knit team then our twelve. Winning the gold medal was amazing and coming back here to Los Angeles was great, we jumped back in. Coach Cooper has been working them really hard and has made a lot of improvements. We have seven games left and we are tied for third in the West, with definitely our work cut out for us.

Q: In the transition back to WNBA, how do you feel with having to make that jump back to the WNBA without that much time to rest like others did?

BH: “I tried really hard not to sleep on the plane and the jet lag has been bad but I am just trying to do what I can do to get back in the mix with my team here in San Antonio.”

SB: “You have to just deal with the jet lag, we all know how it feels to flip a switch back to the WNBA. The first couple of days are trying to remember things and then you pick it up quickly.”

CP: “Coach Cooper put us through a tough practice today and we just have to switch gears and jump right back into it.”

Q: Sue, how different were these Olympics for you from the first?

SB: “For me personally, these Olympics were much different because my role was a lot different. I had to take the torch in the first Olympics and this Olympics in China I had to become more of a leader. The venues in China were extremely great, the city of Beijing was definitely ready for us, and everything was first class. As a team, we were really tight, everything, on and off the court. This was a year to beat the U.S. and taking care of business in the fashion that we did was great.”

Guru's Question: For Sue…In 2004, you came back from the Olympics and Seattle made a run and won the title. This time around, as you won’t have Lauren Jackson, is the ’04 experience something you can draw on with the current Western Conference race being as tight as it is?

SB: “Yes, absolutely. 2004 was similar with the Olympic break and the one thing I learned from that year is it’s actually more what you do before the break than what you do after. I don’t remember exactly the standings from that year back then but I know that we were in a very good spot…good enough where we actually lost five of our games after the break and we still were able to finish second. We know we have our work cut out for us, just like every other team. It’s going to be a fight but we did well prior to the break and hopefully we can get back to that level in these next few games and see what happens from there once we hopefully make the playoffs.”

Q: How do you think the break and the returning Olympians dealing with jet lag will effect the league competitively and in terms of fan interest?

BH: “I think this is a great time. When people come back from overseas earlier in the year for training camp, I don’t think people get in the mix quick enough so the basketball at the beginning of the season is a little bit rougher until they get settled in and then you start seeing better basketball throughout the season. So I think the Olympic break, for people who stayed behind and got to work out…there’s one thing that coaches and GMs complain about and that’s that they don’t get enough practice time with their players because, once you’re into the season, you don’t get those really hard practices that you get in preseason and in training camp. So, for them, it’s a great time to get their key players involved and working well together. I think coaches probably loved it and players probably hated it. But I think, ultimately, the basketball level will be higher after the break. It might take a couple of games to get back into the groove but people are in great shape right now and they’ve been playing together for a long time which isn’t the case at the beginning of the season.

“As far as fan support, we have a good base and the playoffs and that kind of energy will be generated in each city. I think it will be the same or better heading into the playoffs.”

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

NEWARK, Del - Mona Lisa is smiling again
.
However, the acclaimed work of women's basketball art that has been relocated somewhere near the office of coach Tina Martin here in the Bob Carpenter Center is off the market for now.

The "glee" that Elena Delle Donne's father Ernie and mother Joanie saw disappear from their 18-year-old daiughter on the hardwood has emerged as part of the volleyball attire of the newest member of the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions.

Apparently all those years on display in packed high school arenas in front of collegiate recruiters from around the country has taken its toll.

"Burnout" was the word the former Ursuline Academy star used Monday to explain to a heavily-attended press conference why she suddenly declined to be part of the newest prized items acquired by that esteemed talent collector: UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

Delle Donne is Delaware's possession now: Local girl makes headline-screaming decision to stay home, but in a much different setting.

On Monday Martin's only involvement in Delle Donne's introduction was to send a statement that "the door is open" in the event the passion for basketball returned.

Ironically, while Delle Donne's newsworthiness was giving U.S. Senator Joe Biden tough competition -- "Didn't I just see you guys camped out his house over the weekend?" volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny, a Tennessee graduate, joked to a sportswriter -- Martin was trotting past the Carpenter complex showing a potential recruit the wonders of the Delaware campus.

At that moment, Martin was unable to repeat the statement made to a prospect years ago by UCLA legendary coach John Wooden after a Brookjlyn kid named Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul-Jabber) chose the Bruins for his collegiate future.

"We just picked up the best high school player in the country -- maybe of all time -- and surely we have a chance to elevate our fine program here to unprecedented levels."

Ever the self-disciplinarian, Martin has adopted her own hands off policy regarding Delle Donne, while at the same time knowing a return of basketball passion means getting into homes of recruits who would not otherwise answer the phone call made by the Blue Hens.

It would also mean increased crowds, national TV coverage and ultimately a way to end Old Dominion's longtime domination of the CAA.

Unlike many Big East pursuers of UConn and Rutgers, a Delle Donne-led Delaware squad would offer a short-cut to the NCAA tournament.

"There's also the legacy factor," said Holy Family women's basketball coach Mike McLaughlin, who several years ago had Division I projected superstar Nina Smith fall into his Division II squad.

"You're in the newspapers more. Your games get better coverage. You're on TV a few more times, even ESPN comes by. You're the buzz and you can set up your recruiting success and tougher non-conference scheduling to continue after her graduation."

A week ago, when it was only known that Delle Donne was heading to Delaware after biding UConn adieu, a shudder could be felt around the CAA, though coaches, citing NCAA rules, didn't want to comment for the record.

"Yeah, I already have butterflies in my stomach thinking about dealing with (Delaware)," said one.

"You know sooner or later I'm going to have to deal with stopping her," said another whose team has made recent inroads in the conference.

But for now, Martin is just focused on returning the Blue Hens towards the upper portion of the CAA where Delaware has usually resided until last season's plunge caused by graduation of star performers such as Tyresa Smith
.
While the basketball segment stands down,Delle Donne won't slip from public view and the dilemma for Kenny and the athletic adminstratkion is how to manage a potential enhancement for volleyball and the school in general without subjecting Delle Donne to the same admittedly self-inflicted pressures that came from a celebrity status dating back to the eighth grade.

Although Delaware officials scheduled Mondau's press conference as a way to help Delle Donne avoid having to give the same interview 50 times over the next severa weeks, the turnout was characterized as the third biggest ever.

Only famed football coach Tubby Raymond's retirement and the subsequent introduction of K.C. Keeler, his successor, topped Monday's event, a Delaware official said.

For the second straight week,a major Delle Donne news story set a record here at the Guru's blog just ahead of the 1,350 "hits" from a week ago when she issued a statement saying she would be attending Delaware. That occurred after UConn announced her withdrawal two days earlier.

This week's dynamic was somewhat different. A week ago, interest in Delle Donne bvegan early in the day and slowed in the closing hours before the "statcounter" rolled back to begin with the new day.

On Monday, traffic was somewhat heavy through 1 p.m. off the media link from WNBA.com because of the Guru's commentary about the Olympic team (post several items below this one).

Then after a quick report was made off the press conference here, traffic spiked the rest of the day, fueled by a bunch of sites that put up links to the Guru's report.

Incidentally, in the initial report the Guru promised more but decided to get into commentary instead because most quotes in his new digital recorder are also noted in John Altivilla's blog at the Hartford Courant and Rich Elliott's report at the Connecticut Post.

The Guru can add that one person in the Delle Donne camp not at the press conference expressed pleasure that Elena had come a long way over the summer and was able to convey her situation publicly for the first time.

Kenny also gave a stirring pitch about the dangers of club level participation in her sport as well as basketball that leads to burnout situations such as that experienced by Delle Donne.

Elena said that if she achieves a measure of volleyball celebrity she reached in basketball, her past experiences will help her deal with it better if it arises.

"It's been incredible. I've been all smiles since I've been here and I hope it continues."

And so Mona Lisa left the room with her new volleyball teammates looking ahead to this weekend's opening trip on the West Coast.

In the basketball world, however, the art show has been closed for renovations.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

NEWARK, Del. - On a day gifted women's basketball star Elena Delle Donne was supposed to be attending her first classes for the fall semester at NCAA-favorite Connecticut, the former Ursuline Academy sensation was seated here at the University of Delaware Monday afternoon explaining to a crowd of reporters near her Wilmington-area home why she will be excited instead to be part of the Blue Hens' volleyball team.

Delaware volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny said Delle Donne would play middle hitter as a non-scholarship player, a condition caused by joining the team after Aug. 1, according to NCAA rules.

In accepting Delle Donne to her squad, Kenny said she was given the same treatment any other athlete interested in playing with the Blue Hens would receive.

In a fascinating half-hour, the nation's national high school player of the year last season, revealed that she began to feel "burned out" from basketball as early as age 15.

Delle Donne said she didn't feel she could deliver the commitment it would take to excel with the Husklies.

Although most of the nation is focused on Delaware because of U.S. Senator Joe Biden's impending Democratic vice presidential candidacy as Barack Obama's running mate, Delle Donne is also big news in these parts.

A Delaware spokesman said Monday's press conference was only topped in the athletic department's history when the legendary Tubby Raymond retired as football coach and when current coach K.C. Keeler was named as his successor.

Both Delle Donne's parents Ernie and Joanie were present and spoke of coping with the change in athletic direction of their daughter since Ellena made a quick return from Storrs on June 3 two days after she arrived for summer school.

All parties praised the way Connecticut Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma handled the situation throughout the summer as the team and Huskies fans awaited the decision of whether Delle Donne would be joining the team.

Kenny, the Colonial Athletic Conference's coach of the year after the Blue Hens won the title and made their first NCAA tournament appearance, predicted Delle Donne was going to be an even better volleyball player than the expectations for her in basketball.

Delle Donne, who also played volleyball at Ursuline, did not want to say "never" in terms of one day returning to basketball, but for now she said this is where her passion has turned.

Delaware women's basketball coach Tina Martin did not attend the sessions, but said in a statement that "the door is open" anytime for Elena to her program.

Ernie Delle Donne said when he watched his daughter play volleyball last winter, he noticed a "glee" he hadn't seen in some time from her on the basketball court."

Depicted as someone who could play in the WNBA right now, Delle Donne has been followed heavily by media and the women's basketball community since she played in the seventh grade.

Delle Donne sat extremely poised in discussing her situation and said the thing she would miss most at Connecticut was the coaching staff and her now-former teammates.

She said once she made her decision and told Auriemma she would not return, she notified UConn freshman Carolyn Doty, a former Germantown Academy star who was a teammate on Fencor AAU and was set to be her roommate in Storrs.

There is much more to report. Two UConn beat writers attended. A lot of transcription of the actual remarks has to be made by the Guru and he has to file a short version for printed editions. But he'll be back later in the day.)

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - Several decades down the road the ultimate worth of the newest edition of USA Women's Hoops olympics will be revealed.

By then, almost all of the participamts in Beijing, who added to the USA collection, will have been voted spots in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Some already have their ticket punched from the contingent of 12 players and coaches.

Anne Donovan was already an inductee when she was named to head the squad. An AIAW national title and an NCAA Final Four appearance along with a gold medal as a player helped pave the way for her honor.

Nobody mentioned it, but Donovan became the first to win gold trinkets as a player and coach. Tennessee's Pat Summitt played on the first USA squad, which did not get gold in 1976, and then won as a coach in 1984.

USA assistant Dawn Staley has her Hall of Fame ticket punched off three golds, three Final Fours at Virginia, and an All-Star career in both the WNBA and former American Basketball League.

A strong clue whether Staley is on track to head the team in London in 2012 will be if USA Basketball announces a change of the current requirement that the Olympic coach named must be a current WNBA coach at the time of selection.

As for the WNBA pool under the current setup, it's quite small. USA assistant Mike Thibauldt and San Antonio's Dan Hughes could be considered frontrunners, today, with the idea that Detroit's Bill Laimbeer probably won't be in the league at that point of time. Neither will Los Angeles' Michael Cooper, but if he departs and assistant Marianne Stanley were promoted, she would jump into the WNBA mix off past USA experience.

Indiana's Lin Dunn is another USA veteran from the system, but will she be in the league four years from now? The same question goes to Seattle's Brian Agler and New York's Pat Coyle, but the coaching expertise is certainly present.

However, let's return to the premise we began this initial item, the Hall of Fame track and in this discussion remember players also have to be retired five years out.

Here's the tickets punched group based based on current highlights:

Lisa Leslie -- Nothing more needs to be said off Four solid golds and two WNBA titles.
Tina Thompson - Two golds and four WNBA titles.
Diana Taurasi - Three NCAA titles, Two golds, and a WNBA title.
Sue Bird -- Ditto Taurasi's numbers.
Katie Smith- -- Three golds, Two ABL titles, One WNBA title, One Final Four.
Tamika Catchings -- Two golds, Two NCAA titles, All-Star WNBA career

Tickets being printed:

Candace Parker -- Of course it will happen but youth precludes a ticket stamped designation, although at her tender age -- Two NCAA titles, an Olympic gold, with a shot right now at a WNBA title as a rookie.
Sylvia Fowles -- Again, projecting off of youth, the best is still ahead. For now, a gold and Four Final Fours.
Seimone Augustus -- One gold and Two Final Fours.
Cappie Pondexter -- One gold, One WNBA title and an All-America career at Rutgers
Kara Lawson -- One gold, One WNBA title, Two Final Fours
DeLisha Milton-Jones -- Two golds, Two WNBA titles.

Becky Hammon Thought

Didn't see this mentioned anywhere during the controversy involving Becky Hammon playing for the Russian Olympic team, but prior to last year's trade to San Antonio, she once played for a squad known as the New York Liberty.

Val Ackerman Honor

Although the Guru was ahead with the story of USA Basketball Val Ackerman winning the Naismith's Hall of Fame's prestigious John Bunn Lifetime Achievement award, here is the statement from the official release made last Thursday. She was also the founding president of the WNBA.

"Val’s contributions to the growth and development of the game of basketball on all levels embodies the true spirit of this lifetime achievement award. Her service and visionary work span her career, from early roles within the NBA legal department to her groundbreaking work in launching the WNBA to her appointment as the first female President of USA Basketball”, stated John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President & CEO. “Val is held with the highest regard among her peers as an attorney, sports executive and former player. Her forward thinking approach gives confidence to the basketball community that the game’s potential will continue to grow and evolve.

“This is a tremendous and very unexpected honor, and I'm deeply grateful to the Hall of Fame for the recognition”, said Ackerman upon receiving the news. “It has been a privilege for me to work in basketball and to witness many of the exciting developments in our game over the past 20 years, especially in women's basketball, which I know will only continue to grow in popularity in the years to come.”

Delle Donne Conspiracy Theory

Connecticut fans may not have noticed this, but when Elena Delle Donne takes the volleyball court at Delaware after foregoing a collegiate basketball career with the NCAA-favored Huskies, she'll be playing for coach Bonnie Kenny, a 1984 graduate of -- Tennessee.

Delle Donne will be speaking at the Newark, Del., campus on her reversal decision to stay near home at a half-hour press conference Monday afternoon.

The Guru will be on the scene, and the Guru knows of at least one prominent Horde beat writer making the trip down from Hartford who will also be on hand.

While Delle Donne dominated the news out of Wilmington last week, on Monday she'll have to share local newspaper space with Delaware's United States senator Joe Biden, the designated Democratic vice presidential candidate that Barack Obama named as his running mate on Saturday.

Incidentally, Delle Donne is not the first prized package to not make it to the first day of class at Connecticut, which ironically happens to also be Monday in Storrs.

Several years ago, one Gillian Goring, who played briefly at Germantown Academy in Philadelphia, was considered in the same basketball talent class as Delle Donne, though maybe not as high.

She stated her intentions to head to the Huskies until NCAA rules involving academics became an immediate obstacle.

By the time she worked her way into good graces through the junior college system, she eventually landed at North Carolina State where she helped the Wolfpack make their dramatic stretch run under coach Kay Yow in 2007 until the Cinderella NCAA effort was stopped by -- UConn in the Sweet 16.

-- Mel

(Guru's Note: Kathleen has a column on Lisa Leslie in the post below this one, which is Leslie's final diary installment from China for the Associated Press).

By Lisa Leslie
For The Associated Press

BEIJING — Welcome to the Lisa Leslie Diary. We did it! We did what we came to Beijing to do, to win the gold medal. Of course, this is my fourth gold medal, and it is my last Olympics.

It’s hard to put into words the magnitude of what we accomplished Saturday night — representing your country and being the best in the world.

It was the third time we faced Australia for the Olympic title; that’s just the way it was supposed to be. They’re the second best team in the world and to prove it they’re going home with the silver medal for the third time.

I’m not hating, but someone had to lose — and it hasn’t been us, not on my watch.

I don’t know if I could have picked a better way to wrap up my Olympic career than at the Beijing Games than with this group of ladies. I’ve had a great time fellowshipping with this team. They told me they were going to make sure I went out on top. And they made sure it happened.

I wore all four of my medals during the ceremony because it was something I had dreamed about — to stand on that platform and share with the world what we accomplished.

When we got back to the hotel, there was a crowd of our fans, friends and family waiting to welcome us when we got off the team bus. My family was there, including my husband Michael, who gave me a big hug and congratulatory kiss. What a way to end the day.

But everyone has been so supportive of us; I’m feel so blessed.

This team has been so unselfish and together from Day One. It’s been awesome playing and praying with this group.

Well, I’ve truly enjoyed sharing a little of what goes on behind the scenes at the Olympics. Wow, what way to go out. Thanks for everything and God bless you all.

By Kathleen Radebaugh

PHILADELPHIA - Lisa Leslie may need to buy a new pair of gold earrings to match her newest accessory, an unprecedented fourth straight Olympic gold medal for USA women’s basketball.

Leslie, starting center for the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks as well as a longtime starter with USA Basketball, added to her collection Saturday night after the 92-65 victory over Australia at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center, Beijing, China.

For Leslie, this would be her last Olympic appearance.

The former Southern Cal All-American joined former USA teammate Teresa Edwards, as the only basketball players ever to win four gold medals. Edwards, however, had her streak interrupted by USA's silver medal acquisition at the Barcelona Games in 1992..

In her final international performance4, Leslie totaled 14 points with 7-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, and two blocks. She fouled out with over six minutes left, but as Leslie walked to the sidelines, the roar of ovation caused the court to tremble.

In a press conference after the game, U.S. Coach Anne Donovan shared her excitement for the team and for the program, but mostly for Leslie because from the beginning it was Leslie who saw the team leaving Beijing with nothing but a gold medal.

What is most impressive, Leslie is 32-0 in her Olympic career. She never lost a game representing the United States in any Olympic game. There is no other athlete with the same record.

Beginning her commitment to USA basketball at the age of 24, Leslie always vocalized her dedication to excelling, especially while playing for the Sparks and for the United States.

In her first Olympics in July 1996 in Atlanta, Leslie scored 35 points in a single game against Japan and has four of the USA’s top 10 single-game scoring totals.

With time, Leslie became a stronger basketball player and started receiving national acclaim.

In 2001, she was named MVP of the WNBA, the WNBA Playoffs and the WNBA All-Star game when she also finally achieved a long-sought championship with the Sparks after being one of the pro league's three orginal signees in 1996.

The other two were Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo.

Leslie is the first player ever to win all three awards in the same season, followed by the first player to tally 5,000 points in the WNBA. She also became the first player to throw down a dunk in the pro league.

In 2004, she led the U.S. team in scoring, for both exhibition and Athens’ games. Leslie averaged 15.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds and was the highest scorer in three of eight contests

Leslie’s last Olympics was significant, because she left the court with some of her closest friends and teammates. She concluded her international career with such grace and skill that hopefully her younger teammates will reflect wearing both an Olympic and WNBA jersey.

Most importantly, Leslie was able to celebrate her fourth gold with her one-year-old daughter, Lauren.

The toughest part about playing in the WNBA and overseas is not the floor sprints, but the traveling schedule. One of 20 moms representing the United States in a variety of sports, Leslie faced tough decisions with having a family and being a professional athlete.

Lauren traveled with her mom to Beijing and in between practices, games, and press conferences, they would head straight to the parks.

In an interview with Good Morning America about balancing motherhood and athletics, Leslie mentioned her time spent with her daughter is one hundred percent about Lauren and her time spent on the court is one hundred percent basketball.

Leslie will return to L.A. to finish this season’s WNBA schedule, all teams taking a hiatus for this year’s Olympics.

The Sparks first game back is against Sacramento Monarchs on Aug. 28 as they pursue this year's title for which they were preseason favorites.

Leslie's expansive profiles and stats are more prolificthan any one else in the league. She was able to accomplish all of this because she has exceptional basketball talent and stamina, but she also concentrated on what was important for her and her teammates.

So maybe she deserves a new pair of gold earrings. Maybe Lauren can help her pick them out.

(Updating with formal text from Delaware announcing event)

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - Apparently not content with letting her esteemed U.S.Senator Joe Biden (D., Del) from having his moment of ultimate glory Saturday as Barack Obama's newly announced vice presidential candidate designate, local Wimington-area basketball sensation Elena Delle Donne quickly jumped back in the news.

The University of Delaware sent a release early Saturday night announcing a press conference Monday afternoon in which Delle Donne and members of the Blue Hens volleyball team will appear and she's discuss her recent transfer after a brief stay as an incoming freshman at Connecticut.

Delaware women's basketball coach Tina Martin will not appear, but will issue a statement, the university said.

It was a week ago Saturday that NCAA-women's basketball favorite Connecticut announced the Ursuline Academy star had changed her mind from accepting a scholarship from the Huskies. The news came prior to the start of classes and two months after Delle Donne had abruptly left Connecticut's summer school following a brief two-day stay in early June.

On Monday Delle Donne issued a statement announcing her decision to enroll at Delaware and thanking Connecticut and coach Geno Auriemma for their considerations of her decision.

Delle Donne did not speak of any athletic intentions at the time, though rumors had existed for several weeks she may attempt to join the volleyball team, which won the Colonial Athletic Association title last season.

Almost a week earlier Delaware volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny denied to several newspapers a sentence inserted in Delle Donne's biography on the internet search site Wikipedia saying Delle Donne was going to attend college near home and play volleyball.

The sentence was subsequently removed about a day before the time Delle Donne was believed to phone Auriemma with her decision not to enroll at Connecticut.

Auriemma, who had initially refused to grant Delle Donne a release from her scholarship following the news of her decisions, relented at midweek and added to the stipulations that the Huskies would be on board with her playing any sport, including basketblall, immediately at Delaware and left it up to the Blue Hens to work it out with the NCAA in terms of her imminent eligibility.

Here is the formal note sent to the media from Delaware early Saturday night.

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware Athletics Department has
called a press conference set for this Monday, August 25, to announce
that Elena Delle Donne has enrolled at the school and is currently
competing for the Blue Hen volleyball team.

The University of Connecticut has granted DelleDonne a release from her
scholarship, allowing her to compete in any sport at the University of
Delaware.

End of Delaware release and this blog for now, other than the Guru's guesses the travel money the local Delaware papers would have had to spend following Delle Donne's rookie year 200 miles away can now be re-invested to following the state's U.S. senator on the presidential and vice-presidential campaign trail.

-- Mel

(Guru's note: Here's the AP Recap; Other accounts will be posted later when the Guru works his desk shift in the office )

By DOUG FEINBERG

BEIJING — Lisa Leslie and the U.S. women's basketball team were once again too good for Australia at the Olympics.

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.

Australia figured this was its best shot to beat the Americans as Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips missed the first half of the WNBA season so that they could train for the Beijing Games. Lauren Jackson left the Seattle Storm two weeks before the Olympic break so she could join her teammates.

Even with their extra training and Taylor returning to the starting lineup after missing the semifinals with a sprained right ankle, the Australians just couldn't match the Americans' depth.

"We've said from day one that top to bottom we are a deep team," said Kara Lawson, who led the U.S. with 15 points. "We just send wave after wave of players at you."

She was 5-for-5 from the field and helped the American reserves outscore Australia's 59-11.

"We weren't going to be the team to let Lisa lose," said Parker, who added 14 points. "We wouldn't let her Olympic career end that way."

Trailing 13-10 late in the first quarter, U.S. coach Anne Donovan inserted her second unit, led by Lawson. Once again, the bench delivered just as it had throughout the Olympics with Lawson scoring the first six points of a 12-2 run to close the quarter as the U.S. took a 22-15 lead.

Then Parker, who has had a relatively quiet Olympics averaging only 8.7 points, took over. She scored eight of the Americans' 10 points to open the second quarter, including two three-point plays. On her second, the 6-foot-4 forward took the ball from the top of the key, dribbled through her legs and drove to the basket for a layup — a play that thrilled the U.S. men's basketball players in the stands and brought a standing ovation from LeBron James.

Lawson closed the half with five straight points to give the U.S. a 47-30 lead, capping the Americans' most impressive half in Beijing. The U.S. shot 63 percent (19-for-30) and held the Aussies to just 22 percent (8-for-37).

Jackson tried her best to rally Australia in the third quarter, but the Aussies could get no closer than 12 in the second half. Jackson finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Australia.

"You can't shoot less than 40 percent and expect to win gold medals," said Australia coach Jan Stirling after her team shot 19-for-76 (25 percent) from the field.

Leslie ended her Olympic career by fouling out with 6:33 left in the game. She left to a loud ovation from the crowd and hugged her teammates.

The U.S. has won 33 straight games in the Olympics with the last loss coming to the Unified team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

(Guru's note: Here's the AP coverage but we didn't see a story with quotes in our connection. Will update if we find one, but the USA site probably has plenty.)

DOUG FEINBERG and AARON BEARD

BEIJING — The U.S. women's basketball team passed its first test of the Olympics, beating Russia in its closest contest in Beijing. Now it's on to a fourth straight gold medal game.

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.

Then the Americans scored the next 12 points.

Thompson hit a tough turnaround jump shot to start the run. A 3-pointer by Katie Smith and another by Taurasi, layups by Thompson and Lisa Leslie gave the U.S. a 45-38 cushion.

Stepanova finally ended Russia's drought with a foul line jumper with 3:25 left in the period it was the last points they'd score in the quarter as the U.S. led 48-40 going into the final period.

Russia could get no closer than nine in the fourth quarter.

Stepanova scored 14 points to lead Russia, which will play in Sunday's bronze medal game against China.

U.S.-born Becky Hammon, a naturalized Russian citizen, didn't score until making a free throw with 9:30 left in the game. She didn't hit her first field goal until 2:52 was left in the game and Russia was down by 14. She finished the game with three points going 1-for-6 from the field.

After running through its group, winning by an average of 43 points, the U.S. routed South Korea in the quarterfinals. The only problem they had in the first seven games was in the first three minutes in the opener against the Czech Republic when the U.S. found themselves down 13-2. They went on to win by 40.

On Thursday, the U.S. had a first half to forget as they missed a half dozen layups, shot poorly from the foul line, and turned the ball over. Only the Americans' defense kept them in the game.

Leading 23-21, Russia went on a 7-2 run capped by Stepanova's layup with 2:29 left in the second quarter to give the Russians a 30-23 lead. The Americans scored the next 10 points, including two 3-pointers by Taurasi to take a 33-30 advantage. The U.S. had a chance to go into the break up at least by three, but Cappie Pondexter committed the 13th turnover of the half and Irina Osipova scored a layup on the other just before the buzzer to make it 33-32 at the half.

The U.S. found itself in a new position after the first quarter — trailing. Through pool play and the quarterfinals the Americans never trailed after the first period. On Thursday they couldn't hold onto the ball committing 10 turnovers in the first period, most coming on sloppy play. Lisa Leslie had half of them herself as the U.S. found itself down 16-13 after the first.

The U.S. has won 32 straight games in the Olympics with their last loss coming to the Unified team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Australia-China

Even with one of its best players watching from the bench, Australia had more than enough to get back to another women's basketball Olympic final.

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.

Bian Lan scored 20 points for China, which will face Russia for the bronze medal on Saturday. Miao Lijie — who came in averaging a tournament-best 19.5 points — finished with 10 but took just four shots.

China's only loss of the tournament had come against the United States in group play. But despite playing in front of a vocal home crowd, the Chinese never stood much of a chance in this one, falling behind by 16 points at halftime and never challenging afterward.

Australia outscored China 21-7 in the second period, holding China to just a pair of field goals in the quarter. Miao found few openings against a defense that had been holding teams to 60.8 points per game, while second-leading scorer Chen Nan went scoreless in the opening half.

China shot 32 percent for the game.

The Aussies managed a balanced offensive showing, with five players scoring in double figures, while dominating the boards for a 56-34 advantage.

China can still win its first medal since taking home silver in Barcelona in 1992. Its only other women's basketball medal was the bronze in Los Angeles two dozen years ago.

By Jonathan Tannenwald
Philly.com

Greetings all...

Mel is on the road today, so I'm here to post the latest news about Elena Delle Donne's departure from Connecticut.

Mel forwarded me an email he received from the Hartford Courant's UConn beat writer, John Altavilla, in which Altavilla reports the following:

Included in the release is the consent of UConn to allow Delle Donne to play any sport she wants, provided she attends the University of Delaware. That means Delle Donne, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year from Urusline Academy in Wilmington, Del., could conceivably resume her basketball career as soon as this season if Delaware can work out the details with the NCAA.

If Delle Donne decides to attend another school she would have to apply for additional release from UConn.

Since Delle Donne was techinically in receipt of financial aid from UConn during her two-day stay on campus in June, the Blue Hens would have to convince the NCAA that didn't constitute enough of a benefit to prohibit her from playing the sport this season as a transfer student.

Delle Donne said Monday through a statement she intends to enroll at Delaware, where her admission is currerntly being considered.

I've since heard from Mel that it is possible that Delle Donne could play basketball this coming season if she wants to.

This is a change from the statement from Delle Donne's family this past Monday that she would only practice with the team this season and would not play until 2009-10.

Stay tuned; Mel will be back later with more information.

(Guru note: This post takes the form of a guru speak format as opposed to news-style, or he thought so in mentioning it here before he started writing)

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - In a quick reversal, Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma has granted a release to former prime blue chip recruit Elena Delle Donne, allowing her to play volleyball this season at Delaware where she said Monday she would enroll.

The former star of Wilmington''s Ursuline Academy did,not say she intended to play any sport in her announcement, indicating she decided to stay close to home instead of several hundred miles away.

Auriemma emailed the Hartford Courant Wednesday with his change of position after saying earlier in the week he was not going to grant a release.

That meant at the time Delle Donne couldn't play any sport, other than basketball, if she chose. It also meant basketball coaches couldn't approach her, be it longtime Blue Hens coach Tina Martin, who is now in an interesting spot, or anyone else.

Delle Donne, one of the most acclaimed women's basketball player of all time at any level, told Auriemma, coach of the NCAA favorites, last week she would not be returning to Storrs after having quickly left the university's summer school session in early June following a brief stay of several days at the most.

Auriemma announced her decision in a statement released through the university last Saturday.

At Ursuline, the 6-foot-5 guard who can play any position, averaged 30 points last season and led the school to the state title. Pursued by college coaches within NCAA rules since the seventh grade, Delle Donne was said to be one of the few capable of going straight to the WNBA, though the pro league does not allow that occurrence under its eligibility rules.

She is the all-time high school girls scoring champion in Delaware.

Reasons for Delle Donne's reversal remain between her and her family for now, until she decides otherwise to make public comments.

While Delle Donne does not appear to be joining the Blue Hens basketball team anytime soon, she could later decide this season to go to practice to get back in shape. It is certainly a plausible situation, especially if she were to attend Delaware games and start feeling the passion to play the sport again.

Ironically, Delaware is coming off its worst season in some time (didn't look it up yet if it is the worst) because of a number of key players who graduated last summer.

Villanova went through a similar experience two years ago and then for a brief time found itself among Delle Donne's final choices last summer along with Middle Tennessee, where her older brother Gene plays football; Connecticut and Tennessee.

The latter two, national rivals who were in the news last summer when Tennesee coach Pat Summitt cancelled their reknown rivalry, were considered the front runners.

Delle Donne took an abrupt break from basketball last summer before enthusiastically announcing Connecticut in early September as the school of her choice.

The freshman class was already loaded with such talents as Germantown Academy's Carolyn Doty, a teammate of Delle Donne's with Fencor AAU who was going to be her roommate at UConn.

The Delle Donne saga has drawn wide interest nationwide since her mysterious departure in June.

For example, on any day the Guru didn't offer any new posts, this site was still drawing 50 hits from people who were googling Delle Donne's name to see if there were any new nuggets of informatiion.

(Guru's note: Obviously, these totals about to mentioned aren't even close to what our pro beat people get on print and blog coverage, but it is interesting in terms of self-measurement.)

On Monday, off Sunday's Guru analysis and Delle Donne's subsequent announcement the next day, the Guru site set a one-day site record of 1,350 hits. Since Sunday, the total has been over 3,500 hits, although some of the included content is the ongoing Guru-provided AP coverage of the USA team's participation in the Olympics.

Based on numbers Jonathan has provided from time to time from the frontal part of Philly.com's operation, totals there are usually higher than the Guru's own measuring devices.

The record total is more remarkable because previous highs here have been fueled off the Rutgers board when the Scarlet Knights were in the news or the often-reference women's hoops sites.

Neither were a factor, Monday, although the Guru is aware many of you were coming directly here anyway once the word of Delle Donne's decision became public.

As a matter of comparison, Guru totals were in the 800s when he took people through the NCAA mock bracket experience in February. A few days later that number soared just past 1,000 off the controversial "clock-gate" last-second, or so, victory by Tennessee over the Scarlet Knights in Knoxville.

That threshhold was reached again the night of the NCAA bracket announcement that put Connecticut and Rutgers on an early collision course.

The total was slightly surpassed and remained high when Dawn Staley made it known she was heading from Temple to South Carolina to coach. The search for Staley's successor kept traffic high and then it became more plentiful along the way with the news that Joe McKeown was heading to Northwestern after 19 seasons at George Washington.

The search for the Colonials' new coach to follow McKeown also kept totals high, with a little of Bernadette McGlade becoming Atlantic 10 commissioner thrown in the mix.

There were also a slew of Rutgers fans who bought into the Guru's guessing game as to the identity of C. Vivian Stringer's potential assistant coaching hire, which ultimately occurred with former Texas star Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil landed the plum position.

But Delle Donne news eclipsed all that, to the point that it was already responsible for a two-day record total early Monday afternoon at the same time the daily number was already way ahead of the pace of previous traffic records.

More to come, but the Guru will be spending Wednesday night at the annual postseason gathering of the summer league.

-- Mel

By DOUG FEINBERG

BEIJING — Sylvia Fowles and the U.S. women's basketball team were too big for South Korea to handle.

Fowles scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the U.S. to a 104-60 rout of South Korea on Tuesday night and advance to the semifinals of women's basketball.

"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 Russia and San Antonio's Becky Hammon in the semifinals Thursday night. China plays Australia and Lauren Jackson 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.

On Tuesday, South Korea held tough for the first quarter behind hot shooting. They were 9-for-16 (59 percent) from the field in the period and only were down 25-21 at the end of the period.

The 6-foot-5 Fowles and the U.S. then took over dominating the paint. She was a force on both ends of the floor, giving the Americans second and third attempts with offensive rebounds. On the defensive end she was altering or blocking shots.

"She was dominant tonight," said Kara Lawson, who added 11 points for the U.S. "It's hard to remember that she missed six weeks with that knee injury."

The Americans went on a 18-4 run to start the period as Fowles had four points, five rebounds and a block during the spurt. The U.S. outscored South Korea 26-9 in the period and led by 21 at the half.

Any thoughts of a South Korean comeback were quickly dashed when the Americans opened the third quarter with a 15-4 run. The lead ballooned to 41 behind Fowles, who scored nine of her points in the period. About the only thing that upset Fowles was that she had a chance on the break

She finished the game 12-for-17 from the field and had eight offensive rebounds.

The average height of the South Korea team was 5-foot-10 and the U.S. outrebounded the fourth seed from Group A 50-24 and outscored them 66-28 in the paint.

"That was our goal to go inside and get them in early foul trouble," said 6-foot-4 Candace Parker, who added eight points. "They couldn't match up with our size."

Diana Taurasi added 12 points and Cappie Pondexter had 11.

Kim Kwer-yong scored 14 points and Beon Yung-ha and Jung Sun-min each had 13 points to lead South Korea.

South Korea guard Choi Youn-ah was taken to a local hospital after the loss. She injured her back while going for a loose ball during the game. South Korean coach Jung Duk-haw didn't know the extent of the injury.

Tatiana Shchegoleva scored 19 points as Russia beat Spain 84-65 Tuesday in the Olympic women's basketball quarterfinals to advance against the United States, which beat them prior to the Olympics in the friendly Diamond Tournament in China.

The Unified Team, made up of the former republics of the Soviet Union, won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. Spain was shooting for it first semifinal appearance.

Spain went ahead 28-10 early in the second quarter. But Russia ran off a 20-6 spurt to get back into the game with Spain leading at halftime 40-32 on two late free throws by Anna Montanana.

Russia fought back and led 56-55 after three quarters, helped by eight points in the quarter by U.S.-born Becky Hammon, a naturalized Russian citizen. Hammon finished with 17.

Russia kept pushing to a 63-55 lead early in the final quarter and was never challenged.

Amaya Valdemoro led Spain with 16.

(Guru's Note: And now back to China news. A rare early-morning Guru wakeup allows a remote post off the AP report of the first two quarterfinals games. USA game to come. Delle Donne news in previous post for those of you who hadn't visited.)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING _ Lauren Jackson had 17 points and 12 rebounds to help Australia rout the Czech Republic 79-46 Tuesday and advance to the Olympic women's basketball semifinals.

Australia will face China on Thursday night. Miao Lijie scored 28 points to help China beat Belarus 77-62 in another quarterfinal.

It's the fourth straight Olympics that Australia has made the semifinals.

The Aussies suffered a scare in the third quarter when co-captain Penny Taylor sprained her right ankle. She got hurt driving to the basket when she stepped on a Czech player's foot.

"With ankle injuries like that the next 24 hours will be huge," Australia coach Jan Stirling said. "If she's not ready to go, it's part of sport. Someone else will have to step up."

Taylor was helped to the sideline and was grimacing in pain with her head in her hands. Taylor, who finished with eight points, was icing it for the rest of the game at the end of the bench.

"Penny's a huge part of our team and we've got to hope for the best for her," Jackson said. "I don't know what we can do without her so hopefully she'll be okay."

The semifinal matchup should be an intriguing one as China is led by Tom Maher, who was the Australian national coach from 1993-2000, giving Jackson and Taylor their start.

"I have a lot of friends on the Australian team," Maher said. "They are playing us and I don't care about them at all, I just want to beat them."

Maher left Australia after the Sydney Olympics to coach in the WNBA before coaching New Zealand in the 2004 games. He was plucked from the Kiwis by China after New Zealand beat them in the Athens Games.

Maher has China back in the semifinals for the first time since the 1992 Olympics when the host nation won a silver medal.

"I'm delighted for China basketball," Maher said. "It's great to see China back near the top of the basketball tree."

Australia has been one of the top women's teams since 1996 when they won the bronze medal. On Tuesday, they led by three midway through the first quarter when Jackson scored seven points during a 13-3 Australia run to close the period.

The Aussies continued the onslaught in the second quarter, holding the Czechs to a meager two points over the first 8:50 of the period. By the time Marketa Mokrosova hit a 3-pointer from the corner to end the drought, Australia led 36-15.

Taylor's jumper at the buzzer gave Australia a 38-17 lead at the break. The Czech Republic shot a miserable 7-for-36 (19 percent) from the field in the half. It would have been worse had they not hit two of their final three shots.

Hana Machova scored eight points to lead the Czechs, who could get no closer in the second half as Australia's lead ballooned to 41 points. The Czech's finished fourth in Group B.

Belinda Snell added 15 points and nine rebounds for Australia, which won Group A.

(Guru's Note: Fixing gramar and typos from earlier post. This is the rough copy sent to the office for editing and Tuesday print editions.)

By Mel Greenberg
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Wilmington's Elena Delle Donne, perhaps one of the most heralded high school women's basketball players of all time, is heading for the University of Delaware, she said in a statement Monday.

The nation’s top high school prospect last season, Delle Donne announced her decision after telling Connecticut last week she had changed her mind and will not join the powerful Huskies this fall.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma, whose team is this season’s NCAA favorite, announced Delle Donne’s reversal in a release sent by the university on Saturday.

The former Ursuline Academy star was not available for comment Monday and the release on her behalf was sent by Veronica Algeo, her longtime Fencor AAU coach.

Algeo has been requested by Delle Donne not to comment on her decisions.

It is unclear whether Delle Donne will play basketball at all with the Blue Hens, a sport for which she has received wide acclaim since the 7th grade, if not earlier.

The 6-foot-5 point guard, who holds the all-time points record in Delaware high school girls' basketball history, was said to be interested in playing volleyball this fall with the Colonial Athletic Conference champions. But she will unable to play any varsity sport this year.

Auriemma, in an email to several newspapers Monday, said he would not grant Delle Donne a release from her national letter of intent.

Delle Donne, who abruptly left Connecticut's summer school within two days of her arrival in early June, did not mention any athletic aspirations in her statement.

"I have decided that in the best interest of both UCONN and myself that I will not play college basketball this year," she said.

" Both UCONN and I require a 100% dedication to the sport, and as of now I feel I cannot give that level of commitment. It therefore would be unfair to their excellent program, Coach Geno Auriemma, the team, and UCONN fans for me to play," she continued.

“Coach Auriemma and the team have been extremely understanding during this time of my transition from high school to college, and I thank them for that. I am especially grateful to Coach Auriemma whose kind wisdom has shown me why UCONN is such a class program.

“I intend to enroll at the University of Delaware for my freshman year this fall."

Delle Donne, having been pursued by a slew of colleges, ended the recruiting war between Connecticut and Tennessee for her talents last September, announcing she would become a member of the Huskies' talent-rich freshman class.

That group includes former Germantown Academy star Carolyn Doty, a former teammate at Fencor AAU who was set to be roommates with Delle Donne at UConn.

Villanova and Middle Tennessee, where her older brother Gene plays football, were also among Delle Donne's final choices.

Delle Donne could not transfer to the Wildcats to play basketball under a Big East guideline changed in recent years that states that once a letter of intent is signed, an incoming athlete cannot transfer to another conference member.

A Big East spokeswoman confirmed that rule Monday and said that if Delle Donne was granted the release she could play in another sport this season.

Delaware women's basketball coach Tina Martin was heading back from a vacation in Europe, Monday. However, after Connecticut announced Delle Donne's decision, Martin, citing NCAA guidelines Saturday night from overseas, said she would not be able to comment on the matter unless a release had been granted.

Contact staff writer Mel Greenberg at 215-854-5725 or mgreenberg@phillynews.com. Read his blog at go.philly.com/womhoops.

(Guru's Note: And now back to AP Olympic coverage. Delle Donne coverage in previous post with more to come.)

By DOUG FEINBERG

BEIJING — Another game, another rout.

Tina Thompson scored 10 points during a 21-0 run in the second quarter and the U.S. women's basketball team beat New Zealand 96-60 on Sunday night.

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."

New Zealand was able to stay close with the U.S. for a quarter behind hot shooting. They were 8-for-16 in the first quarter and only trailed by five at the end of the period.

The U.S. took over in the second quarter turning up their defensive intensity. Lisa Wallbutton's jumper with 7:29 left in the period cut New Zealand's deficit to 29-22 before the Americans scored 21 straight points.

Lisa Leslie started the run with a layup and then Thompson hit three layups and two jumpers over the next 5 minutes as the U.S. stretched out its lead. DeLisha Milton-Jones' reverse layup ended the run with 18 seconds left in the half and put the Americans up 50-22.

"I just happen to be in the right place at the right time," said Thompson, who finished with 15 points. "I actually thought that I missed a lot of shots early that I usually hit."

New Zealand (1-4) finally scored on Jillian Harmon's jumper from the corner just at the halftime buzzer. The Kiwis missed eight straight shots and had three turnovers during the drought.

It was a pretty exciting opportunity," said Harmon, who will be a senior at Stanford this fall. "I think most of us grew up watching these girls. I think I was 10-years-old when Lisa Leslie played in her first Olympics. It was a good experience. I think we played pretty well, all things considered."

The U.S. extended its lead in the third quarter to 38 in the third quarter behind Smith, who had eight of her 13 points in the period. New Zealand got no closer than 31 the rest of the game.

Seimone Augustus added 12 points and Tamika Catchings had 11 for the U.S.

Angela Marino led New Zealand with 17 points and Wallbutton added 14.

"We're here to learn what the Olympics is about," New Zealand coach Mike McHugh said. "This is a 2012 team, maybe a 2016 team."

In other games Sunday, Australia defeated Russia 75-55, China beat the Czech Republic 79-63, Spain routed Mali 79-47, and Brazil topped Belarus 68-53.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - When Elena Delle Donne was in the seventh grade at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, collegiate coaches began attending her games, though all they could do at the time under NCAA rules was stand outside the gym and watch from behind a closed door.

Communication was prohibted, but Delle Donne was such a prized prospect at such a young age, the nature of the recruiting in the women's game made the trip mandatory for anyone interested in enhancing their program.

One coach of a national power noted that if one (colleague) comes, everyone has to come to keep pace and hope that Delle Donne got wind of their visit.

With that kind of attention back then, Delle Donne's arrival in college was as eagerly anticipated by those in the sport as was launch day to the moon in the 1960s during NASA's formative years.

However, in the manner of some of those disasterous rocket misfires that used to occur, Delle Donne's impending collegiate basketball career appears to have imploded on the launch pad a week short of its scheduled liftoff.

In a terse release from national power Connecticut late Saturday afternoon, the Huskies announced that Delle Donne had informed coach Geno Auriemma that she has decided to forgo her scholarship offer and not enroll to join a team that is the overwhelming favorite to win the next NCAA title.

“I have been recently informed that Elena Delle Donne has decided not to play college basketball and will not enroll at the University of Connecticut,” Auriemma said in the statement. “Everyone at UConn would like to wish Elena the best of luck.”

The statement also added that out of respect for the privacy of Delle Donne and her family, there would be no further comment on the matter.

Delle Donne plans to make a statement Monday, according to Veronica Algeo, her longtime coach at Fencor AAU, who was requested by Delle Donne not to comment further.

Algeo said early Saturday night she did not yet know how the statement would be made or whether a press conference would be held.

Even without Delle Donne, Connecticut will still be considered the overwhelming NCAA favorite this winter off a veteran lineup that includes Maya Moore, last season’s top collegiate freshman.

The Huskies also have talent-rich freshmen, including Germantown Academy’s Carolyn Doty. She and Delle Donne were teammates on Fencor AAU in the area.

The announcement follows a summer of suspense over Delle Donne's intentions that began in early June when she abruptly left the Storrs campus and summer school two days after her arrival.

“I have a lot of personal issues to fix,” Delle Donne told ESPN.com shortly after she returned home.

At the time, it was inferred that Delle Donne had been upset because she was scolded by an upperclass member of the Connecticut squad during a pickup game.

All parties later denied such an event had occurred.

"Elena has always been the perfect teammate and friend to everyone her whole career," said Stu London, who has coached her in the past as a member of the Fencor AAU staff.

Delle Donne's quick exit in June was a surprise to Doty, who awoke the following morning to discover her roommate had suddenly left the campus.

Since then neither Delle Donne nor her parents have commented on her asiprations.

Doty declined to discuss the situation to Connecticut reporters earlier this summer when Huskies newcomers were made available for interviews -- an event that occurs each summer.

Auriemma, who is vacationing at the Jersey shore, reportedly got the call at mid-week.

Amid a sea of new rumors involving Delle Donne and the approaching Aug. 25 date when classes begin at UConn, Auriemma notified the university Saturday it was time to put the word out.

It is not known if Delle Donne, the national high school player of the year, has been given a release from her national letter of intent. The 6-foot-5 guard eagerly announced last September that she had made the Huskies the winner of a torrid recruiting battle with national rival Tennessee. Villanova and Middle Tennessee, where her older brother Gene plays football, were also among her final choices.

The Connecticut release indicated that Delle Donne might be putting basketball in her rear view mirror, at least for now.

If she decided to return to the sport, she could not do so at Villanova because Big East rules prohibit a transfer to another conference school once the letter of intent has been signed.

When Delle Donne returned home in June, she was said to be a little queasy over the next phase of her life, a situation many youngsters experience as their collegiate days approach.

Several weeks ago a member of the Connecticut athletic department, who did not want to be cited as a source because they did not want to speak for Auriemma, expressed confidence that Delle Donne would return.

"The most important thing is that she is ok with everything," the source said.

In early July when Auriemma attended the press conference here for new Temple coach Tonya Cardoza, his longtime assistant, he sounded as he thought Delle Donne would be back at Storrs.

"Everything is low key right now, but come September everything may be back to normal," he said.

But a few weeks later, given Delle Donne's perceived fragile state, Auriemma was reportedly angered by an interview several reporters from the Hartford Courant and Connecticut Post had with Kalena Greene, who has been recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered at mid-season.

"There's a lot of things going around about why she left," Greene said in comments reported in Rich Elliott's blog in the Connecticut Post. "But if it's what I hear, I don't think she's coming back.

"And I think if she does it's going to be even tougher than before because she's going to have to gain the trust from her teammates and the coaching staff," Greene continued. "We don't really trust people. We only trust each other.

"So when you see something like this, it's going to be really hard because who knows if you might decide to leave if it really gets tough in the tournament. We don't know. I think it's going to be more pressure on her now if she comes back. If she comes back, we're going to welcome her. But she has a lot of trust to be gained."

Preparations had been recently made for Delle Donne's return to Storrs. A down payment had been made on her UConn living quarters and the sports information department had been given the go-ahead to include her in the media guide.

However, Delle Donne also has not been away from home for any extensive period, aside from AAU tournament travel and participation on national teams with USA Basketball.

Last summer, however, she bypassed tryouts for one such team, saying she needed a break while deliberating on her future.

And why not? Delle Donne, the all-time top scorer in Delaware girls high school history, had been under the microscope for quite a while.

For the most part, she did not seemed to be hampered by the attention and welcomed the crush of fans and media from the Connecticut area last winter when she played New York power Christ the King in Springfield, Mass. She had 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, single-handedly outscored the alma mater of former UConn star Sue Bird and former Tennessee sensation Chamique Holdsclaw in the 57-37 victory.

Delle Donne's apperance followed a layoff of slightly over a month because of mononeucleosis.

"If you can believe it, the support was greater than being in Delaware, which is amazing," Delle Donne said that night.

One reason Delle Donne had considered Villanova was to be near home and close to her older sister Elizabeth, who has suffered the effects of cerebral palsy at birth which left her deaf and blind.

There had been recent rumors, especially around the Dept. of Recreation NCAA Women's Summer League, here, that Delle Donne was going to attend the University of Delaware to play volleyball with the CAA champions this season and then join the basketball team next year.

In fact, early last week, the internet search site Wikipedia had a sentence at the bottom of Delle Donne's biography saying she was heading to the Blue Hens to play volleyball, which she played her senior season. Ursuline volleyball teammate Meghan Bonk is at Delaware.

But Delaware volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny told the Hartford Courant and Wilmington News Journal that there had been no contact from Delle Donne. The sentence was shortly removed from the Wikipedia biography.

However, just as quick, Delle Donne's decision not to attend UConn was already inserted into her Wikipedia page Saturday night.

Some speculation Saturday night centered on whether Delle Donne could be interested in Temple, considering Cardoza is now the head coach and sophomore Lindsay Kimmel played with her in AAU competition.

Cardoza, considered to be the players-friendly coach on Auriemma's staff at UConn, could not be reached for comment.

Former UConn stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird with the USA national time in Beijing, China, at the Olympics declined to comment on Delle Donne's exit, saying they did not know her well enough.

Taurasi and Delle Donne appeared on the internet in a photograph talent early in the summer when Delle Donne journeyed to Washington where Taurasi's WNBA defending champion Phoenix Mercury played the Mystics.

One person familiar with the Connecticut program observed after Delle Donne's exit that persons around her want her to be Diana Taurasi but not do what has to be done to become Diana Taurasi and both things are incompatible.

Delaware women's basketball coach Tina Martin said from Europe late Saturday night, where she is currently on vacation, that she could not comment on Delle Donne under NCAA rules and had not been aware of UConn's announcement.

Martin could not become involved, anyhow, until Delle Donne was released from her letter oif intent.

A source familiar with Delaware women's basketball said there had not been any known contact with Delle Donne. But the News Journal reported in Sunday''s editions her parents had made an inquiry about enrollment, citing sources at the university.

The Wikipedia update called the Delle Donne departure as the greatest women's basketball player to walk away without ever playing a collegiate game.

If Delle Donne never plays again, is not the first time a premium talent has left the sport for reasons other than injury with expectations not totally realized.

Nicole Kazmarski out of Long Island went to three different schools before leaving the sport, although she was later briefly on the roster of the WNBA's New York Liberty.

Nina Smith out of Iowa played at Wisconsin and Iowa State, lost the passion, but then tranferred to Division II power Holy Family in Northeast Philadelphia.

Kristen "Ace" Clement out of Cardinal O'Hara played her four years at Tennessee but never became a centerpiece with the Vols' contingent.

And Holdsclaw left the WNBA, citing the effects of being bi-polar. Ironically, her departure last summer from Los Angeles helped doom the Sparks but the lowly record enabled the team to land the No. 1 draft pick in April, giving them Tennessee sensation Candace Parker.

Kara Wolters, a former UConn all-American, who broadcasts Huskies games, told Elliott Saturday night in the Connecticut Post: She's so good. What a waste. It's the most bizarre thing I ever heard. To have an opportunity like that to play, obviously, at the best college women's basketball program in the world. ... and she threw it away.

"Geno said, `I thought I had seen it all at Connecticut until this,'" Wolters related.

Mike Flynn, who runs the nationally prominent Blue Stars AAU operation, headquartered in Philadelphia, has seen Delle Dunne from early in her career.

"We first saw Elena around the eighth grade when she came to the Rising Blue Stars camp," Flynn said.

"And she quickly became a big deal going far in tournaments with Fencor," Flynn said.

"Her skill levels were unmatched for anyone we had seen at the age. The only person to compare her with would be Australia's Lauren Jackson (of the WNBA Seattle Storm) who also drew attention when she was very young.

"Athletically, the two of them are comparable. But here's the difference. High school is about skill. In college, you have to have the passion, and it appears to people she has lost that desire about the game. Furthermore, once you get to the pros, you also have to be nasty.

"Even though many think she was capable of going straight to the WNBA, she doesn't seem to have that trait. Elena is basically a very nice kid."

(Guru's note: Updating with information for Delle Donne' AAU coach. Previously, the Guru note begins: This is the version being turned to the sports desk for print editions and may be trimmed for space in print due to the Olympics and other events. Further reporting will appear late Saturday night after the Guru finishes working the desk as he was orginally assigned on this week's schedule).

By Mel Greenberg
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

PHILADELPHIA _ Wilmington’s Elena Delle Donne, the nation’s top women’s basketball prospect out of Ursuline Academy, has decided not to attend the Connecticut, the university announced in a statement late Saturday afternoon.

“I have been recently informed that Elena Delle Donne has decided not to play college basketball and will not enroll at the University of Connecticut,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “Everyone at UConn would like to wish Elena the best of luck.”

The statement also added that to respect the privary of Delle Donne and her family, there would be no further comment on the matter.

Delle Donne plans to make a statement Monday, acording to Veronica Algeo, her longtime coach at Fencor AAU, who was requested by Delle Donne not to comment further.

Algeo said early Saturday night she did not yet know how the statement would be made or whether a press conference would be held.

Even without Delle Donne, Connecticut will still be considered the overwhelming NCAA favorite this winter off a veteran lineup that includes Maya Moore, last season’s top collegiate freshman.

The Huskies also have talent-rich freshmen class, including Germantown Academy’s Carolyn Doty. She and Delle Donne were teammates on Fencor AAU in the area.

Delle Donne’s decision ends a summer of speculation as to intentions after she withdraw from UConn’s summer school two days after her arrival in early June.

“I have a lot of personal issues to fix,” Delle Donne told ESPN.com shortly after she returned home.

In recent weeks, there have been rumors that Delle Donne was going to attend Delaware and play volleyball, her other high school athletic pursuit, with last season’s Colonial Athletic Association champions.

But Blue Hens coach Bonnie Kenney denied the report early last week to the Hartford Courant.

The comment came after Wikipedia, an internet research site, had stated the volleyball intentions at the bottom of the Delle Donne’s biography.

The sentence was subsequently removed.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Delle Donne became the state of Delaware’s all-time leading scorer last season.

Delle Donne has been labelled a “must-have” recruit by college coaches dating all the way back to the seventh grade, if not earlier.

WNBA coaches have said she was one of the few female youngsters capable of bypassing college straight for the pro league, although the move is not currently possible under WNBA eligibility rules.

Early last September, Delle Done announced her decision to attend UConn over Tennessee, Villanova, and Middle Tennessee from among her final collegiate choices.

The announcement came after she abruptly took a break from the sport in early summer, deciding not to try out for USA Basketball’s Under-19 national team, which ultimately won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship.

(Guru's Note: Latest AP coverage. We'll update from office later today (Friday) ).

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING _ After three straight blowouts, it took a half for the U.S. women's basketball team to get going and beat Spain.

Tina Thompson scored nine of her 17 points during the decisive third quarter run and Lisa Leslie added 14 points and 11 rebounds to help the U.S. top Spain 93-55 on Friday night.

"Spain came out and played really hard. You have to give them credit," Thompson said. "It was a matter that our defense controls so much of what our offense does."

The Americans had won their first three games by an average of 47 points, putting the game away by the half in all the victories. On Friday night, the Americans led by just five at halftime, 39-34, and for the game they turned the ball over a tournament-high 19 times.

"Spain's a good team, they came out really well in the first half," said Diana Taurasi, who had 12 points for the U.S. "In the second half we came out defensively and took care of what we had to."

After a sloppy first half that saw the U.S. have 11 turnovers, the Americans opened the third quarter with a 20-5 run to take control of the game. The U.S. scored the first nine points of the period, including three by Thompson from the foul line when she was fouled hard by Ana Montanana, who was called for a technical foul — the first of the entire Olympics.

"I don't even remember what happened," Thompson said. "Stuff like that happens during a game when both teams are playing physical. You just step up hit your free throws and move on."

Tamika Catchings' putback with 2:53 left in the period gave the U.S. a 59-39 advantage. Spain closed within 16 to start the fourth quarter before the Americans went on a 13-0 run to put the game away.

Candace Parker added 13 points and Diana Taurasi had 12 for the U.S. (4-0). The Americans will close out pool play on Sunday against New Zealand.

Amaya Valdemoro led Spain (2-2) with 17 points.

The U.S. got a brief scare when Leslie left early in the period with a slight hip injury. She was stretched on the sidelines by team trainer Ed Ryan before returning later in the period.

"My hip kind of jammed on me," Leslie said. "I had to get a little treatment on the side, but once it got warm I was okay."

With the win, the U.S. has 29 straight victories in Olympic contests. The last loss was to the Unified team in the 1992 semifinals.

The game looked to be another blowout at the start with the Americans jumping out to a 19-4 lead in the first quarter as they held Spain scoreless for nearly 7:30 minutes. However, Spain wouldn't go away, closing the period with a 13-3 spurt of its own, hitting four 3-pointers. Montanana's 3-pointer at the buzzer closed the gap to 22-17.

"For us this was a good game. It's what we wanted to have," U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. "It was great when Spain made their run and at the end of the first half, we're sitting there with a five-point lead, to see how we're going to respond in that situation.

"The experience we have, along with the young talent we have, was a good combination in the second half."

Spain will finish its pool play on Sunday against Mali.

In other games Friday, Australia topped Latvia 96-73, Russia edged Brazil 74-64, the Czech Republic beat New Zealand 90-59, and China routed Mali 69-48.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - USA Basketball President Val Ackerman has earned her own “gold medal” ahead of a projected dual triumph of the USA men’s and women’s teams she is currently overseeing at the Olympics in Beijing, China.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in is set to announce Ackerman on Friday as this year’s winner of the John Bunn Award that goes to a national or international figure who has contributed greatly to the sport, several sources said Thursday.

The board of trustees considers the award named for the first chairman of the Hall of Fame (1949-69) as the most prestigious honor outside of the actual inductions.

Ackerman, 48, was the founding president of the WNBA and served eight seasons before Donna Orender succeeded her on Feb. 1, 2005.

A former academic all-American women’s basketball star at Virginia, Ackerman also served as a staff attorney for the NBA and special assistant to NBA commissioner David Stern.

“Val Ackerman is a pioneer,” Stern said Thursday reacting to the impending official announcement. “She is all about basketball.

“Think about it. She was in the NBA, she was on the FIBA Central Board. She was the president of the WNBA and now she’s the first female president of USA Basketball. Nobody has done more for the sport.”

A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High in Hopewell Township, N.J., near Trenton, Ackerman was also Virginia coach Debbie Ryan’s first athletic scholarship recipient in the late 1970s.

She was a key force in the formation of the USA Basketball Senior National Women’s Team’s year-long training and tour in 1995-1996 that led up to a gold medal at the Atlanta Games with a 60-0 record. The acclaim over the team also set the stage for pro women’s basketball in the U.S. and the current 12-year run of the WNBA.

“She is a true champion who has made an indelible mark in the world of sports and we applaud her for all her efforts,” Orender said Thursday on hearing the news of her predecessor. “Her unwavering commitment, passion and dedication to the development of women’s basketball has been a source of inspiration to millions of women and young girls all around the world.”

Ackerman is the fourth woman to receive the Bunn Award since its inception in 1973 when the initial honor went to Bunn himself. Hall of Fame Tennessee coach Pat Summitt was named in 1990, while Zelda Spoelstra, head of the NBA alumni association, received the award in 2004. Betty Jaynes, former head of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Assocation, was named in 2006.

The award will be given to Ackerman on Thursday, Sept. 4, in Springfield, Mass., at a banquet that will kick off induction activities for this year.

Former Immaculata coach Cathy Rush is one of six of the newest inductees, joined by longtime broadcaster Dick Vitale, former NBA stars Patrick Ewing, Hakeen Olajuwon, and Adrian Dantley; Miami Heat president and former coach Pat Riley, along with William Davidson, owner of the NBA Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock.

Ackerman lives in New York with her husband Charlie and her two daughters Sally and Emily.

Last week, Ackerman was seen last week on national TV at the Olympics chatting with President Bush in the stands during the USA Basketball women’s opening win.

Her efforts behind the creation of the WNBA brought a slew of honors during her eight-year term and in the years since she stepped down. All that remains is for the U.S. to rack up another gold medal on the women’s side and reclaim one on the men’s side.

Right now both goals are on target.

-- Mel

By Doug Feinberg
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING -- Lisa Leslie set a U.S. Olympic record going 7-for-7 from the field as the women's team continued its unblemished run through the Beijing Games with a 97-41 victory against Mali.

Leslie finished with 16 points as the U.S. won its 28th straight Olympic contest; the last loss was against the Unified Team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games. The Americans have run over their first three opponents winning by an average of 47 points. They routed the Czech Republic, China, and now Mali.

Katie Smith (2000) and Nikki McCray (1996) held the record for highest field goal percentage, each going 6-for-6 from the field. The U.S. plays Spain next on Friday.

Mali was missing it's top player Hamchetou Maiga-Ba of the Houston Comets, who injured her ankle in a loss to the Czech Republic on Monday. Even with Maiga-Ba, the winless Mali team would have been hard-pressed to be competitive against the U.S.

However, for a brief two-minute stretch in the first quarter Mali gave its fans something to cheer about. Trailing 7-0, Mali rattled off eight straight points, hitting two deep 3-pointers. Aminata Sininta's 3 with 5:34 left in the period gave Mali an 8-7 lead and forced U.S. coach Anne Donovan to call a timeout.

The numerous Mali fans in attendance started snapping pictures of the overhead scoreboard and cheering their team's lead.

It didn't last long as the Americans responded with a 17-4 run to close the quarter as seven different players scored. The U.S. (3-0) continued the spurt scoring the first eight points of the second quarter to build the advantage to 32-12 and led 51-28 at the half. It was only that close as Mali hit five 3-pointers, including three by Sininta.

The U.S. outscored Mali 25-5 in the third quarter and the only suspense left was whether Candace Parker, Leslie, or Sylvia Fowles would become the first woman to dunk in Olympic competition. The trio have all dunked in either college or the WNBA and Fowles was throwing down slams in pregame warmups to the delight of the crowd.

Sininta led Mali (0-3) with 13 points.

Seimone Augustus added 12 points for the U.S., which had five players score in double figures. Tina Thompson, Parker, and Cappie Pondexter each had 10.

In other games Wednesday, Spain beat the Czech Republic 74-55, Russia topped Belarus 71-65, Latvia edged Brazil 79-78, China beat New Zealand 80-63, and Australia routed South Korea 90-62.

(Guru's note. Live from a quick visit to Annapolis -- not the story, but the Guru, who gives you what he was able to find so far from Wednesday's action. Will update later.)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING _ Anete Jekabsone-Zogota scored 25 points, including a lay-up with 2.7 seconds left that lifted Latvia to a thrilling 79-78 victory over Brazil on Wednesday.

Trailing by one, Jekabsone-Zogota caught the inbounds pass and drove to the basket for the lay-in. Brazil had one last chance but Adriana Pinto's foul-line runner bounced off the rim. The win was Latvia's first of the Olympics and left Brazil winless.

"It was a life-or-death game for us that was entertaining, but I'd have preferred the win," Brazil coach Paulo Campos said. "I have mixed emotions but am proud of this group."

Brazil had taken a 78-77 lead with 7.5 seconds left on Zane Eglite's 3-pointer in the back-and-forth game.

Latvia (1-2) was trailing by one with 2 minutes left when Jekabsone-Zogota hit a deep 3-pointer just beating the shot clock to give her team a 72-70 advantage. Gunta Basko added two free throws to extend the lead to four before Kelly Santos' three-point play with 1:24 left cut Brazil's deficit to 74-73.

Pinto gave Brazil back the lead with a jumper before Ieva Kublina's 3-pointer with 20 seconds left gave Latvia a 77-75 cushion.

Eglite found herself open in the corner for her 3 setting up the final play.

"Absolutely I knew the play was going to go through her," Latvia coach Ainars Zvirgzdins said. "I gave her the task and I'm glad she did it."

With the loss Brazil fell to 0-3 and will have a tough road ahead to make the quarterfinals. They will play undefeated Russia on Friday before finishing off the pool play Sunday against Belarus. The top four teams in each pool advance to the next round.

"We look ahead to two great games against Russia and Belarus and it's going to be difficult to advance, but we'll try and do our part," Campos said.

In other games Wednesday, the U.S. continued its unblemished run through the Beijing Games with a 97-41 victory against Mali.

The U.S. has now won 28 straight Olympic contests with the last loss coming in the semifinals of the 1992 games. In Beijing, the Americans ran over their first three opponents winning by an average of 47 points.

Russia held off Belarus 71-65, China routed New Zealand 80-63, and Spain beat the Czech Republic 74-55.

Maria Stepanova had 13 points and nine rebounds for Russia (3-0). Natalia Marchanka scored 16 points to lead Belarus (1-2). She hit four 3-pointers, including banking in one from just inside halfcourt to end the first quarter.

Chen Nan scored 18 of her 26 points in the first half as China (2-1) built a 17-point lead and cruised to the victory over New Zealand. She also grabbed 17 rebounds and had three blocks. Jillian Harmon and Angela Marino each scored 14 points to lead New Zealand (1-2).

Anna Montanana scored eight of her game-high 20 points in third quarter as Spain (2-1) outscored the Czech Republic 30-11 in the period to turn a one-point halftime lead into a rout. Montanana was 9-for-12 from the field. Eva Viteckova led the Czech Republic (1-2) with 12 points.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - Former La Salle star Crista Ricketts scored 23 points and her past Explorers teammate Davineia Payne added nine as Columbia Blue captured the annual Department of Recreation NCAA Women's Summer League title over Team White, 63-55, Monday night at Torresdale Boys Club in Northeast Philadelphia.

Former Penn star Joey Rhoads also scored nine points as the league's top team this past summer captured the finals with a 2-0 sweep.

Team White, which forced a playoff for top seed in the tournament by upsetting Columbia Blue on the last night of the regular season, got 17 points from player-coach Andrea Jones and 15 from current La Salle player Antonia Gale.

Former St. Joseph's star Tracy Harmon coached Columbia Blue.

Team White did not die without a fight, slicing a 16-point second-half deficit to six with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left to play.

Ricketts is heading for Austria to play overseas Aug. 29.

Other players who were drafted to the Columbia Blue roster at the beginning of the summer were Allie Fedorowicz, a member of Cornell's Ivy League champions last season, Princeton's Addie Micir, Widener's Nicole Curry, and a trio of St. Joseph's current stars: Amy Gillespie, Kelly Cavallo, and Sarah Acker.

The big surprise of the night occurred off the court at halftime when longtime commissioner David Kessler was honored for his annual contributions.

Kessler will be retiring next spring from the Dept. of Rec but was a little sheepish over the plaudits, which included applause from everyone on site.

"I was flattered, but they shouldn't have done it yet," Kessler said. "I will be around here next summer helping the next commissioner get started."

-- Mel

(Guru's note: Here are some other accounts from elsewhere in the Inquirer wire service system from the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Washington Post of the USA win over China.)

WITH SPORTSMANSHIP IN MIND, U.S. WOMEN ARE EASY WINNERS

BEIJING — The fans here have been unfailingly polite to the U.S.
basketball teams, going so far as to cheer for them nearly as
ardently as they do their own team.

But as the U.S. women’s basketball team throttled the Chinese,
108-63, on Monday night at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, an
age-old question of international Olympic relations arose.

Leading by 33-11 at the end of the first quarter and by 61-27 at
halftime, the Americans had to confront the conundrum of how to
manage the blowout and keep with the Olympic spirit. Clearly, the
worst player on the American roster would be the best player on
China’s team.

Compounding the difficulty for the Americans was the fact that
arguably their two most talented players, Candace Parker and Sylvia
Fowles, come off the bench.

“It’s a good problem to have,” guard Diana Taurasi said.

Tina Thompson led all scorers with 27 points and Fowles continued
her eye-opening international play with 18 points and eight rebounds.

“They were just way too good for us,” Chinese coach Tom Maher
said. “We’re playing someone who has us outmatched, you can’t analyze
it statistically.”

To the credit of the Chinese crowd, they roared with approval,
gasped and waved flags at every basket. They chanted “China”
throughout the second half, even as the baskets the Chinese scored
were increasingly irrelevant.

“They went on a 7-0 run and I looked up and it was 37,” Taurasi
said of the U.S. lead, laughing because the reaction of the crowd
made the advantage feel smaller.

The United States did not press after halftime. But when your
bench players are still among the best in the world, there is really
no easy way to take pity on an overmatched opponent.

It is a problem that the U.S. women are going to face again this
week. They next play Mali, which is considered the weakest team in
the tournament, on Wednesday. After that is a game with Spain, which
lost to China in its opening game. That is followed by New Zealand,
which is one of the weaker teams.

“We’re not showing everything, so that does concern me a little
bit,” U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. “At the same time, we’ve been
tested for two years.”

The teams that the United States has to be most concerned with,
Australia and Russia, will not appear until the medal round. The
trick will be to stay sharp for those games while playing teams with
inferior talent. Donovan said managing the game could be difficult;
she looked at the statistic sheet after the third quarter and saw
that the star center Lisa Leslie had played just 11 minutes.

“I don’t fear these players losing their hunger and their focus
with the lopsided wins,” Donovan said. “In the past, we’ve been
concerned about that as a staff. In 2004, we were very concerned
about that.”

U.S. Women Demolish China in Basketball

BEIJING — Team USA’s Tina Thompson had taken a behind-the-back
drop pass from teammate Tameka Catchings and had leaped toward the
basket. But Chinese guard Bian Lan ran into Thompson and sent her
crashing into the padded protective barrier in front of several
photographers.

But on this day not even a collision like that could stop
Thompson. She released the ball on contact, and it hit the backboard,
then bounced once, twice on the rim, before falling through, Thompson
slapping the barrier in celebration. In a 108-63 demolition of China
at Wukesong Indoor Stadium on Monday, Thompson made shots from
everywhere on the court to finish with 27 points.

“When somebody is on, the thing you’ve got to do is get them the
ball,” Catchings said. “I don’t remember her missing, except maybe
once or twice.”

Thompson, the Houston Comets star, made her first six shots from
the field and finished 8-for-9 in the first half with 21 points. She
appeared capable of breaking the U.S. Olympic scoring record owned by
her former high school and college teammate Lisa Leslie, who scored
35 points against Japan in 1996.

“She could’ve easily” broken the record, Leslie said afterward.
“She’s so unselfish. I think she got a little gun-shy. We were like,
‘Tina shoot it!’ She was hot, hot, hot.”

Thompson took just five more shots in the second half, stopping
for good after she airballed a short-range jump shot in the fourth
quarter. She still finished with the fourth-highest scoring total for
a U.S. woman in the Olympics — the most since Sheryl Swoopes scored
29 in 2000.

It was another accolade for Thompson, whose resume includes being
the first woman drafted in the WNBA in 1997, four WNBA championships
and a 2004 Olympic gold medal. “If you picked the best five players
in the world, she’s one of them,” said China Coach Tom Maher, who
spent the 2001 season with the Washington Mystics

But despite her heavily decorated career, Thompson is often
unappreciated. “It’s funny. Even in Houston, when they were so
successful, all you heard was (Cynthia) Cooper and Swoopes. They did
their thing, but Tina was the one that always stood out to me,” said
guard Diana Taurasi. “Even in 2004 (at the Athens Olympics) she was
the one that always stepped up and hit big shots. She is our go-to in
a lot of ways.”

Thompson is always identifiable by her bright maroon lipstick,
which has almost become part of her uniform, but she has never been
one to seek the spotlight.

“Recognition is not what I play for. I play this game, definitely
to win,” Thompson said. “I enjoy playing this game and I enjoy
playing at the level that I’m playing at and hopefully, I’ve been a
role model enough to affect one little girl. If that’s possible, for
me, my job is done.”

Thompson, a single mother, brought her 3-year-old son, Dyllan,
with her to Beijing to share in this experience. But she joked that
since the women’s team is staying in the same hotel as the U.S. men,
Dyllan has been wrapped up in superstars LeBron James and Chris Paul.

“He’s seen us for a long time. He might be a little over us,”
Thompson said with a laugh. “It’s on to the new faces.”

James, Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd were all
in attendance as Thompson scored 13 points during a 23-0
first-quarter run that turned an 11-10 deficit against China into a
33-11 lead.

“That was four-peat Tina. That’s the old Tina Thompson that I’ve
gotten to know,” said Taurasi, who is Thompson’s teammate on the
Russian EuroLeague team, Spartak Moscow, in the winter. “There is
nobody that I want to go into a game with more than Tina. She’s a
winner.”

Thomas was asked where she would rank the highest-scoring game of
her Olympic career. “I don’t know if I can rank this moment, this
particular game, but being here in general, it ranks pretty high,”
Thompson said. “It’s the second time for me being a part of the
Olympic games. Considering the caliber of player that we have in our
country, it’s not easy to be on this team. Right now, it’s probably
in about second place. But around the 23rd (the night of the gold
medal game), it might move up, depending on the outcome.”

U.S. women use 23-0 run to rout China

By K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune

BEIJING—The Chinese national anthem was sung with as much pride
and fervor, the opening basket cheered with similar gusto.

And while Nan Chen’s two-pointer perhaps lacked the dramatic
impact of Yao Ming’s three-pointer from 24 hours earlier, an electric
atmosphere again pervaded Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Monday
night for the second straight night of U.S. versus China.

Then the game started.

Just like their male counterparts, the U.S. women’s Olympic
basketball team watched China hang in the early stages before
delivering a quick and decisive knockout blow en route to a 108-63
blowout victory.

Team USA closed the first quarter with an astonishing 23-0
run that eventually stretched to the rarely-seen 35-3 run, with Tina
Thompson inflicting the most damage.

Scoring on everything from power moves inside to feathery
soft three-pointers, Thompson had 13 of Team USA’s 23 points in the
first-quarter run that quieted the crowd.

Thompson finished with a game-high 27 points as Team USA
followed up its blowout over Czech Republic with an even more
impressive outing.

"Tina was on fire," guard Sue Bird said. "When you’re on a
run like that, you just have to milk it, enjoy it. We were able to
get a lot of stops and from those stops, we were able to score. That
got us going offensively."

Forward Sylvia Fowles added 18 points, and Candace Parker
contributed 12 as Team USA piled up a staggering 72 points in the
paint.

How dominant was this performance? Lisa Leslie had played
just 11 minutes through three quarters before coach Anne Donovan gave
her six fourth-quarter minutes for some exercise.

"We knew the crowd was going to be in it, so it was good to
start better than we did against Czech Republic," Donovan said. "We
set the tempo right away."

Next up for Team USA, besides a lecture from Donovan on
overconfidence?

Mali on Wednesday, who should prove to be yet another speed
bump on this team’s quest for its fourth straight gold medal.

(Guru's Note: Here's Doug's Account From AP)

By DOUG FEINBERG

AP Sports Writer

BEIJING — The U.S. women's basketball team quickly dashed any hopes China had of an upset, avenging a loss in April with the second American drubbing of the Chinese in as many nights.

Tina Thompson scored 13 of her 27 points during a 23-0 run in the first quarter and the U.S. routed China 108-63 on Monday night, taking the boisterous crowd out of the game early.

"We were really locked in and focused," U.S. co-captain Katie Smith said. "We didn't want to let them stick around. We wanted to let the crowd know that we were ready to play. You don't want to play around with teams, if you have a chance to make a statement and put them away early you do that."

Trailing by one midway through the first quarter, Thompson took over. She made two 3-pointers, a jumper from the corner, two layups, and three free throws during the spurt.

"I just got good looks at the basket tonight," Thompson said. "It was the first time they weren't doubling the post."

By the time Kobe Bryant and the rest of the men's team settled into their seats at the end of the first quarter the U.S. was up 33-11.

The American men beat China 101-70 Sunday night.

After the scoring run, the women never looked back.

Bian Lan finally ended China's 6½ minute scoreless drought early in the second quarter with a jumper that rattled around the rim before dropping in. China missed 12 straight shots and turned the ball over three times during its drought.

The U.S. (2-0) didn't stop at its 22-point lead, extending its advantage to 61-27 at the half. The Americans cruised the rest of the way. Thompson finished the half with 21 points, going 8-for-9 from the field. Her only miss was a 3-pointer.

"It was one of those nights," Thompson said. "Anyone on this team could do it any given night."

She fell short of Lisa Leslie's Olympic record of 35 points set against Japan in 1996.

Miao Lijie scored 16 points to lead China (1-1), which suffered its worst loss to the U.S. in Olympic history, surpassing a 100-62 defeat in 2004.

"I don't feel the defeat today brings too much pressure," said Chen Nan, who added 14 points for China. "The score is not that important."

Sylvia Fowles added 18 points, Candace Parker 12, and Leslie had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the U.S.

The women's team took in the electric atmosphere the night before during the men's victory against China. They were determined to take the crowd out of the game early. The Americans got off to a much better start than their first game, when they found themselves trailing 13-2 to the Czech Republic before turning the game into a rout.

"Watching the game from the stands last night really motivated us," said DeLisha Milton-Jones. "Seeing LeBron (James) block a shot with two hands off the backboard and just the way they were playing defense got us ready. Everyone came into this game knowing the crowd could be a factor."

The U.S. seemed focused to play the host country after losing to them in the gold medal game of the Good Luck Beijing tournament in April. However, that U.S. team only had four players from the current Olympic team on it.

China figured to be the toughest test for the Americans in their pool. Up next will be a matchup with Mali (0-2), which lost Hamchetou Maiga of the Houston Comets to an ankle injury in the third quarter of a 81-47 loss to the Czechs.

In other games Monday, Russia edged South Korea 77-72; Belarus topped Latvia 79-57; and Spain defeated New Zealand 85-62.

In Russia's win over South Korea, Tatiana Shchegoleva and Ilona Korstin each scored 13 points.

Trailing 72-70, Shchegoleva made a free throw and put back a miss to give Russia a one-point edge with 1:23 left. After Kim Yeon-gok missed two free throws, Becky Hammon converted two from the foul line to give Russia a 75-72 lead.

Jung Sun-min drove to the basket on South Korea's next possession, but Irina Osipova blocked the shot. Korstin hit two free throws to seal the victory.

Osipova added 11 points and Becky Hammon had 10 for Russia (2-0).

"I thought it was a very good game and I'm glad we were able to pull out the win," Hammon said. "All their shooters have NBA range, we had to make sure we got out on them."

Choi You-nah led South Korea (1-1) with 13, including a 10-meter (35 foot) shot at the end of the third quarter that gave them a 59-58 lead heading into the final quarter. Beon Yeon-ha added 12, hitting four 3-pointers.

Yelena Leuchanka scored 22 points to help Belarus defeat Latvia. Belarus (1-1) built a 17-point lead in the third quarter before Latvia rallied to cut the deficit to eight early in the fourth. Leuchanka then scored seven points during a 20-5 run to close the game. Gunta Basko scored 19 points to lead Latvia (0-2).

Isabel Sanchez scored 19 points and Anna Montanana added 18 for Spain (1-1), which jumped out to an 11-point first quarter lead and never let up. Trailing by 13 heading into the fourth quarter, New Zealand (1-1) rallied to cut the deficit to six behind Jillian Harmon, who had a game-high 22 points, before Spain pulled away.

The Czech Republic (1-1) scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back in beating Mali (0-2). Hana Machova scored 14 points to lead the Czech's, who led by 16 at the half and saw the advantage balloon to 40 in the second half. Djenebou Sissoko had 24 points to lead Mali, which got a scare when star Hamchetou Maiga of the Houston Comets sprained her ankle in the third quarter. She scored six points and didn't return. Mali coach Jose Ruiz said the injury wasn't serious.

(Guru's note: Again using the luxury of working the desk and having access to The Inquirer's sports wire database, here's a Chicago Tribune advance of the USA-China game)
By K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune

BEIJING—As members of the men’s team did for them the previous
night, players from the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team stopped
by to cheer on their counterparts Sunday night.

But the women weren’t merely repaying a favor. They were
surveying the scene.

Twenty-four hours after the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium
turned into a madhouse while the U.S. men beat China 101-70, the U.S.
women face the same opponent in what likely will be an equally
raucous setting.

To say they were looking forward to the atmosphere is like
saying four-time Olympian Lisa Leslie is a veteran.

"This place is going to be packed," guard Diana Taurasi said.
"The crowd is going to be off the chain."

For the U.S. women’s team quest for a fourth straight
gold-medal to stay on track, it must subdue a Chinese team that
defeated Spain in its first game. It must also bring its track shoes.

"China is very quick and athletic, loves to get up and down
and loves to penetrate and kick," forward Tamika Catchings said.
"That’s their game. They’re able to hit a lot of threes off
penetration and kicking the ball. So for us, it’s going to be really
important to continue to apply pressure and contain them and keep
them in front of us."

Team USA is coming off a 40-point victory over Czech Republic
in its opening game in which it scored 97 points. Fast-paced games
don’t faze them and triple-digit scoreboard possibilities entice
Taurasi.

"China gets after it, but that’s what I’m conditioned to do,
get up and down," she said. "If anything, that’s when I think we’re
at our peak. If you think about it, in the starting five, we have
three point guards with Sue (Bird), Katie (Smith) and I. We just get
it and go and when we get up and down, we can utilize how versatile
everyone is."

Coach Anne Donovan said the new Chinese coach, Australian Tom
Maher, has changed the style of the host country’s program. Beyond
the emphasis on fast-break opportunities, the Chinese also work to
switch aggressively on virtually every ball screen.

A high-scoring game could whip the home country’s passionate
fans into a frenzy. The Americans insists this won’t faze their
focus.

"We already know coming in that everybody is going to root
against us," guard Cappie Pondexter, a former Rutgers star, said. "That’s alright. We just
have to focus in on us and not worry about anything that’s going on
on the outside."

(Guru's note: Besides Doug Feinberg's ongoing coverage of the USA women's team in China for the Associated Press, here are two other stories from other media organzations flowing into the Inquirer data base -- Mechelle Voepel's coverage for her home paper the Kansas City Star, and a column from the Fort Worth paper).

By Mechelle Voepel
McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — Fabulous as the Olympic opening ceremonies were for
spectators Friday, they really weren’t as much of a blast for the
athletes.

"As an athlete, you really don’t get to see much of it," U.S.
women’s basketball player Diana Taurasi said. "They have you in a holding
arena where you just sit there with 300 other countries and hang out.
Obviously the best part is walking into the stadium. That’s the biggest
rush.

"(But) they’re l-o-n-g. It’s a long process. "I think we left the
hotel at 5:30 and didn’t get back until 1:30 in the morning. It kind of
throws your schedule off."

Indeed, the U.S. women looked a little sluggish at the beginning
of their Olympic opener against the Czech Republic, but that didn’t last
long. They ended up with a 97-57 victory in which they shot 52.1 percent
from the field and everybody scored.

"Everybody" is a key word for this group, because of how they plan
to play defense. You could call it "Tennessee" style because three Team
USA members — Tamika Catchings, Kara Lawson and Candace Parker — competed
for Pat Summitt’s program, which has won eight NCAA titles and is built on
defense.

"The press we ran at Tennessee – the 1-2-1-1 — we run that here,
too," Lawson said. "Candace is used to being on the top of that, and Catch
is used to being in the interceptor role. Our man-to-man full-court
pressure is also very similar.

"In the first quarter, when there was that lull, Candace was huge
in shadowing the ball, getting steals and helping us pick up the tempo.
Catch was the same way."

The Americans, who are going for their fourth consecutive gold
medal, trailed 13-2 early on. But a 20-4 run that closed the first quarter
put them in control.

"Sometimes in games, you have to ease your way it ... but 13-2 is
not easing your way in," said Diana Taurasi, who finished with a team-high
17 points. "It’s a good feeling we know we can call time out and regain
our poise.

"I think our greatest strength right now is we’re 12 deep and can
bring in players to bring you more energy. Kara and Catch, especially, did
that the minute they stepped on the floor."

President George W. Bush, wife Laura and daughter Barbara all
attended the game, as did the members of the U.S. men’s basketball team.
They are wildly popular with the Chinese fans, who scrambled to get their
pictures as they sat in the stands. The president, meanwhile, spent time
chatting with former WNBA president Val Ackerman while watching a matchup
that was close only for a little while.

Sylvia Fowles and Cappie Pondexter, playing in their first
Olympics, had 16 and 12 points, respectively, for the Americans. Team USA
held the Czech Republic to 36.4 percent from the field.

"We’re picking up (on defense) so much more than we have in the
past," U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. "And players know it’s 3-4-5 hard
minutes, and then you’re out. If you’re not doing that, you don’t get back
in the rotation.

"This is a deep team; you’ve got to stay in that rotation or
you’ll get buried. In 10 days together, I couldn’t ask for one thing more
from this group than how hard they’ve worked at that end of the floor.
Forcing 27 turnovers is exactly what we’ve been trying to accomplish."

By Charean Williams
McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — The Dream Teamers were there — J Kidd, King James, Kobe and
the others. So, too, was President Bush. The Beijing Dream Dancers
provided the halftime entertainment.

But the stars were Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Cappie Pondexter
and the rest of the Dream Queen Team.

They (still) are as good as it gets in the Olympics.

Despite a slow start Saturday night, the U.S. women’s basketball
team plastered the Czech Republic, 97-57. It wasn’t that close, even
though the Americans fell behind 8-0 and 13-2.

"Not every game is going to be like that," said Fowles, who scored
16 points. ". . . We have to take every game as we go, and we can’t take
anybody lightly, because everybody has something to prove against the
USA."

The Americans will tell you the rest of world has closed the gap
on them. They say anybody can beat them on any given game day. After their
40-point victory, it was hard not to laugh and call them Lou Holtz.

Sure, Russia and Australia are capable of beating the United
States but only on a very bad day by the Americans.

The Australians won the FIBA World Championship in 2006 and have
the best player in the world in Lauren Jackson. The Russians beat the
United States, 75-68, in the 2006 world championship semifinals and have
the traitor, U.S. citizen Becky Hammon.

But the United States didn’t have its best post players, including
starting center and team captain Lisa Leslie, against Russia two years ago
in the world championship. And, only a few days ago, the Americans beat
Australia, 71-67.

The gold medal is the Americans’ to lose.

"We’re always expected to win gold," Leslie said. "Anything less
is failing. It’s a lot of pressure to do it, but it’s what we have to do."

The Dream Team sitting in the stands got more applause, more
stares, more chants, more pictures taken of them and needed more security
than their women counterparts. That was nothing new.

But what they saw on the court might not have looked all that
familiar.

For one thing, on one basket, the U.S. women had eight passes
before Fowles scored. For another, Tina Thompson returned from halftime
with freshly applied lipstick.

Then, there was the victory.

The 2004 men’s team was the bronze bust, losing three times on
their way to third place.

The U.S. women have won three consecutive Olympic medals. They
entered the 2008 Games with a 39-1 record over the previous six Olympics,
with the only loss a 79-73 loss to the Unified Team in 1992.

"Our goal," Katie Smith said, "is another gold medal."

They’ll tell you this isn’t going to be easy. They’ll talk about
the need to take it "one game at a time."

For the U.S. women, winning the gold medal is going to be easier
done than said.

((AP story is being updated with quotes, a little tweak in the guru comments and adding russian game)

And now, Doug, take it away, and ask NBC why the download feed from the game to the Guru's Window Media Center operation in his laptop is taking so long)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer
BEIJING -- With President Bush and the first family looking on, the
United States women’s basketball team began its quest for a
fourth-straight gold medal with a rout of the Czech Republic.

Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half to lead the
U.S. to the 97-57 victory in the opener Saturday night.

The Americans got off to a slow start, trailing 13-2 giving up layup
after layup to the feisty Czech team. Taurasi finally got the team rolling
much to the pleasure of Bush, who was dressed in a blue shirt and USA cap.
Taurasi’s layup ignited a 20-4 run by the U.S. to close the first quarter.

“Sometimes you think things are going to be easy from the get-go and
they’re not,” Taurasi said. “We’re playing against very good teams that
have been together for a long time.”

The U.S. continued the run in the second quarter behind former Rutgers star Cappie
Pondexter, who scored seven of her 12 points in the period. Her 3-pointer
at the buzzer gave the Americans a 49-31 lead at halftime.

Taurasi and Pondexter also play for the WNBA defending champion Phoenix Mercury.

The Americans continued the onslaught in the third quarter using a
22-5 to put the game out of reach. The U.S. led 75-44 at the end of the
third, sending the President, his wife Laura, and daughter Barbara home.

“I told him if the Czech’s came back and the U.S. lost this game I’d
come and find him,” said USA Basketball president Val Ackerman, who sat
with Bush and his family during the game. “He laughed and responded 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue.”

The President gave a wave to the delighted crowd as he left at the end
of the third quarter.

“It was awesome, I know he had to leave early,” said Lisa Leslie, who
is looking to become the first basketball player to win four straight gold
medals. “It’s an honor that he came out and watched us perform and that he
is a fan of the women’s basketball.”

Sylvia Fowles scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half for the
U.S. to go with 14 rebounds.

“Just to come out here tonight and see how many fans were supporting
us and that our President was out here was good,” said Fowles. “Now I feel
like an Olympian.”

Eva Viteckova had 12 points to lead the Czech Republic, which will
face Mali in their next game.

Even with the first family in attendance, the biggest cheer from the
crowd was for the U.S. men’s basketball team, who were sitting behind the
basket watching the game. At the half the Chinese fans went through a roll
call of the U.S. players, who obliged by standing and bowing to the
delight of the fans.

“We knew the men’s team was going to come today,” Leslie said. “They
were saying all day, ’we’re going to come, we’re going to come.’ “

Up next for the women is host China, which beat Spain 67-64 in its
first game.

China beat the U.S. 84-81 in the gold medal game of the Good Luck
Beijing test event back in April. The Chinese team was at full strength
for the event while the American roster only had four players who are
currently playing in the Olympics.

“We gained some confidence, but know that the Americans were at
half-strength,” Chinese coach Tom Maher said. “We have nothing to lose in
this game, all the pressure is on them.” .

WNBA star Lauren Jackson led medal favorite Australia with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Opals opened with an 83-64 win over Belarus.

Australia has lost the last two Olympic finals to the United States but comes into the 2008 Beijing Games as world champions. A close 71-67 loss to the Americans in the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament in Hainang last week — the first match between the teams since the Athens 2004 final — highlighted how close the competition could be in Beijing.

The Opals were tentative in the opening stages, but built a 19-12 lead at quarter time and expanded that to 44-28 at the half.

"Our girls were challenged by the fact we have never played Belarus," Australia coach Jan Stirling said. "For us it was a significant game, and I think our recent loss in the Diamond Ball against the USA helped prepare us for today.

"We're just chipping away at a number of things — we've got quite a few things to work on, but I thought we executed pretty well."

In other matches, WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon scored 11 points as Russia beatLatvia, 62-57, Beon Yeon-ha and Choi You-nah each scored 19 points to help South Korea beat Brazil 68-62 in overtime and New Zealand edged Mali 76-72.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was among the crowd at the Olympic Basketball Stadium, which has a capacity of 18,000, for the tournament's opening match.

Suzy Batkovic, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds, said Australia's match against the first-time Olympian Belorussians helped clear "my jitterbugs."

"We have so much more to give. Our chances are extremely high at these Olympics — we've come here to take home gold," she said.

In an afternoon match, South Korea overcame a six-point deficit in the last two minutes of regulation and went on a 11-2 run to start the extra period and never looked back. Brazil had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Micaela Jacinto missed a 15-footer from the corner that bounced off the rim twice before falling out.

(Guru's note: Here's the second in a series of diaries being writen by USA veteran Lisa Leslie, also a member of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, for the Associated Press.

By LISA LESLIE
For The Associated Press

BEIJING — Welcome back to my Olympic diary. I just left the opening
ceremony and it was awesome. China did a great job with the torch lighting
and the fireworks.

But the one thing we all learned is Kobe (Bryant) is the most popular
player here, maybe the most popular athlete at the Olympics. The crowd was
chanting his name, “Kobe, Kobe,” and the volunteers who were supposed to
be guiding us were trying to get autographs. It is so out of control with
Kobe that LeBron James cracked, “I thought I was famous until I got here
with Kobe.” Kobe is big here in China.

Kobe is also (my daughter) Lauren’s favorite player. Kobe has been
playing with her since we’ve been here; I think he is missing his kids.
Her favorites words are “up, up,” because she likes to be picked up and
Kobe has been giving her lifts. But I told Lauren, there is only so high
you can go. I’m 6-foot-5, Kobe is 6-6 and my husband, Michael, is 6-6.

The thing that stood out the most at the ceremony was President Bush,
his father as well as Laura Bush all were there. President Bush addressed
the U.S. team before the ceremony. He wasn’t sure what to say to us, but
told us to just go out and win as many gold medals as we can. I had met
the president once, Laura Bush twice and the last time I took a picture
was with President Clinton. It is honor and I’m glad as a team we decided
to go to the ceremony.

We almost didn’t go because we play our first game Saturday against
the Czech Republic. But we voted and decided to go. Everyone went except
Tamika Catchings, who was getting treatment. But she is OK. We’re all
ready, so we’ll get some rest now because we want to play our best
basketball.

There has been a lot of talk about our game against Australia in the
Diamond Ball pre-Olympic tournament (USA beat Australia 71-67 to win the
title Tuesday), about how physical it was. Australia said we played dirty
and our coaches warned us that the media was going to ask us, or tell us,
what Australia had said during our press conference. The whole thing
actually caught us off guard. I was kind of shocked by it considering they
play a really physical game. It didn’t seem like it was any more physical
than our games with Russia or Latvia. But just play our game and leave all
the rest to the other team. Sorry for beating you up.

Have to end now and get ready for the Czech Republic. But until next
time, keep cheering us on and supporting us as we go for the gold.

(Guru's note: Here's a report from Beijing by Associated Press national sports columnist Tim Dahlberg).

BEIJING _ The Australians were talking about broken bones, black eyes and bad intentions. The Americans weren't biting, which was probably for the best because they wouldn't want to be accused of that, too.

And to think, women's basketball used to be such a civilized affair.

Not any longer. Not in this Olympics, at least.

A few weeks after WNBA players brawled on the court, the two favorites for Olympic gold did some verbal jabbing and counter-punching of their own following a tune-up game that left Australia's Penny Taylor with a badly bruised eye and the rest of her team with some bruised feelings.

The only things missing were some gloves and promoter Don King gleefully crowing from the podium, "These girls really don't like each other."

Actually, that's not true if you listen to the Americans, who say they were just doing their job in Tuesday's game in Haining, China.

It just so happens the job description in women's basketball these days calls for playing physical defense.

Don't blame the players. Celebrate the progress.

The men, after all, have been doing it for years.

"You've got a lot of athletic, strong women going after each other," Katie Smith said. "Nothing dirty, just a hard-fought game."

A bit too hard fought for the tastes of the Australians, who took exception to the bumping and shoving and, yes, even an occasional elbow as the U.S. women ganged up with the singular mission of stopping an unstoppable force in reigning WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson.

They did it well enough to hang on for a 71-67 win in the final of the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament, but don't bother inviting the teams for dinner until the Olympics are over.

That includes Jackson, the 6-foot-5 force who also toils for the Seattle Storm.

"People have to stop us somehow, and that's the way they're going to stop us, especially people like us, Penny and myself and Belinda Snell, who you just can't let go to the basket because we'll kill people," Jackson said.

"So they're going to really stop us any way that they can and generally that's when black eyes and broken bones occur."

As King might say, them's fighting words. Except the Americans didn't seem in much of a mood to fight.

"That's not who we are or how we play," forward Tina Thompson said. "I don't have a black eye but I do have bruises. That game was two days ago and I'm still sore."

U.S. coach Anne Donovan blamed the referees for letting the game get out of hand and disintegrating into one of the roughest she had ever seen. But she was unwavering in the commitment her hastily thrown together team has made in its defensive intensity.

"If we don't play defense we don't win the gold," Donovan said.

There's an outside chance that just might not happen in these games, though the U.S. has won the last three gold medals and is riding a 25-game Olympic winning streak. Three of those came against Australia, including the gold medal finals in the last two Olympics.

But Russia is a force here and Australia holds the wild card in Jackson, who is no stranger to rivalries, both real and imagined. In the 2000 Olympics in her home country, Jackson yanked the hair extension of American star Lisa Leslie in a bitterly contested game, beginning what would later become a fierce competition between the two in the WNBA.

"They can have the hair," Leslie said later. "We got the gold."

Leslie said Thursday that she and her teammates weren't all that concerned with what the Australians thought of the game, and instead were trying to concentrate on beginning defense of their gold medal Saturday in an opening game against the Czech Republic.

Anyone involved in women's basketball, though, had to be secretly thrilled with the attention paid the dustup, just as they were with the WNBA brawl in Detroit. While Kobe Bryant and his U.S. men's teammates arrived in Beijing to shouts from adoring Chinese, the women could walk on the streets downtown and the only reason anyone would notice is because they're so tall.

But women's basketball has come a long way in just a short time even though the WNBA still struggles to gain a foothold in the United States. Women can make a living — and a very good one — playing ball around the world now and the gap between the top national teams has narrowed to a point where most Olympic games are competitive.

They play faster and harder. With that intensity comes some hurt feelings, and sometimes some hurt.

In this case it was a black eye for Taylor, and a suggestion that Thompson deliberately threw an elbow to cause it.

"Actually it was a screen," Thompson said. "Just a screen."

Just more proof that the men aren't the only ones who can play games.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - We didn't get there, but to avoid this news being buried by the size of the next post, former La Salle stars Crista Ricketts scored 23 points and Davineia Payne added 13, while recently-graduated West Chester star Dana Weems scored 18 to give Columbia Bue a 75-68 win over White in the first of the best-of-three Dept. of Recreation NCAA Women's Summer League finals Wednesday night at Torresdale Boys Club in Northeast Philadelphia.

St. Joseph's in-coming junior Brittany Ford scored 21 for White, which forced a playoff for the top seed at the end of the regular season Cheyney's Angel Henderson added 13 points, and La Salle's Ashley Gale scored 12 points.

The teams will resume Monday night at the same site, Linden & Jackson Sts., near the I-95 Academy Road exit. A third, if necessary game, will be played on Wednesday.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

If Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil can recruit for Rutgers the way she chased after Scarlet Knights Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer to join Stringer's staff, look for the parade of McDonald's All-Americans to continue marching through Piscataway, N.J.

A former thorn to Rutgers' NCAA title ambitions back in the late 1980s, Davis-Wrightsil began pursuing the opening soon after Marianne Stanley departed for the assistant position with the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks.

The native of San Antonio, Texas, was considered a prototype of the future when Davis-Wrightsil came off the bench as a freshman mobile post player in 1986 to lead the Longhorns to their long-sought national crown as the NCAA's first unbeaten team.

She later overcame a knee injury to finish her collegiate career and continued to star long afterwards in professional basketball overseas and the United States.

Considering that Davis-Wrightsil is a native of San Antonio, where she helped bring the WNBA's Silver Stars to the Lone Star State, she comes already motivated over the fact that the NCAA Women';s Final Four will be returning to the town of the Alamo in a few seasons.

That little factoid does not preclude the season ahead when Rutgers will again be among the NCAA threats in light of the roster already packed with talent despite the graduation of WNBA rookie sensations Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson.

Davis-Wrightsil will be excellent to assist Rutgers' post game and be a mentor to those aspiring for a pro career. And to the Guru's colleagues up north, sher does have a reputation for being media friendly, except when people like the Guru are still around to jest with her over an incident in the All-Star game of the former ABL in Hartford, Conn., when she played for New England in the winter of 1996.

Maintaining the Hall of Fame credentials that Stanley also held, Davis-Wrightsil represents a generation of stars closer to today's game, which is to take nothing away from Stanley's days as a fiesty all-American point guard with Immaculata in the mid-1970s.

Considering how prestigious and lengthy the sum of DavisWrightsil's body of work the last several decades, here is the full email from Rutgers, which is also on the Scarlet Knights' web site. So if you've been there, you can move on and return to Olympic coverage from Asia.

And if you didn't see the Inquirer's print section or web equivalent at Philly,com 24 hours ago, you can visit there to see Kate Fagan's profile of the WNBA star Becky Hammon who is playing for Russia.

And to the Guru fans on the Rutgers board, I hope you had fun in the droll days with the little guessing game a while back. Just wanted you to get a little excited if the hire occurred, which it did.

Here's the Rutgers release:

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Former National Player of the Year and All-American Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil has been named an assistant coach at Rutgers, University, it was announced by women’s basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer this afternoon.

“Clarissa is an amazing addition to our staff," said Stringer. "She comes from a rich background, having played and worked for my close coaching confidante, Jody Conradt. Her resume is simply put, mind-blowing. Clarissa has achieved feats many only dream about during both their playing, coaching and professional careers. We are very excited to have her join our basketball family at Rutgers.”

During the 2006-07 season, Davis-Wrightsil was a member of the coaching staff of her alma mater, University of Texas. Prior to UT, she served as the Women’s Basketball Director of Development for the San Antonio Spurs organization (2000-02). Davis-Wrightsil was promoted to serve as Chief Operating Officer for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars where she oversaw Spurs Sports & Entertainment in its successful campaign for a WNBA franchise. In the position, she oversaw the day-to-day business and basketball operations for the franchise from 2002-06. For her efforts, she was awarded the San Antonio Business Journal's 40 under 40 Rising Star given annually to key business leaders in the community.

A 2006 inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Davis-Wrightsil starred at UT from 1985-89. She made an immediate impact upon stepping on the Austin campus, earning "Most Valuable Player" honors at the 1986 NCAA Women's Final Four. Davis helped lead Texas, with the first perfect record in NCAA women’s history (34-0), to the 1986 NCAA Championship. In the Final Four, Davis registered a combined 56 points and 32 rebounds in the two games.

Davis-Wrightsil was twice selected an All-American and was named National Player of the Year six times (Kodak, United States Basketball Writers Association, Naismith) during her collegiate career. The first All-American nod came as a sophomore when the San Antonio native averaged 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds.

After a season-ending knee surgery in December of her junior season, Davis-Wrightsil rebounded her senior campaign with even more impressive numbers. She posted 26.3 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game en route to capturing the Margaret Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award and by the USBWA, Champion and Mercedes-Benz as the nation’s top player. In addition to the 1986 NCAA title, Davis-Wrightsil helped lead UT to the 1987 Final Four and two Elite Eight appearances. Among her numerous records, she closed her UT career first in scoring average (19.9 ppg), third all-time in scoring (2,008), fifth in field goal percentage (.539) and eighth in rebounding (882). Those astounding numbers were despite the fact she competed three full seasons.

In addition to the WBHOF, Davis-Wrightsil is a member of the UT Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor (2000), Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame (1997), Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame (2003) and the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame (2003). She was named Southwest Conference Athlete of the Decade (1989) and a member of the NCAA “Team of the Decade” for the 1980’s.

While a collegian, Davis-Wrightsil also starred for USA Basketball, grabbing gold medals at the 1986 World Championships and Goodwill Games, 1987 Pan American Games and an alternate for the 1988 Olympic Team. She was a member and second leading scorer of the bronze medal-winning 1992 U.S. Olympic team in Barcelona, averaging 13 points per game while setting the team record for 3-point shooting percentage.

Davis-Wrightsil played professionally in Europe and Asia (Italy, Japan, and Turkey) for seven seasons. While playing overseas, she was an All-Star, European Champion, Turkish (Fenerbache), Italian (Cesena) and Japanese (Kyoseki) Team MVP’s and leading scorer. Furthermore, she led her respective European and Asian teams to five league championships. Davis-Wrightsil starred for the U.S.’s first professional league for women’s basketball, the now-defunct American Basketball League, for two seasons where she was a selected as a "premier player" and an ABL All-Star. Davis-Wrightsil holds the record for most points (36) scored in an ABL finals game. She joined the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA in 1999, completing a 10-year pro playing career.

In 1985 coming out John Jay High School as the state’s prep player, Davis-Wrightsil was tabbed Texas “Miss Basketball.” She set the San Antonio girl’s and boy’s scoring record with a whopping 2,759 points.

Davis-Wrightsil has been married to Jerald Wrightsil for 16 years and together the two founded TeamXpress Foundation, which creates opportunities for girls to participate in basketball as a summertime activity. The mission of the sports-based mentoring organization is to empower girls through sport by providing positive role models; encouraging literacy, goal setting and community involvement. Jerald, a former collegiate standout and business major at the University of Hawaii, played professionally overseas in Europe and Asia for 10 seasons.

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA - The best-of-three finals of the Philadelphia Dept, of Recreation NCAA Women's Summer League Gets Under Way atr 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Torresdale Boys Club, Linden and Jackson Sts., also the home of the Jacobs playground located within a few blocks of the I-95 Academy Road exit.

In a rarity of recent seasons, the top two teams prevailed with the Columbia Blue beating the Red team, 70-54, as former West Chester star Dana Weems scored 20 points, while Red was led by Kisha Thompson's 18 points on Monday night in one of the semifinals.

The White team defeated the Teal team, 72-68, in overtime, as Andrea Jones scored 18 for White and La Salle's Ashley Gale added 16 points.

The second game will be Monday night with a third, if necessary contest, to be played on next Wednesday, same time and place as this week's action.

We'll be bacl in the evening after the game, as well as inserting any new AP files from the Olympics depending what we see.

Saluting Fallen Colleagues

The Guru was sadden to learn that our outstanding colleague Milton Kent took a buyout at the Baltimore Sun, although the Guru is glad Milton has found a way to continue a presence.

You all should know that Wendy Parker has done likewise at the Atlanta Journal Constitution where she has actually been involved in the paper's web site the last several years.

Also, if any of you haven't noticed, Oscar Dixon, who had been the principal NBA and WNBA writer at USA Today, left in March to head up the sports area of the AP first in a new series of regional operations, this one out of Atlanta.

Needless to say, all these departures will have an effect in coverage at the pro and colleagiate levels.

Looking Ahead

August 25th is looming as a key news event day on several fronts.

At that moment, the Olympics will have ended in Beijing, China; the Democratic Convention will be getting under way, and, ahem, the 25th is also the first day of class at the University of Connecticut for the fall semester.

By then, if not sooner, the world will know whether Wilmington sensation Elene Delle Donne, the nation's top prospect, will be returning to Storrs after abruptly leaving summer school in early June two days after her arrival.

And just to clarify to those who have been speculating on a potential transfer to Villanova, one of the finalists in the sweepstakes last summer for Delle Donne's gifted talents, Big East rules, which were changed several years ago, do not allow a student to transfer within the conference to play once a letter of intent has been signed.

That was not the case several years ago when Kia Wright made a quick exit to St. John's near her home, and Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma also granted a release that allowed her immediate eligibility.

Hard to believe that a year ago at this time the topic of conversation dominating the news had been the breakup of the Tennessee-Connecticut series, a discussion which has finally abated.

Obviously, more to come.

-- Mel

(Guru's Note: Posting by remote from home, here is the AP report on the Aussie game. This is the quote story updated in this post. Also note sidebar below on Penny Taylor going home after the Olympics. Prior to the game, Doug ermailed the Guru to tell him his blog is being blocked in China. Could be a penalty for skipping Chinatown in Philly the last two weeks.)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

HAINING, China - Standing on the podium waiting to receive their FIBA Diamond Ball tournament gold medals, the United States women's basketball team had only one thought on their minds: This was only a dress rehearsal. The real performance begins now at the Olympics.

"Being here is great but this wasn't the real show," said Candace Parker, who scored 12 points in America's 71-67 win over Australia in the gold medal game. "It was like an audition for the Olympics. We passed the pre-Olympic test but now we're going to go and take care of business."

This was the first meeting between these two rivals with both teams at full strength since the 2004 Olympics gold medal game, won by the Americans 74-63.

"This is all locked away," said Lisa Leslie, who led the U.S. with 14 points. "This is rehearsal. Now we're getting ready for the big game."

Before Tuesday's game both teams said this contest was merely a tuneup for the Olympics and nothing more. Yet the physical play spoke differently. Players on both teams hit the floor after hard fouls and the game had the feel of an Olympic gold medal matchup not a meaningless game.

"I don't think there has every been a game when we played Australia when it wasn't physical," said Leslie.

Penny Taylor, who led Australia with 19 points sported a blackened left eye after the game. Something she surely will remember if the two teams do meet again in the Olympics.

"I've got a souvenir to take with us," Taylor said, pointing to her eye.

Both teams were raving about having such a high-quality tuneup right before the Olympics.

"I've been to three Olympics games and this Diamond Ball is by far the best in terms of preparation," said Australia's Lauren Jackson, who finished with 16 points in the loss and was named the tournament's MVP. "Everyone has their full teams and the top three teams in the world are here. It's a great lead up to the Olympics."

The Americans were leading 67-65 with 2:04 left when Leslie hit a layup to extend the advantage to four. Taylor answered with a twisting layup on the other end to make it a two-point game.

With the shot clock winding down, Tina Thompson hit a jumper from the corner to restore a four-point lead. Then Australia turned the ball over on it's next two possessions, sealing the win for the U.S.

"This was a great tournament for us in terms of our preparation and I couldn't have asked for more," U.S. coach Anne Donovan said.

The U.S. was also tested by Latvia in its first game. Latvia proved it could be a potential spoiler in the Olympics, beating Russia in the opener. Aneta Jekabsone averaged 29 points for Latvia against the two powerhouse teams and made a strong impression.

"She can play on my team any day," U.S. guard Sue Bird said. "I think she would do well in the WNBA."

While Latvia was impressive, Russia looked disjointed. Becky Hammon made her Russian debut and could lead them only to one victory over Mali in the fifth place game.

In the much-hyped game against the United States, Hammon and her Russian teammates were no match for the Americans.

"You take the win with a grain of salt," Donovan said. "Russia will be ready once the games start."

Russia has notoriously looked out of sorts early on during international tournaments before coming on strong later. At the 1998 World Championships, the United States routed Russia by 36 points in the preliminary round before needing to rally from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat them in the championship.

Mali showed it could compete for short periods of time, but viewed the tournament as a chance to just improve.

"Our goal in the Olympics is to try and beat New Zealand," said Mali forward Kadiatou Kanoute, who played her college basketball at Fordham. "That's the team that we think we have a shot to compete against. The rest of the time is just a learning experience for us."

Taylor Won't Return to WNBA This Season

HAINING, China -- Penny Taylor won't return to the Phoenix Mercury when the Olympics end.

Taylor took off the first half of the season to train with Australia and prepare for the Beijing Games. Now, she has decided not to go back to the WNBA.

"I did make it clear to the team that I wouldn't be coming back this season after the Olympics," Taylor told The Associated Press while practicing at the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament. "I want them to be able to get a team together and didn't want to leave any doors open."

Instead she will head home to Australia to spend time with her family and rest.

The defending champion Mercury sit three games behind third place Los Angeles and Sacramento in the Western Conference. Taylor was a huge part of their championship run last season, averaging 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds for Phoenix last season. She scored 30 points in the deciding fifth game of the WNBA finals last year.

"I wanted to make sure they had their opportunity to get a full strength team and not wait for anyone," Taylor said. "It's disappointing, but it gave me the opportunity to prepare for this major event."

Taylor's decision caught her Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi off guard.

"Whoa, that's the first I'm hearing of it," said Taurasi over breakfast. "It just means the same thing it's meant the last two months. We'll go with what we have. We just got to keep playing and fighting. We're good enough if we get rolling as we've beaten the good teams. We've just been too average. This league is very good, and we're just not playing at a good level."

(Guru's note: Here we go right off AP)

By Doug Feinberg
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAINING, China -- Seeing Becky Hammon on the Russian side was exactly what the Americans needed.

Diana Taurasi scored 21 points and the United States pulled away in the second half, beating the Russians 93-58 Monday night in the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament.

In a much-hyped matchup against her native country, Hammon scored 10 points, but her adopted team was no match for the Americans. This was the first meeting between the U.S. and Russia since the Russians beat the Americans in the 2006 world championship semifinals.

"She made her choice, and that was up to her," U.S. co-captain Katie Smith said. "We're here to represent our country. We have a nice rivalry with Russia with or without her. It's always been a battle whether she's here or not; we'll always bring our best."

Sylvia Fowles and the U.S. team came out focused and showed flashes of the dominance that has helped them win three straight Olympic gold medals. They got easy uncontested shots on the offensive end while defensively containing Russia.

Hammon wasn't in the 29-player pool used to select the U.S. Olympic team. So she chose another option: playing for Russia.

"It's not an issue anymore; we're playing against Russia now and it's 12 people," U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. "Anyone who puts that uniform on is our opposition. There is no individual that we look at or highlight."

A South Dakota native, Hammon competes for a Russian club team during the winter and became a naturalized citizen there. Since she hadn't played for the United States in any major FIBA-sanctioned international events, she was allowed to compete for Russia in the Olympics, which begin Friday.

Even though she was wearing a Russian uniform, Hammon had her eyes closed and her hand over her heart during "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"I think the pregame was worse than anything," Hammon said. "Once the ball went up, it was just another basketball game."

Hammon entered the game midway through the first quarter as she is still learning the Russian system after only three practices with the team. She missed her first two shots before hitting a 3-pointer to start the second quarter and make it 17-13.

Then the Americans went on a 26-6 run to close the half and put the game away. Taurasi scored seven points during the spurt, including a 3-pointer for a 20-point lead. The Americans extended the advantage to 43-19 at the break.

"We did a good job of putting 40 minutes together," Taurasi said. "We took a step closer to what we are trying to accomplish."

The United States went up by 30 on Katie Smith's 3-pointer early in the third quarter, and Russia got no closer than 19 the rest of the game.

Fowles added 15 for the USA, and Tatiana Shchegoleva led Russia with 14 points.

Up next for the United States is rival Australia in what could be a preview of the Olympic gold medal game.

"We expect it to be a great game and look forward to it," Donovan said.

Russia will face Mali in the fifth place game.

If the United States and Russia meet again in the Olympics, it will be on a much bigger stage with most likely a medal at stake.

"They are the No. 1 ranked team in the world. They have tremendous players on there. Basketball is a game where anything can happen. You want to meet the U.S. as late as possible," Hammon said. "I have been playing against those players for 10 years. I think when the ball goes up it's just going to be another basketball game."

(Guru's Note: Here's the Associated Press story off the Olympic team's exhibition opener.which is now being updated later Sunday night with some quotes provided via USA Basketball email..)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

HAINING, China — Sylvia Fowles scored eight of her 13 points during a
late fourth-quarter run to lead the Americans to a 84-74 victory over
pesky Latvia on Sunday night in the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament — a
tuneup for the Olympics.

Unlike past U.S. women’s basketball teams, this group has not had much
playing time together due to injuries, overseas commitments, and the WNBA
season. They were only able to start training for the first time together
last Monday and are still working on developing chemistry on the court.

At times the U.S. players looked to be in total harmony, scoring at
will and containing Latvia. At other times, the Americans struggled,
turniog the ball over and missing defensive assignments that led to easy
baskets.

"For the most part, I think we started the game out with a lot of energy and it kind of died down in the second quarter until halftime," said Fowles. "We were just playing sluggish. We picked it up finally, but I think our defense needs to get much, much better. We need to keep our energy throughout the whole game."

Anete Jekabsone scored 24 points to lead Latvia.

The Americans struggled early defensively as Latvia went up 12-7 in
the first few minutes. Then the U.S. got going with a 24-6 run to close
the quarter. Diana Taurasi scored all seven of her points during the
spurt, including a nifty drive to the basket for a three-point play.

"I'm really pleased for our first time out that we got this win against a very good team," said USA head coachAnne Donovan, a three-time Olympian. "We did know coming in that Latvia was going to be a very good opponent having watched them beat Russia last night and having seen them play in the Olympic qualifier. We can play better, and we tend to play better as we go, but we certainly got all we could handle from Latvia."

Latvia battled back behind Jekabsone and Zane Tamane. Jekabsone, who
scored 34 points in Latvia’s opening win over Russia, hit two 3s late in
the second period to get Latvia within 43-36 with 1:20 left. The U.S. led
by nine at the half, but had a scare when Candace Parker injured her right
shoulder right before the break. She didn’t play in the second half.

Latvia hung tough in the second half behind Jekabsone. After leading
by nine at the half, the U.S. couldn’t put Latvia away. Jekabsone’s
3-pointer early in the fourth quarter pulled Latvia within 71-67 before
the U.S. went on a!13-3 run to finally put the game away. Fowles had two
layups and two putbacks during the spurt.

Tamane added 12 and Ieva Kublina had 10 for Latvia.

Tina Thompson finished with 12 points for the U.S. Sue Bird and
Seimone Augustus each added 11.

Up next for the U.S. is a matchup with Becky Hammon and her Russian
teammates Monday night. Latvia beat Russia 75-69 in its opening game.

Australia beat China 84-70 in the first game Sunday.

(Guru's note: Olympic veteran Lisa Leslie, a top WNBA player for the Los Angeles Sparks, is providing the Associated Press with a diary from the Beijng Games. Here is her first offering, which was written from the first week of training at Stanford, prior to leaving California for Asia. There is video that accompanies this, according to the wire, but you'll have to search elsewhere for that technological graphic presentation as Jonathan has just set out on a two-week cross-country train trip on vacation.)

By Lisa Leslie
For The Associated Press

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Welcome to the Olympic diary of Lisa Leslie. We
just finished three days of training camp at Stanford. It’s been great
training, very grueling getting ready to go to Beijing.

One of the things that is most exciting for me is that this will be my
last Olympics as an athlete. It’s been a tremendous run for me, going from
being one of the youngest players in 1996 to being one of the older — more
seasoned players as I like to say.

I’ve worked hard after having Lauren and taking a season off from the
WNBA. Motherhood has changed me, being a mom full time, a basketball
player part time and now an Olympian once again. I feel like a great role
model, to go out there and compete at the highest level but still be a
mommy. Get the bottles and change the diaper. I always have my hands full,
but I’m loving every minute of it.

The U.S. women’s team lost in the world championship so we kind of
have that hanging over our head. We lost to China in a pre-tournament we
played in April. So this is going to be a challenge for us, but we have
won the Olympics the last three times.

I have three gold medals to prove it and we’re going for our fourth in
a row. We might not be the favorites going in, but in the end, we’re going
to be listening to our national anthem.

We’re on hiatus from the WNBA. We got Diana Taurasi, an awesome point
guard who plays the 1 and the 2. We got Sue Bird, who will start at the
one and who did a great job in Athens. Katie Smith, who is the co-captain
along with myself. And Tina Thompson, who was also a 2004 gold medalist.

That’s our starting lineup, then we have an array of great talent coming
off the bench. You have DeLisha Milton, Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles,
Seimone Augustus, Cappie Pondexter and Kara Lawson oh my God, the roster
is just amazing.

This will be the first time my husband, Michael, and my family will
get to see me play in the Olympics. I have two stepdaughters, Gabriel and
Mikaela, and everybody knows about baby Lauren who is 13 months.

But it will be an exciting time for the whole team, a lot of people
are bringing family and friends. We will meet up with the men’s team in
Shanghai before we play another little tournament before the Olympics.
We’ll get a chance to hang out with the guys, friends, family one big
happy family with one goal: win the gold medal.

Though practice was tough, overall we’ve had a really good time. We
went to a luncheon honoring ESPN and ABC broadcaster Robin Roberts, who received the 2008 Inspiring Women award. I was able to present her with it and all the players got
autographs from her. I was psyched about that.

There was a lot of joking on the bus rides. And obviously everyone was
talking about the little brawl we had with Detroit. We were talking about
Candace being the baby, how she feels out of the crib and mom tried to
help when the big bear knocked her down. Then Auntie “D” stepped in,
trying to hit, though it didn’t quite work out that way, we all got fined,
missed a game and it’s all behind us now.

The next time I will see you all will be in Beijing and until then I
want you to practice two words, Ni hao (NEE-haOW), which is how you say
hi; and fie Xie xie ni (Shay shay NEE), and that means thank you very
much.

(Guru's Note: Here is the first report from China from Associated Press national women's basketball wriiter Doug Feinberg.)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

HAINING, China — After a 13-hour flight from San Francisco, the U.S.
women’s basketball team arrived in China, Friday, ready to begin its next phase of
Olympic training.

First, however, a little sleep.

Unlike the men’s basketball team, which took a charter from the U.S.,
the women flew commercial. Not the easiest way to get some rest,
especially for the likes of 6-foot-5 Sylvia Fowles or 6-4 Candace Parker.

“We take road trips all the time in the WNBA,” forward DeLisha
Milton-Jones said. “This one just happened to be a little further. We’re
used to sleeping on planes.”

The team landed in Shanghai and was greeted by a swarm of Olympic
volunteers. They shuttled the Americans and their mounds of luggage onto
four buses for the two-hour ride to Haining, the site of the 2008 FIBA
Diamond Ball tournament. Lisa Leslie made sure to check on her baby
Lauren, who slept the entire bus ride.

With the team now in China, the players can concentrate strictly on
training and adjust to the surroundings. The distractions, which seemed to
outnumber the practices in San Francisco, are no longer an issue.

\ “Between WNBA and USOC events it seems like we had a lot going on off
the court,” U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. “It’s nice to actually be able
to focus on basketball now and get ready for our first game in the
Olympics on Aug. 9.”

Before the opener, the U.S. will face Latvia on Sunday and Russia on
Monday in the FIBA tournament. Australia also could be looming in a title
game Tuesday.

“Our goal is to win that tournament, but it’s not do or die,” Donovan
said. “We’ll do the best we can and we won’t see Australia and Russia
until potentially the medal round of the Olympics, so we want to do well
against them now. It’s not do or die, we have eight games in Beijing and
that’s what I’m focused on.”

The Americans will head to Beijing after the tournament.

“It’s a long time to be away from home, but its well worth it,” Parker
said. “It’s the longest I’ve ever been away excluding college.”

(Guru's Note: Here's yet another in a series of daily reports From Associated Press women's national writer Doug Feinberg who is with the Olympic group through its Beijing competition.)

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. women’s basketball team won’t have to wait
until Beijing to get a glimpse of its main competition in the Olympics.

The Americans are part of the six-team FIBA Diamond Ball tournament
that begins Saturday in Haining, China. The tournament features four of
the top teams in the world with the U.S., Russia, Australia, and China all
playing.

The U.S. will open against Latvia on Sunday before facing Russia the
next day. The Americans could meet Australia in the gold medal game on
Tuesday.

“It’s one of those things that no matter the outcome you have to let
it go,” Katie Smith said. “You can’t get caught up if we beat someone
badly since they might be going through the motions and that’s not what
you’re going to see later on. It’s nice to get a pre-scouting report of
what you’re going to see in Beijing.”

Clearly all eyes will be focused on Monday’s matchup with Russia. Even
before Becky Hammon decided to play for Russia, the Americans were still
stinging from the loss in the 2006 World Championship semifinals.

“They have been a thorn in our side,” U.S. coach Anne Donovan said.
“We weren’t at full strength then, but certainly the players are thinking
about it.”

Hammon’s decision to play for Russia adds intrigue to the matchup.

“It’s just a basketball game. At least we’re going to try to make it
that way,” said Hammon, laughing. “I played against all those girls. Many
of those girls have expressed support for me, which I really appreciate. I
have no ill-will toward anybody on that team.”

After practicing hard for three days in San Francisco, the U.S. team
was ready for competition.

“We can practice, we can run through stuff, but it’s getting out there
and playing teams that have played together,” Smith said. “Guarding the
international game, and having a little bit of that officiating is going
to be nice as a warmup before the Olympic games.

“You get a feeling on how to guard people, their moves. I think it’s
great for us to have that. Get a glimpse of players you know, or you kind
of know.”

Donovan doesn’t want to put too much emphasis on the tournament as she
is trying to get the team ready for the first game of the Olympics on Aug.
9 against the Czech Republic.

“It’s an important piece in our process. We’ll have three days of
practice, one day of practice then we play a game. Keeping it in
perspective is also important for us,” she said. “Getting a look at
Australia and Russia, who we might not see until the (Olympic) medal
round, is important.”

Besides getting an early look at potential opponents, heading abroad
will help the U.S. team get away from some of the distractions that have
plagued the squad while training in San Francisco. The players have had to
go to many WNBA and Olympic events, and they have had a pretty full
schedule.

“The nice thing about going on the road is that we get away from it
all,” veteran DeLisha Milton-Jones said. “I know in the WNBA its almost
nicer to play on the road sometimes because you don’t have so many people
pulling at you. You can just sit in your hotel room and order food or go
out to get something to eat.”