(Updating to include Loree Moore, who the Guru had on paper with the Liberty on the Tennessee count but made a slight omission typing. Also, print story did not make print, the Guru has since learned, but it is over at Philly.com.)
By Mel Greenberg
Since the Guru's serious playoff notation appeared in the print section of Thursday's paper, or had been targeted that way, and is over at Philly.com's main sports venue, the Guru offers a little playoff player-graphics in this space for your amusement.
You'll never guess which schools dominate the total combined rosters of the eight teams that get under way Thursday and Friday night in the two divisions.
By the Guru's count, give or take one or two slots -- the email from the league didn't arrive in precise column format, of the 104 eligibles, almost 20 percent or 20 players -- 10 each -- are alumnae of either Connecticut or Tennessee.
The Huskies roll call of ten, thanks to the large group of collectibles out of casino-land, consists of Svetlana Abrosimova, Asjha Jones, Ketia Swanier, Tamika Raymond, and Barbara Turner out of the Connecticut Sun (and remember Nykesha Sales isn't around this year); Ashley Battle with the New York Liberty; Kelly Schumacher with the Indiana Fever; Sue Bird and Swin Cash with the Seattle Storm; and Jessica Moore of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Rookie Charde Houston and league superstar Diana Taurasi -- last year's news with the former WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury -- just missed making the field.
The ten former Vols are rookie Alexis Hornbuckle with the Detroit Shock; Loree Moore with the Liberty; Tamika Catchings with the Indiana Fever; Kara Lawson with the Sacramento Monarchs; Shyra Ely and Ashley Robinson with the Seattle Storm; Shanna Crossley with the San Antonio Silver Stars; and Shannon Bobbitt, Candace Parker, and Sydney Spencer with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Rutgers, incidentally, since the Guru knows you types are always lurking and want the shoutout, has a trio of Chelsea Newton (Sacramento), Tammy Sutton-Brown (Indiana) and rookie Essence Carson (New York).
Prominent Scarlet Knights absentees in the just-missed category are Cappie Pondexter, last year's playoff MVP with Phoenix; and rookie Matee Ajavon (Houston Comets).
Meanwhile, 50 percent of the first-round in April's Draft made the postseason, for whatever the dynamic is worth. The seven are Parker (1-Los Angeles), Hornbuckle (4-Detroit); Carson (7-New York); Amber Holt (9-Connecticut); Cheltenham High's Laura Parker (10-Sacramento); Swanier (12-Connecticut) and Erlana Larkins (14-New York).
Those hoping to add WNBA gold to Olympic gold include seven of the 12-member roster which got things done internationally in Beijing, China.
The magnificent seven include the Sparks trio of Parker, Leslie, and DeLisha Milton-Jones; Detroit's Katie Smith; Indiana's Catchings; Seattle's Bird; and Sacramento's Lawson.
The five out of the running are, as previously noted, Pondexter and Taurasi with Phoenix; Seimone Augustus with Minnesota; Sylvia Fowles with Chicago; and Tina Thompson with Houston.
WNBA Post-Season Spin and Bounce
Papers across the country, including the Guru's print story, are running with the upbeat numbers the WNBA released Tuesday showing increases in attendance,TV ratings, and internet traffic, along with merchandise items.
That's different than several years ago when many out there were quick to label the league "endangered" as the postseason got under way.
Incidentally, the last time the playoffs began later than usual because of the Olympics -- when Seattle won in 2004 -- there was what became needless concern about going up against football in the fall.
That was always an early reason why league officials wouldn't let the entire season drift past Labor Day.
This time, other than your Guru mentioning it here for the sake of mentioning it, the topic does not seem to have surfaced anywhere except perhaps in the boardroom of ESPN.
And in this political year when it comes to bounce, the Guru saw an item in Wednesday's election news that a certain female vice presidential candidate who played basketball on a high school champion in a state adjacent to the Western Canadian border cited Title IX as a reason for her being able to participate.
So to answer a question put to the Guru several weeks ago that did not appear in public, It is quite probable the high school athlete in question probably heard of the Guru long before the Guru had any idea of her existence.
But while on the that topic, attention (former Temple assistant coach) Fred Chmiel, if you are reading this, since you have past ties to that state, did you ever have any idea who she was?
You know where to find the Guru.
Promising Future
The previous triggeed the Guru's mind to relate some healthy statistics about female participation in sports that was released in August from a survey done by the WNBA and Seventeen Magazine, which is being featured in the Sept. edition. Who knows, maybe another future presidential or vice-presidential candidate is in this crowd.
Here's some discussion sent to the Guru by email from his friends in Gotham in the WNBA home office:
The WNBA teamed up with Seventeen magazine to
poll teen girls on how sports plays a roll in their lives.
In light of the people screaming about how "inactive" the youth of today are it's
interesting that this study found that nearly 90% of teen girls (age 13-16)
are active in sports. Two, whatever the arguments surrounding Title IX may
be, this study shows that teen girls are more active, competitive and
confident than any generation of women before them.
Some of the results:
-- Nearly 90% (87.1% actually) of teen girls age 13-16 actively participate
in sports.
-- 61.3% of teen girls say that playing sports will help them succeed in
life.
-- Of the reasons for taking part in sports, most teen girls named
"exercise" (68.4%), while "hanging out with friends" (57%) and the "thrill
of competition" (48.7) were also popular reasons.
-- 68.2% of teen girls said that being competitive was a positive thing.
The survey revealed that 83% of teen girls play sports with basketball ranked as the number one participatory sport.
Girls play sports for a variety of reasons, but the top reason found in
this survey is to exercise (68.4%). Other top reasons included forming
friendships, competing and representing their schools. Challenges that
young female sports enthusiasts endure include insecurities; 33% of girls
who don’t play sports say it’s because they’re worried that they wouldn’t
be good at it. In addition, 35% of girls also say their teams don’t get as
much equipment or field time as the boys’ teams and 35% of girls have heard
their peers make homophobic remarks about female athletes.
Despite these factors keeping some girls from playing sports, teens are
able to look to inspiring pros, such as Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, Serena
and Venus Williams, as they take sports to a whole new level and even
dismiss outdated stereotypes. The survey also revealed that 66% of teen
girls believe that cheerleading is a sport, not some sideline event, and
71% think female cheerleaders should cheer at girls’ sports events.’
“Sports can have a profound impact on the lives of teen girls, helping them
grow into emotionally and physically strong young women,” said Seventeen
Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket. “The challenge of competing, the thrill of
winning and the lessons of losing will stay with them forever.”
The research, conducted in April, surveyed more than 1,000 13-20 year old
females.
-- Mel
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