Breakfast with a Legend!

BOB STARKEY: It's another beautiful morning in Phoenix.  I started the day off with a phone interview with Rachael Whitaker of the New Orleans Picayune to discuss Temeka Johnson's impending book release this weekend.  Rachael wanted some inside scoop on Meek and her playing days at LSU so I think I gave her some good stories.  I'll make sure we post the link to the story when it runs.

I moved my morning walk to this afternoon to make time for breakfast with Annie Meyers-Drysdale  -- one of my favorite people in the game of basketball and someone who has become a dear friend.  Annie might be the most accomplished women's basketball player in the history of the game.  If you don't believe it checkout her bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Meyers

After playing she continued to impact the game first in the broadcast booth and then as General Manager and President in the Phoenix Mercury and Vice-President of the Phoenix Sun.

Our breakfast last nearly three hours and I always come away knowing more about the game. I also enjoyed talking about Coach Wooden whom Annie was very close to -- she refers to him as "Pappa."  Annie has such a great love for the game, especially women's basketball, and is so dedicated to growing the game.  She is also a huge fan of Lady Tiger Basketball because of her admiration for Sue Gunter and Van Chancellor.  Last year, when Seimone Augustus tore her ACL in a game at Phoenix, Annie went down and stayed with her the entire time in the locker room.  And of course, she built a team that allowed Temeka Johsnon to win a WNBA title last season.

I know very little but I do know that the game of basketball and life needs more  people like Annie!

Ann_meyers3

Posted by Bob Starkey 

A great evening with a special post game meal

BOB STARKEY: It was a great evening -- watching Seimone Augustus and Temeka Johnson do what they love so much -- play basketball.

The evening started with 10 great minutes talking to Annie Meyers-Drysdale.  Besides being one of the all-time greats in the history of women's basketball, she is currently the General Manager and soon to be President of the Phoenix Mercury.  She is also a huge LSU Lady Tiger fan because of her relationship with Sue Gunter.  Coach Gunter coached her in the Olympics and Annie has remained a friend of our program since.

The game was fast-paced, via the Phoenix system.  The Mercury's first basket of the game came from a long thread-the-need pass from Meek to Taurasi.  The Lynx answered right back with their first basket coming from a baseline floater from Mone.  One minute into the game and I was having some great flashbacks.

The night would belong to Phoenix. They would set the WNBA record with most points in a half by pouring in 69.  Meek flirted with a triple-double with 8 points, 8 boards and 8 assists in only 18 minutes.  Mone scored 13 points while grabbing 4 boards.

But the best part of the night was post-game.  Going with Meek and Mone to Fez, a local Pheonix eatery.  It was special listening to them talk about the WNBA, different teams and players and hearing all that they know and had learned.  They are professional basketball players -- by the strictest terms.

Of course they wanted to know about the Lady Tigers and how hard they were working this summer and what kind of season might we have coming.  It was great to hear them talk about what they saw in analyzing our team last year and what we needed to grow.

I'm so very proud of these two young women -- not just because they have forged their basketball gift from God -- but because of the people they have grown to be -- caring about each other and their respective communities.

Both have causes very near to their hearts and we will blog about that later but it speaks to who they are and what they become -- it's speaks to the Lady Tiger Way and a tremendous legacy that they have left for our future student-athletes.

Filed under  //  Alumni   Seimone Augustus   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Big Syl takes CURE and battle againt Epilepsy to Los Angeles

If you an LSU alumni or fan in the Los Angeles area, come out and see a couple of Lady Tigers in Sylvia Fowles and Marie Ferdinand Harris.  But even more importantly, help Big Syl and she continues to work for CURE in the battle against Epilepsy.

Come See Sylvia Fowles and Support CURE!
Chicago Sky vs. Los Angeles Sparks
Wednesday, August 4 – 7:30PM
STAPLES Center
 
Join Big Syl and the Chicago Sky as they take on the Los Angeles Sparks.  Purchase your tickets using this link and receive a discount, pay NO TicketMaster fees, and a portion of every ticket sold will go back to support Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy!

To purchase tickets:
Click here:
https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=sparks&o=1139693&g=539 <https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=sparks&o=1139693&g=539>
Enter Special Offer Code: CURE
Enter your TicketMaster account ID (or e-mail address) and password on the left. If you have never created a Ticketmaster account, go to "Create an Account" on the right-hand side of the screen
Follow the instructions to purchase - you will be able to print the tickets right from your computer!
 
To learn more about Sylvia and her work with CURE, click here:
http://presidentscorner.cureepilepsy.org/
To learn more about CURE, click here: http://www.cureepilepsy.org

Sylvia-fowles-cure-t-shirt

Filed under  //  Alumni   Sylvia Fowles   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

A nice walk in a beautiful city

BOB STARKEY: It's been about 20 years since I've been to Phoenix.  At the time I was on Dale Brown's staff and it was during the era where you could scout in person so I was sent out here to scout Oklahoma State and Big Country Reeves as they were playing against Arizona in US Airways Arena.  In those days, however, you flew in that afternoon, got your notes read, headed to the arena to scout, ate a late dinner and grabbed the first think smokin' the next morning.  There was never really enough time to check out the sites of a city.

This morning I got up to take a 90 minute walk and get my first good look at Phoenix -- at least the downtown area.  It's a beautiful city!  The architecture is a combination of old school with modern buildings -- including some spanish tile roofs reminding me of the LSU campus.  It's also a very clean city that obviously takes great pride in it's appearance as is evident by the landscapping.  I am actually a block away from the arena which stands right beside Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks.

Another thing that struck me is the absolute lack of traffic in downtown -- which does NOT remind me of Baton Rouge!  I started my walk at 7:30 AM so thought I'd see cars backed up at each intersection but that was not the case.

It's very apparent to me that the city itself is one of the reasons that Temeka enjoys playing for the Mercury!

Posted by Bob Starkey 

Big Syl making big impact Epilepsy research

The following comes from Susan Axelrod's blog "Chair's Corner" --

Friday night, WNBA Chicago Sky Center Sylvia Fowles lent her towering voice and passion to help raise awareness and funds for epilepsy research! A portion of the proceeds from Friday night ticket sales were donated to CURE,  CURE t-shirts were tossed out to the crowd during the game, and some of us were lucky enough to go back and meet members of the team before the game, and greet Sylvia again after the game. Sylvia is an absolute star–she led Louisiana State University to four straight NCAA Final Four appearances, has gone to the WNBA All Star game two years in a row, and was a part of the gold medal-winning 2008 US Olympic Women’s Basketball team!

Sylvia reached out to CURE because her nephew Morris, who is now 9 years old, has had epilepsy since birth. We’re so grateful for her help in raising awareness and money for research. Everyone at the Sky were great–it’s clear we have some new friends and supporters of this cause!

Thanks to Sylvia and Chicago Sky for reaching out and helping!  We look forward to working together.

Read Susan's blog at: http://presidentscorner.cureepilepsy.org/

Sylvia-fowles-cure-t-shirt

Filed under  //  Alumni   Sylvia Fowles   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

A bomb-sniffing dog, bull horn instructions and one smokin' HOT city

BOB STARKEY: Sitting in my hotel in Phoenix with a beautiful view of the city as well as the mountains on the outskirts (see photo below).  I had a great day of travel with great flights -- those that know how much I dislike flying know what a great day I had -- though it wasn't without incident.  While sitting during a layover in the Dallas Airport, I felt the something cold on my hand only to turn and see the nose of a german shepherd.  Further review saw he was attached to two security officers.  I simply said, "What's up guys?"  I was then told I was sitting beside a piece of abandoned luggage so they brought in the bomb-sniffing dog. I looked at the mysterious suitcase within three feet of me and asked "Should I not be sitting here then?"  The reply was "Probably."

Then on the flight from Dallas to Phoenix the flight attendant stepped out with a bull horn to give us our saftey instructions explaining that speaker system in the plane was not working.  I then prayed that would be the only mechinical failure today.

I spent part of my layover in Dallas tweeting with Seimone to remind her that we'd be going to dinner after the game tomorrow night.  I actually got to Phoenix before Temeka who played in Seattle last night.  Not sure what kind of mood she'll be in after her team lost a lead and a difficult game last night.

Oh, and one other thing -- IT'S HOT!  About a week ago I ran into a couple of our Fast Break Club members, Mona Ragan and Karen Miller and told them of my planned trip to Arizona and we spoke about the head.  Karen told me not to worry as it would be "a dry heat."  Then she laughed.  I think she knew!

From_hotel_room

Filed under  //  Alumni   Seimone Augustus   Sylvia Fowles   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Sylvia Fowles: A Global Power - from today's Miami Herald

There is a great story in today’s Miami Herald written on the growing popularity of former Lady Tiger Sylvia Fowles not only in the United States but in international women’s basketball as well. Here is an excerpt, which includes new Miami Heat star LeBron James.

LeBron James, who befriended Fowles at the Olympics, was supposedly posed a question two years ago. When asked by a fellow NBA player who he would pick to play alongside him in a five-on-five, he passed on Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the NBA.

``He said he'd pick me,'' Fowles said. ``I'm pretty sure we could hold our own.''

Read the complete article here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/27/1749471/fowles-a-global-power-with-strong.html

Fowles_ap

Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers In The WNBA Weekly Stats Update - July 27, 2010

Lady Tigers In The WNBA Weekly Update – July 27, 2010

Every week, we will take a look at what former Lady Tigers did the past week in the WNBA.

Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Guard
Los Angeles Sparks

Last Week:

July 20 vs. Tulsa (W, 86-83) 6 pts, 2-of-3 3FG, 3 reb, 26 min

July 22 at Indiana (L, 57-76) 9 pts, 4-of-12 FG, 6 reb, 2 stl, 35 min

July 24 at Connecticut (W, 89-80) 8 pts, 2-of-3 3FG, 3 reb, 2 ast, 21 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 at Minnesota, 5 p.m. CT

Friday, July 30 at New York, 4:30 p.m. CT

Sylvia Fowles, Center

Chicago Sky

Last Week:

 July 23 vs. New York (L, 71-79) 12 pts, 4-of-6 FT, 16 reb, 2 ast, 4 blk, 33 min

 July 24 at San Antonio (W, 75-72) 23 pts, 9-of-15 FG, 1-of-1 3FG, 4-of-4 FT, 12 reb, 3 ast,  32 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 at Indiana, 6 p.m. CT

Friday, July 30 at Seattle, 9 p.m. CT

Sunday, August 1 at Phoenix, 5 p.m. CT


Allison Hightower, Guard
Connecticut Sun

Last Week:

 July 20 vs. New York (L, 74-82) 1 reb, 1 stl, 10 min

 July 24 vs. Los Angeles (L, 80-89) 2 reb, 2 ast, 12 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. CT

Friday, July 30 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. CT

Sunday, August 1 at New York, 4 p.m. CT


Temeka Johnson, Point Guard
Phoenix Mercury

Last Week:

July 22 at Tulsa (W, 123-91) 3 pts, 1-of-3 FG, 1-of-1 FT, 2 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 18 min

July 24 at Minnesota (W, 127-124) 7 pts, 3-of-7 FG, 1-of-2 FT, 2 reb, 9 ast, 35 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 at Seattle, 6:30 p.m. CT

Thursday, July 29 vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT

Sunday, August 1 vs. Chicago, 3 p.m. CT


Scholanda Robinson, Guard
Tulsa Shock

Last Week:

July 20 at Los Angeles (L, 83-86) 19 pts, 7-of-15 FG, 2-of-3 3FG, 3-of-6 FT, 1 reb, 1 stl, 28 min

July 22 vs. Phoenix (L, 91-123) 8 pts, 2-of-5 3FG, 2-of-2 FT, 1 reb, 1ast, 14 min

July 25 at Seattle (L, 59-75) 8 pts, 6 reb, 21 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 vs. Atlanta, 12:30 p.m. CT

Friday, July 30 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m. CT

Sunday, August 1 at Washington, 3 p.m. CT

Seimone Augustus, Guard-Forward
Minnesota Lynx

Last Week:

July 22 vs. San Antonio (L, 72-74) 22 pts, 10-of-21 FG, 1-of-2 FT, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 35 min

July 24 vs. Phoenix (L, 124-127) 36 pts, 14-of-23 FG, 5-of-9 3FG, 3-of-5 FT, 4 reb, 40 min

This Week:

Tuesday, July 27 vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m. CT

Thursday, July 29 at Phoenix, 9 p.m. CT

Sunday, August 1 vs. Seattle, 6 p.m. CT

Posted by Bill Martin  

Road trip to Phoenix to see Meek, Mone and Syl

COACH BOB STARKEY: Leaving out of Baton Rouge tomorrow morning heading to Pheonix, Arizona.  I'm quite sure I won't be complaining about the Louisiana heat when I get back. 

It will be a pilgrimage of sorts for me -- going to watch arguable the three most influential Lady Tigers of all time compete on professional level over the course of four days.

On July 29th and I will watch Temeka Johnson and Phoenix host Seimone Augustus and the Minnesota Lynx.  There's a good chance that the two will rope me out of a free meal.  I'll then stay for a few more days where I will have a chance to be a part of the launch of Temeka's children's book "Decisions, Decisions, Decsicions."  I'll then stay for the August 1 showdown between Meek and Sylvia Fowles' Chicago Sky.  I'm also looking forward to spending time with basketball great and Phoenix General Manager Annie Meyers Drysdale.  Annie is a dear friend introduced to me by Coach Gunter (who coached on the 1976 Olympic Team).  I'm really looking forward to the trip and will be blogging constantly during the trip so stay tuned to "The Lady Tiger Way Blog" (or the Lady Tiger Facebook page or my twitter page) to find out what's up with these Lady Tiger alums. 

Filed under  //  Alumni   Seimone Augustus   Staff   Sylvia Fowles   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Lady Tigers all in action today in the WNBA

Big day in the WNBA with all 12 teams playing.  Translation?  All the Lady Tigers in the W will also be in action!

12:30 PM CST: Scholanda Robinson and Tulsa host Atlanta (you can catch this game on NBA TV)

6:00 PM CST: Sylvia Fowles and Chicago tip-off against Indiana

6:30 PM CST: Allison Hightower wlecomes Washington to Connecticut

6:30 PM CST: San Antonio and Roneeka Hodges plays at New York (ESPN2)

7:00 PM CST: Marie Ferdinand-Harris and the LA Sparks travel to Minnesota to play against Seimone Augustus

8:30 PM CST: Temeka Johnson and Pheonix travel to Seattle to play the leagues best (ESPN2)

Wnba_ball

Filed under  //  Alumni   Seimone Augustus   Sylvia Fowles   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey