Meek's White House Visit Blog: Entry #1

TEMEKA JOHNSON: Good Morning everyone, I have to say that today is a pretty special day for me and my teammates. we get to actually meet OUR President OBAMA. its honor to go to the white house, especially for the reason that we're going. Its a lot of ppls dream to win a championship as well as meet the president and I am thankful, and blessed and can say that I am a part of both. I will be blogging about our visit to the White House.  Stay tuned everyone...besides the Lady Tiger Blog,  you will be able to check it out on www.meekshope.org, White House.gov and LetsMove.gov. --  check me out. I will let you all know how it goes. great time, great moments. I'm truly blessed.

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

Big Syl uses family adversity to inspire her to help in the battle against Epilespy

Chicago, July 19 20101—CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) and the WNBA team the Chicago Sky will be joining forces at The Allstate Arena, on July 23rd, 2010 to accelerate the search for a cure for epilepsy.  The event, sponsored by the Chicago Sky, will raise awareness and funds for CURE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the prevalence and severity of the disease, and money for scientific research aimed at finding a cure.

Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky Center, WNBA All-Star and Team USA Member will highlight the event.  She has joined CURE as a supporter, due to her nephew Morris’s epilepsy and her desire to raise awareness for the disease.

The general public remains largely unaware of how many lives are impacted by epilepsy; how severely many of those lives are impacted; and yet how little funding is dedicated to epilepsy research.  Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide of all ages.  Over forty percent of these patients do not have control over their seizures, even with the best available treatments.  Many more have only achieved seizure control at the cost of living with debilitating side effects of medications.  Epilepsy is also a timely topic for this nation at war—for many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injury on the battlefield, epilepsy will be a long-term consequence.

For more information about CURE, epilepsy, research news, grants, and special events, please visit www.CUREepilepsy.org.

 *About CURE: CURE (www.CUREepilepsy.org) is a nonprofit organization founded by parents of children with epilepsy who were frustrated with their inability to protect their children from the devastation of seizures and the side effects of medications. CURE is dedicated to finding a cure for epilepsy by raising funds for research and by increasing awareness of the prevalence and devastation of this disease. For the third consecutive year, CURE is a proud recipient of Charity Navigator’s highest rating. Over 92 cents of every dollar goes directly to epilepsy research and awareness programs.

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

Meek to visit the White House, President Obama today

Temeka Johnson and her Phoenix Mercury teammates awoke in Washington D.C. this morning and are preparing for a visit to the White House and some time with President Obama today.  In conjunction with this event, members of the team will participate in a service project with local area youth during their visit to Washington, D.C.  This continues a tradition begun by President Obama of sports champions serving in the community as part of their visit.

http://bit.ly/a7slJ6

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

Four Lady Tigers in action tonight in the WNBA

Seimone Augustus and Minnesota host the WNBA's best team to date in Seattle at 2:30 PM EST.

Preview: http://bit.ly/bnhEau

Allsion Hightower and Connecticut start a 5-game road stand against Atlanta this evening at 6:00 PM EST.

Preview: http://bit.ly/bRBRdr

And in Phoenix tonight at 9:00 CST two Lady Tigers go head-to-head when Temeka Johnson leads the Mercury against Tulsa and Scholanda Robinson.

Preview: http://bit.ly/bcDJo3

There's no television for any of these games but you can follow them at WNBA.com

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

Big Syl & Sho grab win's in the W last night

With only 8 shot attempts, Sylvia Fowles posted a double-double last night to help Chicago to a victory over Los Angeles.  Big Syl had 10 points and 10 boards to go along with 4 blocked shots.  Marie Ferdinand-Harris had 5 points, 5 boards and 2 assists for the Sparks.

Chicago/LA Boxscore: http://bit.ly/byZ9pT

Scholanda Robinson had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists to help Tulsa to a road win over San Antonio. Roneeka Hodges has 8 points and 3 rebounds in a losing effort.

Tulsa/San Antonio Boxscore: http://bit.ly/d04OgA

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

Slamonline.com profiles Big Syl

Great article by Ben York of Slamonline.com on Big Syl.  Here is an excerpt:

It was only a matter of time.

After playing her first two seasons battling injuries and fighting for minutes, it’s clear that Sylvia Fowles has found her comfort zone in the WNBA. In fact, SLAMonline predicted Fowles to be the No. 1 breakout star in 2010 and she is more than living up to the hype.

Averaging 18.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.8 bpg, and 32 mpg while shooting 61 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the line (all career-highs), Fowles has inspired hope for Sky fans across the globe for the team’s first ever playoff birth.

“It feels good to be at the point in my game that I’ve always known I could be at,” Fowles told SLAMonline. “The first two years of my career were a disappointment due to my injury. This year, I’ve taken more of a leadership role and I’m loving it.”

Fowles assumed the bulk of the offensive output with the departure of former Sky All-Star Candice Dupree in a trade to Phoenix. After having an incredible offseason overseas playing with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird in Russia, Fowles came back determined to continue that success in the WNBA. More than anything, she was prepared to pick-up the slack from Dupree’s departure.

“Candice [Dupree] was the go-to player in my first two years in the league,” Fowles said. “I still was fighting through injuries and wasn’t getting much playing time because of that. Now with Dupree in Phoenix, I knew I had to step it up for myself and the team.”

And that she has.

Fowles accounts for more than 25 percent of the Sky’s points, 32 percent of their rebounds, and 30 percent of the team’s free-throws. During a recent stretch of games, Fowles recorded some spectacular stat lines; and that’s probably a gross understatement.

7/11: 12 points, 19 rebounds in 38 minutes

7/6: 26 points, 18 rebounds in 36 minutes

7/3: 22 points, 12 rebounds in 34 minutes

7/1: 26 points, 11 rebounds in 31 minutes

6/27: 11 points, 17 rebounds in 37 minutes

For most players and coaches, the success of Fowles is no surprise. After she won the MVP award at the 2010 WNBA All-Star game, players were asked to comment about Fowles dominating performance of 23 points and 8 rebounds on 9-11 shooting. To a player, almost in unison, they stated that Fowles’ game was nothing short of extraordinary and would be a major key in Team USA’s hope for victory at World Championships in September and the Olympics in 2012.

It’s also no surprise that her contributions this season have vaulted her into legitimate MVP talk. She’s currently ranked in the top 10 of potential MVP candidates on WNBA.com not just for her double-double prowess but also for her efficiency; which at +25.2 currently leads the league. Still, when asked to evaluate herself so far this season, her modest answer might surprise you.

“I’d say I’m off to a good start, I guess,” said a humble Fowles. “I always feel I can do better. I’m learning different things and feel like I have a ways to go. I just love to compete. So, to answer your question, I’d rate myself as ‘ok’ but will continue to work hard to get better.”

If 20 and 10 every night is “just a good start,” what would need to happen for Big Syl to consider the 2010 season as successful?

“Making the Playoffs,” Fowles said without hesitation. “That’s what you work for. I’m very confident in our team and if we continue to play consistent and focus, we will win those close games we should have won. We are beginning to take care of the little things we didn’t do well in the first half of the season. Making the Playoffs would be very nice.”

Read the entire article which also has a behind the scenes video clips of Syl dunking in a commercial: http://bit.ly/beaGc0

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

Lady Tigers Take Headshots For Upcoming Season, Watch Here

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All 14 members of the 2010-11 LSU Lady Tigers took their headshots on Wednesday for the upcoming season. LSU Athletics Staff Photographer Steve Franz took the photos in his studio located in Tiger Stadium. The headshots will be used on the LSUsports.net roster page, in the media guide, on the videoboard this season in the Maravich Center, in print and during television broadcasts.

Watch an exclusive video of the Lady Tigers taking their headshots, including (in order) Latear Eason, Adrienne Webb, Andrea Kelly, Theresa Plaisance, Bianca Lutley, Jeanne Kenney and Shanece McKinney.

Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers host national power Ohio State in 2010 home opener

BATON ROUGE -- LSU's 2010-11 home women's basketball schedule will begin against a Big 10 powerhouse as head coach Van Chancellor announced Thursday that the Lady Tigers will take on nationally-ranked Ohio State in their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. CT in the Maravich Center.

"Ohio State will be one of the top five teams in the country next season," Chancellor said. "We are excited about going up against a Jim Foster-led team that is always one of the best in the country. They return nearly everyone and will be a great challenge for our team. We want our fans to come out and support the Lady Tigers in what will be a great college basketball game."

The LSU Athletics Ticket Office is currently accepting non-refundable $25 deposits for season tickets until August 31. This deposit will guarantee your seat for the upcoming season. Tickets can be reserved online at LSUsports.net, by calling 1-800-960-TKTS or 225-578-2184 or in person on the first floor of the LSU Athletic Administration Building.

This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams and LSU owns a 4-1 record in the five previous showdowns. The Lady Tigers are 2-0 at home all-time against the Buckeyes, including a 75-51 victory in the last meeting on Dec. 10, 2007. The 24-point win came against an Ohio State team that was ranked fifth in the nation at the time.

The 2010-11 Buckeyes return all five starters from a team that claimed their sixth straight Big 10 title and won a school-record 31 games last season. They are led by 6-foot-4 center Jantel Lavender, a two-time first-team State Farm All-American who averaged 21.4 points and 10.3 boards as a junior. Ohio State is projected to be a preseason top-five ranked team.

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Posted by Bob Starkey 

KG enjoys visit to BREC's Sports Academy

KATHERINE GRAHAM: An opportunity which was first explored last year continued yesterday as a few Lady Tigers were afforded the opportunity of holding a clinic for the kids at the Sports Academy. Destini Hughes, LaSondra Barrett, Jeanne Kenney, Theresa Plasiance, Q Chaney and myself were a few that attended this year. The kid at the academy were full of energy and very enthusiastic about the time and drills we had in store for them. We worked on lay-ups, bank shots, as well as a few dribbling exercises. No matter the age of the kids, they all had a positive attitude and a desire to work to become better. Overall it was great being able to help and give back to those that support the Lady Tigers anyway we can! Until next time Lady Tiger Fans

Posted by Bob Starkey