Sue Gunter's legacy lives on at LSU

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The following is part of a great article written by our SID Bill Martin on Coach Gunter:


The phrase “dream big, work hard” epitomizes everything associated with LSU women’s basketball. The words stressed by the late Hall of Fame coach couldn’t be truer for a program that she took over in 1982. In 40 seasons, Sue Gunter helped change the culture of women’s basketball in America and the pieces of her legacy are most prominent in Baton Rouge.

It’s been five years since Coach Gunter sat on the LSU bench, but the current generation of Lady Tigers is reminded on a daily basis of what she meant to the program. LSU operates out of the Sue Gunter Complex in the Maravich Center. A bronze statue of Gunter greets players upon entrance to the complex. A portrait painting adorns one of the walls. A banner hangs from the rafters of the Maravich Center, her accomplishments known well to all.

“It’s a great honor because we get to carry on the legacy that she helped build up the program to where it is today,” LSU junior guard Katherine Graham said. “Playing for the former players like Temeka Johnson and Sylvia Fowles and all those that put in the hours and the work to bring the program where it needs to be. Coach Gunter established this.”

While Gunter is a constant reminder to the team, these two days her legacy takes the spotlight as LSU is playing host to the inaugural Sue Gunter Classic in her name. LSU plans to continue the tournament for future seasons, making it into one of college basketball’s premier events and keeping Gunter’s legacy alive among the nation’s teams.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/8ZyswD

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Ally named SEC Player of the Week

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Allison Hightower • LSU
Senior • Arlington, Texas
• Followed up a 32-point effort at Louisiana Tech with her second straight 20-plus point game to lead LSU past New Orleans on Sunday.
• Hightower has topped the 20-point mark three times this season and ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring with an 18.3 average.
• Hightower also gathered a season-high four steals in the win that kept LSU undefeated and extended its winning streak over Louisiana opponents to 32 straight games.

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone names to Yahoo! All-Decade Team; Syl Honorable Mention

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Yahoo! Sports Decade in Review (By Jeremy Stone) takes to the hardwood for a series of women's basketball top fives. Next up is our top five players of the 2000sin the NCAA.


Seimone Augustus, forward, LSU
Augustus led LSU to the first three of five consecutive Final Four appearances from 2004 to 2006. She was the top scorer in the country as a senior and never shot worse than 53 percent from the field. Though Augustus never got the Tigers into the championship game, she remains the only back-to-back Wade Trophy winner of the NCAA era.

Sue Bird, guard, Connecticut
Though Bird played less than three full seasons in the decade, she was the premier point guard in the country and leader of Husky teams that won the national title in 2000 and 2002. She not only distributed the ball with flair but also possessed a lethal jumper and ability to penetrate. Bird twice shot better than 50 percent from the field and nearly shot 50 percent from three-point range as a sophomore. She played 100 games in the decade and UConn won 97 of them. And of course, she paved the way for Diana Taurasi to lead the Huskies to two more titles after Bird was selected first in the 2002 WNBA draft.

Diana Taurasi, guard, Connecticut
Need her to play point? OK, she'll finish with more assists than Sue Bird. Need her to score? OK, she'll take every clutch shot you need. Lost your top rebounders to the pros? OK, she'll grab two more boards per game the next season. And she'll win more than anyone ever has. The Huskies won 139 games in Taurasi's time from 2000 to 2004, including 31 in a row the season after four UConn starters went in the top six of the WNBA draft. No wonder Taurasi won two Naismith Awards and herself went No. 1 in the 2004 draft.

Candace Parker, forward, Tennessee
Move over, Chamique Holdsclaw? Probably not, seeing as Parker played only three seasons for the Lady Vols and won one fewer title. But it's close. Parker morphed into Women's Basketball Superstar 2.0 during her time in Knoxville, satiating the masses with her ability to dunk and wowing women's basketball fans with her unprecedented multifaceted game. And not that anyone questioned her toughness, but she won her second Final Four Most Outstanding Player award while playing through a dislocated shoulder.

Courtney Paris, center, Oklahoma
The folks in Norman won't make Paris repay her scholarship as she offered to do. Nor should they. Though the Sooners fell short of her championship aspirations, the NCAA career rebounding leader wasn't to blame. She posted double-doubles in her first 112 games and was the first freshman AP All-American, first sophomore AP Player of the Year and first four-time All-American. No other college player in any division has amassed 2,500 points and 2,000 rebounds.

Honorable mention: Jackie Stiles, guard, Missouri State (then SW Missouri State), the all-time scoring leader (but graduated in 2001); Ruth Riley, center, Notre Dame; Alana Beard, guard, Duke; Sylvia Fowles, LSU; Candice Wiggins, guard, Stanford; Maya Moore, forward, Connecticut.

Filed under  //  Media   Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Temeka Johnson to appear on The Van Chancellor Show

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BATON ROUGE -- Former LSU Lady Tiger point guard and 2009 WNBA champion Temeka Johnson will join LSU head coach Van Chancellor at 7 p.m. CST Monday for “The Van Chancellor Show presented by Capital One Bank” from Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar at the corner of Burbank and Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge.


The special Monday night edition of the show lasts from 7-8 p.m. CST and will preview the inaugural Sue Gunter Classic, which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 15-16, in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.


The show, hosted by “The Voice of the Lady Tigers” Patrick Wright, can be heard live in Baton Rouge on WTGE 107.3 FM and in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net.

For more details: http://bit.ly/5JU5j0

Filed under  //  Media   Temeka Johnson   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison named Louisiana Women's Basketball Player of the Week

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MONROE, La. -- LSU’s Allison Hightower has been named Louisiana Women’s Basketball Players of the Week, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association announced Monday afternoon.

In LSU’s only game of the week, Hightower poured in a career-high 32 points – 25 in the first half – as the Tigers defeated Louisiana Tech 77-74 in Ruston. A native of Arlington, Texas, Hightower’s 32 points were the most by an LSU player since 2006 and the fourth most scored by a player in the Southeastern Conference this season. The senior guard’s 25 first-half points were the most by an LSU player in nearly 14 years.

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Van Chancellor Radio Show to debut

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BATON ROUGE -- “The Van Chancellor Show presented by Capital One Bank," LSU's weekly women's basketball radio show, makes its season debut on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 7-8 p.m. CST live from Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar on the corner of Burbank and Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge.

The show, hosted by Patrick Wright and featuring Lady Tigers' Hall of Fame head coach Van Chancellor can be heard live in Baton Rouge on WTGE 107.3 FM and in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net.

Fans can call in and ask Coach Chancellor a question during the hour-long show at (225) 578-4826 in the Baton Rouge area or toll free (800) 315-8255 nationwide. Special guests will be making appearances on the show throughout the season.

A complete listing of show dates is below:


Show #1: Dec. 2, 2009 *
Show #2: Dec. 8, 2009
Show #3: Dec. 14, 2009 **
Show #4: Dec. 28, 2009 **
Show #5: Jan. 5, 2010
Show #6: Jan. 12, 2010
Show #7: Jan. 19, 2010
Show #8: Jan. 26, 2010
Show #9: Feb. 2, 2010
Show #10: Feb. 9, 2010
Show #11: Feb. 16, 2010
Show #12: Feb. 23, 2010
Show #13: March 2, 2010
Show #14: March 9, 2010

* Wednesday at 7 p.m.** Monday at 7 p.m.

For more information on LSU women’s basketball:
Website:
www.JumpOnTheVanWagon.com

Filed under  //  Media   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison named to Naismith Tropy watch list

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The Atlanta Tip Off Club announced the 50 candidates on the 2009-10 Naismith Trophy preseason watch list Wednesday including our own Allison Hightower. The club’s Board of Selectors compiles the list and bases its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2009-10 college basketball season. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in San Antonio. In late February, the club will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. The Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow the list to four finalists in March.


Check here for the rest of the list: http://bit.ly/1A8jxD

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Where are they now?

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For those that haven't heard, Lady Tiger alum Elaine Powell has retired from the professional basketball ranks and after a long and successful career in the WNBA and overseas. But she still loves the game and is utilizing her expertise to teach basketball on the collegiate level. Elaine is currently coaching at Grambling State University and is doing a great job.


From Kelly Morris of the Shreveporttimes.com:

The coach also has some added insight. WNBA veteran Elaine Powell begins her second year as her assistant coach. Powell didn't join last year's team until December. Powell was a LSU standout and played with Orlando and Detroit in the WNBA.

"The girls really look up to her," Drain-Rogers said. "She's done an amazing job and done well with recruiting. The girls relate to her. She's the youngest one on staff. I really feel my age some time. We've learned a lot from her."

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Ally named to ESPN.com All-American 2nd Team

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The pre-season honors keep pouring in for Allison Hightower as she was named to the ESPN.com Pre-Season All-American Team. Ally was tabbed on the 2nd team.

"She shoulders a big load with such a young team around her, but Hightower proved last season that she is up to it." -- Charlie Creme

"A do-everything guard who carried LSU last season but has more experienced help as a senior --Mechelle Voepel

See article at: http://bit.ly/4zg4qa

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison in charge

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Nice article by Jim Varney on Allison in Times-Picayune:


There's little question that Hightower is in charge.

When she arrived from Texas as a somewhat gangly freshman, she was in awe of teammates like Fowles, who went to the Final Four every year in her LSU career and now is one of the top international players. Even then, however, Hightower's offensive capabilities were clear. In the NCAA regional final in Fresno, Calif., Hightower made critical 3-pointers as the Lady Tigers upset top-seeded Connecticut to advanced to the Final Four in Cleveland.

LSU returned to the Final Four in Hightower's sophomore season when the Lady Tigers upset No. 1 seed North Carolina in the regional final. But both of those trips ended in disappointment when the Lady Tigers lost in the semifinals. Now, after a junior campaign in which she averaged 14.9 points and led the team in six categories, Hightower is being asked to take LSU back to the NCAA Tournament.

"My role has changed from the days when I was just asked to shoot the ball, " Hightower said last week. "But while that's been a transition, I don't think that much has changed overall. My goals are still to play hard and lead by example."

Chancellor said his prize senior could not have handled either task better.

"It's pretty easy to coach when your best player is also your hardest worker, " he said.


Read the entire article here: http://bit.ly/1yiBKq

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Posted by Bill Martin