Mone and Syl in WNBA MVP race!

The WNBA is keeping tabs on the top players involved in the rave for league MVP and two Lady Tigers are among the top 10 in the latest projections. Here is what is being said about both:

Sylvia Fowles: It's a roller coaster year for the Chicago Sky, who since the start of the season have lost four, won four, lost four and, as of Tuesday night, won one. In the two games Chicago has played since the Week 5 Race to the MVP rankings, Fowles has finished one rebound short of a double-double in each. Her point production was limited Tuesday against the Sun, as she scored just 12 points, but the more impressive part is that she scored that on just 5-for-8 shooting. Plus, a game against the Sun pinned her against Tina Charles in a battle of the East's bigs. To credit Fowles' defensive game, she did hold Charles to 7-of-18. While rookie Epiphanny Prince may have led all scorers in points, Fowles' ability to contain Charles was a significant factor in the win.

Seimone Augustus: What a story for Seimone Augustus, who after playing only her third game since returning from surgery was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Week Award. It's no coincidence either that Augustus has played only four games since returning to the 2010 season and, in that span, Minnesota has gone 3-1. The hole's not too deep, nor is it entirely impossible to climb out of, but Augustus' on-court success will ultimately translate to success for the Lynx as a team. That much was evident Tuesday night against the Liberty when Augustus scored eight straight points within the last four minutes of the game to help the Lynx stay in it long enough to seal the deal. The No. 10 spot seems like a good place for Augustus to make her debut. Where she goes from here is up to her.

Check out and compare their stats with the others: http://www.wnba.com/features/player_rankings_100623.html

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

Seimone continues torid 3-point shooting in Lynx victory

Seimone Augustus has been relentless from behind the 3-point line since her return to the line up and that didn't change last night as the Lady Tiger star hit three of four behind the arc in scoring 20 points and leading the Minnesota to a road win against the New York Liberty.  The victory was the third in a row for Minnesota including two on the road.  During that span, Mone has been an amazing 12 of 19 from the 3-point line!

Video highlights: http://bit.ly/91jWBc

Box Score: http://bit.ly/aIymgU

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

Seimone WNBA Player of the Week, Scholanda garners mention

NEW YORK, June 21, 2010 – Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun and Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx, were named the league’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week presented by Kia Motors, respectively, for regular season games played Monday, June 14 through Sunday, June 20.

This marks the first season that Kia Motors, an official marketing partner of the WNBA, has presented the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week award.

For Augustus, the top overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, the Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors award is the fourth of her career. More importantly, it signifies a successful return from a pair of surgical procedures – first to the ACL in her left knee following a collision with the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi on June 17, 2009, and then to remove non-cancerous fibroids this past April.

Augustus averaged 21.5 points (fourth in Western Conference, seventh overall), 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block while leading the Lynx to a 2-0 record with back-to-back victories over the Tulsa Shock this past week.

The pair of wins gave Minnesota a 2-2 mark in games since Augustus made her 2010 debut and pulled the Lynx to within 1.5 games of second place in the West. The LSU product and Baton Rouge, La., native had missed the first nine games of the year.

After being idle for 19 home games stretching back to 2009, Augustus made a triumphant return to Target Center on June 18, with a game-high 27 points (her highest total since netting 30 on June 16, 2009), five rebounds and two blocks. Included in that effort were a career-high five three-pointers and a team-leading seven points in the fourth quarter that helped Minnesota rally for a 78-67 win. It marked the Lynx first victory in the last nine games in which they had entered the fourth quarter with a deficit.

One night later in Tulsa, Augustus scored 16 points, including four more treys, in a 92-78 win over the Shock. The four three-pointers brought her total to a league-high nine for the week.

Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week presented by Kia Motors were Indiana’s Tamika Catchings, Los Angeles’ Tina Thompson, New York’s Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi, Seattle’s Lauren Jackson, Tulsa’s Scholanda Robinson, and Washington’s Katie Smith.

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

She's back!!! Seimone has MVP-like weekend!

Only 5 games into her return following a year off and two surgeries, and Seimone Augustus already looks to have returned to her spot as one of the elite players in the WNBA.  One Friday night in Tulsa, Mone poured in a high of 27 points along with 3 assists.  Her outstanding game included hitting 5 of 10 from behind the arc as Minnesota defeated Tulsa on the road 92-78.  Less than 24 hours later, the Lynx returned to Minnesota with the Shock and Seimone nailed 4 of 5 from the 3-point line in rout to a 16 point game and a 92-78 victory.  For the weekend, Mone hit 9 of 15 from beyond the arc.

Tulsa's one shinning start on both nights as also a Lady Tiger as Scholanda Robinson tallied 14 points with 4 assists and 2 steals in the first game, and then bounced back and tallied 13 points again the next day.

Read about Friday's game: http://bit.ly/9iJvsP

Read about Saturday's game: http://bit.ly/bNDjs3

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

Father's Day special for Seimone

The following is a portion of an article written by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press:

Seymore Augustus sports a tattoo of the Olympic torch with daughter Seimone’s USA basketball jersey No. 5 in the middle of it. Above the artwork are two words: “Proud Dad.”

Augustus and her father have always been close. He spent many hours in the family’s backyard in Louisiana honing her game. Their bond grew even stronger this past year at the low point of her career. The Minnesota Lynx star had torn a knee ligament last June, sidelining her for most of the season.

This was crushing for a player who had never spent more than a week away from the game she loved. Seimone, however, didn’t have much time for self-pity. She soon got a phone call telling her that her father had multiple sclerosis.

“It sent me into a state of depression,” Seimone said. “My dad has always been the source of strength for me. He was at his weakest point when he wasn’t able to fly up here for my ACL surgery. I was going to make sure I got strong enough to see him.”

Following her surgery, Seimone spent months rehabbing her knee in Minneapolis. Neither she nor her father could travel easily, but they spoke every day. They encouraged each other to keep up the fight.

“For my dad all he knows is taking care of his family and he felt like he couldn’t do that any more because of the MS,” Seimone Augustus said. “His joy came from taking care of us and that turned our world around.”

The biggest joy that Seimone brought her dad came this week. She got back on the court June 11 in Phoenix, where she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee nearly a year earlier.

“That was the best gift she could have given me,” Seymore said. “Seeing her playing again.”

Not long after returning to Minneapolis following a visit with her father, Augustus cut off her trademark dreadlocks. It was the first time she had gone to a haircutter since junior high school. The decision signified a fresh start for both her and her father.

“He’s doing well,” Seimone said. “I can tell he’s getting back to normal as he’s giving me headaches as usual. My dad was my No. 1 fan, so I want to make him proud.”

Read the entire article: http://yhoo.it/9inMSk

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Meek's double-double spoils Seimone's return

Seimone Augustus, playing for the first time this season scored 13 points but it wasn't enough as the Phoenix Mercury defeated Minnesota 99-88.  Mone's former teammate Temeka Johnson had a lot to do with defeating the Lynx by registering a double-double with 13 points and 10 asssits.

Read more: http://bit.ly/9Ds7vd

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

Seimone set to return tonight vs. Meek and the Mercuy

From the Minnesota Lynx website:
In desperate need for a pick-me-up, the team seems more than happy incorporating All-star forward Seimone Augustus back into their practices.

Coach Cheryl Reeve said that she hopes Augustus will be a helpful addition in tomorrow night's game against Phoenix and former LSU teammate Temeka Johnson and is very excited about the return of one of their best players.

"Just her presence being out there is nice," Reeve said. "Seimone is obviously not where she was when she first sustained the injury but it's a work in progress. It's just nice to see her out there."

Augustus was nothing but smiles today, as she prepared for her first game this year, against the defending champs.

"I'm just ready to get back out on the court," Augustus said. "It's been a challenge, but it's been a process that I've seen myself mature as a player and as a person so I guess I had to go through this process. You know, everything happens for a reason I'm through my finding moment, I've found myself and I'm ready to go."

Even though she was all business today at practice, Augustus hopes that she can bring back the spark her team needs to start winning games on a more consistent basis.

"I want my team to have fun," Augustus said. "I mean if you watched the games it's been real tight on us a lot of pressure you can tell the way that we're playing everybody's trying to do everything too fast hopefully I can just come out there and loosen everything up and have fun again."

She also shared some of the thoughts and feelings she has about returning to practice, and for their Thursday road game.

"Excitement, jitters, nerves, a little bit of everything running through my mind especially having to play in Phoenix where I got hurt so that's going to be a mental hurdle to get over, but once I get on the court and once I feel the ball tipoff I'm in my element in my zone."

Hopefully, she'll be the spark the Lynx need to get back on track.

Tipoff is set for 9:00 pm in Phoenix Thursday night.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/bW2UGZ
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Filed under  //  Alumni   Seimone Augustus   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Seimone talks about her latest injury, rehab and timetable for returning

Check out this lengthy video for some great inside information on Seimone's recovery and her thoughts on her rehab and her return to the WNBA.

http://wcco.com/video/?id=79565

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Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Seimone Aims To Put Scary Surgery In The Past

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From Dave Campbell of the Associated Press:

MINNEAPOLIS — The grueling rehabilitation Seimone Augustus finished for her fixed-up left knee seems insignificant next to the surgery she's recovering from now.

The two-time WNBA All-Star forward for the Minnesota Lynx had three non-cancerous but painful tumors called fibroids removed from her abdomen and lower back 10 days ago, a procedure that brought both emotional and physical stress.

One of the fibroids was as big as a baby's head, and another was the size of a grapefruit. Augustus knew about her condition and hoped to put off an operation until after the season, but after a few days of intense workouts last month the pain was such that immediate surgery became necessary.

"They said it was equivalent to a woman having contractions during birth," Augustus said Tuesday in her first public comments since the procedure.

There was another, deeper side of this situation, too: Her uterus needed to be taken out. Her ovaries were saved, so she can use a surrogate mother if she wants to have a baby in the future.

"My main thing was to be able to have kids using my eggs," Augustus said, adding: "I want women to know that if they do have a fibroid to try to address it as soon as possible before it gets to that point."

Entering her fifth season, Augustus is the league's all-time leader at 21.2 points per game for her career. She's clearly more than just a scoring leader for the Lynx, too, with a toughness that stretches beyond the colorful tattoos along her arms.

She aims to be playing basketball again in five weeks.

"She's so resilient," teammate Charde Houston said.

Fibroids cause bleeding, pain or other problems in nearly one-third of all women. The growths are a medical mystery, and symptoms can come suddenly. Fibroids account for 40 percent of the nation's annual hysterectomies.

Augustus said her mother and grandmother also had fibroids, and that a family friend died from complications during a similar surgery. Her plan was to have the procedure done in Louisiana, her home state, but quickly realized it was too serious to wait.

"It's a very intense process, a very emotional process. It was very scary," she said, adding: "The pain was so much that I couldn't walk. I couldn't really get around. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get on a plane to have the surgery. So talking to my dad and hearing his voice crack on the phone, I felt uneasy. I knew I had to get it done."

New head coach Cheryl Reeve was impressed by her "first experience of being in the trenches" with Augustus. When she saw the pictures of the size of the fibroids, Reeve was speechless.

"My mouth dropped," she said. "I said I will never, ever question that player's pain tolerance."

Another key Lynx contributor, guard Candice Wiggins, is also out for several more weeks while she recovers from surgery on her right knee. But the Lynx boast a player at each position who has been an All-Star at least once, and despite only two playoff appearances — and no series won — in the franchise's 11 seasons they are a confident group.

Reeve reminded them as much recently.

"She said playoffs is an expectation. Championship is the goal," Augustus said.

Filed under  //  Media   Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone undergoes minor surgery

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The Minnesota Lynx today issued a medical update regarding the status of Seimone Augustus.
Augustus underwent successful surgery on Saturday to remove fibroids. An update on Augustus' status for the remainder of training camp and the start of the regular season will be issued later in the week as more information becomes available. Augustus will not be available for comment until a later date as she recovers from surgery.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin