Seimone returns to action with USA Basketball

Media_http1bpblogspot_sdkgi
Coming off an ACL injury and long rehab process, Seimone Augustus makes an appearance and gets some quality action on the court for USA Basketball. Here are some of her thoughts:


On the USA Select Team:
They fought tonight. It was good to see them playing. It took them awhile to get into their groove, but once they did, some girls impressed me. I got caught up with Jantel (Lavender) and it was torture down there banging with her. I’m impressed with the way they’re playing.
On any surprises in camp:
I wouldn’t say seeing Maya Moore is a surprise. Everybody knows what she can do. But to see it in person is like, ‘wow.’ She reminds me a lot like Tamika Catchings. She’s a hard worker. She plays on both ends of the court. She’s a great rebounder for a guard. Tina (Charles) as well, seeing her play and how hard she goes every possession is a plus. As far as the college girls, I’ve only (practiced) with Dee (Danielle Robinson), Kalana (Greene) and Kelsey (Griffin). They’ve all impressed me because they are so poised. They never seem to get rattled. They’re coachable. They’re willing to listen to criticism and go out there and better themselves.

On being back on the court after missing last fall and winter while rehabbing from her ACL:
I’m happy to be back out on the court. It’s been tough for me. It’s been brutal. Sunday was the worst day for me because it was actually my first time playing against top-notch competition. I just started playing a few weeks ago and it was at the YWCA. That wasn’t really a lot of good competition. But everyday here I’ve seen a lot of good progression. I haven’t had any pain in my knee and I’m looking for better days to come.
You watched on the sideline last fall during training camp, did that help you to know what coach Auriemma wanted?
It was good because I actually got a chance to talk to coach. You read things in the media, you see things on TV about him, but he’s actually a great person. He’s very straightforward, which is what I like. He tells you what he wants done and if you do it, you shouldn’t have any problems. As far as the offense and things, it’s seamless to what we ran at LSU, a motion offense, so it’s kind of easy to get into the groove with that. Defensively, that never has been my strong point (laughs), but I’m going to do what I can to make sure I’m helping out the team.

What did you get out of this training camp?
I got a lot out of it. I got to measure myself, see where I’m at and see how much further I have to go. I was excited about everything. Every day I saw progress. I got stronger each day. As far as playing with the young ladies and everybody, being coached by Geno, it was a great experience. I had a lot of fun. I got to learn a lot about Geno and the other coaches. I learned a lot about the other players on the team. Hopefully we can transfer this to the summer and to the World Championship.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison and Seimone report for USA Basketball workouts

Media_http4bpblogspot_mtgnj
The public will have a chance to see some of the country’s top basketball talent, including nine with ties to Connecticut, when members of the 2010 USA Basketball Women’s National Team take on the 2010 USA Basketball Women’s Select Team in a Red-White exhibition scrimmage on Sunday, April 18 in Hartford, Conn.


Fans will get a chance to cheer on some of their local favorites in the Red-White scrimmage. In addition to Auriemma, USA National Team members include former UConn standouts Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), 2010 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun) and current Husky Maya Moore; and the Connecticut Sun will also be represented on the USA National Team by Kara Lawson. UConn’s Kalana Greene (New York Liberty), and the Connecticut Sun’s Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska) and Allison Hightower (Louisiana State) will compete on the USA Select Team.

Additional USA National Team members participating in the spring training camp include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx/LSU) , Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury) and Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream). Further, USA National Team hopeful Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars / Stanford University), is injured, but is attending the USA National Team training camp in the hopes of being added to the squad at a later date.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone talks about her difficult year

MyFox9.com with a great interview with Seimone and her difficult year.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Mone links long-term deal with Minnesota

Media_http2bpblogspot_berlg
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Lynx have signed two-time WNBA All-Star Seimone Augustus to a multi-year contract.

The Lynx disclosed the signing Monday without releasing terms. Augustus is currently the WNBA's all-time leader at 21.2 points per game. The 6-foot forward was a restricted free agent, coming off a major injury.

Augustus tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in a game last June, cutting short her fourth season in the league after only six games.
Augustus played on the U.S. Olympic team in 2008.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Mone picks the Saints

Media_http4bpblogspot_jkozj
Seimone Augustus
WNBA's Minnesota Lynx forward and Olympic gold medalist
"The Saints will win. New Orleans is a motivated team with a lot to play for. They have the whole state of Louisiana behind them in addition to the city of New Orleans. That gives them that extra motivation and confidence. Most importantly, we (Augustus is a Louisiana native) have the most accurate quarterback in the NFL in Drew Brees."


Read the rest of the celebrity predictions: http://bit.ly/dofuDb

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #1: Signing Day

Media_http4bpblogspot_dwfgf
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five. The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at the greatest moment.

Former LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman called her "the single most important recruit in the history of LSU Athletics." That moment became a reality on April 30, 2002, when the nation's top high school prospect Seimone Augustus pledged her commitment to the LSU Lady Tigers on national signing day.

The Lady Tiger coaching staff had no idea Augustus would announce her intentions to her hometown university. At a gathering of a few hundred students, teachers and fans at Capitol High School, Augustus arrived in an orange cap and shirt. Her choices had come down to two schools - LSU and Tennessee.

The attire proved to be anything but the truth. Minutes later the high school phenol uttered, "This has been a very long and hard recruiting process for me, but I've finally narrowed it down to one school. Next year I will be attending Louisiana State University."

The words forever changed the landscape of women's college basketball at LSU. They sent the late Sue Gunter running through the halls of the LSU women's basketball office as she watched local television coverage.

"This is not only great for LSU, I also think it's great for Seimone and her family and for the people at Capitol," Gunter said. "She's a great addition for our program and she can play a lot of different positions."

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #2: Lady Tigers First Final Four

Media_http2bpblogspot_tqufn
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at No. 2.

In the 29th season of women's basketball at LSU, the Lady Tigers had finally advanced to that elusive NCAA Final Four. Sophomore All-American Seimone Augustus scored a then-career-high 29 points and LSU overcame a seven-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat No. 3-seed Georgia, 62-60, on March 29, 2004, in Bank of America Arena.

Augustus, the NCAA West Region's Most Outstanding Player at 26.3 points per game, made 12-of-19 shots including two three pointers. The 6-1 guard also grabbed eight rebounds, had two assists, two blocks and a steal. Augustus scored 105 points in four games in the tournament, leading all scorers.

Augustus scored 16 points of 7-of-11 shooting -- all but two from outside 15 feet -- to lead the Lady Tigers in the second half. A rare three-pointer by Augustus with 15:50 to play in the game gave LSU its largest lead to that point, 37-34, but a 15-6 Georgia run put the Lady Bulldogs back on top at the 8:20 mark, 49-43.

LSU was able to cut the lead to two twice on a layup by Treynell Clavelle and a 12-footer by Augustus before Hardrick hit a 24-footer as the shot clock expired to give the Lady Bulldogs a 59-54 lead with 4:02 to play.

The Lady Tigers went on an 8-1 run over the final four minutes, including a 12-footer from Temeka Johnson with 1:03 to play that proved to be the game winner.

"We knew we had a matchup problem with Augustus," Georgia head coach Andy Landers said. "She's just very good. Our kids did a great job on her; they were right there and doing everything they could."

Augustus' postseason was one of the finest on record. Without the Baton Rouge native, LSU simply wouldn't have advanced to a Final Four. When LSU began its run in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, it was the culmination of a season of destiny that ended in New Orleans. Just a game earlier, Augustus had poured in 29 points as LSU toppled top-seeded Texas, 71-55.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/6HtlAu

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone Addresses Media About Jersey Retirement

Media_http4bpblogspot_fyuwf
BATON ROUGE -- LSU women's basketball legend Seimone Augustus addressed members of the media at a press luncheon on Wednesday at Walk-On's Bistreaux. Augustus, a former two-time National Player of the Year, spoke about the significance of becoming the first female athlete in LSU Athletics history to have her jersey retired.

Augustus was joined by LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva and LSU women's basketball head coach Van Chancellor. The Baton Rouge native becomes the ninth individual to have his/her jersey retired in the 117-year history of LSU Athletics.

Augustus' senior season was 2006, but the LSU Athletic Council unanimously waived the five-year waiting period a student-athlete must normally have to be nominated after completing intercollegiate competition.

The official jersey retirement will take place prior to the LSU-Tennessee game on Sunday in the Maravich Center. Augustus' jersey will forever hang from the rafters in the Maravich Center, joining the likes of legends Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal and Bob Pettit. The ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. CST. No. 18 LSU takes on No. 3 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST .

On the signature moments of her collegiate career...
"My high point was coming here, just making the decision not to go to Tennessee and coming here and staying home. Being able to play for a respected coach like Coach (Sue) Gunter and to be able to play with some of the girls that I grew up playing against like Temeka Johnson, Roneeka and Doneeka Hodges, and DeTrina White, we all kind of grew up together and just to be able to have that opportunity to play with them for four years was a great feeling to me. To come here and able to make my hometown proud, to be able to make this state proud, to be able to make my family proud was also a big point. Once I got here, the way everything blew up, I just didn't expect it. I just wanted to come here, make a positive impact, and take a program that was on the brink of elite status and help them become one of the top teams in the country as far as basketball is concerned. It blew up way further than I expected. The Final Four appearances, the SEC Tournament titles, the SEC regular season titles, and just to be able to have that rivalry with Tennessee, that was the biggest things for us, to beat the Lady Vols. It's so many things. I don't think I could single out one experience as being over the others. That first Final Four was the biggest because it started the momentum for us to continue to reach many more Final Fours, but my experience here was a great one. It was a great ride."

On what her emotions will be during the ceremony...
"I really don't know. I'm trying to hold myself together right now just thinking about it. Just to know that you've done so much for a community and for your state, and that it's being paid back with the highest regards, to have your jersey hung, it means a lot. Just to think about it, it makes you want to cry. A lot of my supporters have been calling and want tickets to the game. They're going to be there. I'm more excited for them because they put forth a lot of effort to help me from when I was five years old to right now, just to help me get through college and giving me motivation and being my backbone and being my supporters."

To see the video of the press conference as well as the entire transcript go to: http://bit.ly/6m0xpJ

 

 

Filed under  //  Media   Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #3: The Charge

Media_http2bpblogspot_yecfb
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at No. 3.

On March 27, 2006, with a third straight trip to the NCAA Final Four on the line, Seimone Augustus took it upon herself to provide the LSU Lady Tigers with one of the program's most defining defensive plays.

LSU was leading Stanford 60-59. Off an LSU turnover, the Cardinal took over with 11.5 seconds remaining in the game. Augustus then drew a charging foul with 4.8 seconds left and followed that with two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to send LSU to its third straight Final Four by a score of 62-59.

Stanford's Candice Wiggins dribbled past LSU's Scholanda Hoston to the elbow, where her progress was bombarded by Augustus as she passed to a wide-open Krista Rappahahn. The sharp-shooting Rappahahn buried a three-pointer, but the official blew the whistle for a charge long before.

"It's just about taking risks," Augustus said. "We had just discussed shooters and not letting them get open, and I saw the opportunity. I saw Candice (Wiggins), she was kind of out-of-control for a minute and I saw an opportunity to take a charge."

"I knew it was coming, we make that same play all the time," Wiggins said in the postgame press conference. "I was just a second too late, you know and the pass was there. I knew it was coming though, I just couldn't get there in time."

Augustus, who added to her legacy, scored 12 of LSU's final 15 points in the last 7:31 to single-handedly carry the Lady Tigers past the fading Cardinal down the stretch.

The senior finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, blocking a career-best three shots, grabbing four rebounds and adding two steals. The Baton Rouge native took home a large trophy and the San Antonio Regional's Most Outstanding Player honor. LSU would go on to face Duke in the NCAA Final Four in Boston.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/8J1Ern

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin