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 

Lady Tigers all over stat leaders in WNBA; Big Syl most efficient

SCORING: Desptie missing the early part of the season with surgery, Seimone Augustus is currently 6th in the WNBA in scoring at 19.2 points a game.  Right behind her in the 7th spot is Sylvia Fowles at 18 points a game.  Scholanda Robinson ranks 30th with 11.8 points a game.

WNBA SCORING STATS: http://bit.ly/b7EnUo

REBOUNDING: Sylvia Fowles is 4th in the WNBA in rebounding grabbing 12.7 boards a game.

WNBA REBOUNDING STATS: http://bit.ly/d0iGxe

FG%: Syl is 5th in FG% among players in 10 games or more hitting 58.9% of her shots.  Mone is 37th hitting 47.5%

WNBA FG% STATS: http://bit.ly/cGS2fO

BLOCKED SHOTS: Big Syl leads the W with 2.75 swats a game.

WNBA BLOCKED SHOTS: http://bit.ly/9l02Lw

3 PT SHOOTING %: Believe it or not, Big Syl leads the WNBA in 3-Point Shooting % after hitting her only attempt this past weekend for a perfect 100%. Seimone, shooting 41.9% is ranked 20th.  Roneeka Hodges is his hitting 34.7 and is ranked 49th.

WNBA 3 PT SHOOTING %: http://bit.ly/aehp4P

ASSISTS: Temeka Johnson is 4th in the WNBA in assists at 5.36.

WNBA ASSISTS: http://bit.ly/d0MDnD

STEALS: Scholanda Robinson is 20th in the WNBA in steals at 1.5.

WNBA STEALS: http://bit.ly/9LenYQ

DOUBLE DOUBLES: Big Syl is second in the WNBA in double-doubles with 11.  Temeka Johnson is 12th with 3 but doing it the hard way with points and assists -- she is first among guards.

WNBA DOUBLE-DOUBLES: http://bit.ly/abksuT

EFFICIENCY: In arguably the most important statistical category as it combines all the others, the WNBA is leader is Sylvia Fowles with a rating of 25.2! Seimone Augustus ranks 16th with a rating of 15.0. Temeka Johnson is 40th at 10.3

WNBA EFFICIENCY: http://bit.ly/cbJYqd

Wnba_lsu_report

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

Mone, Syl, Marie, Meek and Sho shine in big weekend in WNBA

Starting back to Thursday the Los Angeles Sparks defeated Tulsah 86-83 with Marie Ferdinand-Harris hitting 2 of 3 behind the 3-point arc.  The Shock were lead by Scholanda Robinson who poured in 19 points.

LA/Tulsa Box: http://bit.ly/byQqVI

On Friday, the Chicago Sky lost a tough one to the New York Liberty but not because of the effort of Sylvia Fowles.  Big Syl registered yet another double-double with  12 points and 16 43bounds to go long with 4 blocked shots.

Chicago/NY Box: http://bit.ly/c8awgS

Yesterday, LA registered another win as the Sparks hit 15 three-pointers in the game.  Part of the credit for the long-range success belongs to Marie who again hit 2 of 3 behind the act as LA defeated Connecticut 89-80.

LA/Connecticut Box: http://bit.ly/bs4Lh7

Sylvia Fowles scored 23 points and the Chicago Sky overcame an eight-point deficit in the final 3:10 to beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 75-72 on Saturday night.  The Sky have won four of their last five. Roneeka Hodges scored 13 points  to lead the Silver Stars (8-14). Hodges missed a potential tying 3 and Fowles grabbed the rebound as time expired.

Chicago/San Antonio Box: http://bit.ly/9P9Ee7

Despite a season-high 36 points from Seimone Augustus, the Phoenix Mercury set the WNBA scoring record with a 127-124 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night.  In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Mercury, lead by Temeka Johnson among others, rallied from 14 points down in the 4th quarter.

Augustus scored 15 points in the third quarter to key a Minnesota rush after Phoenix got within four points early in the second half.

A pair of long jumpers by Augustus sandwiched around one of her five 3-pointers gave the Lynx a 79-66 lead. After Phoenix scored six straight, Augustus hit another long jumper to put Minnesota up nine.

Augustus scored seven of Minnesota's points during a 13-4 run for a 45-28 lead midway through the second quarter. Phoenix used a 10-2 run to pull to 54-47 at halftime.

Meek scored 7 points and added a game high 9 assists including a key long pass to start the Mercury comeback.

Pheonix/Minnesota Box: http://bit.ly/c5dQ6q

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

More MVP talk for Big Syl at Swish Appeal

Q McCall of Swish Appeal list Sylvia Fowles, Temeka Catchings and Lauren Jackson as his primary candidates for Most Valulable Player in the WNBA this season...here is what he has to say about Big Syl:

The argument for Sylvia Fowles is simple: nobody in the league has assumed a larger responsibility for their team's success than Fowles, who sits at 30.94%. Her vastly improved free throw shooting - which was over 90% early in the season and has plummeted to 80.6% -- has made her the second most efficient scorer in the league by true shooting percentage, at 65.83%.

It's just that when trying to select one of these three players have particularly dominant season, the low plus/minus is a hindrance for Fowles. There are at least two potential reasons - first, the Sky can go through long stretches of time where they Fowles doesn't touch the ball on offense. Although she has definitely improved the range on her shot, she's still limited compared to Catchings and Jackson so on those plays where they put Fowles out on the wing or high post to spread the defense she essentially becomes a non-factor.

Second, Fowles is more effective when the team is shooting the three well...or the team shoots the three well when Fowles is more effective. The point is that if opposing defenses know that they can sag off of Sky shooters, it becomes much easier to defend Fowles on the block. That was essentially the story of the Sky's 4-0 win streak after their 0-4 start - they shot nearly 14% better from the three point line.

A third reason is that Fowles plays 32 minutes a game on an 11-11 team, meaning that her team probably experiences being down a bit more often with their starters on the floor and Fowles bears the brunt of that. Granted, the supporting cast members for Catchings and Jackson are playing very well this season, arguably better than the roster of the Sky - if Fowles was playing with point guard Sue Bird, perhaps we'd see a different outcome.

Looking forward, if the Sky don't make the playoffs and the Storm continue at their pace and the Fever stay on track as an Eastern Conference contender, it would be very hard to choose Fowles over the Catchings and Jackson given how much they are doing for their teams. Nevertheless, none of this should take away from the fact that Fowles is having an absolutely outstanding season.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/dmQ4QN

Sylvia_fowles800

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

Syl jumps from 7th to 4th in MVP Power Rankings

By Frank Della Femina, WNBA.com:

I said last week that Chicago's playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of Sylvia Fowles. Consider the team's three-straight wins, Fowles' two-straight double-doubles and her double-figure scoring in every single game and try to convince me otherwise. The league-leading shot blocker does it all. Points? She'll score em. Rebounds? She'll grab em. Free throws? She'll make em. And right now the Sky will take anything and everything Fowles is willing to give, which if you haven't noticed by now is her all. It's been a career year for Fowles so far and it's only bound to get better. Cracking the postseason for the first time in franchise history will no doubt be the icing on the cake. A championship, of course, would be the cherry on top.

Read the entire rankings: http://bit.ly/cIBU6h

Wnba_fowles

Filed under  //  Alumni   Sylvia Fowles   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.

Sylvia_wnba

Filed under  //  Alumni   Sylvia Fowles   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

Wnbalogo

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 

Lots of Lady Tigers in matinee action today in the W

All afternoon games today in the WNBA and lots of Lady Tigers playing:

Roneeka Hodges takes San Antonio to Chicago to play against Sylvia Fowles at 11:30 AM.

Allison Hightower and Connecticut are on the road at Indiana at noon.

Atlanta travels to Minnesota to battle Seimone Augustus and the Lynx at noon.

Temeka Johnson and Phoenix host Seattle at 2:30 PM.

Follow the scores and stats at: http://bit.ly/9AhpZf

Wnba_ball

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