Welcome back Big Syl!

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In exhibition play last night, Sylvia Fowles played in her first game after returning from the Euroleage playoffs and poured in 13 points with 7 rebounds in only 22 minutes of play as Chicago defeated Seattle 84-71.


Welcome back big Syl!

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Big Syl EuroLeague Player of the Week

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Sylvia Fowles of Spartak Moscow has been named the EuroLeague Women Player of the Week after leading her team to the Final Four in a two game sweep of Quarter-Final Round opponent Fenerbahce.

Fowles came away from the two games with an efficiency rating of 44, a full eight points better than her closest competitor Janell Burse of Wisla Can-Pack Krakow.

The 6-6 center was dominant in game two in Istanbul where she hit 12 of her 15 shots on the way to 26 points and an amazing 19 rebounds. In game one earlier in the week she scored 18 points and grabbed 12 boards.
Candace Parker of UMMC Ekaterinburg finished third with an efficiency rating of 34 while Candice Dupree of Good Angels Kosice finished fourth.

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Posted by Bill Martin  

Big Syl checks in from Russia

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The following is from Sylvia Fowles thanks to her WNBA team:


Life in Russia ...where should I begin?

Okay, for you guys out there who don't know where I play in my off season, I am in Vidnoe, Russia. That's about 30 to 40 minutes away from the city. Playing here is not so bad when you have Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Janel McCarville as teammates. They keep me going and I have to say, having them around makes things much better.

I really don't get out too much here. I may go out to eat from time to time with my teammates, but nothing major or juicy to tell you guys. I am more of a home body and I LOVE "me time". The main reason for me being a home body is because it is too cold here, and I don't like it one bit. I spend most of my days drawing, watching movies and talking to my mother through Skype.

My mother will be coming to visit me in a few weeks and she's bringing my dog. YAY!!! I'm super-excited to see them. I'm going to be super-happy when they're here. It seems like forever since I've seen them, and it's only been a month. When my mother gets here I will take her out, but she has to cook me meals. She is not on a vacation, and I have to get some good home-cooking in while I can.

Thanks for checking in. I can't wait to see you all when I get back in the States, and back in Chicago.

Thanks to the Chicago Sky for the update! http://bit.ly/9X5xrh

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Syl feeling good about her future

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The following is an article on Syl from Slam Magazine:


Sylvia Fowles is frequently described as a teddy bear off the court due to her gracious persona, her steadfast faith, and humble personality.

On the court, however, is a different story.

There are few that can defend the paint like her, and even fewer who possess her raw athleticism. With Fowles now fully healthy, she has a legion of Sky fans feeling optimistic about the future.

A motivated and driven Fowles should be a scary thing to opposing offenses. And make no mistake about it, Sylvia Fowles is pumped, and motivated, for a breakout 2010 season.

Though, breakout might be an unfair word; Sylvia did make the 2009 All-Star team as a member of the Chicago Sky and generated a substantial amount of buzz with a late game dunk. Still, playing in just 41 games in her two years in the WNBA, the amount of potential for Fowles is limitless — the key is simply staying healthy.

After struggling with injuries in her first two seasons in the WNBA, Fowles hasn’t lost the competitive fire that was so evident during her time at LSU. Leading the Lady Tigers to the Final Four each of her four years, Fowles gained a tremendous amount of respect for her ability to withstand adversity as well as her incredible basketball prowess. That talent and raw athletic ability led to the Chicago Sky picking Sylvia 2nd overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft (behind Candace Parker) and would fortify the Sky’s frontline for the future.

A staple of consistency for the Sky when healthy, Fowles has averaged 11 points and almost 8 rebounds a game in each of her seasons with the Sky. Fowles rounds out an impressive, young roster of Sky players that are well equipped to make a playoff run in 2010. Players like the incomparable Candice Dupree, Jia Perkins and Kristi Tolliver will certainly make the Sky a legitimate force in the East.

I caught up with Sylvia recently to get an update on her current time with Spartak Moscow, her excitement for the 2010 WNBA season, and what is truly important to her.

To read the rest of the article and a great one-on-one interview with Syl click: http://tiny.cc/pSQ70

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Vote for Big Syl for the Euroleague All-Star Game

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Click on the link http://bit.ly/6Ii9XI and vote for Sylvia Fowles for the Euroleague All-Star Game! She's nine down in the "Rest of the World" category. Be sure to send this to all the the Lady Tiger fans so they can all vote for Big Syl!

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Big Syl Helps Team USA to Title

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Sylvia Fowles grabbed a team high 12 rebounds and dominated on the defensive end to lead the USA Women’s National Team (3-0) as they handed host UMMC Ekaterinburg (2-1) a 78-63 defeat on its home court to win its third game in as many days and claim the Ekaterinburg International Invitational championship Sunday evening.

Geno Auriemma about Sylvia Fowley’s rebound and defense?

"Sylvia’s capable of having an impact in the game every time down the floor at both ends of the floor. That’s the biggest team we’ve played since we’ve come together and we needed every one of Sylvia’s rebounds and we needed her to do exactly what she did to today. I hope she builds on this because this was great performance by her."

Q & A WITH BIG SYL ABOUT THE WIN

The team got off to a good start and you were really rebounding in the game.
"We got off to good start but my rebounding had a lot to do with coach challenging me. Yesterday I played like six minutes and didn’t get a rebound so he didn’t play me in the second half so it was a challenge to go out there and do well for my team. But at the same time everybody was on the same page and we wanted to get it done from the get go."

What about the 17-0 run that finished off the second quarter?
"That was a good feeling only because the United States always gets dished that it can’t get it done and everything doesn’t always work in our favor. But just for us to be on the same page and for us to utilize our abilities to do what we can do, I enjoyed every moment on it."

The U.S. was short on post players today with Candace being injured and Asjha being required to play for Ekaterinburg. Were you concerned about that and can you talk about playing their bigs, was it a physical contest?
"It was bo
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th physical and mentally tough too because they try to out think you. For us not having all of our post players was kind of a concern, but at the same time coach already had installed in our minds that it wasn’t a concern or a worry, that if we went out and got it done then we wouldn’t have to worry about our lack of post players."

Were you focusing today on just rebounding?
"Yes I was focusing today on rebounding. If shots would have gone up and we would have made it, then that would have been a plus, but my main focus was to crash the boards every time hard and get boards for my team; and play defense as well."

How rewarding was it to come away with the championship after 10 days of training?
"It’s good, it says a lot about our coaching staff and also our players and for everyone to suck up their role and not BS about their minutes or anything like that. We just came together and we wanted to get it done and doing it in 10 days says a lot about trying to come together as a team."
 

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

BIG SYL LEADS USA WITH 14 POINTS AND 7 REBOUNDS

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In only 18 minutes of play, Sylvia Fowles tallied 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and picked off 3 steals to lead Team USA to 100-81 victory over Czech professional team ZVVC UKA Prague in Ekaterinburg International Invitational in Russia.


Here are some quotes from Syl:

How did you feel out there in your first game?
"I felt pretty good individually and then as a team I think we did a good job. Just to get out there with those girls and to do what we did, in our first time playing together, I was a little excited but we still have a lot to work on."

In the USA’s post players all together, there seems to be a lot of different combinations, a lot of different strengths.
"That’s a secret weapon for our team. We do have a lot of bigs and each of us does different things. To have a big out on the wing like Candace Parker and Candace Dupree, and Asja (Jones) and Swin (Cash), you can switch them up and I love that we have combinations and teams have to be prepared for whatever we give them."

Did it take an adjustment to get back in the swing of international basketball?
"I kind of went with the flow. I would say that in the first five minutes it was kind of different, they kept calling the traveling calls so I had to think about ‘I’m back overseas so you have to watch your feet a little bit and watch what you do.’"

It seemed like you were getting the ball in great inside position.
"I felt like I was getting the ball where I wanted but I felt like I was missing too many chippies and that comes with just being patient and taking your time and reading the defense. But it’s like I said, this was our first game and I’ll be better prepared for the next one. "


The U.S. continues the round-robin tournament against Euroleasing Sopron on Saturday and caps the tournament against host and 2009 EuoLeague third place finisher UMMC Ekaterinburg on Sunday.

Click here for box score and more info:

Filed under  //  Sylvia Fowles   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Sylvia and Seimone Visit Walter Reed Hospital

SYLVIA FOWLES (10-1-09):

"I enjoyed myself for the most part. It was very eye-opening just to see these people from the war who were banged up and injured, but still had the right mindset about life. I’m happy we paid a visit to them because they really look forward to these (types of) visits. They tell us how we lighten their day, so I’m happy I was able to help someone smile today."

 
Comments from Big Syl who joined Seimone and visited

 
Following today’s (10-1-09) practice, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team had an opportunity to visit with some of the wounded soldiers recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After a briefing from a member of the United Service Organizations, better known as the USO, the team broke up into small groups of 4-5 and visited troops in their hospital rooms.

Filed under  //  Community   Player's Post   Seimone Augustus   Sylvia Fowles   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin