Plaisance, USA teammates go through two scrimmages

THERESA PLAISANCE: Last night we played two quarters against Chile and then two quarters Brazil and they played a completely different style of basketball. Chile was extremely short, their tallest player was 5'8" and they played really physical defense to make up for their size. They were great outside shooters. Brazil was extremely physical on both ends of the court. They had decent size and were well conditioned. I did alright aganst both teams , I dont know how many points I had against Chile but I had 9 against Brazil. It was intersting to listen to the other teams communicate with themselves. I'm anxious for the tournament to start on the 23rd of this month.

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Filed under  //  Player's Post   Team USA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Theresa taking success in stride

From Kelly McElroy of HoumaToday.com:

Theresa Plaisance is the kind of kid who never forgets to thank those around her, even with a schedule that would make most people’s head spin. After interviewing the star basketball player from Vandebilt Catholic numerous times over the last couple of years, not once has she left me without thanking her family, friends, coaches, teammates, classmates and others who she feels have helped her succeed.

Her faith, too, plays a large part in her life, something she is always sure to make mention of.

We live in a time and place where being a star high school athlete is not as easy as it once was.

In the past, the star prep athlete may have had to deal with a few calls and visits from recruiters now and then and maybe a bunch of letters from colleges in the mail.

But that was about it.

Now things are much different.

The colleges aren’t the only ones who want their attention.

College sports and the coverage of them are big business.

These kids are having to balance school, practice, games, hectic schedules and their social lives, with calls (sometimes daily) from people all over the country trying to get the scoop on them.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/aS4e6E

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Posted by Bob Starkey 

Theresa hard at work for USA Basketball

We just received some photos of Theresa Plaisance at USA Basketball practice in Colorado Springs as the 18-Under team prepares for the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, June 23-27 at the USOTC.

Filed under  //  Team USA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Theresa Plaisance surives final cut; makes USA U18 Team

After 16 finalists participated in six days of trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball today announced its final, 12-player 2010 USA Women’s U18 National Team. The USA women will compete in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, June 23-27 at the USOTC. The tournament will take place in Sports Center I and is open to the public.

“I’m real excited to get going,” said Jen Rizzotti, USA U18 and University of Hartford head coach. “With 12 players, now, you know your pieces and you know your strengths and your weaknesses, so we can decide what we want to do. The next phase is about to begin, and we’re real excited to fine tune some things and really get ready for the start of the tournament next week.”

The 12-player roster includes: Theresa Plaisance (Vanderbilt Catholic H.S./Marrero, LA), Diamond DeShields (Norcross H.S./Norcross, Ga.); Stefanie Dolson (Minisink Valley H.S./Port Jervis, N.Y.); Reshanda Gray (Washington Prep H.S./Los Angeles, Calif.);  Cassie Harberts (San Clemente H.S./San Clemente, Calif.); Bria Hartley (North Babylon H.S./North Babylon, N.Y.); Malina Howard (Twinsburg H.S./Twinsburg, Ohio); Alexis Jones (MacArthur H.S./Irving, Texas); Allyson Malott (Madison H.S./Middletown, Ohio); Kayla McBride (Villa Maria Academy/Erie, Pa.); Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair H.S./Cypress, Texas);and  Cassie Peoples (Cy-Fair H.S./Houston, Texas).

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/cL3geW

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Posted by Bob Starkey 

Lady Tiger freshman Theresa Plaisance makes first cut for USA Basketball

After three days of intense trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, USA Basketball today announced 16 finalists to make the 2010 USA Women’s U18 National Team. Congratulations to Theresa Plaisance for making that cut!   Of the 16 finalists, only 12 will make the 2010 USA U18 National Team, which will compete in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, June 23-27 at the USOTC. The final, 12-player team will be announced no later than the afternoon of June 14, after several additional practice sessions.  While Ogwumike was named both the Gatorade National and Texas State Player of the Year, Hartley (New York), McBride (Pennsylvania), Peters (New Jersey) and Plaisance (Louisiana) also earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in their respective states.

Read the complete article at: http://bit.ly/baLCJh

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Filed under  //  Team USA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Lady Tiger newcomer prepares for USA Basketball experience

When Shanece McKinney unfurls her 6-foot-4 frame and trots onto the basketball court, everybody notices.

Yet, the LSU signee — and soon-to-be LeFlore graduate — has never grown accustomed to her leading role in the hoops hierarchy. She has consistently voiced surprise, even shock, over the last two seasons at being selected as the Press-Register player of the year.

She was all smiles, and bashful about hobnobbing with the state’s best, at the Miss Basketball banquet earlier this spring when she finished fifth in voting for the statewide award.

So when a letter addressed to her from USA Basketball arrived recently, she didn’t expect much when she ripped it open.

To hear her tell it, her jaw dropped to the floor cartoon-style as she read she had been invited to the under-18 national team tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I read it and I said, ‘I think they’re kidding,’” McKinney said. “I was shocked.” 

She shouldn’t be.

McKinney emerged from the high school and AAU ranks as one of the most sought-after recruits in the country, thanks in large part to her 6-foot-4 frame and calm demeanor on the court. And it doesn’t hurt that she oozes humility.

She may not have the killer instinct of Baylor’s Brittney Griner, but McKinney possesses a quiet confidence that played a huge role in the Rattlers’ back-to-back appearances in the AHSAA state semifinals.

McKinney said she’s not heading to Colorado Springs expecting to secure a national team spot, not when 30 or so invitees will work for a dozen or so slots. In reality, she’s probably fighting for one of two or three spots at center.

“I’m not going up there thinking I’ve got this,” she said. “I’m going to do my best.”

From By Josh Bean of AL.com.  Read the entire article at:  http://bit.ly/bbVUxn

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Filed under  //  Team USA  
Posted by Bob Starkey 

Seimone returns to action with USA Basketball

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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  

Ally takes from USA Basketball experience

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Here are some comments from Allison Hightower following her USA Basketball participation this past weekend:


On the scrimmage
I thought it was a great experience to come out here and play as hard as you can against some of the best players in the world. To be able to get that opportunity is something that I will truly learn from, and I learned a lot. I've grown a lot. I learned from the older players and the coaches, so overall it's been a great experience.

What about your game specifically did you learn?
You got to go all out, every single day, every single minute, every single possession. I learned a lot about my game individually, what I need to work on, ball-handling, shooting, reading screens. I will definitely take from the experience, go back to work and improve my game doing the things we have been doing here.
Was it an honor to get to play with USA on your chest?
To be able to scrimmage against the National Team players and be able to represent the United States was something that I'm truly blessed to do. I'm just seizing the moment right now. It's been overall just great getting to know them, seeing how they play and seeing what it takes to get to that level. It's something that I will definitely take with me.

Filed under  //  Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison and Seimone report for USA Basketball workouts

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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  

Olympic Connection in today's LSU-South Carolina game

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From Scott Hotard of The Advocate:


When he meets Dawn Staley at midcourt before today’s game, LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor expects some good-natured ribbing between the two.

“She’ll remind me she won me a gold medal — tell me that three or four times,” Chancellor said. “I’ll remind her I’m the one who picked her to play for me.”

Staley, one of the great players in women’s basketball history, won three Olympic gold medals, the last with Chancellor as coach in 2004. She finished her professional career with Chancellor, playing two seasons on the Houston Comets he coached.

Nowadays, Staley and Chancellor are rivals.

Staley took over the South Carolina women’s program two seasons ago after leading Temple to six NCAA tournaments in eight seasons.

Chancellor left the Comets three years ago and has kept LSU among the nation’s elite in his return to the college game.

On the opening day of Southeastern Conference play, Chancellor and Staley reunite when No. 11 LSU (11-1) faces the Gamecocks (7-5) at 5 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.

Read Scott's entire article: http://bit.ly/4nmzLc

Filed under  //  Media   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin