Lady Tigers on NBA-TV this weekend!

If you get NBA-TV you can lock in and see some Lady Tigers playing this weekend!

Saturday at 6:00 CST, Big Syl and Chicago takes on the Mystics in Washington.

Sunday at 5:00 CST, Ally and Connecticut travel to Phoenix to take on Meek.

And later on Sunday night Roneeka and San Antonio are at Seattle

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

Big Syl eager to get through WNBA season injury-free

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Amos Morale of the Times-Picayune catches up with Big Syl as she enters another WNBA season:

Syliva Fowles is downright giddy about this upcoming WNBA season.

Fowles, the Chicago Sky's 6-foot-6 center and a former LSU All-American, finally feels healthy.

"Knock on wood, I hope to stay this way the whole season, " Fowles said.

After a knee injury ended her rookie season and an ankle injury derailed her second year, Fowles said she's pain-free and ready for the WNBA season, which begins today.

Despite her playfulness off the court, Fowles said this season she wants to be more of a force on offense. She has averaged 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds with Chicago.

"I've always been known to be effective on defense but not necessarily as much on offense, " Fowles said. "So (I'm) just trying to be aggressive more around the rim and get more touches."

Like most WNBA players, Fowles spend her offseason playing overseas, for Spartak Moscow in Russia. She's had an opportunity to hone her game there and has had no complaints about spending half the year in a foreign country -- except one: "The winters there (stink). Being from Florida, it was kind of hard, but other than that, it was pretty good."

Fowles said the style of play in Russia allows for more aggressiveness, which she has to adjust to back in America. The lane also is wider in the Russian league, and three-second violations are rarer.

Fowles said the biggest adjustment is getting back into the routine of the WNBA. She had more leisure time overseas, but her off-court obligations in the States rarely allow for such freedom.

"Being here, you never know what you might have to do, " Fowles said. "You might have a community service, or an appearance, to sit down and watch film, meetings and thing like that."

She said she was looking forward to building chemistry with the Sky. "Once they get me going, everything else is going to flow like butter, I guess, " Fowles said. "I don't really have any preparations. I just go out there and play to the best of my abilities and win."

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

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

Temeka Johnson Radio Interview

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Click on this link to hear a great interview by David Siegel of Dish n' Swish with Temeka Johnson talking about everything including LSU, Coach Gunter, Hurricane Katrina, the WNBA, the HOPE Foundation and much more.

Filed under  //  Media   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

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  

Lady Tigers go through media training

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LASONDRA BARRETT (4-19-10):
About 2 or 3 times a year, our team goes through media training, where we practice speaking in front of the camera and prepare ourselves to answer questions that the reporters might ask. Media training is just as important as basketball training because it prepares us to be comfortable and speak correctly when in front of the cameras or interviewed by reporters. Thursday, April 22, we were asked many questions like a mock interview with Ms. Shirley White. We were filmed while she asked questions and gave us positive and negative feedback. Some of the tips she gave about having a good interview are always maintain eye contact with the interviewer, shake their hand before and after the interview, and be aware of "um's" and "you know." These media trainings always help our team because it allows us to be comfortable when given a real interview, and it also prepares us of what to say and what not to say.

Filed under  //  Media  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Meek blogging from overseas for Slam Magazine

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Temeka Johnson has been a guest blogger for Slam Magazine's online site this spring. Here is her latest entry:


What’s up SLAMonline?!

Sorry for being late, but we had a lot of games last week, lots of travels, and as I mentioned in my last blog, I have my personal trainer with me. No excuses, though, I’m back! Did you miss me?

We secured our place in our league and continue to play well and move forward. Lost one game, but won our last one the way we needed to win it (by a margin of over 20 points). I played pretty well with my own 20-point effort in the game. But the most important part was getting that much needed victory. No matter what we do individually, basketball is still a team game. I wanted to make sure we won that game, and was going to do whatever it took to win. But, having teammates like Lenae Williams (former DePaul player who I’m sure you’ve heard about with the Phoenix Mercury) make it easy. She can ball y’all! You’ll see. She’s also been a great assist to me while learning the French way of life! Thanks, Lenae!

Read Meek's entire blog entry at SlamOnline: http://bit.ly/abZCti

Filed under  //  Media   Temeka Johnson   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Hightower named Louisiana top female college basketball player

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BATON ROUGE - After leading LSU to the NCAA tournament for the 12th straight season and ending her career as the 13th all-time leading scorer in school history, Allison Hightower has been voted as the 2009-10 Louisiana Player of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, making her a repeat winner in the category.

Hightower edged out Louisiana Tech's Shanavia Dowdell by four first place votes in ballots submitted by university sports information directors and select members of the state's media. She also earned a spot on the All-Louisiana first team.

It marks the seventh straight season LSU has produced the Louisiana Player of the Year. Sylvia Fowles won the award in 2007 and 2008 and Seimone Augustus claimed the honor three consecutive seasons from 2004-06. Hightower won the award as a junior in 2009.

Hightower has been invited to attend the 2010 WNBA Draft on April 8 in Secaucus, N.J. The draft airs live on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com at 2 p.m. CST Thursday.

Dowdell joins Hightower on the All-Louisiana first team along with Bickham, Tulane's Chassidy Brown, and Adrienne Johnson, also of Louisiana Tech.

Voted onto the second team were Brittany Powell of Xavier, Tillisha Givens of Louisiana College, Trenese Smith of Loyola, LaSondra Barrett of LSU, and Hannah Kador of Southern.

Barrett, a second team All-SEC selection, led LSU in rebounding with 6.6 boards per game, while ranking second on the team with 12.8 points per contest. The sophomore posted five double-doubles and led the SEC in free throw percentage at 84.4 percent (147-of-161). She became the first LSU player since Seimone Augustus in 2003 to lead the SEC in free throw percentage.

LSU junior guard Katherine Graham received honorable mention honors after averaging 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Graham led LSU in field goal percentage (45.7) and produced just the third triple-double in school history with 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against Ole Miss on Feb. 7.

Filed under  //  Media  
Posted by Bill Martin  

LSU signee named Louisiana Miss Basketball

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The following was written by Chris Singleton for the LSWA and printed in The Advocate:


HOUMA — When Theresa Plaisance took her first steps onto the Vandebilt Catholic campus two years ago, she described it as walking into a new world.

After starring at Ursuline Academy of New Orleans as a freshman and sophomore, Plaisance transferred to Vandebilt before her junior season when her mother, DoBee Plaisance, landed the women’s basketball coaching job at nearby Nicholls State University.

At first, Plaisance said the transition to a new school was difficult because she didn’t know anyone. She also struggled with playing in a new system under longtime Vandebilt coach Kathy Luke, who wanted the 6-foot-5 standout to play the post instead of the guard position she played at Ursuline.

Although it took some time to get used to a new school and basketball position, Plaisance eventually enjoyed success, leading Vandebilt to a Class 4A state-runner up trophy in 2009.

A year later, she etched her name into Vandebilt history by leading the school to its first state championship in basketball with a 70-51 victory over Jennings in the 4A title game. She scored a game-high 24 points with 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and three assists to win the game’s outstanding player award.

For her success this year, Plaisance has been voted the 2010 Farm Bureau Miss Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

The award is one of many that Plaisance, an LSU signee, has won since moving to Vandebilt, including being named a two-time Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year, a 2010 McDonald’s All-American and the Class 4A player of the year.

Plaisance said winning Miss Basketball was a great way to cap her senior season.

“It’s a huge honor and I really appreciate it,” Plaisance said. “It’s been a great year, and it will always be special just because we brought the first basketball championship of any kind to Vandebilt. That means more to me than anything.”

As a senior, Plaisance averaged 16 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Lady Terriers to a school-best 35-1 record. She said her success wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates.

“I owe it all to them,” Plaisance said. “My teammates come first to me. This team has been very special, and we’re all so close that we’re like a family.”


Read the entire article at: http://bit.ly/9q51tK

Filed under  //  Media  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Allison realizing her dream

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By Jim Kleinpeter, The Times Picayune
April 01, 2010

BATON ROUGE -- As a schoolgirl in Arlington, Texas, LSU guard Allison Hightower chased the WNBA dream.

Because her grandparents lived in Houston, she took in Houston Comets games whenever she visited. She saw the Comets win three of their four championships under current LSU coach Van Chancellor.

Back home, she plastered her bedroom wall with posters of her idol, Cynthia Cooper, and collected the league trading cards.

"I used to wear the fake championship rings they passed out at the game, " she said with a smile.

Now the dream is becoming real. Hightower, one of the elite players in LSU history, is expected to be one of the top 10 picks in the WNBA draft to be held April 8 in Secaucus, N.J. If that happens, she will be the seventh WNBA first-round pick from Louisiana State University. The first was Marie Ferdinand in 2001.

"It's just so exciting, so surreal right now, " said Hightower, an All-American the past two seasons and Player of the Year candidate this season. "That was so long ago. It's exciting that women have a professional game. It's always been my dream to play in the WNBA."


Read the entire article at: http://bit.ly/a8IptS

Filed under  //  Media   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

WNBA Coaches & GM talk about Allison

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WNBA head coaches and general managers discuss Allison Hightower and her prospects in the WNBA.


Q: Can you give a general assessment of Allison Hightower?

CHERYL REEVE: “I think Allison Hightower is a player that has a chance to be successful in our league because she can score the ball and she’s a very good defender. She’s in a situation where that position is one that probably has the most depth in the draft. The perimeter players I think have good number of players and it depends on your taste in a basketball player and it might depend a little geographically, how much you’ve seen a player but there’s a good bunch of players in the category with Hightower, that I think they’re all very good, it is just a matter of where they land.”

JENNIFER GILLON: “Just to add on to what Cheryl said, I think Allison Hightower is probably one of the best guard defenders that’s out there. There are so many things she can do. She’s a very versatile player, a great three-point shooter, has a nice mid-range jumper, great penetrater and you get a player of her caliber that players well on both ends of the court, I think she’s an outstanding athlete. ”

Read the entire article at: http://bit.ly/9k1xfN

Filed under  //  Media   WNBA  
Posted by Bill Martin