WNBA Makes History Again With New League President

The WNBA tipped off its 15th season last night and the rest of the league's team get in the action today.  

But when Laurel J. Richie took over as the third president of the WNBA on May 16, one of the things that escaped the notice of most media outlets is that she became the first African American (male or female) to head a major American sports league.   She's not only the first African-American president of the WNBA, she's also the first one who wasn't a basketball player herself.

Richie's roots are in the business world as a veteran marketing executive who last worked as the Chief Marketing Officer of the Girl Scouts of America.    She also worked for the national advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather and developed advertising campaigns for such companies as American Express and Pepperidge Farm.

Those skills will suit her well in her current position as WNBA president.   One of the jobs she'll have will be to continue marketing of the WNBA to the mainstream sports audience.

"The WNBA is comprised of the best female basketball players in the world, and I'm looking forward to working with these talented women as they strive to achieve their professional goals both on and off the court."

 As when y'all finally get around to expansion, hope Houston's at the top of the list for cities to return to.

Brittney Griner In Mix For 2012 Olympic Basketball Team

As you TransGriot readers are aware of, I'm a big hoops fan, especially on the women's side.

I've been following the career of my hometown lady baller Brittney Griner ever since one of my readers told me about the viral YouTube videos of her dunking on her high school competition enroute to taking Aldine Nimitz to the Class 5A state finals a few years ago.

The evolution of Brittney continues as she along with Gonzaga point guard Courtney Vandersloot were invited to attend a recent three day training camp for the USA national squad in Las Vegas as the road to determining who will make up the 12 woman squad in London next summer starts .

She was the only collegiate player there in Vegas and bad news rest of FIBA basketball world, she is in the mix to be on either next summer's or a future final twelve woman USA Olympic b-ball squad or a USA FIBA championship team. .   

And yes, despite the rough first day of camp,  the current national squad players and coaches were excited about the prospects of Brittney's 2.08 meter frame (6' 8" inches for the metrically challenged) blocking shots and patrolling the lane for us either at the London Olympics or the 2014 FIBA world championship in Turkey


"Brittney made tremendous progress in the three days she was here," said USA coach Geno Auriemma. "The first day she was completely lost and out of it. The second day she looked like a completely different person. Each time she's together with us you'll see her get better and better and better. Her size, her length are impact things."

"She does a spin move from the free-throw line, takes one dribble and slams it with two hands," coach Jennifer Gillom said. "’I said, I’m done.’ she got my respect right away. Wow, that was amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like that with any player. That was quite impressive. This kid has a future, an unbelievable future. To think what she could become is amazing. I’m telling you, this kid is something special, very special."

"She is the most special player I’ve ever seen," Diana Taurasi said. "She will be a help in 2012. She will."

And it's going to be fun watching her play..

Texas A&M Wins 2011 NCAA Women's B-Ball Title

Danielle Adams prophetically called it in a Thursday night YouTube video, then dropped 30 points to ensure her prediction came true as the Texas A&M Aggies won the 2011 NCAA women's title over Notre Dame 76-70.

With the win Texas A&M ended the best season in school history with a 33-5 record and became the fourth Texas based school after Texas (1986), Texas Tech (1993) and Baylor (2005) to bring an NCAA women's basketball title back to the Lone Star State

Yes people, we do play sports other than football and spring football here.

After last night's bricklaying convention at Reliant Stadium, it was nice to see a game where people actually hit midrange jumpers and play defense.  Both teams played hard with Skylar Diggins dropping 23 points for the Irish but a clutch Tyra White three pointer would swell the Aggie lead to 73-68.  A defensive stop by the Aggies on the next Notre Dame possession ensured that the NCAA championship trophy would be coming back to Texas.     

In addition Aggie coach Gary Blair made a little history as well.   He becomes the oldest coach at age 65 to snag an NCAA women's title.


They're probably still partying in Bryan-College Station right now and at Aggieland.

Whoop!   Congratulations to the Texas A&M Aggies.

Texas A&M Aggies Playing In NCAA Women's Title Game

Had to show some love to my Texas A&M family as their lady ballers are playing in tonight's NCAA women's title game in Indianapolis.

As they've made this run through the season I've smiled at times.   It goes back to my recent speaking engagement at Aggieland a few months ago and a conversation I was having with several of the female students about women's basketball.

One student decried the sexist way it was promoted, and to emphasize her point she pulled up the Aggies women's basketball website and used as Exhibit A the glammed up photo of the 2010-11 Aggie women's team on the front page, then compared it to the men's squad. 

Was a nice photo, but back to the story.

The Aggies are in their first NCAA Final Four and NCAA Championship game, and they want to complete their mission of bringing the title back to the Lone Star State.


Danielle Adams did say in a YouTube video posted after the Aggies arrival in Indy Thursday night "We're winning it all right here,"  alluding to the fact this was the school's first women's Final Four appearance.

So far so good.


The Aggies knocked off their season long nemesis in Brittney Griner and the Baylor Lady Bears in the Dallas Regional final after three frustrating losses to them in Big 12 play and in the Big 12 tournament championship game.   Despite being a number two seed in the Dallas Region, it was considered an upset when they beat the Ogwumike sisters (ahem from Houston) powered Spokane Region champ Stanford 63-62 in a Sunday night thriller.

Now they take on the 'home' team in Notre Dame, who had a similar frustrating situation with UConn.   To set up that fourth meeting with Maya Moore and the Huskies, they had to go through number one seeded Tennessee in the Dayton Region final.

South Bend, IN homegirl Skylar Diggins lit up UConn for 28 points to not only avenge their three straight losses this season to the Huskies, but ended their bid for a threepeat with a 72-63 thumping on home state soil..


It's shaping up to be an interesting matchup between the Aggies and the Fighting Irish, and y'all know who I'm rooting for.


Gig 'em!  

2011 Women's Final Four Games Today

The 'menz' played two dynamite national semifinal games yesterday at Reliant Stadium and today it is the women's turn in the spotlight. 

Their national semifinal games are a pair of 1 vs 2 seed matchups at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to decide who meets for the national championship on Tuesday night.

Did a better job on my 2011 NCAA women's bracket in that two of my teams are still alive along with the team I picked to win the title.

There are also some interesting storyline in today's games as well.   UConn's drive to a threepeat will be severely tested in another knock down drag out battle with their Big East rival Notre Dame.  

Notre Dame is playing in their first Final Four since they won the 2001 NCAA title.   To get to this one they knocked off number 1 seeded Tennessee to play what amounts to a home game not far from their South Bend campus.  Skylar Diggins hopes she and her Fighting Irish teammates can win a national championship in her home state.

First time Final Four participants Texas A&M finally beat their nemesis Baylor after losing three previous games to get here but their reward was taking on Stanford.  

The Cardinal have made it to their fourth consecutive Final Four and hope they finally have the talent to get over the hump and bring that title back to the Left Coast.  

H-town's Ogwunike sisters will do their part to help ensure that happens for the Cardinal while the Aggies Danielle Adams and Houstonian Sydney Colson will do their part to try to bring that title back to Aggieland.


The action will be on ESPN, and I'm looking forward to seeing some great games today.

2011 Men's Final Four-David vs Goliath

My brackets are a mess just like everybody else's after this upset filled tournament, but we now know who the four teams left standing are that will be competing for the spot in the NCAA b-ball championship game later today at Reliant Stadium.

It's setting up as a David vs. Goliath matchup, with the David's being the small conference teams of VCU and Butler versus the power conference bluebloods of Connecticut and Kentucky. 

It's also cool that we'll have that theme going into Monday night's NCAA Championship game as well.   VCU and Butler will play one semifinal while UConn and Kentucky will battle in the other game.

And as always in the Final Four, there are the dramatic storylines.    VCU won five games to get here with torrid three point shooting and a dynamic young coach in Shaka Smith    The Rams are tackling a team in Butler who is not only in their second consecutive Final Four, but narrowly missed winning it all last year against Duke in their Indianapolis backyard when a desperation half court three point prayer at the buzzer rimmed out.    Can the Bulldogs get the title they narrowly missed out on?  

One of the Goliaths is the Kentucky Wildcats.   They are college basketball royalty that hasn't won a NCAA championship since Tubby Smith coached them to their seventh title in 1998.    This team wasn't expected to do much after having last year's Elite Eight squad lose five players to the NBA, but has shocked people by making it to Houston.

UConn battled its way out of the brutal Big East and rode the hot shooting of guard Kemba Walker all the way to Houston

They also are attempting along with their female counterparts to accomplish a unique double for the second time.  Back in 2004 UConn won both the men's and women's NCAA basketball titles in the same year, becoming the first Division I school to accomplish that feat.   Can they uphold their end of the deal?  

It's also a rematch of a Maui Invitational tournament game that UConn won back in December .   But now the rematch takes place with a spot in the championship game on the line and the Huskies and Wildcats playing their best basketball.   Who goes home early and who cuts down the nets Monday night?


Should be a lot of fun to watch.
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