June 22, 2010
Former Oklahoma State player and NBA draft prospect, James Anderson
On the eve of the eve of the NBA draft, many Oklahoma State orange-tinged eyes will be eagerly watching and waiting to see the fate of one of their beloved sons, 6’6″, 210 lb. guard James Anderson. The jury is still out on how high he might rise or if there might be a last-minute dive down the draft board when names start getting called on Thursday, but no one can dispute the 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year’s collegiate dominance.
A look at the numbers
For those of us who watched Anderson’s college progression, the improvement of not only his heightened general abilities but the numbers he was able to post make him one of the more impressive shooters and scorers in the 2010 draft class. Keep reading →
June 21, 2010
Father’s Day.
For me a day to appreciate not only the dad that raised me, but also his indelible influence on not only my personality, character and morality but also my passion for sports.
So when I began to think about what I could ‘give’ my dad on this Hallmark holiday, I came up with but one thing on my limited budget. Written word to express my love and thankfulness to someone who’s basically become my best friend as I’ve grown into adulthood. Well that, and a home-cooked meal complete with a two layer cake from someone who was just hoping the food wouldn’t kill anyone.
When I was a tyke, some of my earliest memories and photographic proof of my existence revolve around a softball diamond, a volleyball gym, a football field. Memories of getting a centipede stuck to my foot (ew!) and having to get it peeled off at the ballpark, getting spiked in the head by the biggest, scariest spiker ever (at least to my young and short self) – Scott, and making road trips to cheer for my uncle’s football teams while bundled up in the stands drinking hot cocoa beside my dad are some of the first to invade my thoughts when I think of my pops.
Other days of watching the Tiny E 3-on-3 basketball team practice, taking my dad to his first game in Fenway Park and his first Oklahoma City Thunder game, being the substitute catcher on the co-ed softball team and sharing my last birthday watching the Tulsa Golden Hurricane take on Boise State in the rain also come to mind as well as snapshots from hundreds and hundreds of other days.
As I was watching the U.S. Open and waiting for the cake to bake yesterday, I reflected on just how special my dad is to me and just how many things that he – and our shared sports experiences – have shaped my life. Keep reading →
June 20, 2010
Walking into the locker room after the Tulsa Shock’s 92-78 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night was a chance to not only get reacquainted with the team that just completed a four game (and four loss) road trip but also to see fresh faces in the adjusted locker room seating chart.
The game analysis seems simple – Minnesota was 12 of 19 from three-point range against what appeared by all to be a lax defensive effort by the Shock, forced or sometimes just watched Tulsa commit 21 turnovers and outscored the home team in every quarter of the game, including that dogged third quarter meltdown for the Shock was yet again seen on the court.
Candace Wiggins and Seimone Augustus are both fully recuperated from the injuries that allowed Tulsa to take two of the first three meetings in this five game season series and both played impressively and were joined by Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen as double-digit scorers.
Richardson even said of the returning pair, “They got Wiggins back, they got major players back, they’ve got Seimone, major players. I mean big time players. They were out when we played them and the people that were playing a lot for them are now sitting on the bench. That just goes to show you that they were good without them, but now they’re real good with them.”
So although the stat sheet has all signs pointing downward for the Shock, especially considering not only the recent string of defeats, but also the margin in which they’ve lost lately (25, 12, 32, 11, 14), all is not lost. The optimism of those new to Tulsa and those who helped unveil the logo give a feeling of camaraderie and team, heart and character, growth and rebuilding, all reaching toward the common goal of winning. But not just winning, enjoying the ride as it comes. And for Coach Richardson that ride now has the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel after the latest roster changes.
To read more on Swish Appeal, please click here.
June 9, 2010
The Tulsa Shock are shaking up their roster bit by bit – waiving Amanda Thompson and recent acquisition Ashley Walker in favor of free-agent veterans Kiesha Brown and Jennifer Lacy.
Shock head coach Nolan Richardson is not one to shy away from giving his honest opinion and did just that after a May 20th home loss to San Antonio. And now - as hindsight is 20/20 as we all know – his post game thoughts sound almost like a tip of the hand for the coach and general manager of the Shock.
“In my case I have to still wonder if I’ve still got the best kind of players to fit this team,” said Richardson. ”I don’t know anybody. I have not coached not one single person on the floor ever before so when you’ve got that – you’ve got a new coach, you’ve got a new team, you’ve got a new system, everything’s new and it takes time to put new things together.”
The new things being put together will no longer include the local draw of the former Sooner and here are my thoughts on this latest Tulsa Shock roster change.
June 4, 2010
Praying Hands statue on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tonight is Faith and Family night for the Tulsa Shock. At first I was dismayed by this pairing up of WNBA basketball and a Christian concert. But when I looked at the demographics of Tulsa, how can you not couple faith and family with religion in Oklahoma?
There are pre-game prayers, post-game FCA huddles, church groups singing the national anthem and “God Bless America” being blasted at baseball games. So having a Christian university (Oklahoma Wesleyan) sponsor a Christian concert after a game sounds like a very sound marketing plan in the Bible Belt. Tonight in Tulsa, we’ll see just how solid a plan this union of faith and basketball might be.
To read more of my thoughts on this issue as seen on Swish Appeal, please click here.
June 2, 2010
When Indiana Fever rookie Jene Morris looks back on the early days of her still blossoming WNBA career, she’s already carved out memories to keep. The first speeding ticket on her first day in Indianapolis, the hot and humid weather, the calmer than California lifestyle in what Morris describes as a “basketball town”.
But above all else, she points to veteran support as something to hold on to in her transition to professional basketball.
And when you begin to study the Indiana roster, it’s clear she means by veteran. Not just first or second year players, but some players with eight and nine years under their belt. And some even more. In a cursory scan, you find four women born in the 1970s, quite a reach from the youngsters such as Morris born in the late eighties.
For Morris, this older and wiser influence on her game has already made an indelible mark.
To see how the vets are influencing her game and her thoughts on the game please read the full story on Swish!
May 30, 2010
The Tulsa Shock can wipe another item off the ‘to do’ list after grabbing a home win from a former rival and 2009 eastern conference champion Indiana Fever.
The 79-74 game was a hard-played, hard-faught, down to the final seconds battle to get Tulsa their first win in their new digs at the BOK Center.
“When you have a team like we have – a young bunch – eventually there’s gonna be some winning take place,” head coach Nolan Richardson said of the new achievement. “They’ve played too many teams so close . . . but tonight we were able to finish.”
One of the most impressive things about the finish for the Shock is the fact that the bench outscored the starting five by a tally of 43-36. Great, right? That impressive statistic shines just a bit brighter when you realize that the bench was shorthanded due to the recent trade of Shavonte Zellous for a 2011 2nd round draft pick. And that same statistic of bench scoring begins to outright sparkle as you see the points were from just three women – Amber Holt, Natasha Lacy and Plenette Pierson.
To read more from these role players and their coach from after the win, click here.
May 24, 2010
NewsOK video of the ARCA regatta in Oklahoma City
The American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships have come and gone for 2010 in Oklahoma City. The event was capped Sunday, complete with a delay on the final day due to excessive wind.
When racing resumed with a shortened schedule, the Michigan Men’s Varsity 8, Junior Varsity 8 and Novice 8 swept the top spot in their respective races. But other schools had a chance to shine with Grand Valley State (Mich.), Georgia Tech, Wichita State, Kansas and Sonoma State (Calif.) posting wins.
Gregg Hartsuff, Michigan head coach and ARCA president, said he has high hopes for an event that has grown from 687 rowers to 1,150 since the regatta was last held in Oklahoma City in 2008.
“I hope in two years that we have 2,000 athletes here and 75 programs,” Hartsuff said. “It’s grown each year the last three years due in part to the generosity of Oklahoma City in helping us get off the ground.”
This movement to create a thriving rowing community in Oklahoma City goes beyond last weekend’s ACRA races. The evidence is in the construction of new boathouses along the Oklahoma River and the elite-level athletes training at Oklahoma City’s High Performance Rowing Center.
Keep reading →
May 23, 2010
OCU Women's Varsity 4 - photo courtesy of Jeremy Stevens
Rowers from coast to coast descended on Oklahoma City on Saturday for the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship regatta on the Oklahoma River.
A team that is closer to home — in both college affiliation and hometown — is the Oklahoma City University women’s four. The boat has a pair of rowers from the Pacific Northwest in Katie Sondag and Megan Duffy. The other three are from the Oklahoma City area — recent graduate Hydi Gibson, walk-on Dinah Harjo and coxwain Brianna Hurley.
Though their paths to the sport and the state are different, the group shares a common passion for this niche sport in a land-locked state that is growing into a rowing oasis.
Harjo came to OCU for academics and was recruited as a walk-on rower, a standard practice in collegiate rowing. ”It’s something unique to rowing that you can go to college and be part of a varsity sport and still never have competed in that sport as a youngster,” OCU coach Melanie Borger said. “When you find someone who’s athletic, who’s competitive, it’s just the process of teaching them how to row and then they turn into a phenomenal rower like Dinah.” Keep reading →
May 22, 2010
Kevin Durant – or the new @KDthunderup – might have changed his Twitter name, but definitely not his personality or style.
Today while on a flight, Durant took the time to answer fan questions and here they are in a makeshift twitterview.
These twitterviews – at least to me – show his personality, character and overall “good guy-ness” and make me even more invested in him and the rest of his Thunder teammates.
[my favorite q & a's are denoted by ***]
And so we start…
@KDthunderup: Ok I’m on this plane bored…i’m bouta tweet away…unfollow me if u want..questions??
***Q: @QuinnMahoney: whats the most points you’ve scored in a game at any level
***A: 62, outdoor summer league
Q @Keith_McMillen: would you like to stay in OKC for your whole career?
A: yessir
Q: @MarquisDwayne: Hey do yu do yu try to be and MVP Candidate or yu just out there doin watever it takes to win?
A: tryna get Ws
Q: @xbdamsx: Do you have a pregame ritual?
A: pray twice n tell my teammates I love them
***Q: @adrianELgreat: who do you think has been MVP of the playoffs?
***A: co mvps Kobe n rajon Keep reading →
