[JohnR34231]

Anyone see the UCLA U$C game last night?
It looked like another U$C victory, but the Bruins came out on fire in the second half. pretty much shut Juju down and won the game.
Betts is an outstanding player. I wonder if she would have become that good if she had stayed at Stanford? At any rate we really screwed the pooch by letting her get away, although maybe she was so disenchanted with Stanford that would have been impossible.

[JohnR34231]

Anyone see the UCLA U$C game last night?
It looked like another U$C victory, but the Bruins came out on fire in the second half. pretty much shut Juju down and won the game.
Betts is an outstanding player. I wonder if she would have become that good if she had stayed at Stanford? At any rate we really screwed the pooch by letting her get away, although maybe she was so disenchanted with Stanford that would have been impossible.

[mbdude]

My favorite player to watch on UCLA is Jaquez. Reminds me of Lexi Hull, kid works her butt off on offense and defense. Guarded Coti McMahon of Ohio st previous game and caused her all kinds of grief; then Watkins yesterday in 2nd half

[mbdude]

My favorite player to watch on UCLA is Jaquez. Reminds me of Lexi Hull, kid works her butt off on offense and defense. Guarded Coti McMahon of Ohio st previous game and caused her all kinds of grief; then Watkins yesterday in 2nd half

[PVTree]

Anyone see the UCLA U$C game last night?
It looked like another U$C victory, but the Bruins came out on fire in the second half. pretty much shut Juju down and won the game.
Betts is an outstanding player. I wonder if she would have become that good if she had stayed at Stanford? At any rate we really screwed the pooch by letting her get away, although maybe she was so disenchanted with Stanford that would have been impossible.

I watched the game. (Good) Kiki was in early foul trouble and her midrange shots were not falling. As I suspected, I wanted U$C to win this because I'm still bitter about Betts leaving and (bad) Kiki choosing the Polar Bears over Stanford. Juju was stopped in the second half and her frustration was on display.

[PVTree]

Anyone see the UCLA U$C game last night?
It looked like another U$C victory, but the Bruins came out on fire in the second half. pretty much shut Juju down and won the game.
Betts is an outstanding player. I wonder if she would have become that good if she had stayed at Stanford? At any rate we really screwed the pooch by letting her get away, although maybe she was so disenchanted with Stanford that would have been impossible.

I watched the game. (Good) Kiki was in early foul trouble and her midrange shots were not falling. As I suspected, I wanted U$C to win this because I'm still bitter about Betts leaving and (bad) Kiki choosing the Polar Bears over Stanford. Juju was stopped in the second half and her frustration was on display.

[Griffins78]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

[Griffins78]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

[2006alum]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

[2006alum]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

[Maple Leaf]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

  Agree 1000%.  Hope the Beves can become the Cinderella of the tournament by beating usc and or ucla, last year the Beves beat the domers.

[Maple Leaf]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

  Agree 1000%.  Hope the Beves can become the Cinderella of the tournament by beating usc and or ucla, last year the Beves beat the domers.

[Jskass]

yes, go Beavers! My favorite story too given what happened to them. Shows how great a coach Scott Rueck is, and he can now probably write his own ticket if he ever were to decide to leave OSU. We went to the Stanford game there last year and just loved the environment and people. They all deserve this. Have to add onto the beat USC/UCLA thoughts that a recent Creme Bracketology shows Cal in USC's bracket and that would be fun too!

[Jskass]

yes, go Beavers! My favorite story too given what happened to them. Shows how great a coach Scott Rueck is, and he can now probably write his own ticket if he ever were to decide to leave OSU. We went to the Stanford game there last year and just loved the environment and people. They all deserve this. Have to add onto the beat USC/UCLA thoughts that a recent Creme Bracketology shows Cal in USC's bracket and that would be fun too!

[crackpot]

Coach Vanderveer is taking her team to the NCAA Tourney!

In their first season in Division I, Heidi's team, assisted by Vanessa Nygaard, just beat UC Davis in the Big West Conference tournament to punch their ticket.

[crackpot]

Coach Vanderveer is taking her team to the NCAA Tourney!

In their first season in Division I, Heidi's team, assisted by Vanessa Nygaard, just beat UC Davis in the Big West Conference tournament to punch their ticket.

[Card10Fan]

USC kinda gets screwed with their NCAA seeding. A potential Elite 8 rematch with UConn who they beat by 2 this season already. Paige Bueckers last chance at a Natty. That should be a Final 4 game. Iriafen might not even get to play in a Final 4.

UCLA gets the top overall seed. I think South Carolina was more deserving. UCLA will still have to go through Ole Miss (who we know is tough) then either NC State or LSU (another potential rematch from last year). I wouldn’t put them as a Final 4 lock either.

[Card10Fan]

USC kinda gets screwed with their NCAA seeding. A potential Elite 8 rematch with UConn who they beat by 2 this season already. Paige Bueckers last chance at a Natty. That should be a Final 4 game. Iriafen might not even get to play in a Final 4.

UCLA gets the top overall seed. I think South Carolina was more deserving. UCLA will still have to go through Ole Miss (who we know is tough) then either NC State or LSU (another potential rematch from last year). I wouldn’t put them as a Final 4 lock either.

[PVTree]

I'll be cheering for NC State. They're a good team, and they are the school that changed their vote to open the door to the ACC for Stanford.

[PVTree]

I'll be cheering for NC State. They're a good team, and they are the school that changed their vote to open the door to the ACC for Stanford.

[triangle2]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

I read a great story about how Rueck found Ally Schimel after he tuned into the Oregon 3A championship game last year to watch someone else and saw Schimel go off for 42 points. Offered her a walk-on after last year's team blew up, and put her on scholarship halfway through the season. Schimel's grandfather is former Portland Trailblazer Larry Steele.

https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/ally...-all-of-us

[triangle2]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

I read a great story about how Rueck found Ally Schimel after he tuned into the Oregon 3A championship game last year to watch someone else and saw Schimel go off for 42 points. Offered her a walk-on after last year's team blew up, and put her on scholarship halfway through the season. Schimel's grandfather is former Portland Trailblazer Larry Steele.

https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/ally...-all-of-us

[BostonCard]

The Athletic has a breakdown here:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6189807...ournament/

BC

[BostonCard]

The Athletic has a breakdown here:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6189807...ournament/

BC

[PVTree]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

I read a great story about how Rueck found Ally Schimel after he tuned into the Oregon 3A championship game last year to watch someone else and saw Schimel go off for 42 points. Offered her a walk-on after last year's team blew up, and put her on scholarship halfway through the season. Schimel's grandfather is former Portland Trailblazer Larry Steele.

https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/ally...-all-of-us

Is she the sister of one-time Stanford wannabe recruit Shoni Schimel? I recall she was a prolific scorer who ended up at Louisville and then in legal trouble.

[PVTree]

Oregon State just won the WCC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid after being so  devastated by the transfer portal that I wondered if they could field a team: The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen). Scott Rueck is really a good coach.

This is my favorite story from the conference tournament week. I really can't think of a program that deserves this more - Rueck, his fan base, and OSU generally have been dealt an absolutely rotten hand.

I read a great story about how Rueck found Ally Schimel after he tuned into the Oregon 3A championship game last year to watch someone else and saw Schimel go off for 42 points. Offered her a walk-on after last year's team blew up, and put her on scholarship halfway through the season. Schimel's grandfather is former Portland Trailblazer Larry Steele.

https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/ally...-all-of-us

Is she the sister of one-time Stanford wannabe recruit Shoni Schimel? I recall she was a prolific scorer who ended up at Louisville and then in legal trouble.

[bl82]

No relation and very different backgrounds. Shoni spells her last name with two Ms and also grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission, Oregon. She was a lot of fun to watch and played with a considerable amount of flair.

[bl82]

No relation and very different backgrounds. Shoni spells her last name with two Ms and also grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission, Oregon. She was a lot of fun to watch and played with a considerable amount of flair.

[Mick]

The LA Sparks are going to use male practice players. Cameron Brink is not happy about it.
WNBA Star Is Not Happy With Male Practice Players

Apparently, it is common in college. My son used to practice against Princeton's women's basketball team. Parenthetically, he told me they were the best-run practices of which he'd ever been a part.

It is or used to be common:
The WNBA’s male practice squads lose to women all the time — and enjoy it - SBNation.com

Stanford has used them in the past. Tara and Jennifer Azzi insisted on limits:
Singling out the men in the women's game

In 2006, the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics recommended banning the use of male players, but it wasn't passed:
In women's basketball, men have a role on practice floor

[Mick]

The LA Sparks are going to use male practice players. Cameron Brink is not happy about it.
WNBA Star Is Not Happy With Male Practice Players

Apparently, it is common in college. My son used to practice against Princeton's women's basketball team. Parenthetically, he told me they were the best-run practices of which he'd ever been a part.

It is or used to be common:
The WNBA’s male practice squads lose to women all the time — and enjoy it - SBNation.com

Stanford has used them in the past. Tara and Jennifer Azzi insisted on limits:
Singling out the men in the women's game

In 2006, the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics recommended banning the use of male players, but it wasn't passed:
In women's basketball, men have a role on practice floor

[BobK]

Stanford WBB team always honors their male Sr practice players And have for years.

[BobK]

Stanford WBB team always honors their male Sr practice players And have for years.

[paloalto]

I've read a number of articles today about Brink being strongly against practicing with male players.  It's getting national attention.

Here is a quote from an article:  "Brink is the Sparks’ most popular player. Team management will hear her concerns, which could force a change. The tryouts for male practice players commence in a couple of weeks."

[paloalto]

I've read a number of articles today about Brink being strongly against practicing with male players.  It's getting national attention.

Here is a quote from an article:  "Brink is the Sparks’ most popular player. Team management will hear her concerns, which could force a change. The tryouts for male practice players commence in a couple of weeks."

[StanFanFam13]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

[StanFanFam13]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

[bl82]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

Thanks for the elaboration and for digging a little deeper. Your take makes a lot more sense than extrapolating from the headline.

[bl82]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

Thanks for the elaboration and for digging a little deeper. Your take makes a lot more sense than extrapolating from the headline.

[PalmTree]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

Thanks for the elaboration and for digging a little deeper.  Your take makes a lot more sense than extrapolating from the headline.

+1!

[PalmTree]

I'd encourage everyone to actually listen to Cam's statement on her podcast in order to get the full context: https://youtu.be/RmoYc45cfqQ?si=BBI0FZ3jk0nBwzW1&t=193

This doesn't sound to me like she is opposed to the use of male practice players in general. As others pointed out, they have long been used effectively and appreciated heartily by the Stanford program. And I recall reading in another article that as part of Cam's training with Susan King Borchardt, she also played/trained with and learned from Curtis, which gave her an edge when going up against other bigs. In the podcast, Cam also mentions the Sparks' use of male practice players from USC and does not seem to have a problem with it.

Her comments are directed specifically at the response (via social media comments) to the Sparks' open call for men to try out to become practice players. It sounds like many of the commenters are guys who think this sounds like a great opportunity to get up close and personal with players they find attractive, and for whom the perk of trying out wouldn't be so much to play ball as it would be to get inappropriately physical. Cam's comment is that the team should "vet" who is allowed to try out before she is expected to, say, box out a guy who might welcome the contact a little too much. I think it's totally fair for her to expect that the team ensure practice players behave professionally—and to conduct tryouts with that in mind.

It's frustrating that media coverage seems to either mistakenly or deliberately miss the nuance here.

Thanks for the elaboration and for digging a little deeper.  Your take makes a lot more sense than extrapolating from the headline.

+1!