Cleveland Recap
Hey, hey, I'm awake. The 8:40 pm flight from Cleveland to Houston didn't leave snowy Cleveland yesterday until 10:20 pm Eastern Time. The plane didn't touch down in H-town until 12:40 am Houston time. Our bags didn't arrive for about 20 minutes after that. No worries though because both of my bags did arrive which is definitely a good thing.
To recap the week that was:
We arrived in Cleveland Friday morning in time to attend to the first session of the WNBA's Draft Camp; unfortunately, for us, our bus driver had other plans. Despite passing our hotel at least twice, the bus didn't drop us at the hotel for about 90 minutes. As a result, I missed the first session.
Downtown Cleveland is currently undergoing construction which caused a lot of slow movement and impatient visitors. Instead of risking another bus ride, I walked from the hotel to the site of the draft camp -- Cleveland State University's Woodling Gym -- to attend Friday's night session. The walk to the gym proved fruitful.
I interviewed Comets' Coach / GM Karleen Thompson; Baylor's Bernice Mosby; and three C-USA players: Rice's Lauren Neaves; UAB's Carmen Guzman; and Tulsa's Jillian Robbins. Of the four players I interviewed, Mosby was the only one to be chosen in the April 4 WNBA Draft. However, during my interview with Karleen she told me she was planning to make a draft selection which would make people say "Wow!" Clearly, she was referring to Ashley Shields whom the Comets chose with the 8th pick in the first round of the Draft. Though Shields is an unknown to many basketball fans, a few basketball people believe the Comets made a great choice by selecting her. Time will tell.
Saturday afternoon I attended the WBCA's High School All - America Game; and, after seeing her in person, I am very, very impressed with UConn signee Maya Moore. Maya is not just an incredible athlete; she's a very skilled basketball player. Period.
As I do when I attend the Women's Final Four, I brought up the possibility of the city of Houston hosting a Final Four with a member of the NCAA Championship Committee. Hopefully, one of my ultimate basketball goals will be realized in the future.
Tuesday, April 3, Candace Parker's mother accepted the State Farm Wade Trophy for Candace at the WBCA Awards Luncheon. During her speech, Parker's mom told the crowd she "looked forward to receiving this honor again next year". I didn't interpret the statement as arrogant; however, though I didn't doubt it before, I was convinced Candace was returning to Tennessee for the 2007 - 2008 season. Later, I learn of reports from Nancy Lieberman stating that Candace would leave after the 2006 - 2007 season to play overseas and earn up to $1M. I guess Candace's mom knows best when it comes to decisions regard her child. Huh?
None of the three games in the Final Four (two semifinals and the title game) were high scoring or "aesthetically pleasing" to watch; but, the goal of the participating teams is to win not simply entertain. Tuesday night, Tennessee defeated Rutgers 59 to 46 to capture the 7th basketball National Championship in Tennessee's history. I interviewed most of the Tennessee players in the locker room after the victory.
Attending the WNBA Draft yesterday was a first for me. Seeing everying with a "behind the scenes" look was very interesting. It was definitely hectic and fast paced. After attending the Draft, I went to the airport and waited (and waited); but, thankfully, I'm back in H-town. I was too tired to attend this morning's press conference at the University of Texas to announce Gail Goestenkors as the new head coach; but, hopefully, I'll have numerous opportunites in the future to interview "Coach G" in the future.
Women's basketball continues evolving and improving; hopefully, as the evolution continues, more and more people will start appreciating the sport and attending the games instead of criticizing it for not being like the men's game.
To recap the week that was:
We arrived in Cleveland Friday morning in time to attend to the first session of the WNBA's Draft Camp; unfortunately, for us, our bus driver had other plans. Despite passing our hotel at least twice, the bus didn't drop us at the hotel for about 90 minutes. As a result, I missed the first session.
Downtown Cleveland is currently undergoing construction which caused a lot of slow movement and impatient visitors. Instead of risking another bus ride, I walked from the hotel to the site of the draft camp -- Cleveland State University's Woodling Gym -- to attend Friday's night session. The walk to the gym proved fruitful.
I interviewed Comets' Coach / GM Karleen Thompson; Baylor's Bernice Mosby; and three C-USA players: Rice's Lauren Neaves; UAB's Carmen Guzman; and Tulsa's Jillian Robbins. Of the four players I interviewed, Mosby was the only one to be chosen in the April 4 WNBA Draft. However, during my interview with Karleen she told me she was planning to make a draft selection which would make people say "Wow!" Clearly, she was referring to Ashley Shields whom the Comets chose with the 8th pick in the first round of the Draft. Though Shields is an unknown to many basketball fans, a few basketball people believe the Comets made a great choice by selecting her. Time will tell.
Saturday afternoon I attended the WBCA's High School All - America Game; and, after seeing her in person, I am very, very impressed with UConn signee Maya Moore. Maya is not just an incredible athlete; she's a very skilled basketball player. Period.
As I do when I attend the Women's Final Four, I brought up the possibility of the city of Houston hosting a Final Four with a member of the NCAA Championship Committee. Hopefully, one of my ultimate basketball goals will be realized in the future.
Tuesday, April 3, Candace Parker's mother accepted the State Farm Wade Trophy for Candace at the WBCA Awards Luncheon. During her speech, Parker's mom told the crowd she "looked forward to receiving this honor again next year". I didn't interpret the statement as arrogant; however, though I didn't doubt it before, I was convinced Candace was returning to Tennessee for the 2007 - 2008 season. Later, I learn of reports from Nancy Lieberman stating that Candace would leave after the 2006 - 2007 season to play overseas and earn up to $1M. I guess Candace's mom knows best when it comes to decisions regard her child. Huh?
None of the three games in the Final Four (two semifinals and the title game) were high scoring or "aesthetically pleasing" to watch; but, the goal of the participating teams is to win not simply entertain. Tuesday night, Tennessee defeated Rutgers 59 to 46 to capture the 7th basketball National Championship in Tennessee's history. I interviewed most of the Tennessee players in the locker room after the victory.
Attending the WNBA Draft yesterday was a first for me. Seeing everying with a "behind the scenes" look was very interesting. It was definitely hectic and fast paced. After attending the Draft, I went to the airport and waited (and waited); but, thankfully, I'm back in H-town. I was too tired to attend this morning's press conference at the University of Texas to announce Gail Goestenkors as the new head coach; but, hopefully, I'll have numerous opportunites in the future to interview "Coach G" in the future.
Women's basketball continues evolving and improving; hopefully, as the evolution continues, more and more people will start appreciating the sport and attending the games instead of criticizing it for not being like the men's game.
posted by Kris Gardner @ 2:11 PM
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