Marla Brumfield joins Clemson Staff

I know this news is late; so, don't kill me.

Congratulations to Marla Brumfield for being hired as a new assistant coach on the Clemson Tigers women's basketball coaching staff. Clemson announced the news on June 25. Marla began the job on June 22.

Brumfield played at Rice University from 1997 to 2000; and, she helped guide the Owls to trips to the WNIT as well as a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2000.

Brumfield joins Cristy McKinney once again. McKinney was head coach at Rice for 12 seasons before being hired at Clemson in 2005. Brumfield was an assistant coach at Rice for two seasons; and, she was the first player from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to be drafted by the WNBA when the Minnesota Lynx chose her in the 2000 WNBA Draft with the 22nd pick overall. 

Owls' Four Freshmen

Wednesday afternoon, I took some time to stop by Rice University's Tudor Fieldhouse to get a glimpse of the newest Rice Owls: Jessica Goswitz, Lacey Neu, Zoe Rogers, and Opal Taskila in an "open gym" setting. These four young ladies will be freshmen on the 2009 - 2010 Rice women's basketball team.

"Open gym" is basically 5-on-5 scrimmages involving high school, current college and former college players. The games aren't very long nor are they very serious; but, they help the players get in shape; improve conditioning; develop team chemistry; etc.

Of the four freshmen, Jessica Goswitz is the only one who comes from outside of Texas. Jessica is from Knoxville, TN. She played ball at the Webb School in Knoxville; and, she was part of the 2007 team which won the Tennessee state championship. 

Lacey Neu is from Granbury HS in Granbury, TX. Zoe Rogers attended Bellaire HS (Bellaire, TX); and Opal Taskila graduated from Winnsoboro HS in Winnsboro, TX.

All four of them are taking a few summer classes (Public Speaking and a Sports Management class) to help get acclimated to the Rice University way of life.

While talking with them I learned that all four of them chose Rice because of "the academics". In fact, each of them said, "Rice is the best education I'll get."

Goswitz, 5'5", chose Rice over East Carolina and Tulane. "I took a visit the weekend after my visit to Rice; and, after that visit, I knew Rice would be my future home and this would be the right place."

Neu, 6'0", chose Rice over "Iowa State, SMU a little bit, a few other schools up North; but, I couldn't go up North. SMU was a little too close to home; but, I didn't want to get out of Texas."

Rogers, 6'1", picked Rice over "West Virginia, Georgetown, Miami, and some other ones; but, I picked Rice."

Taskila, 6'2", picked Rice over "SMU. UTSA, and UNT a little bit; but, mainly SMU".

I'll try to catch a few more "open gym" sessions this summer; and, I'll post more comments from them in the future.

Big 12 Leads Nation in Attendance

Big 12 women's basketball led the nation in attendace in 2008 - 2009 for the 10th straight season while reaching the one million mark for the fourth time in conference history. The Big 12 totaled an NCAA record 1,073,069 fans for an average of 5,312 fans per game.

Here's the NCAA press release and the attendance figures in more detail.

Tennessee led Division I women's basketball in attendance for the sixth straight season. National champs Connecticut ranked second. Iowa State and Oklahoma ranked third and fourth respectively.

For year-by-year women's basketball attendance, click here.

SASS Offer Exclusive Houston Package

I've been asked by some people "Why should I support the WNBA? They took away my Comets!"

If you feel that way, I cannot change your mind; however, if you're a fan of the WNBA as a whole or you're a fan of the San Antonio Silver Stars and live in Houston, then allow me to pass on this information from the San Antonio Silver Stars. The SASS is offering an exclusive ticket package to Comets' fans.

Recently, the Stars sent an invitation to Comets' season ticket holders. I was forwarded the information and asked to share the information on my website.

Tuesday, June 9, representatives from the SASS will be in Houston at the Downtown Aquarium (410 Bagby Street) to discuss season ticket packages designed exclusively for Houstonians.

The deadline to RSVP has been extended to June 4.

The Silver Stars are hosting a Happy Hour at the Downtown Aquarium. Stop over and enjoy a complimentary drink with other Comets friends!

WHO: Comets' Fans, Silver Stars Front Office Staff
What: Galactic Happy Hour
When: Tuesday, June 9, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Where: Downtown Aquarium, 410 Bagby St (Bagby @ Memorial)

DETAILS
Learn about Silver Stars Ticket Plans, designed exclusively for Houstonians.
Network with women's basketball fans.
Win Raffle prizes -- including a Becky Hammon autographed jersey and Sophia Young basketball.
Enjoy a complimentary beverage with a cash bar afterward.

RSVP (by June 4) to Ms. Alma Lara, Silver Stars sales representative: 1-210-444-5683.

Here's the flyer in .doc and .pdf.

Mercury, LifeLock Break New Ground

The Women's National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury, and LifeLock announced a groundbreaking arrangement today as the Mercury and LifeLock have launched a multi-year partnership to launch the first-ever branded jersey in WNBA or NBA history.

As CNBC's Darren Rovell writes in this article, corporate logos already adorn NASCAR suits and shirts in Major League Soccer (MLS). Plus, corporate logos are worn on team uniforms throughout international leagues for basketball and non-American football (re: soccer).

I'm sure some purists will have problems with the Mercury and the WNBA "selling out"; however, as a supporter of women's basketball, I'm glad to see the arrangement made.

Reportedly, LifeLock's sponsorship is in the "seven figures" which should definitely help the Merc and the bottom line. Sponsorships are vital to any team's success; and, of course, fan attendance is also important.

According to this New York Times article, during this past offseason, the WNBA "authorized its teams to let companies place their names on players' jerseys as part of broad sponsorship agreements".

If that is indeed the case, I have to ask once again, why aren't the Houston Comets playing ball in Houston in 2009? Last fall, I was told a few different groups were willing to buy the Comets; and, this idea of jersey branding seems like an idea which would have been very interesting (and beneficial) to a new ownership group.

But I digress...

Today's partnership announcement between the Mercury and LifeLock is a first in the WNBA. I wonder how many of the other 12 WNBA teams will follow suit. 

Astros to Honor Comets August 4

UPDATE, June 1, 10:00 a.m. -- Astros' sales ticket representative, Cody Arnold, confirmed the Astros are indeed holding a "Houston Comets Night" on August 4. Arnold said the Astros are "working on solidifying a few ex-players to attend; but, we haven't confirmed any of that, yet. We're trying to get everyone to come to the game and remember the Comets."  

HOUSTON, TX -- According to this message board post, the Houston Astros (Major League Baseball team for those who may not know) will "be celebrating the Houston Comets and their four WNBA championships", August 4th, versus the San Francisco Giants, at Minute Maid Park.

The opening pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (CDT).

For more information regarding your special night, please contact Cody Arnold at 713-259-8315 or Rob Acord 713-259-8337.

The Astros are currently in last place in the MLB's Central Division with a woeful 18-27 record; so, any Comets fans who wish to show their support of their favorite team may have an excellent chance to purchase tickets to the game.

Another Comets' Coach Sues WNBA

Despite the fact the Houston Comets have been disbanded by the WNBA, that news does not mean the WNBA is done dealing with the coaches of the Comets.

Former Comets assistant coach Ryan Weisenberg has filed a suit with the Harris County District Court against the WNBA.

Weisenberg is suing for fraud, claiming that despite the WNBA's knowing the Comets would be shut down, they told the coaches differently.

Weisenberg's suit is the second suit against the W filed by a member of the Comets' coaching staff. Head coach Karleen Thompson filed a suit in New York federal court in February.

These two suits seem to indicate there's some "smoke" (and fire) to what I was told by numerous basksetball people months ago -- the Comets would be playing in Houston in 2009. 

Houston's Curl Says UH has Scholarship Back

HOUSTON, TX -- I spoke with Houston Cougars women's head basketball coach Joe Curl this morning to get his comments on the recent Houston Chronicle blog post by Steve Campbell stating the UH's women's basketball program was losing a scholarship due to failing to meet the NCAA's mandated Academic Progress Report (APR) standards.

"We've regained our scholarship," said Coach Curl. "We're sitting above the APR quota right now. We haven't lost any players for any negative reasons or player handbook violations; so, we've got our full complement of scholarships back.

"Addressing the APR as direct as I can," Curl added. "I think, overall, it's a good, healthy rule. But, it doesn't explain the second half of the APR when it comes to explain why a coach or a university opts not to bring back a player because they had stolen something or they didn't go to class or they weren't representing the university in the right way or they had some other problems legally -- and so on and so forth."

Listen to the entire interview here.