The LADY VOLS 2008 - A PERFECT TENN?

It would have been very handy to have a quick reference for the top teams last year so you could find the players, their positions, height, minutes played, and scoring average to do a match up comparison for games. I'm getting a jump on next season this Summer by creating this quick reference for myself to see how well my predictions go this far in advance of play. Might as well share it so you can save it if you like to have access to this information during the season.

First a look at this TENN TEN and last year's stats for reference.

55 Nicky Anosike 6-4 SR F-C
33 Alberta Auguste 5-11 SR F
00 Shannon Bobbitt 5-2 SR G
44 Alex Fuller 6-3 JR F-C
14 A Hornbuckle 5-11 SR G
3 Candace Parker 6-4 JR F-C-G
52 Kelley Cain 6-6 FR C
21 Vicki Baugh 6-4 FR F
5 Angie Bjorklund 6-0 FR G
20 Sidney Smallbone 5-9 FR G
2 Cait McMahan 5-4 RS HEART

Remember that these statistics were gained against the toughest schedule in the nation.

PPG FGM -A % 3ptM A % FTM A % Min played

03 Parker, Candace 19.6 267 505 .529 6 18 .333 166 233 .712 30
14 Hornbuckle, Alexis 10.2 150 341 .440 29 84 .345 49 67 .731 31
00 Bobbitt, Shannon 8.7 98 265 .370 69 167 .413 49 62 .790 26
55 Anosike, Nicky 7.5 100 234 .427 0 0 .000 78 129 .605 27
44 Fuller, Alex 6.0 81 163 .497 15 41 .366 45 58 .776 20
33 Auguste, Alberta 5.0 62 143 .434 5 21 .238 55 82 .671 16

Spencer 11.6 points in 28 min
McMahan & Redding 6 points in 14 min

Some keys to the 2008 season as i see them:

The Lady Vols lose the considerable contribution of Sidney Spencer
who is proving in Los Angeles how truly valuable she is.
Her 11.6 points: 186 from beyond the arc 314 from within with 54 FT's
in 28.6 minutes per game must be made up somewhere.

Cait as a freshman gave us valuable minutes at PG in relief of Shannon
but Cait and Dom combined scored a little less than 6 points in 14 combined min per game.
Remember we don't lose Cait and her contribution from the bench and the locker room will be considerable. There isn't a bigger heart in WCBB.

Enter Angie Bjorklund at 6 feet tall she's a bit shorter than Sidney but she has a high release and is long. Sidney was nowhere to be found on pre-recruitment ranking lists
While Angie is touted to be the 2nd most coveted recruit of 2007

Angie calls to mind a taller quicker Shanna Zolman
Shanna's freshman numbers looked like this
05 SHANNA ZOLMAN. 7.5 95-227 .419 37-96 .385 58-65 .892 18.2
I would think we could expect to see numbers that meet or exceed these from Angie.
Sid shot 39.7 % from 3 point range last year - very respectable but not unmatchable.
Gwen Jackson, Kara Lawson, Loree Moore, Tasha Butts, and Ashley Robinson were the starters Shanna's freshman year with Shyra as the usual first off the bench as a Soph.
Brittany Jackson, Tye'sha Fluker. and Courtney McDaniel also saw significant minutes.
This Lady Vol team is taller and they are defending a National Championship.

But Angie won't have to make up for Sidney's contribution by herself
Alex Fuller at 6'4 is taller and equally as athletic as Sid
Her 3 point percentage in 2007 was .366
With more time on the court from a possible starting slot expect Alex with another year behind her to improve to match or exceed Sidney's offensive output. Increasing her scoring by 6 points a game shouldn't pose a problem.

Bird at 5'11 is the other 'favorite' to replace Sidney in the starting line-up.
Bird and Alexis are like bookends at 5'11 with similar speed and skills.
Birds scoring average went way up at the end of the season her best games coming in the NCAA
From 16 minutes expect Bird's time on court to grow to take up some portion of the 42 minutes vacated by Sid, Dom and Cait and expect her productivity as far as scoring to double with the confidence she gained.

In addition we now have Vicki Baugh
At 6'4 she is a taller more athletic option to Sidney
At times near the end of the season we found Sidney in the paint guarding the likes of Erlana Larkins and Kia Vaughn. Once Vicki gets her feel for the college game she has the height and athletic ability to surpass Sid's excellent job at that particular defensive task. Vicki isn't regarded as a 3 point threat but her ability to rebound and score inside should be better.
If and when Tennessee goes tall Vicki at 6'4 will allow Candace at 6'5 to move to the outside where she certainly has the ability to hit the three.

Kelley Cain at 6'6 is another player who will effect where Candace plays since her minutes in the paint can give Candace more time on the perimeter in Sidney's old spot.
and we cannot forget Sidney Smallbone who is a legitimate 3 point threat anytime she takes the floor.

Tennessee will not lack the ability to score from the perimeter with
Shannon Bobbitt our leading 3 point shooter last year
Angie Bjorklund the best 3 point threat in the entire national incoming class
Candace Parker who has terrific range and will have more opportunity to show it.
Sidney Smallbone - perhaps the 2nd best 3 point threat of all available freshmen
Alex Fuller who has the proven ability and will get the chance to show it on a more regular basis.
Bird Auguste who needs to improve her 3 point shooting this Summer
and Alexis Hornbuckle who can create shots from anywhere

The fact is that these Lady Vols don't actually need a lot of 3 point shooting
This Tennessee team is the tallest and most athletic in memory
6'6 Cain, 6'5 Parker. 6'4 Baugh, 6'4 Anosiki, and 6'3 Fuller along with 6'0 Bjorklund
give the Lady Vols the tallest team in the hunt for this year's National Championship.
Given all that height it's certain that Pat will have the offense going inside as the first option.

With only TEN players this team may be the best combination of height, speed, athleticism, quickness and scoring ability to ever take the floor at TBA. With 6 virtual Seniors to tutor 4 incredible incoming freshmen their development should be should be rapid and excellent.

Between Angie, Sidney, Alexis, and Bird we have the guards to relieve and assist Shannon.

Don't be terribly surprised if this PERFECT TEN gives us and themselves a perfect season ending in NC Eight. There will be a couple of mis-steps along the way with the usual toughest schedule but come tournament time they have to be PERFECT

UP next - comparing the Lady Vols to the top contenders for their crown.

LSU - Can This Be The Year?

The top SEC foe and perhaps the second best team in the country should be LSU

1 Kathy Graham G 5-11 Fr.
3 Latear Eason G 5-8 Fr.
22 Porsha Phillips F 6-2 So.
23 Allison Hightower G 5-10 So.
44 Kristen Morris F 6-2 Jr.
4 Katie Antony G 5-10 Sr.
5 Erica White G 5-3 Sr.
10 Khalilah Mitchell G 5-11 Sr.
12 R LeBlanc G 5-7 Sr.
15 Quianna Chaney G 5-11 Sr.
24 Marian Whitfield G 5-9 Sr.
25 Mesha Williams C 6-3 Sr.
34 Sylvia Fowles C 6-6 Sr.
54 Ashley Thomas F 6-0 Sr.

LSU Players minutes and scoring average vs the LSU schedule

34 FOWLES, S 30.6 16.9
15 CHANEY, Q 26.7 11.8
05 WHITE, E 29.6 8.2
23 HIGHTOWER, A 20.0 6.2
12 LeBLANC, R 26.4 6.1
54 THOMAS, A 23.9 4.7
22 PHILLIPS, P 12.8 3.8
04 ANTONY, K 10.4 2.9

This LSU team of nine seniors has made so many consecutive final fours it is difficult to believe they haven't seen the championship game yet. Could this be their year?

LSU was one of 3 teams to top the Lady Vols last year. They couldn't get it done in Baton Rouge in the first meeting but they really dominated in the second round of the SEC tournament in Duluth in March. LSU shut down Candace Parker and managed to hit from the perimeter with impunity. They actually made Tennessee look as if they didn't belong.

So if the Lady Vols don't play their best and LSU does this is a team that could unseat Tennessee and finally reach the goal they have been so close to attaining for 3 consecutive years. The added incentive is the last time around for 9 Seniors. The downside is that these seniors don't seem to have much 'room' to improve. By that I mean the improvement has to come from each individual player who's minutes will most likely remain close to the same.

Where the Lady Vols can look at 42 average minutes from departed or red shirt players and see who might fill those minutes and what they might do, LSU only adds two freshmen to an established rotation.

Of course there is a new coach in bayou country and the question is what he can do to improve the LSU offensive performance. If he is successful this will be a formidable opponent.

Tennessee only managed 54 points in our last meeting with the Lady Tigers and we were beaten by 9. That was only 4 points better than the final Connecticut performance of the season. LSU trashed Connecticut by 23 a 14 point greater margin. They only managed 35 points in their final game with Rutgers. At times it seemed like LSU didn't recall how to score.

LSU went 30 and 7 last year even though they handily beat two of the better teams in the country prior to losing to Rutgers in the semi-finals. Maybe Coach Chancellor will bring some consistency to the LSU performance and help them get beyond the final four semi-finals. Figuring out how to score consistently will be the trick.

It remains to be seen but I think the Lady Vols upside is far better than that of LSU. The additional height and athleticism of Cain and Baugh giving Sylvia Fowles a bit more to concern herself with besides Candace and NiKKi. It will most likely be the Tennessee LSU show in the SEC and the SEC will be well represented by these two in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Vols seem to have more offensive weapons and they definitely have more height.

Second Sight on the Scarlet Knights

Last years runners up Rutgers comes back with the entire team and adds one Hoopgurlz top 10 Freshman.

12 ADAMS, KATIE G Sr. 5-10
22 AJAVON, MATEE G Sr. 5-8
5 CARSON, E F/G Sr. 6-0
4 JERNIGAN, D G So 5-11
43 JUNAID, R C So 6-4
24 MCCURDY, MYIA F So 6-1
10 PRINCE, E G So 5-9
35 RAY, B G So. 5-9
15 VAUGHN, KIA C Jr. 6-4
21 ZURICH, H F Jr 6-1
x Rushdan Kadijah G FR 5-10

Last years minutes and scoring average for Rutgers

15 VAUGHN, Kia........ 32.5 12.8
05 CARSON, Essence.... 35.9 12.3
10 PRINCE, Epiphanny.. 32.8 12.2
22 AJAVON, Matee...... 29.5 12.0
35 RAY, Brittany...... 19.4 5.3
21 ZURICH, Heather.... 24.9 4.9
43 JUNAID, Rashidat... 9.4 2.7

This Rutgers team was an enigma last season but when they finally bought into what C Viv was trying to get them to do they became the second best team in the country. Rutgers lost to Pepperdine, DePaul, and Old Dominion before turning things around at season's end and winning the Big East Tournament prior to the run to the NC game. They dropped a game to Duke by 40 and two to Connecticut by 10 and 26 before beating the Huskies by eight in the finals of the Big East.

Five sophomores could offer significant offensive improvement for Rutgers particularly Prince, Ray and Junaid. Rushdan gives them another offensive threat. She is regarded as a "big time scorer" by Scout's evaluation and Prince was the 113 point girl a year ago.

Rutgers has the best upside of the top teams returning all players due to the sophomores and Rushdan. If this team learns to score like they learned defense last year everybody else better watch out. This team is a bit guard heavy and Vaughn and Junaid are the only height.

Tennessee matched up well with Rutgers and when both teams are playing well the Lady Vols should have a significant edge in experience, height, and scoring potential.

Rutgers matches up better against their Big East foe Connecticut. where the size is similar

The Mystery that is Maryland

What is this Brenda? Guards Are Us? With NINE guards and 5 F/Cs this little team is a bit back court heavy isn't it?

25 Marissa Coleman G/F JR 6-1
15 Laura Harper F/C SR 6-4
1 Crystal Langhorne C/F SR 6-2
11 Christie Marrone G SO 5-6
21 Ashleigh Newman G SR 5-10
55 Jade Perry F/C SR 6-1
20 Kristi Toliver G JR 5-7
33 Emery Wallace F SO 6-1
2 S WGatewood G SR 5-9
x Drey Mingo F FR 6-2
xx Kim Rodgers G FR 5-9
xx Kathy Lyons G FR 5-10
xx Mariah Strickland G FR 5-11
xx Anjale Barrett G FR 5-10

Here are last years minutes and scoring average vs an SOS slightly better than UCONN

01 Crystal Langhorne.. 27.4 14.9
25 Marissa Coleman.... 28.7 13.2
20 Kristi Toliver..... 26.7 12.3
22 Shay Doron......... 27.3 11.8
15 Laura Harper....... 22.9 10.4
21 Ashleigh Newman 19.4 6.4
02 Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood 20.3 6.3
55 Jade Perry......... 17.8 5.7

Well the Freeze must have thought that Shay Doron would be hard to replace. She signed the 4th, 24th, 26th, and 31st ranked guards by Hoopgurlz and the 6th best forward in Drey Mingo for the 2nd best recruiting class in the country.

SWG finally got a chance to start near the end of the year but she only managed a 6.3 average in 20 minutes a game. So what is the Freeze gonna do with four new guards?

You've got to figure that Toliver gets one starting slot and SWG the other and Coleman on the wing as the small forward. Ashley Newman is first off the bench and the four freshmen? The line starts at the rear with the sophomore Marrone.

6'4 Harper, 6'2 Langhorn and 6'2 Mingo is as tall as the Terps go. At least these Terps won't be slow. They can run quick little guards til the wheels come off.

These Terps lost to Duke twice, UNC twice, Ga Tech and to Ol Miss to end the season. They lose less than Duke or UNC in the ACC and should most likely be the favorites to take the conference but I don't see how they make it past Tennessee with this team.

This team did win the NC in 06 so they do know how but so does Tennessee.

A New Day for Duke

GG certainly did not leave the cupboard bare for J P McCallie. This is one heck of a group of basketball players. Duke added two top 10's and number 31 from Hoopgurlz for the third best class in 2007 to a team that gets Chante Black back from a redshirt season.

11 Chante Black C 6-5 Jr.
21 Joy Cheek F 6-1 So.
13 Karima Christmas G 5-11 Fr.
30 Carrem Gay F 6-2 Jr.
31 Keturah Jackson G/F 6-0 So.
22 Brittany Mitch G/F 6-2 So.
15 Bridgette Mitchell F/G 6-0 So.
23 Wanisha Smith G 5-11 Sr.
5 Jasmine Thomas G 5-9 Fr.
34 Krystal Thomas C 6-4 Fr.
4 Abby Waner G 5-10 Jr.
2 Emily Waner G 5-8 Sr.

Last year's minutes and scoring average show Duke has 60 minutes to fill and 25 points that need to come from them to stay up with last year.

04 Abby Waner.........28.5 14.1
10 Lindsey Harding....30.4 13.6
43 Alison Bales....... 29.1 11.9
23 Wanisha Smith......27.4 9.4
30 Carrem Gay......... 23.3 8.8
21 Joy Cheek.......... 15.7 5.3
15 Bridgette Mitchell. 12.3 4.9
02 Emily Waner........ 15.0 3.6
22 Brittany Mitch..... 14.9 3.3
31 Keturah Jackson.... 8.9 2.0

Cheek, Mitch, Mitchell and Jackson go from freshmen to sophomores. Black and Krystal Thomas get to take over for Bales, And the Waner's, Smith, Jasmine Thomas, and Christmas get to fill in for Harding. This Duke team has good balance and great scoring potential. Can't wait to see what McCallie can do with these players. She never had it this good in Michigan.

Despite her mini-meltdown v RU in the tournament Lindsay Harding was a POY and will be tough to replace. But Duke has a great guard prospect in Jasmine Thomas who just made the U19 team with Krystal Thomas the center. Duke could even be improved over last years great team with these two and Black back. They can go 6'5 6'4 6'2 6'2 6'1 on the front line with Black, Thomas, Gay, Mitch and Cheek. Better height than any team but Tennessee. And Abby Waner and Wanisha Smith are great guards..

By mid-season this Duke team may be the best in the ACC even with losing more than Maryland. Who knows - maybe McCallie can do what GG couldn't and will this team into the Championship game. No one should be too surprised to see Duke in the Final Four. Don't dismiss Duke.

Next Edition of North Carolina

The 2007-08 UNC Tarheels

2 Erlana Larkins 6-1 F Sr.
3 Trinity Bursey 5-10 F So.
11 Alex Miller 5-6 G Sr.
14 Heather Claytor 5-8 G Jr
15 Christina Dewitt 6-2 F Jr.
21 Iman McFarland 6-3 F Jr.
24 Meghan Austin 5-7 G Sr.
30 LaToya Pringle 6-3 F/C Sr.
32 Rashanda McCants 6-1 F Jr
34 Martina Wood 6-2 F/C Jr.
51 Jessica Breland 6-3 F So
X Italee Lucas 5-8 G Fr
Xx Cetera DeGraffenreid 5-5 G Fr
XX Rebecca Grey 5-10 G Fr

2007 minutes and scoring average with departing Seniors in red

12 Ivory Latta 31.1 . 16.2
20 Camille Little. 28.2 . 13.7
02 Larkins, Erlana.. 26.3 . 12.9
30 LaToya Pringle 23.5 . 9.7
32 Rashanda McCants..21.2 9.4
51 Jessica Breland..... 14.4 . 6.5
11 Alex Miller......... 23.2 . 5.8
14 Heather Claytor.....13.8 . 4.4
15 Christina Dewitt.... 10.9 3.7
21 Iman McFarland......10.5 . 3.1
03 Bursey, Trinity 5.3 . 1.3
24 Meghan Austin....... 4.8 . 0.8

Like Duke UNC must replace two top scorers 30ppg and fill 60 minutes of playing time

UNC has nice balance with 6 guards and 7 F/C on the 13 player roster. Larkins, Pringle, McCants and Breland/DeWitt/McFarland give the heels a very experienced 6'3 6'1 6'1 6'2 6'3 6'3 front line subs. Miller and Claytor are the most experienced guards and Lucas and DeGraffenreid were highly sought recruits.

This should be an excellent UNC team that will be tough to beat come tournament time. The Tarheels will once again fight it out with Maryland and Duke for ACC honors and I would expect them to be an Elite Eight team come March/April. In fact it would not be surprising to see yet another UNC/Tennessee regional final for a spot in the Final Four.

It won't be automatic - Little and Latta were both great players, but there's plenty of talent in Chapel Hill and not much margin between the three ACC contenders.

Latta was the Tarheels only real 3 point threat. Claytor 33% and Miller 25% weren't very good so the Heels need to find some outside shooting to open up the inside.

If UNC's SOS is anything like as weak as last year UNC will have a bunch of cupcakes to bury before getting into the ACC and plenty of time to practice up before the NCAA.

Last year's UNC schedule featured:

177 East Tenn St W 96-35
302 Winston-Salem St W 83-32
264 Elon W 90-36
328 vs Sacramento St W 99-38
112 UNC Greensboro W 103-48
215 Wofford W 95-36
320 South Carolina St W 92-42
210 vs Coastal Carolina W 87-48
153 vs St. John's W 87-43
162 Delaware St W 87-40
222 Tennessee Tech W 93-52
203 Wake Forest

that's 3 of the worst RPI teams in the country (there are only 328)

My guess is that Tennessee will face UNC (a 2 seed) in the regional final again this year and win.

Count on the Cardinal as a Contender

The 2007 - 08 Stanford Cardinal

2 Jayne Appel F/C 6-4 SO
24 Ashley Cimino F 6-3 FR
31 Morgan Clyburn F/C 6-4 JR
20 Hannah Donaghe G 5-11 FR
21 Ros Gold-Onwude G 5-10 SO
33 Jillian Harmon F 6-1 JR
5 Michelle Harrison F 6-3 SO
10 JJ Hones G 5-10 SO
0 Melanie Murphy G 5-9 SO
14 Kayla Pedersen F 6-4 FR
13 Cissy Pierce G 5-10 SR
23 Jeanette Pohlen G 6-0 FR
11 Candice Wiggins G 5-11.5 SR

2007 minutes played and scoring average. (departing Sr. in red)

11 Wiggins, Candice... 30.6 16.9
30 Smith, Brooke...... 32.5 13.9
02 Appel, Jayne....... 19.3 13.2
33 Harmon, Jillian.... 29.4 7.7
43 Newlin, Kristen.... 21.3 7.0
13 Pierce, Cissy...... 18.2 4.9
10 Hones, JJ.......... 24.3 4.5
05 Harrison, Michelle. 11.0 3.5
32 Murphy, Melanie.... 14.6 2.2
04 Bodensteiner, Clare 7.5 1.1
12 Titchenal, Christy. 2.8 0.8
03 Coleman, Markisha.. 4.9 0.7
31 Clyburn, Morgan.... 3.9 0.4

13 players on this new Stanford team. They must replace 5 graduated Seniors but Smith and Newlin were the only two who averaged over 10 minutes and 2 points. Still that's over 60 minutes of court time and 22 points a game that will come from others.

The good news is that Rosalyn Gold-Onwunde and JJ Hones will be back to run the point after injury and super Senior Wiggins will be free to do what she does best and score. Super sophomore Jayne Appel 6'4 with Harrison and Clyburn will be joined by Kayla Pederson 6'4 and Ashley Cimino 6'3 to help offset the loss of Smith and Newlin on the front line.

The Stanford recruiting class has top 10 Pederson and top 20 Pohlen with Cimino, and Donaghe. Pederson needs to work out well for Stanford to be a NC contender. Stanford should be the team to beat in the West and is a good bet to be an Elite Eight 2 seed. Wiggins is one of the best players in the country.

When Tennessee visits Palo Alto early in the season it will be a good test of where both teams stand.

BIG TEN ???

the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY roster for 2008

55 Allen, Star F 5-11 JR
24 Daniel, Cherise G 5-11 SO.
32 Jamen, Alice C/F 6-3 Sr.
20 Little, Shavelle G 5-8 SO.
33 Mason-Cox, Lesslee F 6-2 SO
14 Moeller, Maria G 5-7 SO
45 Riley, Tamarah G/F 6-2 Sr
51 Walker, Andrea C 6-5 SO
22 Packer, Marscilla G 5-9 Sr.
00 Trebilcock, Ashlee G 5-9 JR.
Xx Lavender, Jantel C 6-4 Fr ranked 3
Xx Brittany Johnson G 5-11 Fr ranked 34

tOSU's 2007 minutes and ppg

50 Davenport, Jessica. 32.5 20.0
01 Hoskins, Brandie... 31.6 14.3
22 Packer, Marscilla.. 29.8 10.4
55 Allen, Star........ 21.4 10.1
00 Trebilcock, Ashlee. 18.8 5.7
14 Moeller, Maria..... 32.7 4.3
51 Walker, Andrea..... 10.1 3.8
34 Blanton, Stephanie. 12.4 3.4
45 Riley, Tamarah..... 13.0 3.2
33 Mason-Cox, Lesslee. 5.1 2.3
20 Little, Shavelle... 10.0 1.8
24 Daniel, Cherise.... 5.1 0.8
32 Jamen, Alice....... 5.2 0.8

tOSU loses their top two scorers (Hoskins was lost before the end of last season to injury) this team lost to Marist in the NCAA. They add number 3 Hoopgurlz Jantal Lavender to replace Davenport and will fight it out with Purdue, Minnesota, and who else in the Big Ten. I don't see them challenging the top 12 above given their tendency of blowing it in the tournament.

PURDUE"S ROSTER FOR 2008

3 Natasha Bogdanova SR Forward 6-4
15 Danielle Campbell JR Center 6-4
14 Brittany Dildine SR Guard 5-9
45 Kalika France SO Guard 5-9
24 Lakisha Freeman RS SO Forward 6-1
55 Laura Garriga SO Forward 6-0
00 Jodi Howell JR Guard 5-11
20 FahKara Malone SO Guard 5-3
11 Lauren Mioton SO Guard 5-9
32 L Wisdom-Hylton RS Forward 6-2
XX Samantha Woods Fr F 6-2 rank 51
Xx Michelle Clark Fr G 5-8 rank 77
Xx Lakeishia Mosley Fr F 6-1 rank 87

Purdue's minutes and ppg for 2007

01 Gearlds, Katie..... 36.7 19.1
32 Wisdom-Hylton, L... 32.8 14.8
35 Lawless, Erin...... 29.5 10.1
20 Malone, FahKara.... 30.5 8.4
00 Howell, Jodi....... 20.6 6.8
15 Campbell, Danielle. 17.4 4.7
24 Freeman, Lakisha... 21.1 4.3
11 Mioton, Lauren..... 9.5 1.2
45 France, Kalika..... 4.3 0.6
55 Garriga, Laura..... 3.2 0.5
14 Dildine, Brittany.. 3.1 0.1

Evidently Lindsey Wisdom-Hylton is now out for the 2008 season putting a real dent in the Boilermaker's chances for 2008. They also lost the recruiting battle for Xavier's Ta'shia Phillips. They do add three top 90 recruits per Hoopgurlz but none over 50. They need a couple of Sidney Spencer's in that group to be a NCAA contender.

MINNESOTA's 2008 Roster

31 Jordan Barnes G 5-10 Sr.
5 Korinne Campbell G 6-0 So
22 Kristen Dockery F 6-4 Fr. 2 star scout pick Smallbone’s teammate
21 Ashley Ellis-Milan F/C 6-2 So.
4 Emily Fox G 5-9 Jr.
20 Zoe Harper C 6-3 So.
34 Lindsey Jaede G 5-7 Sr.
45 Leslie Knight F 6-1 Sr
12 Brittany McCoy G 5-10 So.
35 Katie Ohm G/F 5-11 So.
32 Tanisha Smith F 5-10 RFr.
10 Kay Sylva G 5-8 Jr.

Minnesota minutes and ppg in 2007

03 Roysland, Kelly 29.5 13.2
04 Fox, Emily 33.3 12.9
21 Ellis-Milan, A 27.9 9.1
12 McCoy, Brittany 31.2 8.9
45 Knight, Leslie 20 .8.3
05 Campbell, Korinne 20.8 6.2
35 Ohm, Katie 15.0 4.3
20 Harper, Zoe 11.0 3.0
15 Salley, Breanna 8.6 1.9
31 Barnes, Jordan 12.4 1.8
32 Smith, Tanisha 2.7 0.7
34 Jaede, Lindsey 2.0 0.0

Despite Emily Fox's good showing in the Pan Am games it will be tough for Minnesota to be an NCAA contender given the loss of their top scorer and limited additions to the 17 - 16 2007 squad.

I will take a look at Michigan State and Penn State to add to this later but the Big TEN doesn't look too promising this year so far.

TEXAS A&M - best of the Big 12

2 Buchanan, Damitria F 6'-2" So
3 Starks, Takia G 5'-8" Jr
10 Franklin, A'Quonesia G 5'-3" Sr
11 Gulley, LaToya G 5'-8" Sr
12 Micheaux, La Toya C 6'-3" Jr
21 Atunrase, Morenike G/F 5'-10" Sr
23 Pounds, Katy F 6'-0" Sr
24 Reado, Patrice F 6'-0" Sr
33 Horton, Ashlaa F 6'-1" So
42 McGowen, Adrian G 5'-10" So
44 Limbaha, Katrina F 6'-3" So
55 Gant, Danielle G/F 5'-11" Jr
xz Colson, Sidney G 5’-8” Fr

Last years minutes and scoring average

03 Starks, Takia...... 33.2 14.2
55 Gant, Danielle..... 29.0 10.8
21 Atunrase, Morenike. 26.9 10.0
10 Franklin, A'Quonesi 34.9 9.9
24 Reado, Patrice.... 22.6 7.1
12 Micheaux, La Toya.. 26.0 6.2
42 McGowen, Adrian.... 8.1 3.3
52 Zimova, Lenka..... . 6.0 2.4
23 Pounds, Katy....... 5.6 2.2
44 Limbaha, Katrina.. 7.1 1.7
33 Horton, Ashlaa..... 6.5 1.3
02 Buchanan, Damitria. 4.9 1.1
11 Gulley, LaToya.... . 5.2 0.6
22 Wilks, Jennifer.... 4.9 0.4

Only two Seniors depart the 13-3 in conference A & M team that beat OU twice last year. With 5 Seniors and 4 Sophomores for this season the experience level is up on a team that learned how to win. Since this team seems to know how to top OU they may be the best of the Big 12 contenders.

George Washington knocked A&M out of the NCAA last year and the downside is that essentially the same 7 loss team returns. The record may improve but I don't see how they compete with the other teams profiled thus far in this series of posts.

Mid Majors Xavier, Geo Wash, MTSU

XAVIER with a big frontline

23 Askew, Megan 6-0 Guard FR #153 by Scout
12 Barringer, Alesia 5-6 Guard SO
15 Byorik, Aly 6-0 Guard FR #41 by Blue Star
11 Harris, Amber 6-5 Forward SO
13 Hester, Maureen 6-1 Forward SO
1 Jennings, Special 5-6 Guard FR #99 Hoopgurlz recruit
25 Johnson, Stephany 5-9 Guard FR unranked 3 star by Scout
34 Martin, Der-ryka 6-3 Forward SO
42 Phillips, April 6-0 Forward SO
53 Phillips, Ta'Shia 6-6 Center FR #28 Hoopgurlz recruit
20 Reed, Tudy 5-11 Guard JR
24 Taylor, Jerri 5-7 Guard JR

XAVIER'S MINUTES AND PPG 2007

11 Harris, Amber...... 34.0 16.3
21 Granderson, Suntana 31.0 13.5
01 Clyburn, Joei...... 26.4 11.4
23 Miller, Michele.... 34.1 10.1
03 Green, Miranda..... 33.2 7.8
24 Taylor, Jerri...... 18.5 4.6
42 Mason, Deanna...... 13.8 4.5
13 Hester, Maureen.... 8.5 1.5
12 Barringer, Alesia.. 8.3 1.3
52 McCall, Bionca..... 1.8 0.6
34 Martin, Der-ryka... 2.0 0.0

Signing Ta'shia Phillips the McDonalds 6'6 AA Center to go along with 6'4 Amber Harris gives Xavier a frontline that mid-majors seldom enjoy. Xavier could give GW and MTSU a run for their money as the best of the mid-majors even with the loss of Clyburn and Granderson.

The George Washington 2007 Roster

1 Jessica Adair So. C/F 6-4
3 Whitney Allen Jr. F 5-11
5 Kimberly Beck Jr. G 5-8
11 Robin Murphy Fr. F 6-0
12 Faith Peters So. G 5-10
15 Chantelle John So. F 6-2
20 Kenan Cole Sr. G/F 5-10
21 Jazmine Adair So. F 6-3
22 Stefani Munro Fr. G 5-7
25 Lora Mitchell Jr. F 6-1
32 Sarah-Jo Lawrence Jr. G 5-11
33 Jamila Bates So. F 6-1
34 Ivy Abiona Fr. F 6-2
35 Lisa Steele R-So. G 5-11

Last year's minutes and ppg

32 Lawrence, Sarah-Jo. 31.8 13.4
01 Adair, Jessica..... 24.5 12.9
05 Beck, Kimberly.....36.1 11.3
20 Cole, Kenan........ 31.0 10.8
03 Allen, Whitney.....28.4 6.1
21 Adair, Jazmine..... 15.0 4.9
35 Steele, Lisa....... 7.9 2.8
15 John, Chantelle.... 7.5 2.2
12 Peters, Faith...... 7.7 1.9
33 Bates, Jamila...... 8.2 1.6
55 Murphy, Robin.....5.1 1.2
54 Abiona, Ivy........ 6.1 1.1
10 Munro, Stefani....3.7 0.4
25 Mitchell, Lora..... 2.8 0.3

Sports Illustrated picks GW as the tenth best team in the USA next year and they could be right. The Colonials only lose one senior Kenan Cole who accounted for 11 points in 31 minutes average.

GW does not add any top 100 Hoopgurlz or Scout prospects to the lineup but they get back a more experienced team that lost only to Maryland, Tennessee, UNC and St Joseph's in the finals of the A 10 tournament by 2 points. This team beat Georgia by 12 and Texas A&M by 12 in the NCAA Tournament.

GW may be the best of the mid-majors

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE BLUE RAIDERS

00 Chelsia Lymon G 5-5 SO-1L
1 Amber Holt G/F 6-0 SR-1L
2 Johnna Abney G 5-4 JR-2L
10 Jackie Pickel G 5-10 SO-1L
12 Starr Orr G 5-8 SR-3L
14 Latoya Barclay G 5-4 SR-3L
21 Brandi Brown F 6-2 So-1L
23 Angelique Burtts F 6-0 FR-RS
31 Lakira Boyd F 6-2 SR-3L
Morgan Boyd G 6-1 FR-HS
Alysha Clark F 5-10 JR-TR
Jasmine Duffey F 6-7 SO-TR
Jawanda Duffey F 6-4 FR-HS
Anne Marie Lanning G 5-11 FR-HS
Emily Queen F 6-1 FR-HS

Last years minutes and scoring

22 Givens, Chrissy..... 35.6 22.6
01 Holt, Amber......... 31.0 . 16.7
04 Horton, Krystle..... 24.9 . 9.2
21 Brown, Brandi....... 15.9 7.0
00 Lymon, Chelsia...... 16.3 5.5
02 Abney, Johnna....... 20.5 . 5.5
12 Orr, Starr.......... 29.2 5.5
10 Pickel, Jackie...... 10.0 . 4.8
14 Barclay, Latoya..... 8.6 . 1.9
31 Boyd, Lakira........ 10.4 . 1.7
03 Mason, LaCondra....7.8 . 1.4
11 Tate, Whitney....... 2.4 . 0.3
15 Cobb, Carden........ 2.9 . 0.2

Chrissy Givens is gone but Amber Holt and Brandi Brown are back - Amber led the team in scoring in the NCAA tournament. Insell adds the Duffey sisters and Jasmine was Blue Star #18 - top recruit to ever sign with Ga Tech - at 6'7" she gives the Blue Raiders some height they need. Sister Jawanda at 6'4" give MTSU their version of the Paris twins along with the 6'plus Boyd sisters.

Don't know what happened to Ke Ke Stewart from Oak Ridge who signed up in 06. Anybody know?

Insell has fifteen players and he's a top coach. MTSU will be NCAA material and they have the chance to make some noise. This team won't challenge Tennessee for state supremacy this year.

HOW ABOUT OKLAHOMA?

Oklahoma's 2008 Roster.

1 Nyeshia Stevenson 5-9 F SO
2 Jenny Vining 5-9 G FR
3 Courtney Paris 6-4 C JR
4 Abi Olajuwon 6-4 C SO
5 Ashley Paris 6-3 F JR
10 Carlee Roethlisberger 6-1 F FR
11 Jenna Plumley 5-4 PG SO
13 Danielle Robinson 5-9 PG FR
15 Carolyn Winchester 5-11 F SO
21 Amanda Thompson 6-0 F SO
31 Rose Hammond 5-9 G SO

Last years minutes and scoring average

03 Paris,Courtney..... 30.3 23.5
24 Rush,Leah.......... 26.7 9.8
22 Welch,Chelsi....... 21.1 9.1
05 Paris,Ashley....... 21.6 7.4
21 Thompson,Amanda.. . 15.9 5.7
11 Plumley,Jenna...... 16.4 5.2
34 Higgins,Erin....... 26.9 4.6
33 Brown,Britney...... 17.9 3.9
20 Moore,Kendra....... 13.0 3.7
01 Stevenson,Nyeshia.. 8.5 3.3
04 Olajuwon,Abi....... 3.9 2.2
32 Sanchez,Krista..... 5.6 1.3
31 Hammond,Rose....... 4.5 0.2
15 Winchester,Carolyn. 2.4 0.0

Six Seniors graduate from this OU team that lost to tOSU, T A&M twice, Texas, and Ole Miss leaving 110 game minutes and 32 ppg to fill from 6 Sophomores, 2 freshmen and the Junior Paris twins. Woe be OU if anything happens to Courtney.

It's tough to see how OU improves with 6 Seniors including Rush, Welch, Higgins, and Brown gone. Danielle Robinson is Hoopgurlz #21 and 13th ranked guard.
Jenny Vining is Hoopgurlz #33 and the 17th ranked guard
Carlee Roethlisberger is an unranked 3 star prospect

Looks to me like OU is a year away from being a better team. I'll have to run A & M, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and the other Big 12 teams to get a feel for how they stack up but against the nine already profiled I don't see OU in the hunt. Plumley, the Paris twins, and Thompson couldn't get past Ole Miss in April and the new players don't seem to add up to what was lost.

New Coach in TEXAS

4 Erika Arriaran 5-10 Jr. G
20 Erneisha Bailey 5-9 Sr. G
34 Crystal Boyd 5-11 Jr. G
43 Aubry Cook 6-3 Jr. P
3 Carla Cortijo 5-7 So-RS G
23 Niqky Hughes 6-1 So F
35 Ashley Lindsey 6-4 Jr. F
15 Gabriell Mattox 5-11 So G/F
32 Kristen Nash 6-3 So F
10 Brittainey Raven 6-0 So. G
00 Earnesia Williams 6-1 So.-RS F
xx Rachel Rentschler 6-2 Fr P rank 26
xx Kathleen Nash 6-1 Fr P rank 40

Last season's minutes and points per game

33 Jackson, Tiffany... 35.1 16.8
04 Arriaran, Erika.... 30.5 10.5
00 Williams, Earnesia. 25.6 9.5
10 Raven, Brittainey.. 25.6 7.9
20 Bailey, Erneisha... 29.8 7.5
03 Cortijo, Carla..... 31.5 7.4
23 Hughes, Niqky...... 13.7 4.2
35 Lindsey, Ashley.... 11.3 3.3
34 Boyd, Crystal...... 6.2 2.6
15 Mattox, Gabriell... 8.1 2.0
43 Cook, Aubrey....... 7.2 1.9
44 Robinson, Katrina.. 10.3 1.8

So what can the genius of GG do with a Texas team that lost 14 games and did not reach the NCAA tournament? Well with two top 40 recruits she may be able to improve on last season. Still Texas will start the year with something like 4th place in the Big 12 as the expectation.

Anybody want to make a prediction?

BAYLOR

22 Haylee Abbe G 5-10 SO
14 Rachel Allison F 6-1 JR
1 Jessika Bradley F/P 6-3 SO
13 Latara Darrett G 5-9 SO
Kelli Griffin G 5-8 FR
Melissa Jones G 5-10 FR
3 Jessica Morrow G/F 6-0 JR
44 Kaitlin Oberg F 6-2 SO
15 Jhasmin Player G 5-10 JR
20 Angela Tisdale G 5-7 SR
Kendrea Walker P/F 6-2 JR Transfer
11 Danielle Wilson P 6-3 SO

Could not find season stats for Baylor so these are from the NC State game points and minutes

03 Morrow, Jessica.....13 37
14 Allison, Rachel..... 10 17
15 Player, Jhasmin..... 4 30
20 Tisdale, Angela..... 12 35
32 Mosby, Bernice..... 12 29
01 Bradley, Jessika... 2 11
11 Wilson, Danielle.... 10 20
12 Wyatt, Latoya....... 0 2
13 Darrett, Latara..... 5 19

The end of Mosby's career at Baylor brings JC transfer Kendrea Walker and Daniellle Wilson as replacement starters. 2 freshmen guards are added Kellie Griffin is a 5 star 7th ranked guard by Scout. Melissa Jones is a 5 star 7th ranked guard by Hoopgurlz.

Baylor lost to A&M twice and OU thrice last season and to Purdue, Nebraska, and NC State. Should be another race between OU A&M and Baylor this year. OU appears to have lost the most but OU has Paris.

The TRUTH evades TAURASI

Journal Inquirer story on Caroline Doty

Excerpt: She made an unofficial visit to Storrs for UConn's Senior Night game with Marquette last February and returned for the Huskies' "First Night" program in October.

That weekend she found herself sitting in Auriemma's office with former UConn All-America guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi eating a Wendy's meal.

"I was hanging out with them, having normal conversations, feeling comfortable," Doty said. "I just felt like, 'Wow, I could see myself here.' I wanted to give the other schools an opportunity for me to feel that way and I did go to other schools. It was just that moment was stuck in my head and it still is."

I am not an expert on NCAA rules and when former players can and can not have contact with recruits. I would have to go research the specifics. But my basic understanding is that the contact must be incidental and very limited and not arranged by the school or allowed or facilitated by the school.

This was a PUBLISHED newspaper report. How many other schools' compliance reps saw it and spit their coffee out? Was Auriemma also present? If so, I'd say it's 100 percent a recruiting violation. If not, I don't know. Can a recruit use the coach's office to have lunch with former players?

NCAA Regulations (unofficial visits)

13.7.2 Entertainment/Tickets.

13.7.2.1 General Restrictions.

During an unofficial visit, the institution may not pay any expenses or provide any entertainment except a maximum of three complimentary admissions (issued only through a pass list) to a home athletics event at any facility within a 30-mile radius of a member institution's main campus in which the institution's intercollegiate team practices or competes. Such complimentary admissions are for the exclusive use of the prospective student-athlete and those persons accompanying the prospective student-athlete on the visit and must be issued on an individual-game basis. Such admissions may provide seating only in the general seating area of the facility used for conducting the event. Providing seating during the conduct of the event (including intermission) for the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete's parents [or legal guardian(s)] or spouse in the facility's press box, special seating box(es) or bench area is specifically prohibited. (Revised: 1/10/90 effective 8/1/90, 1/11/94, 4/24/03)

so it was an unpaid unofficial visit that Doty made to UConn so

13.7.2.1.1 Meals.

A prospective student-athlete on an unofficial visit to an institution may pay the actual cost of meals (or the regular cost of training-table meals) and eat with other prospective student-athletes who are on their official visits or with enrolled student-athletes.

THIS SAYS NOTHING ABOUT EATING WENDY'S IN THE COACHES OFFICE WITH FAMOUS ALUMNI

13.7.2.1.7 Student Host.

A student host used during an unofficial visit must either be a current student-athlete or a student who is designated in a manner consistent with the institution's policies for providing campus visits or tours to prospective students in general. (Revised: 8/5/04)

I DON'T THINK DT AND BIRD QUALIFY AS STUDENT HOSTS AND i DOUBT THAT GENO'S INNER SANCTUM IS ON THE TYPICAL COLLEGE TOUR

13.7.3 Activities During Unofficial Visit.

An institution may not arrange miscellaneous, personalized recruiting aids (e.g., personalized jerseys, personalized audio/visual scoreboard presentations) and may not permit a prospective student-athlete to engage in any game-day simulations (e.g., running onto the field with the team during pregame introductions) during an unofficial visit. Personalized recruiting aids include any decorative items and special additions to any location the prospective student-athlete will visit (e.g., hotel room, locker room, coach's office, conference room, arena) regardless of whether or not the items include the prospective student-athlete's name or picture. (Adopted: 8/5/04; Revised: 5/14/05, 4/27/06)

HMMM HAVING A COUPLE OF ALL AMERICANS WHO JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE AN EXTRA WENDY'S MEAL SITTING IN THE COACHES INNER SANCTUM WHERE THE RECRUIT CAN PICTURE HERSELF---------- well I guess i can see how one might find that a bit sketchy.

Taurasi also assumes Tennessee might be angry about alleged contact between alumni and recruits during on-campus visits by former UConn players who return to see coach Geno Auriemma and his staff.

"All these reasons are ridiculous," Taurasi said. "If you are going to blame Coach Auriemma for having players who love him and come back to see him, then it's just too bad. When I visit him, and I try to do so as often as I can because of all his family did for me when I was there, the only people I talk to are the current players." From the Angry Taurasi Fires Back Article

Well DT according to Caroline Doty "I was hanging out with them, having normal conversations, feeling comfortable," Doty said. "I just felt like, 'Wow, I could see myself here.' I wanted to give the other schools an opportunity for me to feel that way and I did go to other schools. It was just that moment was stuck in my head and it still is."

So which is it Diana?
Did you just talk with current players?
Or did you buy Caroline Doty a Wendy's meal and sit and talk with her with Bird in Geno's office IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF NCAA REGULATIONS?
Who is telling the truth?
You or Caroline?

A Second Problem with the TRUTH
Jimmy Hyams on Sports Animal Radio
Jimmy went into some detail about his short conversation with Joan Cronan

Cronan said the Taurasi article was the first time she heard Taurasi's name specifically attached to the ride complaint. I assume that means that Tennessee was not the source of the ride complaint. That does not mean that Taurasi's name didn't come up in another part of the complaint.

Quote: "I reported yesterday that Joan Cronan said she'd never heard of the charges filed by Taurasi regarding giving Maya Moore a ride in Atlanta. Pat Summitt declined comment on the issue."

Evidently Caroline Doty called Pat Summitt to tell her of her decision to go to UConn " after her lunch with Geno, Bird and Taurasi in Geno’s office." UConn will probably claim that it was just a coincidence that Bird and Taurasi were both on campus when Caroline came for a visit and for lunch and that it was not set up that way which evidently would be a violation because ALUMNI are not supposed to be involved in recruiting other than to answer questions when they happen to run into recruits unplanned. If you believe that one well I've got this bridge to Brooklyn.

Paraphrasing as closely as possible:

"UT filed complaints about other recruiting concerns regarding UConn, but I don't know ALL of them. I do think UT has a problem with UConn former players helping UConn recruit in ways that violate NCAA rules.

Also, Summitt told Geno why she was stopping the series and Joan told the UConn AD Jeff Hathaway why UT was stopping the series. So, if Geno and the AD say they don't know why, I don't believe them. I believe Cronan, who confirmed this to me."

So Maria has been correct in her assumptions that the ride and the sign were either no part or a minor part of the SEC complaint to the NCAA..Jimmy Hyams doesn't know ALL of the complaint and he's trying to find out the complete complaint

UConn has not released the complete complaint and the DAY and the Courant are trying to say the ride and the sign were "two primary allegations". If these are the only TWO primary allegations why doesn't UCONN release an official statement with the entire complaint? Tennessee, the SEC, and the NCAA are not allowed to release the information but UCONN can.

According to Hyams Joan told the UConn AD and Pat told Geno exactly why they chose not to sign the contract. The fact is that only UConn can make the entire contents of the SEC complaint known.