The ESPN Networks 2009-10 NCAA Women’s Basketball Schedule Includes Approximately 250 Games; The Most Ever in ESPN History
Schedule includes entire NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship
DOWN LOAD A PRINTABLE COPY HERE
Popularity: 25%
The ACC Women’s Basketball TV Schedule
DOWNLOAD WITH ABOVE LINK
Popularity: 16%
1. Connecticut
2. Stanford
3. North Carolina
3. Ohio State
5. Notre Dame
6. Duke
7. Baylor
8. Tennessee
9. Xavier
10. Michigan State
11. Oklahoma
12. Virginia
14. Arizona State
15. Rutgers
16. Florida State
17. LSU
18. DePaul
19. Georgia Tech
20. Texas
21. Vanderbilt
22. Middle Tennessee
23. San Diego State
24. South Dakota State
25. Florida
*Details – Continue
Popularity: 27%
Every member of a coaching staff, no matter the sport, will tell you one of the most unsettling feelings is being presented with the Monday morning Facebook photos. Student-athletes are becoming more and more savvy, they “lock” their photo’s so we (coaches) can’t get to them. That doesn’t mean that no one can get to them. Unfortunately, it hasn’t changed the behavior just made obtaining the photos more difficult. We all have to work harder to instill the trust and values to improve the decision making of the student-athlete first and help keep our student-athletes safer.
Let’s realize this… college kids to to parties. All of them. Athletes are no different. Even the most dedicated of athletes still go. It’s fun, it’s social, it’s their friends, classmates and peers. Drinking or no drinking, your student-athletes are going to be at parties and potentially in the wrong place at the wrong time at some point during their collegiate career. Athletes at parties is nothing new. What is new is the technology. Technology has put every intoxicated or high athlete on the front page of newspapers and all over the internet. We all saw Michael Phelps.
As coaches, we are going to need to be prepared to help our student-athletes through this. Helping them through it is the key, especially with female athletes. It can not simply be about discipline. Though discipline, responsibility and accountability are necessary, discipline is after the fact. Discipline is a reaction. We need to be proactive, help educate before they are in these situations. Empower our student-athletes to make better decisions. Hopefully, avoid as many situations as possible.
Popularity: 11%
Gary Parrish loves freshmen.
Don’t we all.
The newness. The enthusiasm. The athleticism, and talent.
Many have been named All-Americans before ever setting foot on a college campus: Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose were all first-team all-Americans before they ever enrolled. Truth be told Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo and and the rest of the first-year players have been sensational since the NBA’s age-limit started forcing them to college in 2006, though none have won a national title.
In fact, none of the national champions in the era of the NBA age-limit — have relied heavily on a freshman. The top freshman on Florida’s 2007 title team was Marreese Speights, who averaged 4.1 points per game; the top freshman on Kansas’ 2008 title team was Cole Aldrich, who averaged 2.8 points per game; and the top freshman on North Carolina’s 2009 title team was Ed Davis, who averaged 6.7 points per game. I believe all are still at their school. So while there is no denying that freshmen have dominated headlines each of the past three seasons — particularly Durant and Beasley, both of whom were named CBSSports.com’s National Player of the Year — it is fair to point out that they have not dominated on the first Monday in April.
This is the season – that changes.
A freshman will play a key role for the 2010 national champion, guaranteed, if only because this is a season where five of the top six teams in the preseason Top 25 (and one) figure to rely heavily on a freshman (or two).
No. 1 Kansas has Xavier Henry.
No. 2 Kentucky has John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton.
No. 4 North Carolina has John Henson.
No. 5 Texas has Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton.
No. 6 Villanova has Mouphtauo Yarou and Dominic Cheek.
The key stat to remember is that six of the top nine prospects in Scout.com’s final Class of 2009 rankings — No. 2 Wall, No. 3 Cousins, No. 4 Henson, No. 5 Bradley, No. 6 Henry and No. 9 Yarou — are enrolled at schools ranked among the top six in the preseason Top 25 (and one), meaning this season should offer the perfect combination of elite freshmen playing for elite teams. The only school that seems capable of spoiling this is Michigan State, which is ranked third in the preseason Top 25 (and one) and devoid of an elite freshman. Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and Villanova — and perhaps even with Duke (Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee) or Connecticut (Alex Oriaki) — should be there to hold up the coveted trophy in April.
We’ll revisit the subject in April with Gary Parris.
Adapted from By Gary Parrish
It's a lock: Freshman will play big role on title team
CBSSports.com Staff Writer
For more from Gary Parrish, check him out on Twitter: @GaryParrishCBS
Popularity: 62%