Sports

No. 1 South Carolina Women Prepped for SEC Start

Published

10 years ago

January 2, 2015

In this Dec. 4, 2014, file photo, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley directs her team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Charlotte in Columbia, S.C. Ranked No. 1 and undefeated, South Carolina is ready to defend the Southeastern Conference crown it earned last season. Things start Friday against Auburn. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Top-ranked South Carolina is ready for the next — and perhaps hardest — stretch of the season when it opens Southeastern Conference play this week.

The defending SEC champion Gamecocks (12-0) have been the No. 1 team for the past six weeks, a position that’s sure to be tested once league play begins Friday night against Auburn (9-4).

South Carolina forward Aleighsa Welch said the players understand the difficulties ahead and know that winning their first conference crown last season will steady them for league play.

“We have a veteran team,” said Welch, a senior who made the all-SEC team last year. “We have a lot of people who know what it’s like to go into this schedule. There are no cakewalk games in the SEC.”

It hasn’t always been a cakewalk for the Gamecocks. They were pushed several times in hard-fought wins over Southern Cal (70-61), No. 21 Syracuse (67-63) and No. 10 Duke, where South Carolina rallied from four points down in the final minute to escape with a 51-50 victory on Dec. 7.

There were plenty of blowouts in pre-conference play, with the past four wins coming by an average of 39 points. The Gamecocks have been off since their 84-44 win over Liberty on Dec. 21, and coach Dawn Staley has worked the past few practices to restore the team’s focus.

“Obviously, they lost a little over the break because they decompressed, maybe a little too much,” Staley said. “We had to get them refocused and try and work on some things that are our shortcomings.”

They’re hard to spot.

Last year’s SEC player of the year Tiffany Mitchell has picked up where she left off, leading the Gamecocks with 14.8 points a game — good for seventh in the SEC. Heralded 6-foot-5 freshman A’ja Wilson has lived up to the reputation as the country’s top recruit last season, right behind Mitchell with 14.2 points a game. Alaina Coates, a 6-4 sophomore who was the SEC’s freshman of the year in 2013-14, leads the league with six games with double figure points and rebounds.

Welch, averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, said the players know they can’t rely on what they’ve accomplished if they hope to repeat as SEC champs.

“We need a whole new level of focus,” she said.

Auburn heads to South Carolina off a 44-42 loss to Hampton in a tournament in Miami, Florida, this past Tuesday. Earlier this month, the Gamecocks won at Hampton 69-49 in a homecoming of sorts for Staley, who was a college star at Virginia.

The Gamecocks also bring a couple of streaks into the SEC opener — the 12-0 start is the best in Staley’s seven seasons in charge. They own a 24-game home win streak heading into the contest with the Tigers.

The Gamecocks have a difficult SEC opening stretch, following their home game with Auburn with four road games in their next five contests. The only home game in that sequence comes against No. 11 Kentucky on Jan. 11.

“Coming in defending SEC champs, No. 1 team in the country, we know we’re going to have a target on our back every single night,” Welch said. “You’ve got a lot of teams that are playing well right now in the SEC. We know what’s on the line every time we play.”

Staley has said she’s not building the Gamecocks to peak in December or January, but when it matters most in March and April. She’s been pleased with the progress so far.

“From all of that competition, I thought we got something out of all of those games, even when the score was lopsided,” she said. “Our young players grew throughout that process and will look a little different once the conference starts.”

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Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

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Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!