Male Practice Players Update

You may recall that last December, the NCAA proposed a ban on the use of male practice players in women’s intercollegiate athletics. Here are a couple of the many articles written at that time:

• Gender Equity in Practice, by Doug Lederman, InsideHigherEd.com
• Junk the Males? No Way!, by Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com

The NCAA has now released the results of a survey of athletic adminstrators and coaches. The issue has been under investigation for more than two years, and it doesn't seem that it will be settled soon.

On a lighter note, Alex Delanian, a practice player with the Women of Troy, reports that "The women's basketball team made me a better man".

Beautiful people

Here are some pictures taken at the annual awards banquet. The picture of the whole team is by Arlene Rusche; the others by Mitch Takahashi. Click on a picture to see a larger version.

Pre-, pre- preseason Top 25

By: Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com

Ah, there's nothing more fun than picking the Top 25 for next season … when next season is seven months away. What a great way to get more, "You're an idiot!" e-mails.



These are Mechelle's picks from the Pac-10:

9. Arizona State: Coach Charli Turner Thorne was very upbeat after the Sun Devils' loss in the Elite Eight, despite the three seniors who depart. That's because ASU will be big and athletic inside next season as 6-foot-3 transfers Sybil Dosty (Tennessee) and Lauren Lacey (Minnesota) are eligible. And guard Dymond Simon will return from a knee injury that cut short her rookie season.

11. Stanford: Brooke Smith and Kristen Newlin move on, but Candice Wiggins is back to lead a talented team that hopes to avoid any more injuries to its point guards for a while.

21. California: The post combo of Pac-10 player of the year Ashley Walker and Devanei Hampton is back, and Alexis Gray-Lawson is expected back after a knee injury that sidelined her in December. What's uncertain is whether coach Joanne Boyle will return or take over at Duke.

Here is the complete article.

Living up to the Cardinal rule

By: Christopher P. Anderson, The Stanford Daily

Addressing the state of Stanford Women's Basketball

The party was on for the Louisiana State faithful. Tall Tiger Sylvia Fowles blew apart every Husky defense in the paint and Connecticut’s shooting went bitterly cold. Husky coach Geno Auriemma blubbered on the podium. A boisterous contingent of LSU fans cheered the program’s fourth straight trip to the Final Four.

Amidst all the celebration in the Fresno Regional final, one thing was conspicuously absent. Stanford. (More ...)

Candice & Brooke named Kodak/WBCA All-Americans

STANFORD, Calif. - Junior guard Candice Wiggins has been selected to the 2007 NCAA Division 1 Kodak/WBCA All-America Team, earning the honor for a third straight year while cementing her reputation as one of the nation's premier players. Senior forward/center Brooke Smith was also recognized as a member of the Honorable Mention Kodak/WBCA All-America Team. (More ...)