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LJ Finds Source of Pain

Monday, December 17th, 2012

Lauren Jackson is confident she’s on the path to recovery after doctors were finally able to diagnose the exact source of pain in her back and hamstring that has sidelined Jackson since the end of the Storm’s season. A recent MRI found a tear in her adductor magnus muscle.

”More than anything it was just frustration not knowing what it is, and that it could potentially end my career, [which] was something I had to deal with,” Jackson explained to the Canberra Times. I feel like finally I know exactly what it is, we all do and we know how to treat it.

”It’s real relief. I’m with the best people and they know me well enough to know I was really scared, and now I’m not so scared any more.”

In news of a different sort, Jackson is one of six Aussie sporting “icons” picked by Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Sydney for a fan vote on which player to be replicated in wax.

“This is a great honor to be recognized as a nominee for this activity and I’m most grateful,” Jackson said. “There really are some great sporting legends in Madame Tussauds and it would be amazing to have my figure alongside them.”

Voting will last through Jan. 18 via the Madame Tussauds Facebook page.

CHINA

Shanghai (8-7) moved back above .500 with Saturday’s 83-66 win over Yunnan. Camille Little (23 points, 14 rebounds, five steals) and Storm camp invitee Lindsay Taylor (23 points, 13 boards) played more or less to a draw, but teammate Xiufeng Shi scored 25 points to lift the Baoshan to victory.

ISRAEL

Ramat Hasharon suffered a 63-53 setback Monday to Elizur Ramla, dropping to 3-3 in league play. Stats were not yet available.

RUSSIA

On Saturday, UMMC Ekaterinburg handed Nadezhda an 84-64 defeat behind 22 points and 13 assists from Diana Taurasi. Sandrine Gruda scored 18 points and Candace Parker and the Storm’s Ewelina Kobryn had 11 apiece. Taurasi was 5-of-7 from downtown and Kobryn added another three as UMMC shot 7-of-10 as a team.

Svetlana Abrosimova contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists in Dynamo Moscow’s 59-52 win over Rostov-Don. Kristi Toliver’s 14 points led all scorers in the defensive battle, which saw Rostov-Don shoot 39.1 percent as a team.

SOUTH KOREA

Thanks to Tina Thompson, Woori Hansae has been pulling out close games lately. Last Monday, Woori defeated Winnus 65-64, overcoming 16 points and 16 rebounds from former Storm center Ashley Robinson with 23 points and 10 rebounds from Thompson, who shot 11-of-17 from the field. Earlier today, it was a 69-64 win over S-Birds that moved Woori two games ahead in the battle for the top spot in the WKBL. Thompson had 28 points and 16 rebounds and shut down WNBA counterpart Cathrine Kraayeveld, who finished with just 10 points.

TURKEY

No problem for Galatasaray (8-1) in an 81-48 victory over Mersin. Ann Wauters had 13 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action, while Sylvia Fowles scored 17 points and grabbed nine boards. Elsewhere, Homend Antakya improved to 4-5 with a needed 106-61 blowout of lowly Edremit. Antakya did not need scoring from Shekinna Stricklen, who had 11 points and attempted just seven shots in 22 minutes (making three of her four tries beyond the arc). Naile Cirak led the team with 22 points and Jolene Anderson scored 18.

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Jackson Honored by Women’s Health Australia

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Lauren Jackson is still rehabbing a back injury, but she was able to put her workout regimen aside yesterday for the I Support Women in Sport Awards, sponsored by Women’s Health Australia. Jackson was one of several Aussie stars honored. The magazine named Jackson the 2012 Leadership Legend on the strength of her play on the court and her support of women’s rights. Jackson tweeted about the special night:

CHINA

Shanghai (6-5) went on the road to defeat Henan 76-72 Saturday behind 32 points and eight rebounds from Camille Little, who went to the free throw line 15 times, making 12. Little got the best of San Antonio’s Jayne Appel, who finished with 28 points and 16 boards.

KOREA

Asia-Basket.com named Tina Thompson Player of the Week for Round 14 in the WKBL. Thompson earned the honor with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Woori Hansae’s 68-65 win Monday over KB Stars. With the win, Woori (12-3) is now first in the league. Thompson is averaging 18.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in five games since arriving in Korea.

TURKEY

Galatasaray moved to 6-1 in TBBL play by knocking off Adana Botas 67-54 on Saturday. Ann Wauters led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sancho Lyttle had 14 points and five rebounds. Courtney Paris had eight points and nine rebounds for Botas.

Homend Antakya snapped a slump with a 68-56 victory over Samsun Basketball. Shekinna Stricklen did not play, but four Antakya players scored double figures, including 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Jana Vesela and 14 points for Jolene Anderson.

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Storm Frontcourt Takes European Title

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Congratulations to Lauren Jackson, Jana Vesela and Ann Wauters, who helped lead Ros Casares Valencia to a EuroLeague title with Sunday’s 65-52 win over Rivas Ecopolis. Ros Casares actually trailed its Spanish rivals at halftime, but dominated the second half, allowing just four points in the final quarter to pull away. Amaya Valdemoro’s jumper with 7:09 remaining to bring Rivas within one would be the team’s final score, as Valencia scored the game’s last 12 points. Rivas shot just 36.1 percent from the field, including 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.

The Storm’s starting frontcourt played a key role in that performance. Jackson had just two points and two rebounds, but Ros Casares outscored Rivas by nine points during her 28 minutes on the floor. Wauters had 12 points and six rebounds, Sancho Lyttle led Valencia with 18 points and Silvia Dominguez scored 13 more. Final Eight MVP Asjha Jones (14) was the only Rivas player to reach double-figures.

Valencia earned its first championship under the current EuroLeague title and followed Halcon Avenida to keep the title in Spain for a second consecutive year. Jackson won her third, having won the EuroLeague twice with Sparta&K and Wauters added this to three previous triumphs, two for Valenciennes and one for VBM-SGAU.

Sue Bird and UMMC Ekaterinburg were able to take third place by beating Fenerbahce 75-68 in what was a two-point game up through the final minute. Bird scored nine points, all from beyond the arc, and handed out three assists. Sandrine Gruda led Ekaterinburg with 18 points and Candace Parker had 16 points and 11 boards.

Host Galatasaray took fifth place with a 73-71 win over Sparta&K, and Beretta-Famila Schio topped Wisla Can-Pack Krakow 65-62 for seventh place despite six points, six rebounds and four assists from Ewelina Kobryn.

The first year of the Final Eight format produced some good games and a surprising run by a Rivas Ecopolis team that would have been likely to make the Final Four, but unfortunately it may be remembered more for injuries than anything else. Fortunately, Bird was able to return after breaking her nose, but Maria Stepanova and Penny Taylor both suffered more serious knee injuries. Stepanova tore her ACL and will miss the Olympics. That same fate could befall Taylor, but doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down before determining the extent of the damage to her ACL. The injuries cast a pall over the proceedings in Istanbul.

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Opals Announce Olympic Finalists

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

The London Olympics are coming, and days after USA Basketball named 24 finalists for its squad, Basketball Australia has done the same. The group includes, as expected, Storm star Lauren Jackson and three other players who previously played in Seattle: Suzy Batkovic, Abby Bishop and Belinda Snell.

Jackson announced last year her plans to sit out the first half of the 2012 WNBA season to prepare for the Olympics. So to will Snell, an unrestricted free agent who played for the Storm last season. That will allow them to participate in a pre-Olympic training camp beginning in May. Prior to that, Basketball Australia will use a selection camp in March to help choose the players who will be part of the final squad.

The Opals, who have won silver in each of the last three Olympics, are looking to regroup after a disappointing fifth-place finish in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. With Jackson and other key players like Snell and Penny Taylor in their 30s, there is a sense of urgency as Australia tries to capture an elusive gold medal.

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Jackson Debuts; Cash Headed to China

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Lauren Jackson’s first game for Ros Casares Valencia didn’t end the way either she or the team hoped. With Jackson playing 10 minutes off the bench in her first game action since the Storm’s final playoff game, Ros Casares fell victim to a home upset by ZVVZ USK Praha. It’s the first loss this season for Ros Casares, which fell a game off the pace set by Galatasaray in Group A. Valencia shot just 35.5 percent from the field. The team’s lone productive offensive players were Sancho Lyttle (19 points) and Ann Wauters (18). Take them out of the equation and the rest of the team shot worse than 20 percent. Eva Viteckova scored a game-high 20 points for Praha.

In better news, Swin Cash is back blogging for Slamonline.com. In her first installment of the offseason, Cash explains why she believes in what the WNBA stands for as opposed to the start-up Lingerie Basketball League.

You’re trying to tell me that’s why the WNBA isn’t appealing? In the words of Mr. Ochocino, Child Please!  The WNBA has beautiful women who are not only amazing athletes, savvy business women and pillars of their communities; they also have resumes that make them more than just eye candy!

Cash wraps up by breaking the news that she’s rejoining DongGuan New Century Club in Dongguan, China for a third season and going for a WCBA championship after falling just short last year. Good luck, Swin!

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Lauren Jackson Sports Centre Renamed Saturday

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Lauren Jackson has received a lot of honors during her basketball career, but this one is unique. On Saturday, the Albury Sports Stadium in Jackson’s hometown will be renamed the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.

“I’m very excited but humbled to have the sports centre named in my honour,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m grateful to the AlburyCity Council and people of Albury for this recognition. Wherever I go in the world I always consider myself a country girl from Albury and it will indeed always be my home. I’m very proud to have this connection to a city I love and can represent.”

Over 160,000 participants per year use the Albury Sports Stadium for a range of sports and activities, including basketball as well as badminton, futsall, netball and volleyball. In addition to hosting youth sports, the Albury Sports Stadium is also home to the Albury-Wodonga Border Bandits and Lady Bandits clubs.

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Around the Web: LJ Finalizes Aussie Deal

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Negotiations between Lauren Jackson and the Canberra Capitals were finalized earlier this week, with Jackson signing a five-year contract that will see her play in the Australian WNBL for the Caps in 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Jackson will make a total of $1 million over that span. The lighter WNBL schedule should help Jackson manage year-round play after the Olympics.

Here’s the story from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jackson last played for Canberra when she led the team to the 2009-10 WNBL title, and was paid $220,000 to play the back half of the season. ”I can’t wait to get that uniform back on again and play at home,” she said. ”I’m very territorial; I’ve always played for [WNBA side] Seattle, I’ve always played for Canberra here and this is where I want to finish.”

ABC News pointed out Jackson’s belief that this is the right time for her to return to the WNBL.

“I’m thrilled with the certainty this provides me and even more excited about continuing to play a major part in Australian basketball in the short term,” she said.

“I just feel really fortunate that I get the opportunity to come back here and spend the twilight years in my career in Canberra, working with the people that I guess paved the way for me to become who I did in the sport.”

When Jackson joins the Capitals next fall, she will have the opportunity to play in the arena in her hometown of Albury that is going to be renamed for her next week. The Capitals announced this week that they will play an annual game in Albury starting this season, The Border Mail reported.

Jackson said yesterday playing a game in her home town would give her something to “really look forward to with great pride”.

“There is nothing like playing in front of your home crowd,” she said.

“I’m delighted I will be able to do that with the Canberra Capitals.”

Storm CEO Karen Bryant received an enormous honor from the Sports Business Journal, which named her one of 50 women in sports business who are “game changers.”

As president and CEO of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Karen Bryant is one of the league’s most dynamic executives. She has led the Storm to two WNBA titles and was instrumental in the team in 2010 securing its marquee jersey sponsorship deal with Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Under Bryant’s leadership, the team has signed a slew of additional new deals that have boosted the Storm’s sponsorship revenue by 200 percent in the last year. The team had a 90 percent season-ticket renewal rate leading into the 2011 season, as well.

Swin Cash has also been in the news. On the Storm Facebook page, you can check out some of the glamorous photos from her shoot with famed photographer Derek Blanks for Savoy Magazine.

Sharing the Victory magazine wrote about Cash’s faith and what it means for her as a WNBA player.

My story—and really my purpose—in sports is still being written. Whenever I need encouragement in my faith, I look back to a lesson my mom taught me while I was in high school after our team had lost the state championship. I was so devastated that I couldn’t go to school for days, and I didn’t want to do anything. But my mom reminded me in that moment that God had a bigger plan for me and that all I had to do was trust in Him. That vital truth stayed with me, and now, years later, I can see that His plan for me has been far greater than I ever could have imagined.

Cash was also featured in D-List magazine.

But there is more to Cash than simply basketball. Just last August, she was honored by the WNBA with the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award which is presented to the player who best reflects the league’s goal of making a difference in the community. She was recognized for her efforts as a spokesperson for Race for the Cure and her Cash for Kids charity. This is one of her main focuses when she gets precious free time away from the court which is otherwise spent relaxing with family and exploring different business endeavors.

“Cash for Kids is my charitable organization and I love working with the kids in our programs,” she added. This organization that helps motivate and educate children is just one of the branches of Cash Enterprises that Cash created six years ago. It also includes Cash Building Blocks (an urban development company that renovates and offers affordable homes for low income families) and the Swin Cash Clothing line, which works hand in hand with the Cash for Kids as portions of each purchase goes directly to support the charity’s initiatives.

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Playoff Schedule Tests Jackson

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

Since she returned from hip surgery, the challenge for Lauren Jackson has not so much been during games so much as the next game. Because of the soreness that is to be expected as Jackson works back toward full strength, it takes her time to recover from the physical nature of game action.

That makes the playoff schedule problematic for Jackson. Monday’s Game 3 against the Phoenix Mercury (7:00 p.m., ESPN2, 1090 AM, TIX) will be the Storm’s third game in five days. Jackson played a back-to-back late in the regular season, but this will be her longest extended period playing a game every other day.

“It’s just a day-to-day thing,” said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler of Jackson’s availability. “It could change tomorrow. Right now, we anticipate her playing.”

Jackson and the rest of her Storm teammates took it easy Sunday after flying back from Phoenix. The team watched film and discussed adjustments, but merely shot free throws on the court.

One change that took place during Saturday’s Game 2 loss was Jackson moving inside over the course of the game. In the first half, five of her seven shot attempts came from beyond the arc. While Jackson made three of them as the Storm hit 13 triples as team, it left the Storm short on interior offense. She spent more time in the paint during the second half, attempting six of her eight free throws and a single three-pointer.

“She worked herself inside,” said Agler.

The result was a more balanced Storm offense that gave the Mercury a scare with a comeback effort in the fourth quarter. If Jackson’s hip can take it, expect to see more of her playing in the post tomorrow night.

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Jackson’s Availability Still Day-to-Day

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Even though Lauren Jackson is back in the Storm’s lineup following hip surgery, the team continues to monitor how her hip is feeling and will alter her playing time accordingly – possibly even sitting her out entirely.

“How she feels the next day is what we base the next game’s minutes on – her recovery time,” said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler after Wednesday’s light workout. “Today she’s sore, so we’ll have to see how she feels tomorrow. As much as we don’t like to look in the big picture, we have to with her. She’s really sore today. She played a few more minutes last night than she did the first night. After the first game, it took her two days to really get back in the flow. We’ll gauge that tomorrow morning.”

Jackson played just under 22 minutes on Saturday in her first game in two months, then played 25 in last night’s win over San Antonio. If Jackson continues to respond well, her minutes will probably stay around 25 a night for the time being. But Agler is not taking for granted that Jackson will play all because the team does not want to overdo her comeback.

“I could see a scenario where if she doesn’t respond, we don’t play her,” he explained. “It can be that too. It’s not just using her for the moment and forgetting about the future for now. Let’s see how this goes, see how she feels, see how she recovers and then make our decision.”

Which is not to say the Storm does not expect Jackson to play tomorrow when the Tulsa Shock visits KeyArena (7:00 p.m., 1090 AM, Live Access, TIX).

“Right now we feel like she is, but tomorrow could be different,” said Agler. “Tomorrow she could be sore and she might not play. It’s just going to be a day-by-day, hour-by-hour thing.”

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Jackson on the Comeback Trail

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

For Storm players and coaches, it was a welcome sight. After Monday’s practice at Seattle Pacific University, Lauren Jackson lingered on the practice court going through her shooting routine. Being cleared to shoot a basketball is the latest step in Jackson’s rehabilitation from hip surgery on June 30.

“I’m back on the court now and doing a little bit more each day,” said Jackson, who joined the Storm on the road in Minnesota during the last road trip.

Jackson isn’t yet free to run up and down the court, which will be another hurdle as she gets closer to returning to game action. To get to that point, she needs to continue to rebuild strength in her left leg through rehab exercises. There’s no timetable as yet, but Jackson is making progress.

“Rehab’s good,” she said. “Getting a lot done and getting better each day.”

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