I will begin first by saying that I definitely do not write about the UNC Women’s Basketball team enough on this blog. On the other hand I always keep up with their season by reading anything/everything I can find out on the net. Today, while I was out and about on things I could not postpone, I tried to follow the WNBA draft (props & thanks to @ErinESummers for the heads up on it) and the Lady Heels that were headed to the next level. In all two North Carolina players were drafted, making the total of former Heels going to the WNBA seventeen.

The first one was Jessica Breland, an honorable mention All-ACC averaging 12.4 pts and 7.1 rebounds, was taken 13th by the Minnesota Lynx. However, before she could celebrate her new home she was traded to the New York Liberty. Breland, a 6’3″ forward, missed the `09-`10 season while receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s ymphoma. The other player was Italee Lucas, 2nd team All-ACC pick who averaged a team-best 16.2 points per game, went 21st in the draft to the Tulsa Shock.

Breland heads to a team, the NY Liberty, that came in tied with the best record in the East Confernce at 22 and 12. In the playoffs they won the first round and then lost to Atlanta in the Conference Finals. On the other hand Lucas is going to be in different atmosphere for sure, as Tulsa Shockers didn’t shock many people, ending last year with a record of 6 and 28.

As I do with all the Tar Heels let me wish both Jessica Breland and Italee Lucas all the best as they head to the next chapter of their lives.

Marion Jones (GoogleSearch)

a decade ago Tar Heel Marion Jones was enjoying her glory at the Sydney Olympics. Now, after being stripped of all of her medals in 2007 and doing six months for lying to federal prosecutors, she is once again in sports, trying to make a comeback in a sport that won her a national title at UNC, basketball. Jones is the newest member of the WNBA franchise Tulsa Shocker, and she is ready to start over and isn’t here to look back at her past. The Heel was the starting point guard was a freshman when the Lady Heels won the 1994 national championship, she was also drafter by Phoenix, but never played in the league, until now that is.

WNBA’s president believes that Marion Jones is going to be someone that will get people to come see what is the team in the second smallest market of the league. I think that the reality is that Jones might just be a draw for the Tulsa squad, but on the other hand it is also a fit that might work for both. The athlete needs a team and the team needs someone to bring in people into the arena. His coach, from this article in the Herald Sun, doesn’t think that Jones is anything but a player that he will need:

“Watching her go through drills, I saw a player who’s perfect for our system,” Richardson said. “The one thing I do know is she can run, and any player on my team who wants to be successful needs be able to run.”

I truly do hope that Marion Jones will be part of the Shock for the right reasons and that she can do something good with this oppurtunity. As I do with all the Heels let me wish Marion Jones all the best as she goes into this next chapter of her life.

(WNBA) - 08/11/09

In this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA), where we are going to check out the games from July 11, 2009, we will only have one ex Lady Heel to check up on. But as we all know, be it one or all of them, if there is an ex player from Chapel Hill there will be a recap from The Fifth Corner. Just so everyone knows, on 8/12/09 there were no games, so the next update will be from the games of 08/13/09. But for now enjoy this recap from the game in this recap for the ex UNC players in the Pro’s…

New York Liberty

In the only game with a touch of carolina blue it’s a east versus west match up as the New York Liberty crossed the country to play against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Staples Center in front of 9,548 fans. For the visiting team we have Erlana Larkins, who is a rookie forward for the Liberty, but “Did Not Play” (Coach’s Decision) in this game. However, even without playing, Larkins should be happy as New York beat Los Angeles by four points, with the Liberty taking the game by the final score of 65 to 61.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

(WNBA) - 08/04/09

With no games having a touch of carolina blue in the past couple of days we are back with another recap of the ex Lady Heels in the WNBA by giving you another edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) for the games from July 4, 2009. On this date there were three games in all, of those two had ex players from Chapel Hill, meaning that finally we get to talk about the WNBA once again. So, without further ado, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA)…

Seattle Storm

The first game has the Phoenix Mercury coming to Key Arena to take on the Seattle Storm in front of 6.728 fans. For the home squad it’s Camille Little, who started at the center spot for the Storm and got over 42 and a half minutes in all. The ex Lady Heel scored 20 points (9 for 13 ~ 1 for 1 ~ 1 for 4) to go along with four rebounds, three streals and two turnovers. And while Little had a good game, it was not good enough as Phoenix won by double digits, defeating Seattle 101 to 90 in over time. It’s a shame, since Seattle lost the lead in the fourth quarter and then just fell flat in OT to go from a W to a loss.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

New York Liberty

The other game that has a player who once played at Chapel Hill is the one between the New York Liberty and the Detroit Shock, who played at the Palace in Auburn Hills, in front of 7,014 fans. For the visiting team from the Big Apple it’s Cathrine Kraayeveld, who after a long run as a starter for the Liberty is not coming off the bench and playing 19 minutes. In that time frame the ex Lady Heel scores eight points (2 for 7 ~ 2 for 5 ~ 2 for 2), while adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal. In the end this game went to the home team, as Detroit beat New York by a dozen, with the final score being 76 to 64.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

(WNBA) - 07/30/09

As I get back into the swing of things from a very bad beginning of the weekend (Friday & Saturday) due to something personal, let me try to catch up with “Heels in the League” (WNBA) before it gets away from me (once again). On this edition, which has the games from July 30, 2009, there are four games in all in the league, and of those two of them have teams with a touch of carolina blue on them. So, sit back and relax as you enjoy this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) for 07/30/09…

New York Liberty

In the first game, played in the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden (in front of 10,172 fans), we have the Washington Mystics taking on the New York Liberty in an east coast match up. For the home squad it Cathrine Kraayeveld, who in this game comes off the bench and plays for 21:15 minutes. In all the ex Lady Heel scored six points (1 for 4 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 4 for 6), while getting three blocks, grabbing a couple of rebounds and having two steals on the night. In the end it was the visiting squad taking this one, as Washington beat New York by the final score of 78 to 75. It is interesting that in a game that went down to the wire and was won by three points the Mystics hit exactly one extra shot beyond the arch than the Liberty did.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Atlanta Dream

The second game having a touch of carolina blue is the one between the Phoenix Mercury and the Atlanta Dream, played in the Philips Arena, in front of 7,827 fans. Once again the ex Heel is on the home team, with Ivory Latta, who comes off the bench, gets just above 24 minutes and has the second most points for her team with 16. The ex playmaker for UNC was a perfect seven for seven from the free throw line, while going 4 for 8 from the field (1 for 4 from 3pt land). The guard from Chapel Hill also had four assists and a rebound. As far as the game is concerned it was a totally one sided as Atlanta destroyed Phoenix by 30 points, with the final tally being 106 to 76.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

(WNBA) - 07/28/09

Yesterday the WNBA had four games, of which two of them had a touch of carolina in them. So, as is the case each and every day after some ex Carolina player in the pro played it’s time for “Heels in the League” (WNBA). If you want more basketball, even if computer generated and no real players, you should check out the first two games from the “Tourney of Champs”, 2009 vs 1981 and 2005 vs 1982. But, if you are most interested in yesterday’s performances by the ex Lady Heels, here they are in this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) for July 28, 2009…

Minnesota Lynx

In the first game of the night we have a show down between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx. The game was played at the Target Center, in front of 7,216 fans. For the home squad we see Rashanda McCants (sister to another Tar Heel, Rashad) getting close to 18 minutes off the bench. In that time frame the ex Lady Heel got seven points (2 for 4 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 3 for 3) while grabbing four rebounds and an assist. Unfortunately all of this was not enough since Los Angeles took the game, defeating Minnesota by a half dozen points, 76 to 70.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Seattle Storm

The other game that has a touch of carolina blue in it is the one that has the Seattle Storm heading southwest to take on the San Antonio Stars (talk about going from the cold to the hot). The two teams played in front of 5,382 fans at the AT&T Center (which I think is a low number of fans compared to other games). For the visiting team it’s Camille Little, who started for the Storm and got over 28 minutes of playing time. The ex Lady Heel scored in double digits, 11 points, adding seven boards and three turnovers. In the end it was the home team winning the game as San Antonio beat Seattle 74 to 71.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

07/26/09

After a while where due to real life issues I just could not keep up with this post I am now back with the “Heels in the League” (WNBA), and while I wish I could have caught up with the games, seeing how things are I have decided to pick it up from the All Star break, which means that we are going to talk about the games from July 26, 2009. On that date there were two games in all, one has a team with an ex Lady Heel on it, and so it’s time for a recap about it, in what I call “Heels in the League” (WNBA)…

NY Liberty

In the only game to have a touch of carolina blue it’s the Phoenix Mercury coming over to the East Coast to face off against the New York Liberty at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. In all there were 11,211 to watch the two WNBA play, which I think is not a bad attendance night. For the home squad we have Cathrine Kraayeveld, starting for the Liberty at one of the two forward spots, and getting just over 22 minutes in this game (six minutes less than her season average). In all the ex Heel got 13 points (4 for 12 ~ 1 for 4 ~ 4 for 4), while taking down six rebounds and an assist. In the end it was Phoenix winning the game, as they defeated New York by the final of 94 to 88.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

06/21/09

Everytime I get a second to work on this (extremely behind) post about the ex ladies from Chapel Hill playing in the WNBA I remember the song “so far away”. Mostly because that is what this (not so) daily post is: so far away! But, I am not giving up on it and I am going to get it back into shape this week, and with the fact I have some time off from other things, I should truly be able to do it. But for now, enjoy this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) from June 21, 2009. There are five games on the night, of those two have ex Lady Heels in them, with one of the game being a head to head match up between ex Carolina players. So, without any further interruptions, here is the recap for 06/21/09…

Seattle Storm

In the first game with a touch of carolina blue it’s the Seattle Storm going south to play the Phoenix Mercury at the US Airways Center in front of 6,181 fans. For the Storm it’s ex Lady Heel Camille Little, who started in the middle for her team, getting over 32.5 minutes in all. In that timeframe the center only scored 2 points (1 for 6 shooting), while adding six boards, four assists and a steal. Little did have a turnover on the night as well against the Mercury team. In the end, in a pretty close game, it was Seattle beating Phoenix by 9, with the final score being 93 to 84.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

New York Liberty

The second game of the night, a head to head between ex players from Chapel Hill, is the one that has the New York Liberty going down I-95 to the “Gate City of the South” to take on the Atlanta Dream. The game was played in the Philips Arena (same venue used by the Hawks) in front of 5,624 fans. For the Liberty it’s Cathrine Kraayeveld, starting at a forward spot and getting over 30 minutes of playing time. The ex Heel scored 13 points (5 for 10 ~ 2 for 6 ~ 1 for 1) to go along with three assists, two boards and a steal. On the other side of the court it was Nikki Teasley, getting the nod at a guard spot and also playing over 30 minutes. Teasley scored 3 points (1 for 3 ~ 1 for 2), adding five assists, two boards and a pair of steals. When it was all said and done it would be New York winning the game by a dozen, taking down Atlanta by the final tally of 93 to 81.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

06/19/09

And after letting this daily post go during the Fourth of July weekend (and sliding even further behind on it) I am back to get this “Heels in the League” (WNBA) post on track once and for all. In the games for June 19, 2009, all the ex Lady Heels were in action, with a head to head meeting. Some starting for their pro team and some coming off the bench, but all contributing in some way. So, without any further interruptions, let’s get this edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) for 06/19/09 going…

In the first game with a touch of carolina blue, it’s the Washington Mystics going down south to Philips Arena, to play against Atlanta Dream in front of just over 6,000 fans. For the home squad it’s Nikki Teasley, starting at a guard spot and getting just below 19 minutes. In that timeframe the ex Lady Heel got 12 points, along with one rebound, four assists and a steal. In the end, it was Atlanta winning the game, as they defeated Washington by a dozen, 93 to 81.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The next game is the head to head game between ex UNC players as the Minnesota Lynx went to the northwest to meet up with the Seattle Storm. The game was played at Key Arena in front of 7,607 fans. For the visiting team it’s the tandem of LaToya Pringle and Rashanda McCants, both coming off the bench in this one. Pringle, who got just over 5 minutes in the game, scored just one point (0 for 1 from the field – 1 for 2 from the FT line), while getting nothing else but two personal fouls. McCants, who got over 21 minutes in the game, scored 8 points (3 for 6 ~ 2 for 2 from beyond the arc), adding five rebounds and an assist. For the home team it’s center Camille Little, who started for the Storm. In all the ex Heel got seven points for the team (3 for 5 from the field – 1 for 2 from the charity stripe) and plus two rebounds. In the game it was all Storm, as Seattle destroyed Minnesota by 28 points, with the final score being 90 to 62.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The final game with an ex from Chapel Hill is the game that was played at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, as visiting San Antonio Stars take on the New York Liberty in front of over 8,000 fans. For the home team we have Cathrine Kraayeveld getting the nod at one of the forward spots and playing just under 28 minutes in all. The ex Lady Heel scored seven points (2 for 7 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 2 for 2) to go along with three boards, two assists, one steal and a block shot. As far as the game, in the end it was a pretty easy game for the Liberty, as New York wins the game going away, taking care of San Antonio by the final tally of 77 to 61.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

06/16/09

After another day where the WNBA didn’t have any games on June 16th there are two games, one of them has a touch of carolina blue in it. So, even if this is way late, here is the next edition of “Heels in the League” (WNBA) for the games from 06/16/09. And while I am way behind this post, with the “Heels in the League” (MLB) basically up to date I am now going to concentrate on getting this post back on track, and hope to do so before this weekend, especially since the WNBA does not play every day, and there are several days that there won’t have to have a recap. But for June 16, 2009 there needs to be a recap, and it is right here…

In the only game with a touch of carolina blue it’s the Minnesota Lynx going to US Airways Center to play the Phoenix Mercury in front of 6,254 fans. For the visiting squad it’s due of ex Lady Heels, LaToya Pringle and Rashanda McCants, who both get minutes coming off the bench. Pringle, playing in the middle for the Lynx, got no points, two rebounds, one assist and a block shot (while turning it over once) in 9 and a half minutes of playing time. McCants, who also got about 9.5 minutes of playing time, didn’t score either, while grabbing a board, dishing out four assists and having one turnover. In the end, this was a lopsided game for the wrong squad, as Phoenix won this one going away, defeating Minnesota by 24 points, with the final score being 104 to 80.

Box Score — Play-By-Play