SWIN to retire

[ThisJustIn]

(Stupid auto correct)

Curtain Call | By Swin Cash

 

[JavaMan]

A beautiful article from a beautiful individual. To wit:

Basketball has given me the opportunities of many lifetimes.

It was truly my first love. It took my hand and pulled me beyond the pitfalls of my environment, and all over this country and the world — and then brought me back home again.

It showed me how I can touch people — people who may not know the game I love, but who know me because I play it. People whom I would never have met if I didn’t dribble a ball.

This game I love saved my life after a cancer scare. It’s provided for me and my family. It’s given me championships in college and the pros. And it’s asked me whether or not I had the tenacity and perseverance to compete with and against the greatest athletes in the world, and take home the prize of prizes: an Olympic gold medal. Twice.

​

 

[ktuck911]

Salute, Swin Cash..

Her future is way brighter behind the mic... Nice to see that sky's still the limit for her future beyond basketball...

 

[Fairfield Fan]

When is she retiring? Did I miss that part of the essay? Is it now, or after the season?

She was a critical part of national championship teams. Yes, Sue and D got the headlines, but Swin was critical underneath.

 

[VAMike23]

When is she retiring? Did I miss that part of the essay? Is it now, or after the season?

She was a critical part of national championship teams. Yes, Sue and D got the headlines, but Swin was critical underneath.

Yes, end of the season - she notes that she has 27 regular season games left, and she wants to take time at the various cities around the league to thank the fans along the way.

P.S. I loved that she slipped this photo in there, from a game vs. the LV's:

 

[Fightin Choke]

Here is a tribute to Swin: LINK.

Sue Bird:

Everyone knows how hard of a worker she is — and she is, in everything she does. This is a person who, when she sets her mind on something, she works 110% for it. One day in college, we were doing individual workouts: a couple of players, one coach and a bunch of drills. We were working on our ball handling. We’d line up, go down the court and back, one after the other. And then Swin went.

One of the coaches yells, “Swin! You need to go harder!”

She comes back down the court to the back of the line and she looks at the few of us who were there. She goes, “Watch. This.”

She starts the drill, going the same pace, the same effort, the same moves, but she added a few vocal grunts: Uh! Ah! Oomph!

Swin is unabashedly herself, always. That’s part of her persona.

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

She had sold it. We were cracking up.

Bill Laimbeer:

There’s a difference between coaching someone who’s coming straight out of the University of Connecticut versus most other schools. UConn players are the best in the country. They come out of high school already built to dominate — they’re real basketball players. And when they get to UConn, they are surrounded by other dominant players. In most college programs, you have one elite player on a team and some support around them. At UConn, everybody’s elite. When a UConn player gets to the professional level — a place where there are only great players — they already have a leg up. It’s hard to teach someone how to play alongside greatness. UConn players? That’s all they know.

And Tanisha Wright and Tamika Catchings also weigh in.

 

[Kibitzer]

What an amazing lady! What a fabulous career! And such a classy person!

- NCAA championships;
- WNBA championships;
- Olympic gold medals; and,
- even a Boneyard Badass award.​

One of the all-time greats, in every respect.

 

[CL82]

Bill Laimbeer:

There’s a difference between coaching someone who’s coming straight out of the University of Connecticut versus most other schools. UConn players are the best in the country. They come out of high school already built to dominate — they’re real basketball players. And when they get to UConn, they are surrounded by other dominant players. In most college programs, you have one elite player on a team and some support around them. At UConn, everybody’s elite. When a UConn player gets to the professional level — a place where there are only great players — they already have a leg up. It’s hard to teach someone how to play alongside greatness. UConn players? That’s all they know.

And Tanisha Wright and Tamika Catchings also weigh in.

Can we get that Laimbeer quote on a billboard or something, wow.

Anyway...Swin, a great athlete, strikingly beautiful, and now we find out she's a very good writer as well? Is there anything at which she doesn't excel?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Swin was a huge key in the 2010 championship. In the Western Finals, Seattle played Phoenix and stunk the place up. They were missing shots, not defending, and looking lackluster. They trailed badly and lacked energy. They faced a double-digit deficit and were in the process of being blown out. Except for one thing--Swin Cash's hustle. Swin single-handedly mounted a comeback and kept Seattle within reach. Then, the rest of the Storm stars got in gear, and Seattle won the game. If not for Swin, Seattle may not have made it to the league finals. She had 23 points and 8 rebounds in the deciding game in the Western Finals.

Dr. Swintayla Marie Cash is an impressive basketball player and individual. She's a role model for all of us.

 

[Kaizen]

Best wish to Swin's future career and marriage with Steve Canal.

 

[CL82]

From USA Basketball:

 

[Carnac]

A brief bio on Swin:

Swintayla Marie "Swin" Cash - born September 22, 1979 - 36 years old in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. She has two brothers named Stephen and Kevin Menifee and one sister, Angelique Menifee.

Cash was an All-American at the University of Connecticut (UConn). She won the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship with the UConn Huskies in 2000 and 2002. She also helped lead UConn to an undefeated 39-0 season in 2002. Swin was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

Cash was selected by the Detroit Shock in the 2002 WNBA Draft, second overall. After leading the Shock's resurgence in the second half of her rookie season, she then led the Detroit Shock to their first WNBA Championship title in 2003. She played in the 2003 WNBA All-Star Game and won the gold medal with the U.S. women's basketball team at the 2004 Olympic Games. She now plays for the New York Liberty.
She's currently 14th in career scoring with just under 5,000 points. She also is 10th in rebounds. Today, She's averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in four games.

In 2015, she was named a studio analyst for MSG Networks covering Knicks pre- and post-games as well as the weekly coaches show. Washington and Jefferson College awarded Cash with an honorary degree in Doctorate of Public Service at their commencement ceremonies in May 2011 to honor her charity work. Cash is the founder of the Pennsylvania based Cash for Kids charitable organization.
She'll be 37 when the current WNBA playoffs and championship games end in September. Swin has more good days/times in front of her than behind her. Remember, life begins at 40. We've only seen the tip of the iceberg with respect to the things Swin has yet to do and accomplish. [URL='http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/players/501/']Cash has announced she will retire at the end of the season. The New York Liberty forward wrote a piece for the Players' Tribune that was released Tuesday morning.

Good luck to you Swin.
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[Plebe]

This makes me quite nostalgic. I can hardly believe it's been 19 years since I moved to Pittsburgh in 1997, soon after which I started reading in the local papers about this dominant player from McKeesport High School named Swin Cash. I was happy to read that she had signed with the University of Connecticut, a team I was already a fan of since its championship run two years earlier. Little did I know the far-reaching impact that she and her stellar recruiting class would have over the next four years.

Swin's energy and work ethic are second to none. What an amazing collection of tributes, from Sue, Coach Laimbeer, Tanisha, and Tamika.

 

[SallyH]

Swintayla means "Astounding woman", certainly an apt name for one of my all-time favorite players. I'm sure we'll be seeing and hearing her in the broadcast booth.

 

[nbastinks]

2 clips. ucla in 99 is geno's fault & why the announcement now. hope the link works.

 

[HuskyNan]

I remember watching the 1998 WBCA All-American game on TV with my husband, who made it clear he was NOT interested in high school girls' basketball. However, as the game went on, my husband saw this girl playing hard, stealing balls, blocking shots, and leading the other players up the court on a fast break. He asked me who it was and I told him Swin Cash. He said, "I'll watch the women's games just to see her play". She's always been something special, our Swin.

Swin Cash WNBA Career Retrospective

.

 

[HuskyNan]

1998 Nike/WBCA All American Game - Swin, Sue, Tamika, Asjha, Kirsten. There's even a baby-faced Jen as honorary coach.

Video: WBB: 1998 Nike/WBCA All American Game (S. Bird, S. Cash, A. Jones, K. Walters, T. Williams)