Jim Calhoun charity game last night...who played?
- Thread starter Blakeon18
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction Score
- 3,952
UConn Women's Hoops @UConnWBB 3h3 hours ago
Looked like a great time @MoheganSun last night!
18 retweets 98 likes
Looked like a great time @MoheganSun last night!
18 retweets 98 likes
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction Score
- 3,952
Caroline Doty, Svetlana Abrosimova, Ashley Valley (I think)
CL82
NCAA Woman's Basketball National Champions
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
- Messages
- 61,617
- Reaction Score
- 235,579
Things you didn't know:
Svetlana Abrosimova flew from her home in Moscow to make it.
"I just flew for this," she said. "I planned to come to the states in June or July, but I changed my plans. Coach Calhoun was always super nice to me, stopping in the hallways, saying he was watching how I'm doing. I wish I was less shy when I was younger."
Svetlana Abrosimova flew from her home in Moscow to make it.
"I just flew for this," she said. "I planned to come to the states in June or July, but I changed my plans. Coach Calhoun was always super nice to me, stopping in the hallways, saying he was watching how I'm doing. I wish I was less shy when I was younger."
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2011
- Messages
- 2,920
- Reaction Score
- 5,446
Always loved Svet!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 34,460
- Reaction Score
- 101,780
Svet was a player I really enjoyed watching on the womens team, tough as nails and skilled.
Wait did it say Jim C was always nice to her - seems to me you hear how bad JC was and didn't care about the women? You mean maybe he did? LOL
Wait did it say Jim C was always nice to her - seems to me you hear how bad JC was and didn't care about the women? You mean maybe he did? LOL
I thought it was pretty well known that Calhoun was pretty close to quite a few of the players? I seem to remember him and Diana having a close relationship. (In fact, she probably liked him more than Geno during her time at Uconn.
)
DaddyChoc
Choc Full of UConn
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 12,460
- Reaction Score
- 18,610
Jimbo
Running to Stand Still
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2016
- Messages
- 710
- Reaction Score
- 3,108
Sorry I'm a little late in posting here, but I attended the game Friday night and can report that 10 women (Rita, Carla, Nykesha, Caroline, Sveta, Barbara, Mel, Maria, Kalana, and Ashley Battle) all played in the game. Kiah suited up but for whatever reason didn't enter the game, although she did participate in a shooting competition at halftime. Kara was there interviewing some of the players during timeouts and between quarters.
Of the women who played, Nykesha and Sveta had the best games, I thought. I'm sure Sveta has lost a step or two since she retired, but it was awfully hard to discern that; she seemed almost to glide around the floor as easily and effortlessly as ever. Nykesha had a very good shooting night and was named women's MVP of the game. For most of the time the women were in the game, all 10 of them were in there together, but there was also a stretch or two with a mix of men and women on the court. Everyone certainly seemed to have a good time. I spoke with Mel and Caroline during the postgame autograph session and mentioned how great it was to see them back; naturally, they both smiled and said that it was great to be back.
While I'm at it, I'd like to put in a plug for going to this game if any of you ever has a chance to attend. It's for a good cause and is typically more entertaining than one might expect from a charity game. There's usually a decent contingent of current and recently retired NBA players involved, so the level of play can actually be pretty high. The funniest thing to see is how clearly all the players start off the game just having fun and not really defending much, but if it's late and the score is close, competitive juices take over and suddenly everyone is going all out to win. (I distinctly recall watching Ray Allen fly out of bounds into some chairs while trying to save a loose ball late in the 2008 game, back when he was still a Celtic, and wondering what Boston GM Danny Ainge's reaction to that play would've been.) It's uncanny how often this happens—I've been to seven of these Calhoun charity games, and at least four of them have come down to the final shot. Friday night's game ended when Taliek Brown hit a baseline shot on the first possession of sudden-death(!) double overtime. Anyway, I've always felt I more than got my money's worth, and seeing the women involved for the first time this year made it even better.
Of the women who played, Nykesha and Sveta had the best games, I thought. I'm sure Sveta has lost a step or two since she retired, but it was awfully hard to discern that; she seemed almost to glide around the floor as easily and effortlessly as ever. Nykesha had a very good shooting night and was named women's MVP of the game. For most of the time the women were in the game, all 10 of them were in there together, but there was also a stretch or two with a mix of men and women on the court. Everyone certainly seemed to have a good time. I spoke with Mel and Caroline during the postgame autograph session and mentioned how great it was to see them back; naturally, they both smiled and said that it was great to be back.
While I'm at it, I'd like to put in a plug for going to this game if any of you ever has a chance to attend. It's for a good cause and is typically more entertaining than one might expect from a charity game. There's usually a decent contingent of current and recently retired NBA players involved, so the level of play can actually be pretty high. The funniest thing to see is how clearly all the players start off the game just having fun and not really defending much, but if it's late and the score is close, competitive juices take over and suddenly everyone is going all out to win. (I distinctly recall watching Ray Allen fly out of bounds into some chairs while trying to save a loose ball late in the 2008 game, back when he was still a Celtic, and wondering what Boston GM Danny Ainge's reaction to that play would've been.) It's uncanny how often this happens—I've been to seven of these Calhoun charity games, and at least four of them have come down to the final shot. Friday night's game ended when Taliek Brown hit a baseline shot on the first possession of sudden-death(!) double overtime. Anyway, I've always felt I more than got my money's worth, and seeing the women involved for the first time this year made it even better.
- Status