Ticha Penicheiro is A LA Spark

What’s up LOS ANGELES SPARKS FANS…we officially have a new point guard on the team, her name is Ticha Penicheiro .Former Sacramento Monarchs point guard, has just signed with the Sparks. Here is her tweet:

TichaPenicheiro:Ok, enough…I have tortured you guys enough!! I’ll be a SPARK!! Hopefully, literally!! 😉 I’m excited!! Thank you for your support!!

I personally asked Ticha about two weeks ago where she thought she might go, and if LA was an option, and she responded by saying: “Wow 2 be on a team w/ gr8 players like TT,CP3, DMJ, &BL would be a point guard dream!”

So people holla at me and tell me what you think about this move by our beloved Sparks. Instead of her, creating havoc against us, she is now on our team. I personally think it’s a great look.

Check out Slam Magazine’s article MOST UNDERRATED WNBA PLAYER

 

Check out Candace Parker Live 1/29/10 w/ her baby Lailaa

Check out WNBA star Candace Parker with her baby girl Lailaa Nicole.Superwoman…she is over in Russia playing basketball,and has her daughter with her. Her husband Shelden Williams plays for the (excuse me Laker fam) the Boston Celtics…well everything can’t be perfect..lol. Naw I love you Shelden, and Candace is a former Lady Vol..so you know how I feel about that!

 

CANDACE PARKER LIVE 10/25/09

 

Candace Parker Injures Shoulder (Again)

Candace Parker

Talk about the injury to your shoulder.
I just went up for a rebound and came down and it kind of popped out. Right now it’s feeling good, but we’ll go back (to the hotel) and do treatment and reevaluate from there. It’s happened numerous times before.

You got off to a great start. The U.S. seems to have so many different options inside.
I was really proud of Tina Charles, I thought she did a great job tonight battling. Sylvia was big as always, she’s always big for us. Asjha Jones came in and did well as well as Candice Dupree, Crystal Langhorne, so te list goes on. We’re very strong at the four position and we’re able to run up and down the floor with anybody. We’re big, we’re talented, we’re athletic, we’re long and I think we did a great job tonight. Coach mentioned we need to rebound a lot better, but it was our first game so we’ll improve there.

How much does it help to have a veteran like Sue Bird getting the ball to the post players in the right spots?
It does, it helps a lot to have her a point guard as a leader. I think she really understands the game and really has an effect on the court, she’s like a coach on the court, she understands where the ball needs to go.

 

Paging LA Sparks Olympians(We Need Bullies)

SparksNation holla at ya girl! That was a hard “pill” to swallow last night. It took me about 2hours to “begin” to shake it off, and yet I still have not succeeded! I can tell you one thing I am though, mad. I’m ready to see my team impose their will on this Storm team. Let’s be clear, I’m not crazy…I know that they have some good players on their team, but the leading scorer is out, the lil general is their (Sue Bird), but these “role” players are treating our olympians with no respect.

 Now this was the pick that sent me over the edge last night! You see that elbow in Candace’s rib cage, Ashley Robinson is the “bully” for this Storm team, and last night she had her way. She was pushing, shoving, and carving out space all night long for her fellow teammates. We all know that 1 on 1, Swin Cash cannot do anything but shoot jumpers against Candace Parker, but with picks like that she at the rim. All I want to know is, where are my players at? Tina stays intense, but the rest of the team letting things go! I want bullies!

Lisa Leslie this is your FINAL year donning the Sparks logo (the team you built), we need you now more than ever. I have seen you for 12yrs have your way on the opponent, and Batkovic-Brown will not “cost” you to a title or send you to early retirement. Remember anything less than being in the finals is an early retirement. Get her out of the paint, and Ashley Robinson want’s to be a bully, show the youngster how it’s done.

Delisha Milton-Jones I am CALLING YOU OUT. I have watched you score relentlessly in Washington, and we all know your defensive skills. But last night I saw something from you that I never thought I would see: We up by 1, and you “allow” Camille Little to make a “non-contested” lay up?! I just knew you were going to darn knock her head off if you had too, sending her to the line, but you “gave” her the basket. Even Tina was swinging at her, she just missed. Now I know we got a lot of “new” fans because Candace Parker joined the team, but I know your “name and I know your worth” and last night, that just wasn’t it! When you step on that court tomorrow, I hope I see “D NASTY”…Sunshine can come out when the clock hit’s 00.00!

Honestly, I really don’t have anything to say about the way Tina played last night! We all know that if she was coming off the bench, she would have been 6th woman of the year. She definitely get’s my “iron woman” award. She leads the team in minutes played, and “SWAG LEVEL RAISED”…so I hope everyone else will feed off of that. I think this is the problem we run into with all these Superstars on this team…no one has been established as the go to player. This is the playoffs, nominate the player, and let’s do this!

Now for the reigning MVP…Candace “R U Serious” Parker! We need you to let GO! It’s time for a “R U Serious” moment! For those who may not know what i’m talking about,R U Serious (1:15) mark. I know it was 2yrs ago, but what I’m talking about is the fire she had in her eyes. I know everyone trying to stay “humble” on this team, but we need that from Candace. This will be her team after Lisa leaves, and their is no time like the present for her to assert herself. Candace when you have Swin Cash taking you to the block, and scoring, it’s time to reach down deep and do your thang! I know Swin is a good player, but have you seen how she looks when Candace is coming at her 1 on 1, like a deer in headlights (check the pic above). Let’s be clear, their is not one player in the league, that’s not on The Sparks team, who can check Candace one on one. Now with that being said, she has great assist skills, so people keep moving, she will get you the ball.

On Sunday, I want to see the olympians get it in! It’s time to impose “our” will on the Storm. I’m not looking “past” them by no means…cause just from looking at the regular season matchups we knew that the match up will be intense. I only hope that Michael Cooper will play the “match ups and the hot hand”…Betty Lennox has to be on the floor, she is the best rebounding guard we have. Oh and Ashley Robinson, thanks for waking up the “bullies.”

 

Is Candace Parker Ready To "Marry" The Los Angeles Sparks?

SparksNation what it do? On April 9, 2008 our Los Angeles Sparks “proposed” to Candace Parker. They rolled out the purple and gold carpet for her, and let her know from the beginning-when Lisa Leslie retires this will be her team! Well that time has come, with Lisa Leslie announcing at the beginning of this season, that she will retire at the end of the 2009 season.

With all of Lisa accomplishments, one that we as Sparks fans can really appreciate is the fact that she “married” the Los Angeles Sparks. We knew that when she retired, it would be in a Sparks uniform. She is nothing less, than the greatest female center to play the game. Now she is leaving the organization she built…and I mean that literally, from promotion, to community events, Lisa has done it all to make sure that the league would be around for the likes of Parker, and others. So now comes the time for Candace Parker to decide if she will accept the proposal for a “career” commitment to the LA Sparks.

 

SparksNation remember Candace’s husband Shelden Williams plays in the NBA, and I won’t hold it against him, that he plays for the Celtics, but that means she can make her home almost anywhere. She constantly talks about how “expensive” it is to live in LA…lol, yet we know she isn’t truly worried about that. I’m just saying the things she have to consider, before setting the date, after they win the 2009 WNBA championship.

Ok enough of that…we know that Candace will indeed “marry” the Sparks…she is more than ready to continue the house that Leslie built. By the time Candace is done, and ready to retire, they will have to share that floor…lol. We will watch this marriage begin next season!

 

Candace Parker Live 9/14/09

 

The New Season Begins: LA Sparks Playoffs 2009!!!

SparksNation stand up! We fought, clawed, scratched and have made it to the WNBA playoffs. Now everybody’s record is 0-0…and this is where it counts the most. This is where chemistry must already be developed, the intensity must be up from the coaches to the last player on the bench. Where we as Sparks fans remind the WNBA why the GM’s picked the Sparks to win it all at the beginning of the season. First up-The Seattle Storm!

The above picture shows where the “drama” between these two teams started, in USA basketball! In Sydney Australia at the 2000 olympics, Lisa Leslie became Lauren Jackson’s nightmare. She played Lauren to a “T” and frustrated her, to the point where Lauren pulled out Lisa’s ponytail, swatting it across the court. It was funny because you could tell that Lauren did not know it was fake, because when it came off, Lauren had this petrified look on her face…lol. But Lisa being the champion she is simply stated one fact: “you can have the hair, I want the gold”…and the rest is history. Since then Lauren has went on to lose twice more to Lisa in the olympics…and she can’t stand it! That’s what makes this upcoming playoff series so intriguing.

The Seattle Storm are to my Sparks, what Boston is to my Lakers…a true rival! When that “green” makes it’s way to Staples on Friday night, immediately the “hate” turns on! It’s the one time where, shaking hands and being all smiles goes out the window. In head to head matchups the Storm is ahead 14-11(even though 4 of those wins came in a sweep the year Lisa sat out on maternity leave)…during the regular season, but they have NEVER BEATEN LA IN A PLAYOFF SERIES! Lauren Jackson wants to change this so bad she can taste it. She just wants to beat Lisa at least once before Lisa hangs them up…but sorry LJ it won’t happen. Lisa Leslie will finish her illustrious career on top…with the 2009 WNBA Championship!

This is the look Lauren Jackson will have after another playoff series defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks, but cheer up Lauren you’re still the 2nd best center to play in the league. And should you decide to keep playing in the states, this is what you will have to look forward too: An even worse nightmare, cause you have to chase her all over the floor.

I love Lauren’s competitive edge, and the back and forth she and Lisa do on the court. I love everything about a Sparks vs Storm matchup. I just hope that Coop remembers that Harrower (fellow aussie) cannot stop Sue Bird (proven in olympics) and uses Lennox and Bobbitt to chase her around screens. It’s time now for the MVP to reign supreme. Well actually she already doing that. How you miss almost 2 months of the season, and still lead the league in block shots (2per gm) and double doubles with 14? Simply that’s what MVP’s do.

Sparks “here dey come” by MrFloz
http://www.zshare.net/audio/6467044021b02d97/

 

LadyVolNation Introducing 2009-2010 UT LadyVols (Return To Greatness)

The Logo you see has defined GREATNESS in women basketball! The Woman you see defines PURPOSE.

What could I possibly write about Pat Summit, or this great basketball empire she has built from the ground up, that has not already been said? Probably nothing, but I will in my own words let you guys in on this upcoming season.

We already know the Tennessee Pride that exudes from Pat’s veins, but what is extraordinary about her, is her ability to make it exude from others. Pat is able to do this because she knows her purpose in life: To teach, encourage, uplift, inspire, and cause those to believe, who may have given up hope before they met her. The vein God has given her to do this is through basketball. There truly are only a handful who have been “called” to this type of platform in the women game(C. Vivian Stringer, Van Chancellor, Andy Landers, uuuhh umm Geno Auriemma).

Now as a player when you have Pat Summit knocking down your door, or blowing your phone up, rest assured you have something special, and she is more than willing to help you get it out…lol. She doesn’t recruit players she feels she can’t teach anything, or develop for the next level. The woman looks at your life as a whole and see’s if she has what it takes to help you reach your goals…to prove it 100% graduation record.

So having the #1 recruiting class last year reminded me of the 2004 class of Candace Parker, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sade Wiley-Gatewood, Alex Fuller, Sybil Dosty, and Nicky Anosike. So the bar was set high for this team…people called them “the babyvols” but do you ever have time to be a “baby” when you don the Orange? Probably not? We are so spoiled. Well we know how that class started-Candace Parker had knee surgery and sat out the entire season, SWG was also injured most of that season…and it was an elite 8 exit. The next season, Parker was back but SWG transferred, Hornbuckle forced to play the point-broke her hand=elite 8 exit! It was that same “look” I spoke of when introducing Kelly Cain that Parker had when the season ended. The team came together on its own…no talk from the coaches, but they had a team meeting and decided they would hold each other accountable on the court and off. It was time to bring the championship back to Knoxville. They did just that..not one but two!

2009-2010 LadyVols showed us resiliency when they played Rutgers, coming back from a 20pt halftime deficit. After the disappointment, (the wins come with every unforced practice of your game) comes the glory. You all know what it’s like to be the first UT team to lose in the 1st rd of the NCAA tourney, now be the first UT team to win a championship the next year. Just like that 2004 class, you are still the #1 recruited class for your year…put the work in, and the country will see it! It’s the RETURN TO GREATNESS!

 

LadyVolNation Introducing UT LadyVol: Alyssia Brewer (the Swagger)

LadyVolNation here is the next introduction for our 2009-2010 Lady Volunteers. #33 Alyssia Brewer is absolutely the “Swagger” of this team. What do I mean by swagger? She is that one player that can change the entire course of a game. Now let me say that Alyssia and I have been going back and forth about who is the best (right now) Kobe or Lebron? Of course she is a Lebron James fan and she is the ultimate “trash talker!” I won’t go into the whole debate, but she knows that all I have to say is, Kobe got four!lol Now back to our regularly scheduled program…lol. Honestly though being able to go back and forth with her like that showed me her competitive nature, and her passion for this game. LVN she is that “enigma” on our team. 6’3 post player with point guard skills? Sounds familiar? It should..now I’m not saying she good as Candace Parker, but I’m just saying. I hate to even put that comparison out there, but you have to see Alyssia run the break, it doesn’t make me afraid when I see her coming down the lane on the break handling the ball, because she has those skills. Actually I found out that she played point guard up until 8th grade, where she had a growth spurt and was taught how to play in the post. This team is just so talented that we only get to see a limited amount of what she can do on the court. Matter of fact she truly reminds me of the Lakers Lamar Odom, left-handed, can shoot the short jumper (though I wish she would take the elbow jumper from the freethrow line more), and can lead the break. If she adds the 3point shot to her game, get the bow, cause it’s a wrap!

Alyssia is also a great passer, as well as rebounder. In the game against Auburn at the SEC tournament, Alyssia had 11pts/15rbs and the funny part is she could have had more. This was the game where Kelly Cain went down early. Pat inserted Brewer, and she went to work. Auburn had no answer for Lyssi! Now ya’ll know I love Pat and Kelly, but I was having a fit when they showed Pat at halftime asking Kelly if she was ready to go, she said yes, and Pat said you are starting. She sat Lyssi down, and we all know the rest of that story. I’m a firm believer that if a player has it going, work it til the defense stops it. We also watched Lyssi toss behind the back passes, and what about that pass to Angie B in the great comeback against Rutgers. The only thing I would hope to see more out of Lyssi is control in the open court (pull up and take the jumper)…and THE SWAGGER! Take your opponent totally out of their games…I love watching Lamar, & Candace give the smirks after a nice play, or Bobbitt when she would talk trash to the opposing guard to a point that they make multiple mistakes the next few plays. I been trying to see who that person was or could be on this team, and I choose the Lefty…call her Lyssi aka Miss So Much Swag!