Bloody hell. Arizona St. called in sick, and their visit to the Huntsman Center Friday is canceled. I wanted that game to happen. One, I had a quip about Utah’s pregame preparation for the Sun Devils (I might still think it’s funny before the Utes visit the Desert Financial Arena in Tempe Feb. 19). Two, we just lost, and that L1 in the streak column persists until Sunday. Three, I’ve got nothing else to talk about but a television game show.
Sheryl Swoopes — Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, five-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time WNBA most valuable player, among the two or three best players ever at her position — just got shutout on the TV game show Name That Tune.
Host Jane Krakowski, evidently slumming since 30 Rock ended, described one of the contestants as ‘basketball legend [whose name I couldn’t hear across the room]’.
“Did she just say ‘Sheryl Swoopes’!?” I said.
I’ve never seen her in street clothes or eyeglasses, never would’ve recognized her unless I got a Jeopardy!-style clue like: “The player who made the most remarkable play you’ve ever seen in a NWBL game”.
I don’t remember which team Swoopes was playing on, which hints at the NWBL always on the brink of folding (it did, in 2007). Her team was visiting the San Jose Spiders at DeAnza College (nice gym for a two-year school, but no place for a pro league), and the Spiders were grabbing too many rebounds for Swoopes’ liking.
“Y’all have to hit the boards!”, she screamed at her teammates, but she had to do it herself, as great players often do. There were only white jerseys close to a ball coming off the rim, when Swoopes crashed in from the top of the circle, split the entire San Jose team to steal the rebound, and *somehow* turned toward her own goal to take it in for a layup. With her momentum carrying her away, she managed to reverse direction, and beat nine other players to the rim.
I remember nothing else from that game.
Swoopes has sometimes been likened to Jordan, a 2/3 with off-the-chart skills and defensive tenacity, capable of carrying 11 teammates on her back. The difference between Swoopes and Jordan is that you’ve seen Michael on TV in other than Name That Tune (she and Michael both illustrated the notion that the most outstanding players are not necessarily the best coaches or front office dealers).
The NWBL was ahead of its time, really. If you wanted to organize a professional basketball league for women during the winter, the time to do it is now, when Americans are leery of playing overseas.
NWBL games drew fewer paid attendees than colleges that schedule games between Christmas and New Year. The upside of that was being able to listen to team huddles from the seats.
Colorado Chill coach Kelly Packard has a voice that doesn’t seem suitable for basketball coaches, who have to be heard over crowds screaming and bands playing.
The San Francisco Legacy played home games in a community center about a mile from the Oakland Arena. It wasn’t a basketball arena or gymnasium, but a multi-purpose community building with baskets. The visiting Chill, who lost one game that year while the Legacy won zero, ran into Bay Area traffic, and their driver got lost.
The Chill arrived after the scheduled tipoff time, and just took the floor like they got dressed in the bus. Road-weary, and not warmed up, the Chill fell behind early and looked terrible. (Coach Packard said getting lost before playing poorly was easy at that place. I laughed.)
Colorado called time, and Coach said in that voice: “If you don’t get it together, I’m leaving”.
Becky Hammon — maybe you’ve heard of Coach Hammon — said about Packard: “She isn’t loud, but when she says something, she means it”. The Chill, led by WNBA all-stars Hammon and Ruth Riley, straightened up and won by a zillion, probably.
Hammon was coach of the year in the W for Las Vegas last year. When I saw her on TV, she was as vocal as you’d expect of coaches, but I thought it would’ve been so cool if she addressed the Aces like Coach Packard.