Archive - Aug 9, 2012

"Possessed" by Olympic magic, France savors its first-ever medal game

LONDON -- Pierre Vincent has been thinking about it for nearly five years, since he took the reins of the French Women's National Basketball Team in February 2008. The Olympics. Vincent had taken a French men's team led by Tony Parker to gold in the 2000 European Championships and after switching to women's basketball in 2003, he guided his club team Bourges Basket to the domestic grand slam in 2006 and to the Euroleague Women's Final Four in 2007. But this time, his goals were more modest.

London 2012: Will semis loss to the U.S. be the end of an era for Australian women's basketball?

LONDON -- Deep in the bowels of North Greenwich Arena, home to London 2012's men's and women's basketball contests in their knockout stages, in a rabbit warren known as the mixed zone, one of the few areas in the Olympic venues where athletes and the media are permitted to interact, Kristi Harrower stood crying.

Team USA finally wears down Australia, advances to gold medal game

There’s always a game within the game – and even though Australia would extend a 32-28 second quarter lead to as many as seven before the break, the tide had already turned with 6:11 to go in the second quarter.

The reason? Liz Cambage was exhausted. Up to that point, Cambage had scored 13 points and dominated the game, but she was also completely out of gas. She leaned over at the free-throw line, hands on her knees, and had to come out of the game.

Becky Hammon is right at home in Russia

Becky Hammon is the archetype of the scrappy underdog: She came out of obscurity from South Dakota, played college ball at Colorado State and went on to make the New York Liberty roster as a walk-on. A few years later she was traded to San Antonio where she is currently the franchise player the Silver Stars are built around. She has sick handles that even the best players in the world have a tough time defending, she drops pretty dimes to her teammates, and the six-time WNBA All-Star is clutch when her team needs a bucket.

Maya Moore breaks down her Olympic Jordans

We all know by now that Maya Moore is one of the best basketball players in the world.  She won two national championships with Connecticut then grabbed up the Rookie of the Year and the Championship her first year in the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx.  She also became the first female basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand... a cool 3.4 million to swag out in jumpman apparel and custom J's.