   |
| |
The Web is a very big place, and even the best search engines cover only about 25% of the territory. So to make it easier for fans of women's basketball, here's a compendium of sites of interest. Some are good, some are bad, and we don't guarantee its completeness -- but what's here, we've checked.
And of course, if you have any suggestions, comments or additions, send them along to info@fullcourt.com.
America's Best -- A subscriber 'zine that features the top prep girls' basketball players in America. A girls' basketball recruiting yearbook, this site spotlights college basketball prospects from every region of the nation, and I don't doubt it. Top 25 Girls' Basketball Rankings updated weekly. Some good free stuff, too.
Basketball Highway -- Another great site for coaches -- and players, too. Talking X's and O's, cybercasts, a coaches' library, coaches' playbook, clinics, youth clinics, a section on foreign language, playground pointers, ask the coach, coach tech and a lot, lot more. Check it out.
The Basketball Playbook -- This is a super site. The free Basketball Playbook is a coaching tool designed to help coaches design and distribute their own plays and drills. Main features include: the ability to store plays in a database; a design tool to sketch basketball plays and drills, an animation screen to help you follow the flow of plays, and a text editor to describe your plays and drills. In addition, you can export plays to and import plays from other users of this program, and print graphics of plays. For direct download links: http://home.hccnet.nl/j.e. smit/download.html
Check out FCP subscriber Sylvia Marshall's high school basketball top D-1prospects. Web pages list the top members of the: Class of 2000, the Class of 2001, and the Class of 2002. This is a very subjective listing but is well-designed and interesting. There's the typical name, height, school but also a section for comments and honors (all-state, USA Today All-America Honorable Mention, etc.), their stats if known, and so forth. Also listed is any recruiting info our reader had about the players. Our reader advises, though, that the recruiting stuff can range from highly reliable to laughably fifth-hand and may likely be inaccurate. No attempt was made to rank anyone but it's an interesting few pages and worth a look-see. Never know where the Chamique of tomorrow may be lurking.
CBS Sportsline-Photo Site -- Now this is a SUPER place to go to find photos from recent women's games. Click on the visiting team and you'll get a great selection of last night's Associated Press and Reuter's photos taken at the games. Seems that all women's basketball is covered, too.
CBS Sportsline-Women's Basketball Site -- A good place for stats on NCAA and WNBA and probably the Olympics. Don't know if they'll cover the National Team during their warmup. The occasional great article from time to time but, frankly, don't know how much attention is paid to women's sports as a whole on this site. Worth checking out, though.
CNN/SI-WNBA site -- Decent but the slowest-loading site next to that of the Salt Lake Tribune. The primary focus is on men's sports all around, but there's a column by Dawn Staley called The Latest Buzz and some interesting stats. Not a great commitment to women's sports in general or the WNBA.
CNN/SI-Women's Sports -- Besides the fact that it takes years to load, this site is amazingly frustrating. Though I was in the Women's Sports section, when I clicked on college basketball I got the men's section. There's a link at the top of the page for women's scores. Don't know how much they cover NCAA women's b-ball but I doubt it's very complete. Enter at your own risk.
ESPN Sports -- As the granddaddy of sports TV, so their website also has great coverage of all sports, men's and women's. Good columns and features, TV listings, plus The Training Room which has a lot of information about sports injuries. Well worth investigating in all areas as well as those pertaining to women's b-ball. As a sponsor, they do a good job on the WBNA coverage and will probably do the same for the NCAA women as well. They haven't been in business for 20 years for nothin' -- and still going strong.
Fran Harris Fantasy Camp -- Oh, my muscles are aching already. If you think you're A Real Live Basketball Player check this out -- but don't ask me to loan you the Tiger Balm for recommending it 'cause I'm positive Fran knows how to put you through your paces.
Gball Magazine -- A subscription women's basketball zine for girls but has some free news and updates.
Handle the Rock: Steph's Ball-Handling Drills -- This is a very cool site and all players at all levels and ages should find this fun and useful. The site was created by a young player and I'll let her speak for herself. "This web site is primarily for kids who enjoy basketball and are wanting to improve their ball handling skills. My name is Stephanie and I'm going into the eighth grade. I thought it would be a good idea to make a site that had animated drills so that kids could easily watch since it's easier for me to learn drills that way. In NO WAY do I think I'm an expert on these drills or at playing basketball. I hope this site is useful to anyone looking for ball handling drills to practice during their spare time. Come back often because I will update with over 40 drills. ANIMATION, TOO!"
International Basketball Federation -- This is the place to go to find out how your favorite player is faring overseas during the WNBA off-season. Unfortunately, the site is very difficult to navigate and only seems to go forward. You can find a player or team or tournament *if* you know something about them ahead of time. Maybe it'll get better and it's worth checking out -- warning again -- IF you know either the player or team's name -- good luck if you don't. Example: Ticha Penicheiro's personal info hadn't been updated when I checked.
Nando Sportserver -- Basically, a stats site but has a wonderfully large archive of women's basketball photos if you click on the Photo Gallery at the top of the opening page.
Ortho Sports Net -- A great site for sports injury information. There's a basketball net on the opening page -- which caught my interest right away, of course -- and sports medicine and orthopedic surgery information with many links and resources. Of course, this isn't recommended to replace or conflict with any information or treatment your doctor might give you, but it's a good site for those nagging questions.
Sports For Women -- Well, it didn't thrill me that the first "all-feature" article I clicked on was the "humble sports bra" and an article under the listing for WNBA had a headline saying "Law enforcement cracks down on traffic violators as holiday death toll rises". Looks like most of their stuff is from the Associated Press ... but you might want to take a brief look anyway.
USA Basketball -- This is *THE* place to follow the USA National Team's (2000 Olympic team) progress while you're going through WNBA withdrawal. They already have practice photos from Sept 99 up and bios of all the players. Might have to navigate around a bit to get it all as some of it is "hidden" in other sections of the site -- but well worth the time. Gotta keep up with and cheer on these gals now, don't we?
Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopedics -- A fabulous site which is run by MDs. There are links to the Journal of the AMA and other reputable online sources. Again, though, this is not to take the place of your own doctor's information/treatment, but I highly recommend it for sports injury information.
Yahoo's WNBA Player's Club -- They say they're the club for the true WNBA fan and maybe they're right. It's free but I didn't want to join though it looks like fun. Chat rooms, giveaways and updated news. Worth checking.
Women's Basketball Coaches' Association -- This is the official site of the 5,000-member organization serving primarily full-time college head and assistant coaches at two- and four-year institutions, but all are invited to join at various levels, from player to grammar school coach. Their official membership mag is Coaching Women's Basketball, which features coaching profession tips, techniques and tactics, sports psychology, athletic management, interviews, products and more. In addition they also publish Fastbreak Alert which offers info on legislative issues concerning women's basketball and At the Buzzer, which includes drills, specialty plays and advice geared specifically for high school coaches. A worthwhile organization for anyone interested in women's basketball at any level.
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame -- FINALLY!!! Just opened and just online, this promises to be what we've been waiting for all these years. The Hall of Fame just opened this year and their site looks to be chock full of information for all who can't make it there in person. They're still building it at this point but check it out -- frequently.
Olympic Cup -- A good full site and a great way to follow the WNBA players who make up the National Basketball Team. The Women's USA Basketball Senior National Team defends their No. 1 world ranking against third- and fourth-ranked Australia and Brazil, respectively, and newly-crowned European Champions, Poland and here's the place to check it out all, get schedules, tickets, and more.
And now, the Full Court Press Hometown Newspaper WNBA Website Awards ...
Western Conference
Houston Comets -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Houston Chronicle. Click on Chronicle Basketball for Comets news; you have to fill out an anonymous questionnaire for access but it's free. This site gives much print support to the Comets but virtually nothing in the way of archives, photos, or rosters. They do have a cheesy calendar with game listings and scores but no in-depth info on the team. The lack of attention to this site is surprising since Houston loves this team so much. The Chronicle's website should be as great as the team. Come on, guys! GRADE: B-
Los Angeles Sparks -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Los Angeles Times. Do they even want this team in L.A.? They list only the most recent stories, and there are no rosters, archives, or photos. There seems little support from the paper and a lot of tough criticism from the Times' sports columnists when they lose. They just don't seem to like the team much down there, do they? GRADE: C-
Minnesota Lynx -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Lair from the Star Tribune. Second runnerup for the best WNBA hometown newspaper site in the league. They named it The Lair and it is great. Complete with schedule, team roster, past stories, photo gallery, WNBA news, and web links. The photo gallery links with print coverage of the corresponding game. There is a search feature for WNBA coverage. Though sometimes they forget to put a breaking story into The Lair (it's be on the front page of Sports), all in all they get the best marks. GRADE: A-
Phoenix Mercury -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Arizona Republic. For a team with such wild fan support, this hometown product is pretty dismal. The print coverage is very, very good but the website has virtually nothing to offer but the barest info. At the end of the season, the only stories were from August. There are no archives, photos, or roster. They do have a forum and parking maps. Click on stats, scores, and stories and you get Associated Press coverage of the WNBA. Their forum question was: What does the Mercury have to do to build for the 2000 season? My first response would be to upgrade their website and get some excitement online. GRADE: D
Sacramento Monarchs -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Sacramento Bee. A good site with story archives, season at a glance, game schedule, player bios (though very skimpy on info), rival teams, and a fan forum. Sadly, no photos. The archives give full-text stories (without photos) from the entire year, though, and the Bee covered the Monarchs with an extremely supportive blanket in '99. GRADE: B+
Utah Starzz -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Salt Lake Tribune. Arguably the worst WNBA coverage of a WNBA hometown newspaper. You have to scroll endlessly through the sports stories to find Starzz news -- UNLESS they don't have anything else that day. Home teams are listed on the left side of the Sports Page -- but NOT the Starzz. You *can* get in on all the Olympic scandal fall-out here, though -- but I had a cup of coffee and two doughnuts while the site loaded. GRADE: F
Eastern Conference
Charlotte Sting -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Charlotte Observer. Great team, terrible site. No wonder no one goes to their games with such a crummy website. You'd do better to try the front page of the sports section. The roster and Sting schedule print size was so small you'll need the Hubble telescope to read it, and they still list Marynell Meadors as head coach! Player profiles were barely OK but with no photos or jersey numbers. The season archive only featured the barest results, no personal commentary. The Observer's staffer only wrote stories when the Sting played at home; otherwise, the stories are abbreviated versions from the Associated Press. This is a coming team. They deserve a better sit. Maybe Miami would treat them better. GRADE: D
Cleveland Rockers -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Cleveland Plain Dealer. This site just made me mad. The lack of effort here was appalling -- called "kick your team when they're down" maybe? Though their complete schedule was still up at the end of August, none of the stats were there -- including four links to WNBA stats! Their roster was uninformative and listed second-year Quacy Barnes as a rookie. The Fan Lines section linked you to baseball. If you don't like the team, don't bother with a site, if you ask me. GRADE: F
Detroit Shock -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: Detroit News. Also try the front page of the sports section. Nancy Lieberman-Cline writes a Sunday column throughout the season, though, oddly enough, didn't write one after their playoff loss. Roster, stats, and schedule looked like a typing class assignment -- on a manual typewriter, no less. Expanded coverage was from USA Today. The slide show from their opener was OK, but, frankly, the photos weren't very good. This is a good team. Too bad their site doesn't reflect it. GRADE: C
New York Liberty -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: NONE. Shocking. There are no Liberty home sites on the three main New York papers. There may or may not be coverage. The papers are: The New York Times -- You have to take out an ID and password for access but it's free. The New York Daily News -- Click on Basketball, then scroll down the page and read the headlines very carefully. They only bother covering the Liberty when they feel like it. The New York Post -- Scroll down headlines, read carefully, and hope for news.
Orlando Miracle -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Orlando Sentinel. Incredible site! Orlando's newspaper is supporting this team all the way. The player bio section alone is fantastic, complete with photo, jersey number, and info on their high school, college, how acquired, previous WNBA season, and personal stuff. Site also includes history, wallpaper, schedule, message board, enlargeable arena seating chart with prices and seats sold/unsold, WNBA capsules, SLIDE SHOWS and VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS! Bravo to this new team and their city's support! Hands down winner of Full Court Press Hometown Newspaper WNBA Website Award. GRADE: A+
Washington Mystics -- Official WNBA website. Hometown newspaper site: The Washington Post. So-so site with virtually no player or in-depth information. They have what they call "Basics" which include stats from the Mystics and WNBA, a schedule, and standings. Their Latest News section has stories from the Post and the Associated Press. Not much help to their thousands of enthusiastic fans. Their stats were hastily typed. Schedule was kind of interesting 'cause you could click on the opposing team and get linked info about them but the entire season wasn't there. Winning results of away games were not posted, home game stories were. No archives to speak of, only the latest stories. GRADE: D
9/16/99
