Bashaara Graves

Griner, Graves headline 2013 Full Court All-American and Freshman Teams

Full Court congratulates our National Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for the 2012-2013 women’s college basketball season, as well as all the talented athletes named to our NCAA Division I All-American and Freshmen All-American teams.

Race for SEC tournament title is wide open

One thing is clear heading into this year’s Southeastern Conference Tournament: There is no clear favorite. The conference has six teams ranked in the top 25 -- No. 7 Kentucky, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Georgia, No. 17 South Carolina, No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 22 LSU -- and any one of these squads has a legitimate chance of winning the tourney.

NCAA-bound top seeds  

Tennessee: No. 1 seed

Weakside cutter confuses Tennessee -- and Diggins seals the deal

Let’s see – guard passes across the top of the key to other guard. Passer then cuts to basket using a screen on the weakside elbow.

For coaches and players, this is extremely basic, and I’m guessing that even casual fans can visualize that fundamental offensive maneuver.

In soccer, it’s known as the give-and-go, but Notre Dame adds the tweak of a screen for the cutter, making it a little more difficult to defend.

Warlick era begins in Knoxville -- quietly

KNOXVILLE,  Tenn. -- Last week marked the dawn of a new era in Tennessee women’s basketball: For the first time in 38 years, the Lady Vols took the court under the leadership of a new head coach for Thursday’s exhibition match against Division II’s Carson-Newman, the first game of the 2012-13 season.

U.S. Under-18s come back from 11 down to win gold

The road to gold took a turn the U-18 National Team didn’t expect on Sunday as Brazil jumped out to a double-digit lead in the gold medal game of the FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico.

Brazil opened the contest with a 9-0 run holding the U.S. scoreless until the 6:15 mark, and finishing off the first quarter with a 16-7 lead.  Team USA, who had never trailed for more than a minute or by more than three points in the entire tournament, continued to struggle in the second quarter when Brazil went up by 11 points.

Team USA thumps Canada, now after seventh FIBA Americas' title

Team USA continued its journey toward a seventh Under-18 FIBA Americas Championship gold with a 95-46 win over Canada. The win puts the Americans one game away from the title.

“I think it’s great that we’re into the finals and we get to play for the gold,” said Tennessee-bound Bashaara Graves, who had 14 points.  “It’s a wonderful accomplishment.”

Brittney Sykes leads U18 team to big win over Brazil

PHOTO GALLERY

ORLANDO, FL - To say the U18 National Team dominated in Thursday’s exhibition game against Brazil would be an understatement.  The U.S. held Brazil scoreless until the 7:56 mark of the second quarter en route to a 97-36 victory hosted at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

U18 National Team announced

PHOTO GALLERY

Three players who didn't make the U17 World Championship Team found redemption today when their number was called for the U18 National Team.  Allisha Gray (Washington County HS), Kendall Cooper (St. Anthony H.S.) and Jannah Tucker (New Town H.S.) all survived an even stiffer group of competition to make the U18 National Team roster of 12.

For Bashaara Graves, being named a McDonald's All-American means a marquee matchup

Thanks to being named a McDonalds High School All-American, Bashaara Graves will finally get the match up she missed two years ago. 

“The player I’m looking forward to playing against the most is Morgan(Tuck).”

During her sophomore year the 6’2” forward from Clarksville High School was sidelined with an ankle injury when her team faced Bolingbrook High School, a national powerhouse who also boasts a top recruit in 6’2” forward Morgan Tuck.