Been sleeping on the blog for a few days, but now we're back and more charged up than ever. So, still dazed and confused about the abject collapse of the once-mighty Boston Red Sox, here goes hoops....
OLD DOMINION: Former Lady Monarchs star Hamchetou "Mama" Maiga, who will be inducted into the Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 15, is leading her native Mali in the 2011 African Championships (Afrobasket) beginning Saturday in Bamako, Mali. In fact, she's the captain of her squad, and as such has made some bold proclamations regarding what's about to go down.
"We will win back the trophy," Maiga told the press on the eve of the event "The loss in the final against Senegal in Madagascar (2009) was a bitter pill down our throat. This is an opportunity to redeem ourselves."
Funny, we could never get such juicy copy out of Maiga when she played around here....
The winner of the African Championship secures a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games. Mali's victory in the 2007 Afrobasket (love that name) allowed Maiga and friends to participate in the 2008 Olympics.
By the way, if you didn't bother to click on our initial link, the "Mama" reference is because in May, Maiga gave birth to an 8-pound, 11-ounce baby boy named Mamadou.
GEORGE MASON: Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe former Patriots coach Simone Edwards and ex-GMU forward/center Angelee LaTouche will be ballin' with the Jamaica National Team at the FIBA Americas Championships beginning Saturday in Neiva, Colombia. The Jamaicans will open on Sunday against Mexico and, like Maiga's Mali, will be playing for a spot in the 2012 Olympics.
Will we be pulling for Jamaica? Jah mon. Of course, we have no idea how they'll fare in this tournament - although William and Mary's Emily Correal might because, well, she's psychic. But if they're looking for a theme song, we know just the joint.
VIRGINIA TECH: Loudon County High School athletic director Ken Wright is spreading the word that Kerry Sarver, a point guard who helped the Raiders win state titles in basketball and volleyball before graduating in 2009, has successfully walked onto the Tech women's basketball team. Said Wright (via the vivaloudon.com blog):
"Kerry decided to attend Virginia Tech upon completion of high school, where she joined the VT women's basketball club team and has competed at that level during her time in Blacksburg. The Hokies staff, led by new Coach Dennis Wolff, extended the offer to walk on after watching Kerry and her team in a club tryout this fall. After discussing the offer with her parents, Dave and Jane Sarver, Kerry accepted and will be a Hokie Basketball Player for 2011-12."
The Hokies can certainly use Sarver's help - particularly in practice - as they currently have just nine scholarship players.
The nation in South America (referenced above) is actually spelled "Colombia".
ReplyDeleteWe knew that, honest! It's fixed. Thanks for setting us straight.
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