Whoa! Big wins by James Madison, George Mason

Confession time.

We were in the midst of writing this post about the potential for this James Madison team to upset No. 23 UCLA and we were looking for pics to go with it. It was a little after 2 p.m. on Friday and guess what we didn't realize? The game started at 1. A glance at the halftime score had us deflated. It was 40-28 UCLA.

It's early, we reminded ourselves. This JMU team still has plenty of time to ..... wait a minute. They're coming back. In case you missed it, as we almost did, it was JMU 91, UCLA 87 in overtime.

Now just as we weren't going to make a huge deal had JMU lost, well, we won't get too carried away with the win. After all, we don't really call it an upset. JMU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. UCLA didn't have a winning record. But this will no doubt an eye-opening win for the Dukes, who bested the team that boasts the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in a trio of freshmen who are McDonald's All-Americans.

But at the Convo on Friday, it was a veteran Dukes cast that shined, as in 25 points and 12-of-12 from the line for Precious Hall. As in 16 points and 16 boards for senior Lauren Okafor. As in 16 points for Toia Giggetts. As in nine points and seven assists for Angela Mickens. As in 15 points for Jazmon Gwathmey, and as in sure, Destiny Jones had 10 points, but man, what a steal at just the right time to put JMU in position to tie it up in regulation.

If there were any questions about JMU post Kirby and Nikki, they were answered in this one. We miss those guys for sure, but these guys are going to be all right this season -- versatile, balanced and already battled tested one game into the season. Sure, we'd like to see JMU improve from behind the arc (4-of-20) and Okafur (4-of-10 FT) needs to work on the freebies, but we'll take this win and look for another against an underrated St. Bonaventure team on Sunday.

And while this was our game of the night, we also salute George Mason for its 77-69 victory over Virginia Tech -- the biggest victory in the short tenure of Coach Nyla Milleson. Hard to do much more than gawk at Taylor Brown's effort of 35 points and 11 boards (though we're sure Dennis Wolff wasn't thrilled about the Hokies going to the line eight times compared to the Patriots' 32 trips). The good news for Tech is that freshman Reagan Magarity tallied 25 points with seven boards in her collegiate debut.

The better news is it's only just beginning.

James Madison, Liberty, Hampton 1-2-3 in LadySwish rankings

The season is upon us, which means it's time for our inaugural 2014-15 rankings. Without further ado:

1. James Madison: Can you imagine a Dukes team minus Kirby and Nikki? Yep, we know it's hard and how we'll miss watching the JMU team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. But we expect great things from this balanced squad led by preseason CAA Player of the Year Precious Hall; Toia Giggetts, who gets better every year; and Jazmon Gwathmey, who perhaps has the most upside of anyone on the roster. Angela Mickens brings speed at the point and an emerging DeeDee Griffin should play a bigger role for the Dukes, picked to defend their CAA crown. Love, love, love the JMU nonconference sked that Kenny Brooks said was inspired by Wendy Larry. Consider the foes: UCLA, Maryland, Vandy, St. Bonaventure and Richmond to name a few.

Opener: At home vs. UCLA, Nov. 14

2. Liberty (last year 20-11)

The Flames didn't make it to the postseason last year for only the second time in 18 years, but we're betting that's not the case this season given the return of a core of vets and a healthy Jasmine Gardner and Catherine Kearney. Ashley Rininger (16 double-doubles as a sophomore)  is among the state's elite, and Liberty has added transfer Karley Buer (Missouri State), who can break up the zone with her long ball. No surprise that the Flames got the nod to win the Big South.

Opener: At home vs. Charlotte, Nov. 14

3. Hampton

The five-time defending MEAC champs were actually picked second in their own league to North Carolina A&T. Chemistry will be key for the Pirates, who will incorporate transfers Kyani White (East Carolina), Jackie Marshall (Iona College) and Kristine Rose (Xavier) into a lineup led by the reigning league Rookie of the Year, Malia Tate-DeFreitas. The 5-8 sophomore averaged 18.1 ppg as a freshman and Hampton will need her points and then some to compete in the nonconference slate that David Six put together with, are you ready? -- South Carolina (Dawn Staley's powerhouse comes to town Dec. 17), Kansas State, James Madison, DePaul and Princeton.

4. Virginia

Joanne Boyle enters her fourth season still looking for her first NCAA Tournament appearance as head coach of the Cavaliers. The newbies are going to have to pull Virginia out of the bottom half of a loaded ACC, and 5-7 guard Mikayla Vinson is among those expected to make an immediate impact. A concussion and recurrent symptoms limited her action in high school; Venison played her last game at Yorktown High in Arlington in 2011. She's been coached by her dad, but now the reins go to Boyle, who has another potential star in Alijah Huland El, a 6-1 wing who thrives in transition. Virginia's last postseason appearance was Boyle's first year as coach when the Cavs advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

Opener: At home vs. Radford, Nov. 14

5. Richmond

Ask us who is the best player in the state and we wouldn't shy from saying Genevieve Okoro, who's looked super in early Spiders' practices. Olivia Healy was the most promising newcomer in the state last year before an ACL tear ended her season in January. How quickly she returns to the lineup at full strength is critical for these Spiders (she will dress but not play in the opener), picked sixth in the A-10. Anticipating sophomore Janelle Hubbard, who scored in double figures in the Spiders final 12 games, to pick up where she left off and great to see Liz Brown healthy again.

Opener: At home vs. Providence, Nov. 14

6. Old Dominion

Hard to figure out how good these Lady Monarchs will be given the departure of Shea Kelley to Minnesota to play out her senior year and guard Galaisha Goodhope, gone for disciplinary reasons. We're eager to see what Jennie Simms will bring and good to see a healthy Ashley Betz-White return to action after missing all of last season with an injury. Chelisa Painter (8.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg) returns as the most productive player from last year's team that won a game in the WNIT, and we expect Odegua Oigbokie to be a bigger offensive threat. We're anxious to see whether the Lady Monarchs can surprise a Conference USA league that has picked them to finish sixth.

Opener: At home vs. Presbyterian, Nov. 14

7. Virginia Commonwealth

Beth O'Boyle is the new coach in the state, taking over a program that only belonged to Marlene Stollings for two seasons. Stollings recruited a bunch of young talent, and all have remained, but the Rams will miss Robyn Parks, the leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 who is now playing professionally in Spain and Jessica Pellechio, a viable three-point threat, who transferred to Drexel. Nonetheless, double-figure scorers Keira Robinson and Isis Thorpe return and hometown girl Ashley Pegram, a junior college transfer, make these Rams a sleeper in a league that Dayton should dominate.

Opener: At home vs. Wagner, Nov. 14

8. Virginia Tech

We're not making any assumption about the Hokies from the 93-12 exhibition win over Washington & Lee. Like Boyle at Virginia, Dennis Wolff is in his fourth year and the Hokies are still trying to make their way into the top half of the ACC. The graduations of Uju Ugoka and Monet Tellier leave the Hokies relying heavily on Vanessa Panousis and Hannah Young for points. How soon can the newcomers, Brielle Blaire and Rachel Camp among them, make a difference?  If it's early, perhaps Tech can improve on last season's 14-16 record.

Opener: At George Mason, Nov. 14

9. George Mason

The Patriots open with Tech and we're eager to see the collection of talent Coach Nyla Milleson has put together in action. Two transfer, Kristi Mokube (Florida State) and Jasmine Jackson (Georgetown) add depth, though Jackson will miss the opener with an injury sustained in practice. Add in a healthy Rachel McNair and the continued development of Reana Mohamed, and the Patriots should have the depth to make Taylor Brown and Sandra Ngoie more consistent in their roles.

Opener: At home vs. Virginia Tech, Nov. 14

10. William and Mary

It's only Coach Ed Swanson's second year, but he returns a better conditioned Tribe, which for the first time had the majority of its players compete in the Norfolk summer league. Jazmon Boone and Kyla Kerstetter will captain this young team that will still likely struggle with the growing pains rebuilding. But the Tribe is on the upside, and we expect Marlena Tremba (13.2 ppg) to follow up on her CAA Rookie of the Year honors with an even better sophomore season.

Opener: Loyola (Md.), Nov. 14

11. Radford

It's only Mike McGuire's second season as head coach, so our expectations are in check for the Highlanders, 7-23 last season and picked to finish ninth in the Big South. Looking forward to seeing what kind of season 5-5 guard Ayana Avery can put together; she set a single-season mark with 95 3-pointers a year ago. We're expecting an impact season from Kiera McIvor, the only Highlander to play and start in all 30 games last year. Newcomer Claudia Queveedo of the Canary Islands shot high percentages from the field -- consistency that the Highlanders would welcome.

Opener: At Virginia, Nov. 14

12. Longwood

Daeisha Brown was terrific as a sophomore, and the Lancers return plenty of experience but they'll need to find some firepower to make up for an ailing offense and a struggling defense, both near the bottom of the Big South last season. We're especially excited to see 5-10 guard Autumn Childress on the roster. The freshman received plenty of interest from bigger schools that waned after a pair of knee injuries. If healthy, Childress could be the difference maker Longwood needs.

Opener: At Wake Forest, Nov. 15

13.  Norfolk State

Oh how the Spartans will miss rebounding machine Rachel Gordon, who graduated last spring. Also gone: Quineshia Leonard (5.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Logan Powell (8.1 ppg, transfer to Kentucky State). The offensive burden falls on Rae Corbo who needs help from a trio of newcomer bigs -- freshman Kayla Roberts, freshman Shayla Tanner and sophomore Nia Roberts (transfer from Buffalo who is eligible second semester).

Opener: Morehead State, Nov. 14

Remembering my mom: 03-03-32 -- 11-05-14

Mom, Dad and me at my high school graduation.

I teach an English class at Old Dominion and on the last night of every semester, I talk for a few minutes about what I call the rules of life. One of those rules is if you still have a mom or a dad, cherish that relationship. Friends come. Friends go. You only have one mom. You only have one dad.

Today I have neither. I lost my dad 17 years ago. I lost my mom this morning. And here again, I am reminded of another of my rules: Remember when it’s time to lose someone you truly love that it was never enough time. We always want one more day, one more visit, one more hug, one more “I love you.”

It was only two weeks ago when Mom and I were talking. I could call my mom at any time of the day. Like me, she was a night owl. My son has mono, and even though neither my sister or I ever had it, I knew my mom had some advice to help with the sore throat from hell that had my son in agony.

Chloraseptic throats drops are best, she said.

My mom was amazing, and not because she baked cookies or was overly affectionate or knew the right answers about homework. We butted heads when I was little – she’d often remind me that I was a “surprise” 10 years behind my sister. She didn’t always give me what I wanted when I was a kid, but she made sure of this: I was educated. My mother attended minimal high school. She always said she hated the inside of the school, and schools had certain smells. My sister graduated from MIT before getting her MBA. My master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri followed my bachelor’s from George Washington University. My mom stood on her feet as a cashier at a wine and cheese shop, I liked to say – at a liquor store, she would say – to pay for private high school so my sister and I would have those opportunities. She never made more than $5 an hour.

A therapist once asked me to describe my mom in a word and I said “hard.” She was, and I can’t sugar coat that. But she softened with the death of my dad followed by the birth of my first son 11 days later. I remember how she scooped up baby Harry – named for my father – and took a lawn chair to sit under a tree in my back yard. She held him in a way I’ll never forget, speaking softly under the warm breeze. When Ben was born three years later, she was here the next day, instantly attached – this from a woman who said she would never be the typical grandmother. Perhaps not, but her apartment was something of a shrine to those two boys. Becoming a mother myself made me understand and appreciate her perspective in a way I never thought possible.

When a gall bladder attack sent my mother to the hospital nearly a month ago, and complications developed, I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into her sixth floor room. She was crying – something I had only seen when she lost her siblings – and she was scared. I held her hand. She wanted to give up. The next day wasn’t much better until we started to talk. Really talk. I asked questions I had always wanted to know the answers to about when she was young. We talked about me –the raw pain I felt when losing that newspaper job that was part of me for 20 years, the depression that has often prevented me from seeing what’s right in front of me.

She told me I was never supposed to make it – all 4 pounds of me – as they cut her open when she was pregnant to remove a tumor.

She said the most amazing words that afternoon to me: “Now I know why I got sick. So we could have this conversation.”

I thought she was getting better. So did she. She went home and almost made it a week before an unforeseen setback sent her back to the hospital. Even then, I believed there was hope, realistic hope of a full recovery. The news came yesterday that it wouldn’t be more than 24 hours.

She died shortly after 5 a.m.

I wish we had one more Thanksgiving, one more Christmas. My mom was a great gift giver, someone who prided herself in finding the un-findable and surprising you on Christmas morning. When you’d ask where she got it, a smug “trade secret” would be her only response. I loved her cooking. Her fried cabbage is my favorite food on the planet, and her stewed tomatoes over fried potatoes ranks a close second. I loved when the daytime soaps were on, and we’d talk endlessly about the characters I had grown up with. We felt the same way about Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson. We made the same jokes about Dad. We played Pinochle until all hours and a game only she knew called Liverpool. We sang HTTR when they beat Dallas in Dallas a few Thanksgivings back.

 I loved talking to my mom about everything, but I especially liked talking to her about nothing.

I don’t have a dad anymore. Or a mom. I have the biggest ache in my heart. I have the memories. And I cherish each of them.

RIP to ODU fan Mr. Booker

 Section 112, Row E behind the scorer's table at the Constant Center. Two seats. 

As long as he could, Old Dominion supporter Gilbert Booker sat in one of them.

Booker died on Sunday, at 96 years of age. He would have turned 97 on Nov. 9.

At one point, he had missed only a handful of Lady Monarch games, but age sent him to a Portsmouth nursing home a few years ago.

He was a friend and an inspiration to me. I sat in front of him in 1997 when the ODU charter bus stalled on a French highway amid a blizzard. The Ticha Penicheiro-led Lady Monarchs spent the night on that bus with nothing but snow and tractor-trailers in view. ODU was on a 10-day trip to France and Portugal; we had just seen Lucienne Berthieu play against the Lady Monarchs hours before. The highway closed with us on it.

I wanted to scream that night. My legs ached. I was scared and hungry and there were no restrooms. Cell phones didn't really exist. Mr. Booker was calm, upbeat and unrattled. He had terrific perspective. I never heard him complain about anything over the years. He was an astute fan who had scrapbooks full of photos of the team that he started following as a hobby the day he retired. He didn't go to ODU, but I rarely saw him without his blue hat.

I can't be at his funeral on Saturday. My own mother is battling for her life in an Arlington hospital, and I am going to see her. She could use both his perspective and his strength. Frankly, those are things we could all benefit from.

RIP, Mr. Booker. You will be missed and remembered every time the ball tips for the Lady Monarchs.

Remembering Ginny, bidding adieu to Wendy, new look at George Mason, and Robyn in Spain

Ginny Doyle #ThrowbackThursday pic

Remembering Ginny: Stephanie Gaitley couldn't figure out the text message. It was from Delaware Coach Tina Martin expressing sorrow. Gaitley was in Las Vegas on the morning of May 8.

The text sent Gaitley to the Internet where she learned of the tragic balloon accident that killed the Spiders associate head coach and the team's director of operations, Natalie Lewis.

Stephanie called her sister Coco. "We cried together on the phone," she said.

The week before, the Fordham coach had been recruiting alongside her good friend and player she recruited to attend Richmond, Ginny Doyle. The two had a blast, joking about if limited to one person on a desert island, who that would be. Ginny picked actress Melissa McCarthy.

"I was Ginny's mentor," said Gaitley, who keeps a framed photo of Doyle in her office. "She loved Richmond so much."

Gaitley plans to keep Ginny's memory alive in a number of ways, even planning to name a play for the1992 Spiders graduate who led Richmond to consecutive NCAA tournaments. "Naturally, it's going to be for a 3," Gaitley said.

Gaitley also dedicated all of the money from her offseason clinic to the Ginny Doyle Scholarship Fund.

"We'll do that annually," Doyle said. "She'll be with us forever."

Once the scholarship fund reaches $50,000, each year an incoming freshman player will be known as "The Ginny Doyle Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete."

Ginny's brother, Joe, posts a photo of Ginny every Thursday for #throwbackThursday to raise awareness for the scholarship. Donate by clicking here.

Driving Miss Virginia: Former ODU coach Wendy Larry, who spent the last three years as an associate commissioner at the Atlantic 10, was part of her last official function for the conference at media day. Larry, with more than 600 coaching wins next to her name, will retire but plans to be plenty busy over the next several months.

Larry's mother, Virginia, 89 and living in New Jersey, is eager to travel around the country with her daughter, who plans to do a lot of driving in the coming months. "We're going to Cape Cod, Charleston, my condo in Florida, New Orleans, and she wants to go to Italy," said Larry.

Wishing Wendy and her mom happy travels!

Home sweet home: George Mason coach Nyla Milleson enters her second year coaching the Patriots with a new home and an upbeat attitude about her new-look team, which includes two transfers.

On the home front, Milleson and husband Brent have settled into a house in Haymarket. Brent recently moved to Virginia after spending last year in Missouri and has settled into a new middle school teaching job with an ideal commute. "We both have a perfect 30-minute real-world commute," Milleson said. The difference? Brent's is almost always a half hour as he's going against traffic, wheras Nyla often gets caught up in the gridlock of being close to D.C.

"Sometimes it's an hour and 30 minutes," she said.

Jasmine Jackson

As for the team, two transfers, 5-9 redshirt junior Jasmine Jackson (Georgetown) and 6-2 redshirt
junior Kristi Mokube (Florida State), should be in the starting lineup, good news for Taylor Brown and Sandra Ngoie, who carried the offensive load a year ago for the Patriots. "Jasmine is a great defender," Milleson said. "She's going to be a great complement to Tay. I can run her both at the 3 and the 2. More importantly, she provides a big voice."

Jackson and Brown were former teammates at Georgetown.

As for Mokube, "She provides a tremendous presence on the block and on the boards," Milleson said. "You don't hear this much about a post player, but she's an energy player. She provides just endless energy physically and emotionally."

Rachel McNair is also healthy again, Talisha Watts has a renewed confidence and Reana Mohamed "continues to get better and is a spark plug for us," Milleson said.

Deeper Spiders: Richmond coach Michael Shafer is hoping the added depth he has will allow Gen Okoro and Liz Brown to return to their natural positions. Okoro played center a year ago but returns to the 4 spot with an added strength that has allowed her to shine in early practices. Olivia Healy, who blossomed last season as a freshman averaging 12.3 ppg before a January ACL tear, has also been cleared for practice, and two freshman will be part of the early mix. They are Karleigh Wike, a 6-4 forward,  and Rennie Harrison, a 6-4 forward/center. Wike is the career leader in rebounds (1,291) and blocks (477) for East Rowen (N.C.) High in Salisbury. Harrison is a two-time all-league player from Episcopal (Va.) High in Alexandria.

Patriot pals: Great idea by Milleson to pair teammates to spend time together outside of practice every day and eat one meal as pals per week. The pairs exchange two tokens of appreciation and encouragement and spend snack time together during practice. The purpose is to help the team get to know one another better and build team chemistry.

In Spain: Hardly surprising that through four games, VCU grad (and former A10 leading scorer) Robyn Parks is atop the stats for scoring with 14.8 ppg for Gran Canaria. Parks is shooting .417 from the field and .500 (4-of-8) from 3, averaging a team-high 30.89 minutes. The team is 2-2.

Robyn in Spain

Marianne Stanley: a Hampton Roads Sports Hall-of-Famer with an unmatched legacy at ODU

Marianne and me

She was just 12, swinging from a flagpole that overlooked a four-lane highway outside of Philadelphia. When told by a passerby, "You can't do that," Marianne Stanley's response was this.

"Watch me."

So typical of this woman, whose sense of self and confidence catapulted her into heights well above even her wildest dreams.

What an honor it was for me to induct this women's basketball legend into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 21 at Scope in Norfolk.

For her, it was an evening of catching up with many from Old Dominion who remember well the three teams she coached to the national championship, the last one in 1985. She looked around Scope with a gaze that suggested she was replacing all the folks in suits and ties for players with numbers, recalling that surreal experience when ODU hosted a loaded Russian national team and took a halftime lead into the locker room.

It was December 1979. Dr. J's Virginia Squires had never sold out Scope, but Stanley's Lady Monarchs did that night.

"Being back here in Scope brings back a flood of memories," said Stanley, wiping away tears.

If you've seen "The Mighty Macs," a feel-good film about Cathy Rush's success at Immaculata College,  you have some sense of the background Marianne hailed from. She grew up seeking out pickup games on the streets of Philadelphia against guys who towered over her. They weren't welcoming until they realized this:

"I could pass and I could play defense," she said.

She enrolled at Westchester State, but never attended, realizing late that the curriculum didn't match her interests. As much as she loved sports and competing, she did not want to be pigeon holed as a physical education teacher. Instead, she went to Immaculata and majored in sociology and thrived as a point guard in a sport that was in its infancy. Theresa Grentz was among her teammates and she doesn't put any qualifiers on calling Marianne the best point guard of all time.

ODU alum Wendy Larry played against Marianne when Immaculata visited the Fieldhouse. "She was  just so aware of where the ball needed to be," said Wendy, a graduate assistant to Stanley for the '85 championship

In four years at Immaculata, the Macs advanced to four national championships, a feat that Diana Taurasi fell one game shy of. The next year, Marianne was an assistant to Cathy Rush and the Macs reached the Final Four.

"We were pretty damned good," she says.

Winning was something Marianne knew about, so she wasn't daunted when, at 23 years of age, she interviewed with ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett over breakfast at a Marriott.

"I had a certain confidence about what I knew," Marianne said. "I felt like my experience was Swiss cheese: What was solid was real solid, but I had a lot to learn."

And yet she knew this, too. Jarrett was a visionary. He saw value and potential in women's sports, considered by many as nothing more than a nuisance. "There is absolutely no way I would have gotten anything more than what today is a director of operations job or a graduate assistant job with my experience. I don't know why he chose me. My life would be unrecognizable had I not come to Norfolk."

ODU went 30-4 in her first season and the next year, they finished 35-1, winning the AIAW national title in OT over UCLA in Greensboro. The next year, behind a 37-1 mark, they beat Tennessee for the second crown at Central Michigan. Stanley moved her team into the NCAA era with a 70-65 win over a favored Georgia team in Austin, Texas.

Her ODU teams won 30 or more games four times and enjoyed eight seasons of 20 or more wins.

At Tuesday's ceremony, she recalled playing at Virginia when Geno was an assistant to Debbie Ryan. Geno is now a friend, but she smiles when she says, "We went to Virginia and whipped their asses."

Other collegiate coaching jobs followed at Penn, Cal and USC, a place where she made her mark with a lawsuit that made national news. She wanted her pay to be equal to men's coach George Raveling, and after rejecting lesser offers, she was terminated. The Title IX suit she filed claiming sex discrimination was ultimately rejected in the federal court of appeals.

"I had a different kind of career," said Stanley, inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. "I had an awful lot of success early and then had to learn how to deal with not being so successful."

She's an assistant for the Washington Mystics these days, a teacher who stills prefers practice to games. She still loves every bit of it.

I don't have a daughter, but if I did, I wish she could learn from Marianne, an unabashed trailblazer who is a role model for kids playing any sport.

Adios, amiga! Dream comes true for VCU's Parks

Adios, amiga!

Robyn Parks is headed to Spain. The Virginia Commonwealth graduate, who led the Atlantic 10 in scoring and rebounding last season, left Wednesday to play for Gran Canaria, part of the Spanish Women's League.

How excited is Parks?

After learning the news on Monday, she called it "one of the most exciting days of my entire life."

Since graduating last spring, Parks picked up a temporary job back home in Waldorf, Md., all the while planning to go overseas to play ball. Calling the process long and hectic, she got discouraged when originally told she'd leave on Sept. 15 to play in Israel or Turkey. That day came and left. Parks admitted she didn't want to play just anywhere.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I could play against better players, so I could continue to get better," she said.

Admittedly, she lost hope and even when her dad woke her up at 7 a.m. on Monday, she didn't believe him.

"You're going to Spain, girl!" he shouted.

Half awake and sure he was joking, Parks went back to sleep.

"When I finally woke up, my agent confirmed that everything my dad was talking about was true," Parks said.

So Parks finds herself on a plane today for Last Palmas, the capital city of Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands located in northern Spain.

Her first game is Oct. 15. We're thrilled for Robyn and promise to keep you posted on her time there!

Talking with Wendy Larry, inductee for the ODU Hall of Fame

Every time Wendy Larry plays the Old Dominion reel, she sees another face.

Her glorious career, which included taking the Lady Monarchs to the national championship in 1997, winning 17 CAA Tournament championships as head coach and amassing 608 victories for her alma mater, will be celebrated Nov. 8 when the New Jersey native will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Speaking from her Atlantic 10 office in Newport News, where today she is associate commissioner for women's basketball and championship director for softball, Larry acknowledges all the support she got along the way to her career milestones.

"Individuals make plays and teams win championships, so I am inviting every single person who had anything to do with my career at Old Dominion to come to breakfast," Larry said. "It is a village, isn't it?"

Rattling off names of those who made Team Larry roar could read like a "Who's Who of Lady Monarchs History" -- Celeste, Ticha, Clarisse, Lucienne, Mery, Tanty, Shareese . . . but Larry includes support staff such as Jessica Bowman, Felecia Allen, Leslie Williams and Annette Chester -- folks she credits with playing an invaluable role in her 24 seasons at ODU that ended in 2011.   "I think of all of them in addition to the trainers and the assistants and the operations directors. It's just amazing what we did."

Larry hasn't sent out an invite breakfast email yet -- the ceremony is at 9 a.m. during ODU's homecoming festivities -- but she's already got word that former Lady Monarch Deanna Vander Plas plans to come. "There's people who want to come back to celebrate the family," says Larry, who jokes she has 50 grandchildren out there (and she plans to visit every one of her kids' kids when she eventually retires).

Celebrating Larry's legacy at ODU is overdue.

After spending 30 years at ODU as a player, assistant for a national championship team and head coach, Larry parted ways with the school in May 2011 after athletic director Wood Selig did not offer her a contract extension. On the heels of a 20-11 season, it was chilly ending with no fanfare for a coach who kept the Lady Monarchs relevant despite the emergence of the power conference era.

Larry hasn't returned to ODU for a game but accepted this honor "for the program, for the players, for my mom, who will be 90 years old soon. I'm doing it because it's not just about me. I mean, you get over your bad self in that regard. It's about so many people. It's about everyone who was engaged with what we did, who knew us for what we were. It's recognition for a lot of good folks who did a lot of good things together."

Larry enjoys the role she has at the Atlantic 10, even though talks of endless phone calls and late nights piecing the recently released conference schedule together for 14 teams make for long hours. She travels more, usually by air, for a league that spreads from Richmond to St.  Louis to New England to upstate New York to Dayton. And she is an ideal sounding board for the league's coaches, who love having one of their own advocating on their behalf.

"Working on the conference schedule, I asked myself, 'What would I like as a coach?' " Larry said. "I asked myself that for all 14 teams."

The ODU soundtrack that plays in Larry's head when she reflects on her success starts at a different point every time, with a different face. Maybe it's a former manager like Bowman, now Jessica Horning, who today is school activities coordinator at Virginia Beach's Cox High School or maybe it's Clar, a mother of two in Italy or maybe it's a former assistant such as Cindy Fisher, head coach at the University of San Diego.

Sometimes she gets giddy recalling the memories --  there was the Monique Coker recruiting trip in the Bronx, which had her and assistant Allison Greene searching for their towed rental car past midnight. Other times it's awe -- recounting Grant's 35-point performance in the 2005 CAA title game with walk-on Melea Caldwell playing point and the ODU frontline fouled out.

Twenty NCAA Tournaments. Two Elite Eights. National runner-up. Triple-peating in the CAA championship game again and again and again and again and again.

Those are glory days,  Wendy Larry days worth celebrating. Breakfast tickets are $25 and can be purchased through ODU by calling (757) 683-3359.

Updated verbals for 2015-16; six at JMU, four at Hampton

Taisha Murphy

The women's basketball season may still be weeks away, but several programs are already knee-deep into the process of stocking up for the 2015-16 campaign and beyond. Here are the 2015 verbal commitments we have so far for the state's 13 Division I programs. As always, if you know of someone we've missed, drop us a line at ladyswishing@hotmail.com or on twitter @ladyswish

2015 verbal commitments

WILLIAM AND MARY

Chandler Smith, 6-3 C, St. Mary's Ryken (Md)

Bianca Boggs, 5-8 G, St. Mary's Ryken (Md)

Misha Jones, 5-9 G, Battlefield (Va.)

VIRGINIA TECH

Kelly Koshuta, 6-2 F, James Madison (Va.)

Chanette Hicks, 5-5 G, Maury (Va.)

Alana Gilmer, 6-0 F, Archbishop Williams (Mass.)

Lexi Barrier, 5-11 G, Ironton (Ohio)

Also available for 2015: 6-2 F Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.), a transfer from Seton Hall who made the Big East All-Freshman team and has three years of eligibility remaining.

JMU

Kayla Williams, 6-2 F, Hylton (Va)
   - Chose JMU over ODU. Older brother Chris Cooper was a standout Monarchs forward.

Aneah Young, 5-10 F, Polytechnic (Md.)

Elemy Colome, 5-9 G, Proctor Academy (NH)

Destiny Campbell, 6-2 F, Scotland (NC)

Logan Reynolds, 5-8 G, Wise (Va.)

Savannah Felgemacher, 6-2 F, Volunteer (Tenn.)

OLD DOMINION

Gianna Smith, 5-10 G, Maury

LIBERTY

Kierra Palmer, 5-8 G, Aberdeen (Md.)

Keturah Barbour, 6-0 F, Albemarle (Va.)

Molly Reagan, 6-2 F/C, Braintree (Mass.)

NORFOLK STATE

Quiera Gilmore, 5-8 G, Ardrey Kelly (N.C.)

GEORGE MASON

Jewel Triggs

Jewel Triggs, 5-11 G, Thibodaux (La.)

Chinyere Bell, 6-1 F, Southview (N.C.)

Also available in 2015: 6-6 C Briget O'Donnell, a transfer from UMBC

HAMPTON

Dejane James

Taylor Pate, 6-2 F, Proviso West (Ill.)

Dejane James, 5-4 G, Weaver (Conn.)

K'lynn Willis, 5-4 G, Cass Tech (Mich)

Jephany Brown, 6-0 F Walters State CC (Tenn.)

VCU

Bria Gibson, 6-0 F, Sanderson (N.C.)

Katherine Strong, 6-2 F, Bloom (Chicago)

Sandra Skinner, 6-0 F, Clark( Ky)

VIRGINIA

Debra Ferguson, 6-4 C, Amherst County (VA)

Shakyna Payne, 6-4 C, Southwest Christian Academy (Ga.)

Also available in 2015, 5-10 G J'Kyra Brown (Rocky Mount, N.C.), a transfer from East Carolina.

RICHMOND

Taisha Murphy, 5-10 G, Clayton (N.C.)

RADFORD

Lydia Rivers, 6-2 F, Kinston (N.C.)

Alexis Jackson, 5-9 G, Meade (Md.)

Why we love Radford's Aisha Foy

A few weeks ago, we sent players a Twitter survey to try and learn how they spent their summers. Well, let's just say we weren't overwhelmed with responses. But that's OK; we love the feedback we got, particularly one detailed offering from Radford's Aisha Foy. In fact, we loved it so much we decided to share it with the world.

Thanks a ton, Aisha. Coach (Mike) McGuire, more minutes for this young lady!


1. What aspect of your game have you worked on/improved the most this offseason?

Absolutely the mental part of the game and self-development as a person and leader. We can work on our jump shot until we shoot like MJ, but if we can't help our teammates do the same thing then we won't get championships. We have eight newcomers this year; that's huge for basketball. So the entire concept of leading by example makes every other aspect of your game improve because you have to work harder than everyone else in any drill no matter what it is so the game and skill will come.

2. Most fun thing you've done this summer?

Wow. The most fun thing I did this summer was my experience as a Quest Assistant, which is a student helper for freshman orientation. They split about 300-400 incoming freshmen that come each session into groups for about 20 per QA, and we are the first impression of the school. You can be the deciding factor if they come back to Radford in the fall. And if they don't have a choice, are they going to be excited to come back or will they dread it? Talk about pressure! Twenty freshmen, with the wrong things on their mind, and having to keep them motivated and entertained through a long day of presentations they don't want to sit through AND have to tend to anxious parents that want to ask all the questions in the world. . . . I don't care what anyone says; that's one of the toughest jobs in the world. But it was rewarding and so much fun through the process and the training. All the 24 QAs live together for about a month and a half and build this incredible bond. As a QA you develop this ownership, love and appreciation for your school. You also make amazing friends, even though all 24 of us were completely different. I had trouble bonding and developing relationships with people different than me (non-athletes). After my QA experience, I can find ways to relate to anyone which was something that was on my list to develop anyway. The greatest moment of my QA experience was we had a talent show just for the staff during the training period, and I decided at the last minute to put together a speech to inspire everyone throughout our journey (Believe me, we needed it working 6 a.m. to noon during sessions). This was a huge fear of mine, but at the same time I want to be a speaker, so I got that first time out of the way (haha). Personally, the QA experience hit me in a different way because I was one of three athletes on staff. When you are being recruited as an athlete to come to a school, there's SO much you don't see or realize about your school. I wass fortunate to get to have such an amazing experience, to have a huge impact of the incoming freshmen and to be the one to make a difference in their time here at Radford.

3. Summer guilty pleasure?

It came when I went on vacation to Cancun with my family. For those four days ate and had fun and that was about it (haha). I had all the intentions to hit the gym every day, but I got so caught up in my family craziness time when by so fast! But I had a great time.

4. Best movie you've seen this summer, and why did you enjoy it so much?

I actually didn't see any good movies really! I am not into TV.

5. Favorite Robin Williams movie/show/special?

I have watched a lot of Robin Williams but my favorite has to be "Mrs. Doubtfire." Hilarious!