Reflection: Liberty

Avery Warley

2010-11 season: 22-11. Lost in the Big South Tournament championship to Gardner-Webb 67-66; Lost in the first round of the WNIT to Charlotte, 62-56

Who's leaving: Dymond Morgan 4.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg; Rachel McLeod 2.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg; Kittery Maine 1.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Who's coming: Katelyn Adams, 6-5 forward/center, Minnehaha Academy (Minn.): Defending state champion Minnehaha was state runner-up in Class AA; Adams played in the MCBCA All-Star game; Catherine Kearney, 6-5 center, Gloucester County Christian (N.J.): Averaged 27.1 ppg, amassing 569 points her senior year;Off an assist by sister Sarah, Catherine scored her 2,000th point, the only player in Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference with that distinction; Reagan Miller, 5-7 guard, Sanger (Texas): Led Sanger to a District 9-3A title; Competed   in the Class 3A-under game and in the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star Game; MVP 9-3A District; Ashley Rininger, 6-4 center, Glenoak (Ohio): Honorable mention AP Divison I All-Ohio, Averaged 14.6 ppg and 9.9 rpg her senior year; Carries a 4.14 GPA

High point: A 59-57 win at VCU, the regular-season sweep of Gardner-Webb and a top seed-clinching 72-58 decision over UNC Asheville were all highlights. But our favorite result was a 75-71 win over Longwood in which Devon Brown scored 21of her 27 points in the second half to rally the Flames from a 10-point deficit.

Low point: A 50-48 loss at North Carolina Central (RPI 325), a defeat that has to rank among the worst in the program's Division I history.

Stock: Holding steady.

Given that virtually everyone was returning from a 27-win, NCAA Tournament team, a Big South tournament runner-up that loses in the first round of the WNIT wasn't exactly what Liberty coach Carey Green - or anyone else for that matter - had in mind. He elevated the schedule, but do you think he even would have guessed that Liberty would square off against eventual national champ Texas A&M and Final Four participant Baylor?

Losses to that caliber of team don't hurt you. Unfortunately for the Lady Flames, those other losses got in the way of the type of marquee season Liberty seemed destined for. The first hurdle wasn't an opponent, it was Devon Brown. A first-team All-Big South performer as a freshman in 2009-10, Brown missed the first seven games with a knee injury and a nagging dancer's toe injury. Liberty's offense suffered; the sophomore guard wasn't in the lineup for either Texas A&M or Baylor, games when they managed 49 and 42 points of offense, respectively.

Even with Brown back, Liberty didn't dominate the Big South in typical fashion. Radford stunned Liberty, which committed 21-second half turnovers that led to the first Highlanders victory at the Vines Center since 1996. The string of 28 consecutive victories over Charleston-Southern came to an end with a 54-51 Lady Buccaneers win in February. And then the biggest disappointment of them all, a one-point loss by the top seeds to Gardner-Webb in the Big South title game -- Liberty's first-ever loss in 14 trips to the tournament final.

Turnovers are the telling stat for Liberty. The Lady Flames ranked 299th in Division I in this category (20.5 per game). That's a ton of empty possessions and more than anything else defined why the Flames ended their season wondering "what if?" In his fine season-ending recap of the Liberty season, the News and Advance's Chris Lang pointed out that Liberty was 16-0 when it committed fewer than 20 turnovers in a game; 6-11 with 20 or more.

The natural tendency when seeing turnover numbers like Liberty's is to wonder what's up with the point guard. And granted, Liberty did heap a lot of responsibility on freshman Emily Frazier. But coughing the ball up as much as Liberty did can't be the work of just one player. Turnovers were a team-wide deficiency at Liberty, and everyone needs to apply the attention to detail to curb the problem.

Assuming they can, we're bullish on Liberty's chances of returning to their accustomed spot atop the conference. Avery Warley enjoyed a breakout season, just like Brown did in 2009-10. If Brown can get a clean bill of health and return to that form, Liberty could boast the two best players in the league.

In addition, even in a relative down year Liberty maintained its reputation as beasts of the backboards (No. 2 in Division I in rebounding margin). With 6-4, 6-5 and 6-5 recruits coming in, it's as though Green has taken out another four-year lease on rebounding dominance.

Despite a negative assist-turnover ratio, Frazier showed plenty of promise in her trial-by-fire debut season. With a full campaign under her belt, she figures to play more confidently at the point. And while the loss of Maine, McLeod and Morgan - seniors who were part of a program-record 101 victories - definitely creates a leadership void, Liberty shouldn't have much trouble replacing their on-court production.

In other words, Liberty appears to have everything in place to beat everyone in the Big South and just about anyone on their schedule (assuming they're not headed back to Waco and College Station). That is, if they can learn to stop beating themselves.

CAA travel partners good news for William and Mary

Wonder what's behind the CAA's new "travel partner" format? William and Mary Debbie Taylor calls herself the instigator of it, when it comes to the women's teams.

Each team was asked to list five permanent partners in rank order to play home and away for the next three years (10 games), with only the top choice guaranteed. The remaining six “non-permanent partners” rotate through a three-year cycle in which teams face two opponents at home, two opponents away and two opponents home and away (8 games) each year.

Why does this matter? Consider William and Mary's schedule last year. Its five permanent partners were JMU, Wilmington, ODU, VCU and Drexel -- which finished 1-2-3-4-6 in the conference, and it has been like that for the last six years.

Taylor said previously the women's teams had been assigned the same travel partners as the men's teams.

The new format "is all about creating competitive equity in the league," said Taylor, who noted that picking up a few more wins could move a team from the bottom half to the top half of the conference.

The change means ODU and W&M, about 40 minutes apart, will not play each other twice every year anymore.

"In a perfect world, I'd love to play ODU twice," Taylor said. "But I'm more concerned about my schedule being equally balanced."

W&M's new permanent partners are Drexel, George Mason, UNCW, Towson and VCU. For Old Dominion: George Mason, Georgia State, James Madison, UNCW and VCU. For James Madison: George Mason, Hofstra, ODU, Towson and VCU. For George Mason: Delaware, JMU, ODU, Towson and W&M. For VCU: Georgia State, JMU, UNCW, ODU and W&M.

Reflection: Old Dominion

Tia Lewis

2010-11 season: 20-11, 14-4 CAA; Lost in the QF of the CAA Tournament to Delaware and upset by Loyola in the first round of the WNIT.


Who's leaving?: Jasmine Parker (11.8 ppg, 4.3 apg), Shadasia Green (8.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Alena Voronina (11.3, 5.4 ppg), Kquanise Byrd (7.5 ppg)

Who's coming: Myeisha Hall, 5-8 guard, Palm Beach Lakes High (Fla.): Finalist for Pathfinder Award recognizing female achievement in sports; McDonald's All-American award finalist; Scored 37 points to help Palm Beach Lakes clinch No. 1 seed in District 15-5A playoffs; Named First Team All State, Florida Athletic Coaches Association; Named 5A Player of Year by Florida Association of Basketball Coaches; Averaged 24.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, drained 55 3-pointers her senior season; Queen Tiye Jackson, 5-11 forward, Trenton Catholic (N.J.): Powered Trenton Catholic to its fourth state title in five years; Led Trenton Catholic to NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals; Tiffany Minor, 5-11 forward, The Maret School (Washington D.C.): Averaged 15.4 ppg her senior year; 2011 Finalist, Girls Subway 3-point Shootout; Ashley Betz-White, 5-3 guard, Trinity (Pa.): First Team Patriot-News' "Big 15" team despite being hampered by a knee injury that forced her to miss eight games this season. Scored 1,000th point on Jan. 2; Kaneisha Atwater, 5-7 guard, Fort Pierce Atwater (Fla.): Averaged 29.2 ppg, 6.2 apg, drained 10 3-pointers her senior season; Earned the sixth triple-double of her senior season in the first round of the district playoffs; Ranked ninth all time in the state in 400 meters (1:02.17).

High point: Victories over Georgia Tech (65-63) and Louisville (69-65)

Low point: First-ever CAA Tournament QF loss to Delaware; Falling on home floor to Loyola 67-65

Stock of program: Bumpy times

What has happened to the Lady Monarchs? Look at their overall record and note their 2010-11 nonconference wins over NCAA Tournament teams Louisville, Georgia Tech and James Madison, and it's easy to say, whatever do you mean? Look closer and you'll find Wendy Larry's program in uncharted territory.

First, some history. This team dominated a conference in a way that no program in the nation has ever duplicated, winning 17 straight conference championships, and at one point, 113 straight CAA games. ODU wins in the CAA weren't news during that span -- it was a time when a victory by fewer than 10 points was noteworthy, and the rare conference loss was front page news.

Flash back to Jan. 25, 2009, ODU ahead by double digits over James Madison when down went point guard Jazzmin Walters. The senior returned for a series, but hobbled off with what was later diagnosed as a broken leg. Things have never been the same in Lady Monarch-land since.

ODU lost that game 72-67, its first CAA loss of the 2009-10 season and only the third time the Lady Monarchs had ever dropped a league contest on their home floor.  What followed was six more conference losses: to VCU, Hofstra, James Madison again, Drexel, Georgia State and George Mason, a victor over ODU for the first time in 45 games.

A semifinal loss to Drexel in the CAA Tournament -- ODU's first-ever in the event -- ended ODU's run of 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.The loss itself wasn't as stunning as the immediate acceptance of the defeat.

Year after year ODU teams talked about not wanting to be the team that ended the streak. But when it was all said and done, no player took ownership of starting a new streak and upholding a tradition that is among the richest in the sport. Life simply went on; the sun came up even though the Lady Monarchs were no longer CAA champs.

The 2009-10 team put together a fine record on paper. The conference has improved and four losses in the CAA, disappointing by Lady Monarch standards, is hardly egregious. Look closer. One of the losses was to Northeastern. Another was to Towson, on senior night at the Constant Center in front of Clarisse Machanguana, Lucienne Berthieu, Mery Andrade, Natalie Diaz, T.J. Jordan, Shareese Grant -- players who hadn't a clue what a loss at home to a conference foe felt like.

Now we come to this season, which ODU started off in inspiring fashion, putting together the best nonconference win slate of any team in the CAA. The Lady Monarchs would have had an at-large case for an NCAA Tourney bid, only like the prior two seasons, they struggled in their own league -- swept by VCU, beaten at Drexel and finally stunned by 17 at the CAA Tournament by Delaware, showing little fight and even less ferver. Playing in front of 450 folks, ODU ended its season at home with a first-round WNIT loss to Loyola, a team that frankly shouldn't be in ODU's zip code.

What has happened to the Lady Monarchs, who had at least one first team All-CAA Player in 17 of the first 18 years in the league but has had none the last two years? The last time ODU boasted the conference Player of the Year was Lucienne Berthieu in 2002. While transfer have been an issue -- seven in the last four years -- that is hardly unusual in the sport. James Madison has lost five in the same period.

Recruiting, no doubt, has become the biggest issue, and we're not talking about competing against the likes of Tennessee and Connecticut. The CAA's best players the last three years have not worn blue and white. In years past, George Mason produced a Jen Derevjanik and VCU, a Kristine Austgulen. But by and large, the elite in the conference had ODU on their backs. ODU is no longer getting the best players in the league and the players that are there don't appear to buy in to this notion: It's not about you when you wear an Old Dominion uniform. It's about Lieberman and Donovan and Marianne Stanley and Ticha Penicheiro. It's about Natalie Diaz playing on bad knees, Walters splashing an improbable 3-pointer against Virginia, Shareese Grant refusing to let ODU not win another CAA championship. And yes, it's about Wendy Larry, one of the most respected coaches in the game who exceeded the 600 win mark last year.

We don't pretend to know the ins and outs of what's going on internally at ODU. We know this. For the last three years, by ODU standards, this team has unraveled at the time in the season when most teams are peaking. Chemistry has been an issue and pride an even bigger one. Five kids with good looking resumes are coming into the 2011-12 season -- players who were looking at some marquee programs and selected Old Dominion first.Also it appears leading scorer and rebounder Tia Lewis will return for a senior year, and Mairi Buchan will be healthy again to finish out her career. These Lady Monarchs will be young and given that, they will be impressionable, capable of being molded.

Larry must make these players buy in from the tip. If we are to believe athletic director Wood Selig her future depends on it. Hers and ODU's.

VCU's Hurt invited to World University Games tryout

We spent a good portion of the season wondering whether anyone outside of the CAA was noticing the kind of season VCU star Courtney Hurt was putting together. Evidently USA Basketball was paying attention - the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Hurt will be one of 30-35 players that will try out for the 12-member World University Games team May 21-25 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"Being invited means somebody thinks I'm one of the best players in the country," said Hurt, who led Division I in rebounding and double-doubles last season. "It also means that once I get there, I'm going to have to compete against the best players in the country."

The World University Games will be held Aug. 12-23 in Shenzhen, China. Hurt will be the second VCU player invited to try out, joining former Rams center Quanitra Hollingsworth (2006 and 2007). And making the team would give Hurt something in common with VCU coach Beth Cunningham, the former Notre Dame star who earned a gold medal with Team USA during the 1997 World University Games.

The other players participating in the tryouts have yet to be announced. The team's head coach is Iowa State's Bill Fennelly; Duquesne's Suzie McConnell-Serio and Georgetown's Terri Williams-Flournoy are the assistants.

Reflection: Radford

Da'Naria Erwin Spencer

2010-2011 season: 14-16 overall, 11-5 Big South (tied for 2nd); Earned No. 2 seed in Big South Tournament via tiebreaker, lost in first round to Winthrop.

Who's leaving: Denay Wood (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg); Kaylyn Crosier (3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg); Brooke McElroy (9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg); Ciara Hayes 2.4, 1.9 rpg); 

Who's coming: 

Ayana Avery, 5-5 guard, West Rowan (N.C.): Averaged 19.5 points and scored a school-record 1,995 in her four-year career; Jordynn Gaymon, 6-1 forward, Sun Valley (N.C.): Averaged 16.4 points and 12.2 rebounds. An All-District 9 first-team selection by the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.; Ashia Holmes, 5-8 guard, Salisbury (N.C.): Averaged 10 points, 6 steals and 7 rebounds and was the catalyst for Salisbury's 2A state championship team. Named championship game MVP and regional tournament MVP. One of four Division I starters on the team; the fifth starter was highly touted freshman Brielle Blair, the player who reportedly was offered a scholarship by Virginia Tech, among others, before she entered high school. Has a twin sister, Ayanna, who has signed with Charlotte.; Kiera McIvor, 5-9 guard, Dudley (N.C.): Averaged about 8 ppg as part of a balanced attack on a powerhouse (25-2) Dudley squad. Described by coach Tajama Ngongba as "a true game-changer."; Dominique Powell, 6-2 center, Archbishop Carroll (Washington D.C.): Ngongba:  “Dominique is another athletic post player. We will look to her to be a future enforcer in the paint. Her big wing span will give her an advantage in scoring, rebounding and defending on the inside.”

High point: The 2010-11 Highlanders accomplished something previous Radford teams - or any other Big South team for that matter, rarely pulls off - beating Liberty in Lynchburg. Radford's 62-53 triumph on Jan. 17 was the program's first at the Vines Center since 1996. But for pure emotion, it probably didn't get much better than when the Highlanders rallied on the road to beat former Radford coach Jeri Porter and her George Mason Patriots.

Low point: On Dec. 30, the Highlanders committed 34 turnovers in a 73-50 loss at home to Richmond to fall to 4-10. We didn't like where the season appeared to be heading.

Program stock: Movin' on up.

Of all the teams we follow here at LadySwish, none is tougher to get a read on than this Highlanders bunch.  When they split their first four games, capped by that stirring win at George Mason, we thought, OK, looks like they've got things figured out.


Then they dropped their next eight against Division I opponents.

Well, maybe next year....

Then they won their Big South opener (as always) en route to a 7-1 start in conference play.

Whoa! The Highlanders are for real! Now if they can just....

Then they lost three straight to slide out of the conference lead.

Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted....

Then they rattled off four straight victories, two in overtime, and took eventual tournament champion Gardner-Webb to yet another overtime in the regular-season finale.

Number two seed in the conference tourney? Sweet! We know they'd love another shot at Gardner-Webb in the semis, or Liberty in the final. Can't wait to see how....

Then they bombed in the first round of the conference tourney, shooting a measly 22 percent in a 21-point loss to No. 7 Winthrop.

Busch Gardens doesn't have roller-coasters that wild. Take away that absolute stinker at the end, though, and it's clear the Highlanders have removed most of the debris from last season's 6-23 finish and re-established themselves among the contenders in the Big South. It's as though the players have finally embraced third-year coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba's program and realized, hey, this stuff really works!

The season featured the continued development of sophomore Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, a first-team All-Big South pick who finished among the conference's top six players in points (14.3), assists, steals and free-throw percentage and dropped a career-high 30 on Presbyterian. The Highlanders also benefited from a full season from Brooke McElroy, the 6-0 redshirt senior who was unavailable after the first 9 games in 2009-10 but went the distance last season and finished third on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg) while being by far the Highlanders' best rebounder (7.3 rpg).

Still, Radford's signature remains its disruptive, ball-hawking defense that at its best contested every pass and nearly every dribble. Radford led the Big South and ranked 14th nationally in steals per game (12.2) with Erwin Spencer, McElroy and Kay Vick leading the theft parade. Radford forced 20 or more turnovers 16 times, and 30 or more on four occasions.

The ability to turn defense into offense was key, because the Highlanders often struggled to turn offense into offense. Radford ranked 303rd out of 333 teams in assists per game (10.3) and shot just 36.8 percent from the field. Furthermore, in an age when the 3-point shot has become increasingly important, the Highlanders had just one player (Kaylyn Crosier) who connected on at least 35 percent from distance. As a team, Radford shot a paltry 28 percent from beyond the arc.

Becoming more efficient on offense - perhaps by sharing the ball better - should pay big dividends for the Highlanders. They'll also need to replace, and hopefully exceed, McElroy's team-leading 7.3 boards a game. No other Highlander averaged as many as five boards per game.

So let's see. The Highlanders were below average in passing, shooting and rebounding, yet still won nearly half their games and contended in the Big South. No wonder Ngongba was the league's coach of the year.
Clearly there's still plenty of work to do if Radford wants to make noise outside of its conference. But for most teams, digging in on defense and totally committing to the game plan are the hard parts. These Highlanders appear to have that stuff down cold.

Happy Easter!

LadySwish wishes all women's basketball fans a Happy Easter.

Reflection: VCU

Courtney Hurt

2010-2011 season: 19-12 overall; 13-5 CAA; Lost to St. Joseph's in the first round of the WNIT

Who's leaving: Ebony Patterson (0.6 ppg, only played 42 minutes the entire season due to injury), Jessica Taylor (5 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

Who's coming: Christina Carter, 5-9 guard, Thomasville (N.C.): Scored 27 points with 9 rebounds and 8 assists in Thomasville's Section 2 championship game over Central Davidson, leading the Bulldogs to advance to the regional for the first time since 2005. Despite a team-high 17 points from Carter, Thomasville lost in the first round of the region. First Team All-Central Carolina Conference. 2010-11 All-County First Team (Dispatch); Aprill McRae, 6-3 center, Southeast Raleigh (N.C.) McDonald's All-American nominee; Scored 16 points to go with 11 rebounds over Fayetteville to power Southeast Raleigh to its fourth straight Eastern Region 4-A berth. Notes VCU coach Beth Cunningham, "Aprill might be the most heavily recruited player coming out of high school we have signed since I've been at VCU." ; Melanie Royster, 6-4 forward/center, Elizabeth Seton (Md.) McDonald's All-American nominee; Played in Elite Showcase Basketball Classic at Verizon Center in March; WCAC Second-Team All-Conference; Kiana Trice-Hill, 6-3 forward/center, Oak Hill Academy (Va.): McDonald's All-American nominee who loves to rebound; Played in Elite Showcase Basketball Classic at Verizon Center in March. Daughter of Rams assistant coach Trena Trice-Hill

High point: That sweep of Old Dominion was pretty sweet as was an 87-76 victory over Hofstra in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Low point: A 63-31 overtime loss to Virginia Tech on Nov 21 started a three-game losing streak; the Rams were also beaten 65-58 at Towson

Program stock: Steady with tremendous upside

Shaka Smart got all the national attention. But what a job Beth Cunningham did with a Rams team that most considered in rebuilding mode prior to the start of the season.

D'Andra Moss, La'Tavia Rorie and Kita Waller were gone. Jessica Taylor and Ebony Patterson spent the bulk of the season injured. Courtney Hurt was the leading returning scorer, but her numbers from her sophomore year weren't mind numbing, just a decent 13.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg.

What a player Hurt evolved into as a junior. She didn't get CAA Player of the Year despite turning in the most consistent season in the league, blistering opponents with 23.2 ppg (second in the NCAA), 12.4 rpg (best in the NCAA) and 25 double-doubles (best in the NCAA). She received honorable mention All-American status, leaving us with one question. Honorable mention? Hurt was the first Rams player named to the Naismith watch list.

Nine games into the season Andrea Barbour gained eligibility, and suddenly the Rams had another ace. The former ACC Rookie of the Year (Virginia Tech) averaged 16.3 points and was a steady complement to Hurt. Sonia Johnson and Jennifer Lane added to the supporting cast. One problem, though, depth. The Rams had none.

They couldn't hang with James Madison, which beat them three times during the season, including in the CAA Tournament semifinals. They handled ODU with ease, surviving a voracious comeback by the Lady Monarchs at the Constant Center. This was a team that didn't seem to have the horses to win the CAA, but playing the Rams and containing Hurt and Barbour was no picnic.

With the recruits coming in, VCU will be deeper next year and Hurt will be battling Elena Delle Donne for Player of the Year honors. James Madison and ODU will be young; it's conceivable this team will be the favorite to win the league. A strong start to the season and a signature win could really benefit the VCU resume. The Rams struggled through a somewhat weak nonconference schedule this season, but with a seasoned Hurt and Barbour returning, should look to toughen up the slate.

We didn't anticipate the type of season Hurt completed and look forward to a senior year that could earn her a spot in the WNBA draft.

Xavier hires coach and it's not Cunningham

Amy Waugh will be announced as the new head coach at Xavier Wednesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.

Waugh was an assistant under former coach Kevin McGuff, who departed to accept the head coaching job at Washington.

VCU's Beth Cunninham, as reported by Mel Greenberg earlier Wednesday morning, was a candidate for the job.

Speaking of Cunningham, her former player Quanitra Hollingsworth, entering her third season with the Minnesota Lynx, tweets that the Rams coach has a little bump. "I'm prepared to spoil this baby already," said Tuesday's Hollingsworth tweet. Congrats to Beth from LadySwish!!

VCU's Cunningham a candidate at Xavier, Guru says

Another Virginia coach on the move? That's the latest from Guru Mel Greenberg, whose latest post speculates VCU coach Beth Cunningham is a candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Xavier.

Xavier coach Kevin McGuff was named head coach at Washington earlier this month. McGuff was a previous assistant to Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s all-time winningest coach, Cunningham has been head coach at VCU for the last eight years.  A former WNBA player and Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer, Cunningham spent two years as an assistant with the Rams before taking over the reins at the conclusion of the 2002-03 campaign.

Greenberg notes that Cunningham's Notre Dame connections are a key. Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski is an ND alum and, as a player, Cunningham was once to Notre Dame what Skylar Diggins is now (minus the Twitter account).

Of course, none of this would matter if Cunningham wasn't also doing a bang-up job on the Rams sideline.  And last season was arguably her best, as VCU contended for the CAA title and reached the WNIT in what looked to be a transition year. With two CAA Player-of-the-Year caliber returners - Courtney Hurt and Andrea Barbour - and a strong recruiting class on the way, the Rams loom as a CAA title favorite for 2011-12.

That is, assuming Cunningham is still there to lead the way. Greenberg notes that other candidates are also in play at Xavier so nothing is close to a done deal yet. But if an offer is forthcoming, it'll be interesting to see how VCU plays it. A few weeks ago, the school reportedly managed to scrounge up 1.2 million per year over eight years to keep Shaka Smart coaching its men's hoops team. Can they find a few extra dollars to entice Cunningham to stick around, too? Then again, after a contract like Smart's, is there any money left?

Wendy Palmer hired at UNCG

Virginia All-American and WNBA veteran Wendy Palmer is the new head coach at UNC Greensboro.

Palmer, an assistant to Debbie Ryan, replaces Lynne Agee, who retired last month after 30 years coaching the Spartans.

In her two years at Virginia, a two-time ACC Player of the Year helped recruit and sign a class ranked in the top 15 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz and coached All-American and national Defensive Player of the Year Monica Wright. During Palmer's tenure on the sidelines, Virginia made one NCAA appearance and a WNIT quarterfinals appearance.