Family Ties

I just got back from spending some time with my Father and my sister, and as often happens during times like these we shared a lot of stories. One piece of history which I had forgotten came up in discussions with my sister, who read the blog for the first time last week. Both she and my brother, Ned were ODU alums. My sister graduated before ODU took over the women's basketball world, but she talked about attending games. My brother had always talked about the women's team during his tenure, which was 1978-1982. He had mentioned the names of the "best players in the world," but it didn't really sink in until this weekend that he was actually lucky enough to see both Nancy Lieberman and Anne Donovan play at ODU since he was a regular at all their games. My sister even told me a story about a time when my brother was home in Rhode Island and he dragged her and one of his friends to Providence to see ODU take on Providence College. They were the only three ODU fans in the crowd and screamed themselves into losing their voices trying to out-cheer the home fans. She said they drew a lot of stares and, of course, some ire when ODU easily won the game. I realized then how I wish that I had been as avid a fan of the sport at the age of eight or nine as I am now, I could have forced my brother to drag me along to a few games. I was an NBA fan, and a devoted Celtics/Larry Bird nut, but there was not the recognition at the time of the women's game then as there is now. We bemoan the lack of coverage for the WNBA and the NCAA women's game now, but as a pre-teen I would never have known that there WAS a women's game if it hadn't been for my brother and his adoration of the Monarchs. Thanks Anne, and thanks Nancy for inspiring that love in my brother so that he could pass it on to me, it was a great gift.

Radio Pelton Hits the Air

David Locke and Kevin Pelton launched their new Storm Radio podcast series with interviews of Anne and JB. They plan to run this as a regular offering at the Storm home page as part of their increased coverage at the web site, and it will include nice "insider" information from Anne Donovan's coaching corner and player interviews. In the first installment AD talks about the new 24 second shot clock, her intent to increase on-the-ball pressure to take advantage of the shorter possessions and disrupt teams' offensive flow. She also talks about her camp prospects, and singles out a particular player after the first day. I won't spoil Kevin's scoop, so you will just have to go listen for yourselves. JB talks about Prague, getting to know Izi, her injury and her goals for the season. Overall it is a nice start to a great idea and I look forward to more throughout the season. Be sure to check it out.