Posted by Graham Hays
With practices starting around the country, news and stories are hitting the Web from all corners of the basketball map. We'll try and highlight some of them throughout the season.
It's redundant to say Jere Longman has a must-read, but his latest is a terrific take on Elena Delle Donne doing just fine as a volleyball player at the University of Delaware.
Connecticut moves on without Delle Donne, as John Altavilla details Samarie Walker, one of the nation's top prep juniors, committing to the Huskies. Walker's high school coach compares her personality to former Connecticut standout Tamika Williams-Raymond, who attended the same high school as Walker.
Wrapping up the best of last season, former Tennessee cornerstone Nicky Anosike was honored recently by the NCAA as its Woman of the Year. Roman Augustoviz reached Anosike in Israel, where she's playing professionally after a strong WNBA debut with the Minnesota Lynx. Dan Fleser gives the take from Knoxville.
On the court in Knoxville, the Lady Vols got a scare when Alex Fuller suffered a knee injury in the team's second practice of the season.
A good read on Iowa center Megan Skouby from Ryan Suchomel. The former Big Ten Freshman of the Year enters her senior season with the potential to be a championship-caliber X factor for the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten race.
All things considered, Kevin Borseth did a remarkable job taking a floundering Michigan program from 10-20 (3-14 in the Big Ten) the year before his arrival to the third round of the WNIT in his first season in Ann Arbor. But as Pete Bigelow details, that success has Borseth and his players operating this season under heightened expectations.
Michelle Smith talks about preseason expectations for both Stanford and Cal and offers a quick overview of the rest of the Bay Area scene in women's college basketball.
There are a lot of freshmen stepping into big roles this fall, but to me, none of the situations are more intriguing than how Samantha Prahalis fits with Ohio State. Jim Massie checks in with a very good read on Prahalis and fellow freshman guard Amber Stokes getting settled in Columbus.
Iowa State didn't lose anyone from last season's competitive team, but Bobby La Gesse reports why some of the returnees feel almost like new additions.
Wyoming played the foil in one of last season's best first-round games in the NCAA Tournament, falling 63-58 against Pitt. After an offseason apart, the Cowgirls are ready to try and repeat that postseason berth, David Watson reports. First challenge: replacing four starters.
Women's Basketball
