Posted by Graham Hays
As teams begin hitting the court for exhibition games and scrimmages, it's time to take another trip around the world of basketball news:
The Hartford Courant offers a very entertaining read from Jeff Jacobs, detailing how Hartford coach Jennifer Rizzotti got a tad fired up about some preseason prognostications. Hartford does have a challenge in replacing Danielle Hood, among others, but the Hawks certainly haven't been a one-player program under the former Connecticut star.
With Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers, Montana returns a terrific backcourt from a team that advanced to the NCAA tournament last season. But as Bill Speltz recounts, the story in the team's exhibition opener was 6-foot-3 post Shadra Robison.
Nikki Caldwell's first game at UCLA brought a win, albeit one that won't count in the official record book. The Daily Bruin's Kendall Salter reviews the new-look squad.
Exhibition or no exhibition, 29 points and 15 rebounds is a heck of a line. Florida State junior Jacinta Monroe put up those numbers in an 84-68 win for the Seminoles against Premier Players. Doug Blackburn also details a strong freshman debut for the Seminoles.
There's good news out of Knoxville, where Dan Fleser reports Vicki Baugh has been cleared to play, a little more than six months after tearing her ACL in the championship game.
There's bad news out of Virginia, where confirmation came late last week that Paulisha Kellum is out for the year with a torn ACL. The Cavaliers have a great base with Monica Wright & Co., but someone needs to keep things running smoothly.
North Carolina's Alex Miller was in the same boat as Kellum last season, but the North Carolina senior is back and ready to roll, according to the Durham Herald-Sun's Mike Potter.
The SEC race seems wide open this season, but is it open enough to include a sleeper like Kentucky? Maybe that's a stretch, but Jennifer Smith reports in the Lexington Herald-Leader that the Wildcats are hoping health won't be as much of a factor as last season.
The South Bend Tribune's Forrest Miller writes that Notre Dame teammates have learned how to spell Becca Bruszewski's name. I'm still working on it. But with Charel Allen gone, she's one of the Fighting Irish players who could collectively help fill the void.
It's never too early to start learning the names. The Advocate's Sheldon Mickles checks in from Baton Rouge on the (very) new-look LSU Tigers, who are looking for a rotation as the preseason gets under way.
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