Womhoops Guru

Mel Greenberg covered college and professional women’s basketball for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for 40 plus years. Greenberg pioneered national coverage of the game, including the original Top 25 women's college poll. His knowledge has earned him nicknames such as "The Guru" and "The Godfather," as well as induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Coleman Shines in Mystics' Debut

By Mel Greenberg

WASHINGTON -
This morning WNBA preseason games and short turnarounds are killing the Guru.

Other than that, the Washington Mystics topped the New York Liberty 65-60 in the Verizon Center in the first action for both teams prior to the WNBA tipoff May 15.

Several stars were still oversees precluding a Rutgers reunion such as the Liberty's newly acquired Cappie Pondexter and Washington's Matee Ajavon.

Former Maryland star Marissa Coleman had 15 points for Washington. Nakia Sanford added 11 points, while Kristen Mann and Nakia Sanford each scored 10 points.

Taj McWilliams, the free-agent signee previous with the former Detroit Shock, scored 12 points for the Liberty ands grabbed 11 rebounds. Former UConn star Kalana Greene, who was taken by New York in the draft, had 11 points, while Tiffany Jackson scored 10.

Donna Orender, the league president, was in the house because one of her children was part of a class trip to the nation's capital from Florida.

Louisiana Tech's Teresa Weatherspoon, who coaches her alma mater and was an all-star in the WNBA for New York was on hand to see her former player Shanavia Dowdell, one of the Mystics' draft picks.

Weatherspoon said she has yet to start work on her acceptance speech when she gets inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., June 11-12.

"I just know there will be some tears," she smiled in looking ahead to the big weekend.

Liberty executive Carol Blazejowski was also on hand to evaluate the performance knowing she has to make some roster cuts in the next several days.

Blazejowski is also working on obtaining a building for use next season for home games while Madison Square Garden undergoes renovation.

Katie Smith, a former Detroit star who signed with the Mystics as a free agent, had a reunion with Liberty coach Anne Donovan, who coached Smith on the gold-medal Olympic team in Beijing in 2008.

More to come including train times back home.

-- Mel

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