Guru's Report: Big Field In USBWA Player of the Week Award

(Guru’s note: There is a blog post below this with the Guru’s local Drexel-La Salle game coverage and a roundup of other teams of local interest, including Delaware. If you got here first to melgreenberg.com, just click the mel’s blog on the left panel to get to the blogspot archive. Also, the USBWA doesn’t do honor rolls with the player winners, but obviously while the entire group of conference players are inherently honor roll types, the winner is going to come from the list below and you SID types can consider the others’ making the Guru’s high honor roll pick.)

By Mel Greenberg

The second honoree of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) new women’s national player of the week honor might seem easy but statistically there is competition.

The award will be announced early Tuesday but here are some of the conference player of the week honorees from which the pool for the weekly award is built.

In the interest of getting home before sunrise (grin), these will be quick highlights – details are at the conference websites.

South Carolina’s La’Keisha Sutton of Trenton, N.J., helped Dawn Staley’s Gamecock’s upset then-No. 18 North Carolina scoring 21 points to earn Southeastern Conference honors. She also scored her 1,000th career point during the week.

Notre Dame’s Natalie Novosel came up big for the No. 3 Irish with 23 points to help gain a win over No. 8 Kentucky and earn the weekly Big East award.

Chantell Alford, the reigning America East player of the year, got the conference honor scoring 23 points as Boston U. gained a first-ever win over nearby Boston College.

Loyola of Maryland got a first-ever win in 15 tries against nearby George Washington as coach Joe Logan gained his 100th win and Katie Sheahin had a career-night with 28 points against the Colonials to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honor.

Brittney Griner’s big night, which included setting the all-time Big 12 blocked shot caeer record and scoring 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds, besides nine blocked shots, gave the top-ranked Baylor Bears a comeback win over No. 2 Connecticut.

Princeton’s Niveen Rasheed, an old hand at Ivy honors, picked up one this week for performances against nationally-ranked DePaul and Stanford.

Duquesne’s Orsi Szecsi averaged 21.0 points in wins over Akron and West Virginia to earn the Atlantic 10 Conference honor.

Gennifer Brandon scored 24 points and grabbed 24 rebounds for California against No. 12 Ohio State in a near-upset to be tabbed by the Pac-12 Conference.

One game – Bradley vs. Iowa -- produced winners in two conferences as Morgan Johnson scored 37 points for the Hawkeyes to be cited by the Big 10 and host Bradley’s Kelsey Budd scored 31 points of 12-of-14 shooting to win the Missouri Valley award. Bradley also won the contest.

In the Southland, KK Babin had 27 points for Nicholls State in a win over Belhaven.

In the Western Athletic Conference, Nevada ended a five-game slide by beating Oregon as Kate Kevorken hit the game-winner and finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

And there were co-winners in Conference USA as Brittany Carter of Memphis and Tanecka Carey of Southern Miss. Each averaged 23.5 points per game over two contests.

Poll History Notes

Baylor’s Kim Mulkey moved into the elite part of the all-time career appearance list in AP poll history, tying former Kansas coach Marian Washington at 26th with 176.

The next active candidate to reach that group is Duke’s Joanne P. McCallie, who will have to climb a bit, but with rankings at Michigan State and with the Blue Devils is at 154 appearances, good for 14th right behind Mulkey.

Here are the two all-time Top 26 and a deep list of the active list.

Note that for the rest of the season Oklahoma State’s Kirk Budke, whose life was tragically lost in the recent plane crash, is being retained on the active list at 25 in part tribute to his memory and furthermore, there’s no one near his total of 80,which includes his Louisiana Tech total, so there is no danger of blocking anyone behind him.

By Mel Greenberg

Women’s Hoops Guru
(Dec. 19, 2011)

Quick hits on AP poll (week 7– for coaches’ appearances week No. 7)
(This is 620th poll after week 7). (Records on pages through week 7 –12/19/11)

Coaches With Three Ranked Teams

C. Vivian Stringer (Cheyney-85), (Iowa-155), (Rutgers-155), 395
Jim Foster (St. Joe-35), (Vanderbilt-164), (Ohio St.-153), 352
Gary Blair (Stephen F. Austin-79), (Arkansas-67), (Texas A&M-107), 253
Marianne Stanley (Old Dominion-141), (Southern Cal-24), (Stanford*-18), 183
Lin Dunn (Miami-2), (Mississippi-1), (Purdue-130), 133
Don Perrelli (Northwestern-52), (S. Conn.-20), (St. John’s-1), 73
Tom Collen (Colorado St.-34), (Louisville-17), (Arkansas-7), 58
Sharon Fanning-Otis (Kentucky-4), (Miss. St.-48), (Tenn.-Chattannoga-4), 56
Debbie Yow (Florida-2), (Kentucky-21), (Oral Roberts-1), 24

Co-Coaches

Kittie Blakemore, Scott Harrelson – West Virginia 8
Sonja Hogg, Leon Barmore – Louisiana Tech 51
Jill Hutchison, Linda Fischer – Illinois St. 3
Jim Jarrett, Joyce Patterson – Georgia St. 1
Marianne Stanley, Amy Tucker – Stanford 18
Jim Bolla, Sheila Strike – UNLV 18

Coaches All Time Ranking Appearances

1. Pat Summitt, Tennessee – 606 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history)
2. Andy Landers, Georgia – 467
3. Tara VanDerveer (2 schools – Ohio St., Stanford) – 414
4. **-Jody Conradt, Texas – 395
4. C. Vivian Stringer (3 schools – Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) – 395
6. Geno Auriemma, Connecticut – 374
7. Jim Foster (3 schools – St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio St.) – 352
8. **-Rene Portland (2 schools – St. Joseph, Penn St.) – 336
9. **-Debbie Ryan, Virginia – 328
10. **- Kay Yow, North Caro. St. – 326
11. **-Leon Barmore, Louisiana Tech (51-shared with Sonja Hogg) – 325
12. Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina – 319
13. Gail Goestenkors (2 schools – Duke, Texas) – 293
14. **-Joe Ciampi, Auburn – 290
15. **-Sue Gunter (2 schools – Stephen F. Austin, LSU) – 270
16. &&-Joan Bonvicini (2 schools – Long Beach, Arizona) - 267
17. **-Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech – 264
18. **-Van Chancellor (2 schools – Mississippi, LSU) – 261
19. Gary Blair, (3 schools – Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M) – 253
20. **-Chris Weller, Maryland - 227
21. **-Theresa Grentz (2 schools – Rutgers, Illinois) – 225
22. Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame - 223
23. Sherri Coale, Oklahoma 198
24. **-Marianne Stanley (3 schools – Old Dominion, Southern Cal, Stanford*) – 183
25. **-Paul Sanderford (2 schools – W. Kentucky, Nebraska) – 182
26. Kim Mulkey, Baylor 176
26. **-Marian Washington, Kansas – 176
**-Not in college or not in as a head coach

Active Coaches-All Time AP Ranking Appearances

1. Pat Summitt, Tennessee – 606 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history)
2. Andy Landers, Georgia – 467
3. Tara VanDerveer (2 schools – Ohio St., Stanford) – 414
4. C. Vivian Stringer (3 schools – Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers) – 395
5. Geno Auriemma, Connecticut – 374
6. Jim Foster (3 schools – St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio St.) – 352
7. Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina – 319
8. Gail Goestenkors, (2 schools – Duke, Texas) – 293
9.&&--Joan Bonvicini (2 schools – Long Beach, Arizona) - 267
10. Gary Blair, (3 schools – Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M) – 253
11. Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame – 223
12. Sherri Coale, Oklahoma – 198
13. Kim Mulkey, Baylor – 176
14. Joanne P. McCallie (2 schools - Michigan St., Duke) – 154
15. Melanie Balcomb (2 schools – Xavier, Vanderbilt) – 149
16. Bill Fennelly, (2 schools – Toledo, Iowa St.) – 131
17. Kristy Curry (2 schools – Purdue, Texas Tech) – 130
18. Doug Bruno, DePaul – 128
18. Brenda Frese (2 schools, Minnesota, Maryland) – 128
20. %%- Joe McKeown (2 schools – New Mexico St., George Washington) – 116
21.)))-Chris Gobrecht (Washington) - 104
22.@@@@- Cathy Inglese (2 school, Vermont, Boston College) – 98
23. !!!- Jane Albright (2 schools – N. Illinois, Wisconsin) – 96
24. Debbie Patterson, Kansas St. – 91
25. Kurt Budke (2 schools -Louisiana Tech., Oklahoma St.) – 80
26. Pam Borton, Minnesota – 75
XX. Charli Turner Thorne, Arizona St. – 74 (On sabbatical in 2011-12)
27. Joanne Boyle, California (2 schools – California, Virginia) – 61
28. Tom Collen, (3 schools, Colorado St., Louisville, Arkansas) – 58
29. Sue Semrau, Florida St. – 57
30. Sharon Fanning-Otis (3 schools – Tenn.-Chattanooga, Kentucky, Miss. St.) – 56
31. ***-Kathy Olivier, UCLA 52
32. ^^^-Kevin McGuff, Xavier – 50
33. Mike Carey, West Virginia – 47
34. Bonnie Henrickson, (2 schools -- Virginia Tech, Kansas) – 45
35. Harry Perretta, Villanova – 44
36. Suzy Merchant, Michigan St. – 41
37. Jeff Mittie, TCU – 38
38. Agnus Berenato (2 schools – Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh) – 37
39. Terri Williams-Flournoy, Georgetown – 36
40. Lisa Stockton, Tulane – 34
41. $$$- June Daugherty (2 schools – Boise St.,Washington) – 32
41. Sharon Versyp, Purdue – 32
41. Jeff Walz, Louisville – 32
44. Nell Fortner (2 schools – Purdue, Auburn) - 30
45. Lisa Bluder (Drake, Iowa) – 28
45. Connie Yori (Creighton, Nebraska) – 28
47. () - Dawn Staley (Temple) – 26
48. Nikki Caldwell (UCLA, LSU) - 24
49. MaChelle Joseph, Georgia Tech – 23
49. Robin Selvig, Montana – 23

&&-Active at Seattle; )))-Active at Yale; $$$-Active at Washington State.; %%-Active at Northwestern; () - Active at South Carolina; !!!-Active at Nevada; @@@@-Active at Rhode Island; ()()-Active at Michigan; ^^^-Active at Washington; XXX-On sabbatical from Arizona State.

-- Mel