I must admit that I am completely failing at posting Olympic sports links and I am finding that my time is running short. I apologize for not getting to those.
PRACTICE BEGINS | LAJ's Tommy Magelssen and DT's write about how the Lady Raider basketball team has started practice and guard Monique Smalls said that the players worked hard during the offseason after last year's disappointing season:
“We worked our butts off all summer about the what ifs, about the shoulda-coulda-wouldas and what we should have done,” senior guard Monique Smalls said. “We fixed it, we worked on it, we’ve had one-on-one individuals, people came in and took extra shots and (had) extra lifting.”
And Casey Morris said that they know what they need to do:
“We’ve been through so much together, ups and downs,” said Morris, Tech’s leading returning scorer (10.1 points per game). “We know what it takes to be successful. So we’re all ready and we all know it’s our last year, our last chance to prove ourselves in the Big 12. So we’re all hyped and ready for the season.”
PATTERSON VOTED NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR | Newcomer forward Jackie Patterson was voted to be the preseason newcomer of the year.
The 6-foot-1 Patterson averaged 16.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in her two-year career at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. The Frisco, Texas, native was a two-time NJCAA All-American and led the No. 2 Lady Dragons to a school-best 36-1 record and an appearance in the NJCAA national championship game last season.
Congrats!