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UConn Women Rout South Carolina, Will be New No. 1

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South Carolina’'s Khadijah Sessions looks to pass as Connecticut’s Moriah Jefferson, left, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, in Storrs, Conn.  (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

South Carolina’’s Khadijah Sessions looks to pass as Connecticut’’s Moriah Jefferson, left, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

DOUG FEINBERG, AP Basketball Writer

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Geno Auriemma and his UConn Huskies will have to wait a week before they officially move back into the No. 1 spot in the poll.

They left no doubt who the best team in the country was Monday night, turning the showdown with top-ranked South Carolina into an 87-52 rout.

Auriemma didn’t want to put too much emphasis on the one win.

“I think this was one night, one game in February,” he said. “They are going to be playing deep into the NCAA tournament. I told Dawn (Staley), I hope we play them in Tampa. That would be pretty special.”

His players, though, thought the game made a statement. With the conference not providing much of a challenge as UConn has won by an average of nearly 50 points a game, this was a final chance to be tested by a top opponent before the NCAA tournament.

“I felt like our team had something to prove to ourselves more than anything,” said Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who led the Huskies with 23 points. “Despite all the teams we’ve been playing, people were worried that we didn’t have competition. We showed that we could stand up to the occasion.”

Stewart said that the win over the Gamecocks “speaks for itself.”

Despite suffering the loss, Staley wasn’t discouraged.

“This is absolutely part of our journey,” the South Carolina coach said. “This isn’t a destination game for us. The only way this works for us is if we learn from it and use it.”

Her players echoed their coach’s sentiment.

“We’re not stunned. This is no way, shape or form the defining point in our season,” said Aleighsa Welch, who led the Gamecocks with 17 points and 11 rebounds. “We have to evaluate the film, ourselves. Learn from it and move on.”

The Huskies still have to beat Tulane on Saturday, before they move back into the top spot. UConn may have one more chance to play a ranked opponent this season as South Florida entered the Top 25 for the first time this season Monday at No. 25.

“Most people don’t understand how hard it is to get that national recognition,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “We’ve definitely done some very good things here at USF.”

Fernandez and his team were flying when the poll was released, but were excited when they landed in Dallas and heard the good news.

“It’s definitely good, but we’ve got to stay grounded,” he said. “It’s not like we didn’t already have an ‘X’ on our back in our league. This will be an added motivator for everyone we play down the road.”

The Bulls (19-4) will play their first game as a ranked team Tuesday at SMU.

Some notes from this week’s poll:

UNBEATEN: Princeton (21-0) is now the only undefeated team left in women’s basketball. The Tigers swept Cornell and Columbia this week, winning by an average of 33 points. Princeton plays at Brown on Friday and visits Yale on Saturday in a matchup of the top two teams in the Ivy League.

TIMBER: Stanford fell to 19th, the Cardinal’s worst ranking since being left out of the final poll of the 2000-01 season. They lost back-to-back conference games for the first time since getting swept on a Los Angeles trip in January 2008 and now have three league losses for the first time since 2005-06.

UPCOMING MATCHUPS: There are a bunch of other good games this week. Maryland hosts No. 18 Rutgers on Tuesday in a Big Ten matchup. The Terrapins haven’t lost in their new conference yet. Baylor puts its 21-game winning streak on the line when Oklahoma visits Wednesday. Thursday has a few key conference matchups with Florida State visiting No. 17 North Carolina. Kentucky hosts 13th-ranked Mississippi State. The Wildcats then visit Tennessee on Sunday. First place in the Pac-12 will be on the line Friday night when Arizona State visits Oregon State. The Beavers have only one conference loss, while the Sun Devils have two.

___

Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

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Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

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Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

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Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).
Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.comScout.comRivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

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“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.

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