It's that time of year again. March Madness. Tournament time.
And though many players have gone on to find success at the professional level, many first made their mark on the college stage.
We recently asked several WNBA stars about their fondest memories of participating in the NCAA Tournament. These were their responses:
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Kara Lawson, Sacramento Monarchs "Then you have to get ready for the first and second rounds and beyond, so all of those different experiences are what make it special." |
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Ruth
Riley, San Antonio Silver Stars (Notre Dame '01) "I feel like we were a team of destiny, really. We had five seniors, and we were able to play at a high level all season long. We earned the first No. 1 ranking ever for Notre Dame women and we beat some very difficult teams to get there. Being a part of that process and everybody understanding their roles and fulfilling them was an amazing experience." |
| Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx (LSU '06) "The thing I remember most is our first Final Four. Coach (Sue) Gunter passed away, sadly, so Pokey (Chatman) needed to step into that difficult situation. We were the underdogs heading into that tournament, but we somehow overcame Georgia and made it to the Final Four. And it was in New Orleans, so that was extra special." |
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Sheryl Swoopes, Seattle Storm (Texas Tech '93) "For me, the fact that we were there was enough for me. No one had ever heard of Texas Tech, so for us just to be there was so exciting. And then for us to beat Vanderbilt in the first game, everyone was like 'Oh wow!' because no one expected that to happen. Then for us to go on and beat Ohio State… wow. And for us to go on and win our first NCAA championship, all of it was very exciting… and a little overwhelming." |
| Sidney Spencer,
Los Angeles Sparks (Tennessee '07) "Yeah, the memories I have are pretty fresh in my memory. In fact, I hope to be in attendance again, especially in the Final Four… and especially if Tennessee is back there going for another title. Aside from the Lady Vols connection, I'm excited to see the different teams and the talent they have this season." |
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Lindsey Harding, Minnesota Lynx (Duke '07) "I like the feeling of going in knowing you can win every single game. It's a little bit different now in the pros, where I feel like the competition is better and winning every game is a lot harder. But I can remember playing UConn and going to the Final Four. That's my fondest memory." |
| Janel McCarville, New York Liberty (University of Minnesota '05) "I was joking with Dee (Diana Taurasi) about coming back to New Orleans (several weeks ago for the NBA All-Star Game), because Minnesota played Connecticut in New Orleans and we ended up losing to Dee and Connecticut. I told Dee they got lucky that game because we gave them a heck of a fight. But a lot of memories are made in March Madness and it's definitely something I miss." |
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