Women's college hoops stars Renee Montgomery of Connecticut, Lauren Greif of California, Marissa Coleman of Maryland, Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton of Purdue and Jareica Hughes of UTEP will provide their thoughts throughout the NCAA season.

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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10:

NORMAN, Okla. - Blake Griffin has become my new basketball idol. He dominates.

It's unbelievable, what he does on the court is literally like watching a man amongst boys. I think he started off the season averaging something like 27 points and 19 rebounds - absolutely crazy and fun to watch.

Our men's team played Southern Cal the other night and, although Lil Romeo would be sitting on the bench for the Trojans, I couldn't make it to the game because of a class. I did make it home in time to watch the closing minutes of the nail-biter our men would pull out.

And although I can't stand groupies, I have become somewhat fascinated with Blake (much like my fascination with Michael Beasley at Kansas State last year) and I always check on how he is doing.

So I check and, of course, he has 20-something points and he and his brother, Taylor, share an array of big-time blocks, but I couldn't believe he didn't get a double-double in the game (he finished with 25 points and six rebounds).

So I go, "Man, Blake's streak of 18-plus rebounds ended," and the friend I'm watching the game with replies, "it's hard to do, Courtney!"

Sunday, I recorded my 100th consecutive double-double in our game against Arkansas State.

People ask me about this streak all the time and, honestly, I haven't thought about it too much until lately. It's uncomfortable even to write about, but my sports information director asked me to - just this one time.

And when random people ask if I'm the one with all the double-doubles, I'm glad to see that people are becoming more aware of women's basketball.

Recently I have learned this about my streak and others: that it is hard to do, and there are a lot of amazing streaks in sports history.

Like Wayne Gretzky's streak of 51 consecutive games scoring a point.

Last week, Jenny Vining and I were shooting free throws together and Jenny stops and says, "It's amazing how we get this little ball through that little rim."

And I responded, "well it's probably a lot harder for you, Jenny, than it is for me."

Jenny plays beyond the arc; most of my shots come inside the key.

Well, Gretzky played hockey, which is otherwise known as tackle football on ice. Fifty-one consecutive games with a point - now that's hard to do.

How about the 47-game winning streak Oklahoma's football team had back in the 50's, and currently five straight games with 60 or more points?

Incredible!

The Boston Celtics' eight straight titles. Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Byron Nelson's 11 consecutive PGA Tour wins. Lance Armstrong's seven straight Tour De France victories.

Talk about living strong.

Under John Wooden, UCLA won seven consecutive national championships in men's basketball. Now that's one streak I would like to help get started for Oklahoma.

You know, my streak really isn't all that hard, now that I think of it.

I have had amazing guards get me the ball, a wonderful coaching staff to learn from, encouragement and support.

In our game last week against Creighton, we were in the final minutes and I hadn't yet scored 10 points. My whole team starts saying we got to get her the ball. Danielle (Robinson) makes a great play and catches me on an extra pass and there it is - number 99.

The whole crowd erupts like it's the game winner and, watching film the next day with Coach Coale, I noticed our bench and my teammates standing up and cheering for me.

I'm certain that those other guys couldn't have had it as easy as I have.

I think my streak will certainly end or be broken, but my appreciation for the people who helped me get it will never go away.

Til next time,

CP

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FRIDAY, Dec. 5:

EL PASO, Texas - We are 4-3 on the year, and you can see the chemistry coming along with our team. We have eight new players this season, so coming into the year most definitely it was one of my biggest concerns.

You can see it, though, that we are starting to play like a team and are coming together.

I unfortunately missed four straight games with a shoulder injury, and that was hard for me because everyone knows I hate sitting out.

I'm really proud of my teammates to go 3-1 without me, and it was good for them to show everybody that they could handle it.

They did a great job, but I'm definitely excited to be back. There is just nothing like being out on the floor, making plays with my team and in front of our crowd.

I don't feel like I lost anything during my injury in terms of my ability, but I do know that I'm not yet back to 100 percent. I'm really glad that I got a lot of work before during the preseason and in practices, because that's where I have time to work on being a better player.

More later ... Jareica Hughes.

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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 3:

CANCUN, Mexico - Sun block - check.

Sunglasses - check.

Bathing suit - yeah, I have that too.

"Riss, what about your basketball shoes?"

Well, if it was not for that question being asked I probably would have went to our tournament in Cancun without my basketball shoes. Needless to say I was pretty excited about getting away from the 40-degree weather in College Park and going to the sunny 80-degree weather in Cancun.

Beach, sun and basketball for Thanksgiving?

Sure, why not!

The resort we stayed at was huge! My teammates and I all agreed that it was like a mini-town. We all got our room keys and headed to our rooms. Little did we know that our "walk" to our rooms was really more like a journey. It took a solid five minutes to get from the lobby to our rooms.

We got to our rooms and it was a chain reaction:

Room keys in.

Doors open ... and (wait for it, wait for it) ... loud screams by every member on the Maryland Women's Basketball team - Emery (Wallace) of course being the loudest.

Our rooms were pretty amazing, complete with a Jacuzzi in the middle of every room and a hammock on the back porch.

They brought us here to play basketball right?

The next morning we had practice. Here I am, expecting the typical basketball arena, complete with jumbo-tron and bleachers. Boy, I could not have been more wrong. Who would have thought that it was possible to turn the hotel ballroom into the tournament area?

Yes, that's right, the place where I would normally show off my sweet dance moves (laugh it up teammates, laugh it up) was where our three games would take place.

I don't think I ever had to focus more in a practice until then.

Besides the obvious - not trying to throw a pass that would take down the chandeliers in our "arena" (Lynetta Kizer and I were picked to be the first to take one down) - we had a free day after practice and that was all I could think about!

We are supposed to be focusing on the scout, and here I am singing Kenny Chesney songs in my head thinking about what bathing suit to wear to the pool. As soon as practice ended, that five-minute journey previously mentioned turned into a two minute sprint/speed walk back to our rooms to see who could get to the pool the fastest.

"Sun block - check! Sunglasses - check! Bathing suit - check! To the pool!"

Well, I guess since we were in Cancun for a BASKETBALL tournament I should mention a few things about that.

We won all three of our games and played some pretty good teams (Montana, South Dakota State and Illinois). I think we did a pretty good job of taking care of business considering the numerous distractions surrounding us. I don't think too many people would be able get the image of palm trees, sand and ocean out of their minds long enough to win three pretty tough games!

Don't get me wrong, there may have been a few times my mind wandered during the games to laying by the pool, headphones in and drinking daiquiris. (I'm only kidding Coach B, my mind was on the game the entire time!)

Unfortunately, we are back to reality.

My sunglasses have been replaced with a nice winter hat and bathing suit with my sweats and a hoody. Back to College Park and 40-degree weather!

Hey, I guess I can't complain too much. Not too many people get to spend Thanksgiving in Cancun and have a tan in December!

Until next time.

Go TERPS!

- Maryland senior Marissa Coleman

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FRIDAY, Nov. 28:

STORRS, Conn. - Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm having a hard time staying awake long enough to type this. Turkey has some serious side effects.

At this point we have played four games, all of them were at home except one. The one game that wasn't at home was all the way in Utah against BYU, and it made Storrs seem like Times Square.

Our coaches took us to an NBA game while we were there, the Chicago Bulls vs. the Utah Jazz. Coach Auriemma had four tickets down low, and the rest were upstairs.

To be fair he chose three names out of a bag to see who would get the seats close to the Jazz bench. Right when I heard the method of selection my hopes dropped and then the first name was pulled, it was Tiffany Hayes.

I'm thinking, "that's OK, there's still two tickets left." The second name pulled out the bag was Maya Moore. Now I'm starting to get worried and thinking of how I'm going to sneak down and get a good seat even if my name isn't chosen.

The last name was pulled, and I felt like I was on a reality show because of how long coach paused before he said the name.

The last ticket went to ... yep, you guessed it, Me! I started singing and dancing, not just to rub it into my teammates, but because "I had the golden ticket." That's Willy Wonka for those of you who didn't pick up on it.

Well the game was great, the Bulls won by one point on a last-second shot by Larry Hughes. I must admit, life is good.

Until next time ...

- Connecticut senior Renee Montgomery

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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26:

BERKELEY, Calif. - Hello again from Lauren Greif (aka LG) and the California Golden Bears.

The colder weather of November has rolled in and teams across the country are now well into "game mode" - and this consists of scouting opponents, shorter practices and establishing game-day routines.

Game-day traditions are important because some of us - and this includes me - believe that winning and losing games can depend as much on how game-day rituals go as it does on how we play on the court. You know ... how can I be expected to focus on the game if I don't have my designated game-day spandex on?

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I do eat the same meal before each game (peanut butter and jelly), listen to Rascal Flatts, and always make a 3-pointer before I go to the bench before the game starts and before the second half.

As a team, we have a certain taping order with Ann, our trainer; Lex (Alexis Gray-Lawson) and Ash (Ashley Walker) have a special hand shake/salute they do when their names are announced as starters; Tasha (Vital) gets out on the court first before the game and shoots for 10 minutes with her headphones on, and of course we have an on-the-court warmup schedule.

I would tell you more of our team's little idiosyncrasies, but then I would worry that somebody would try to sabotage us ... got to protect the team and not embarrass ourselves too much!!!

As we get ready for our first road trip to the Virgin Islands (nice!), we also get a chance to work on our road routines. Trust me, you don't know who and what your teammates are about until you spend 72 straight hours with them (normal road trip time).

That means eating, sleeping, waiting in airports, choosing TV stations, dealing with wins and especially losses, and singing on the bus together - and it can make you either love your teammates or wish you had spent more time checking them out before signing! No joke!

Fortunately for me, I love my teammates and we really have a good time together. I trust them ... we are always laughing ... and I really respect each of them and the roads they've traveled (often different than mine) to get to Cal.

My coaches can be great fun too and I totally enjoy all the crazy things we come up with to keep busy on the road. And if all else fails, we can always get into a game of "Catch Phase" - and we are good!

So, yes, this is a direct challenge to any team out there - "catch phrase" or b-ball?

Either way, we are ready.

Happy Holidays and catch you later.

P.S. I have to send a shout out to all the great Bear fans who are filling Haas Pavilion and helping us win big games!!

Thanks ... and keep the love coming.

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FRIDAY, Nov. 21:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Today, I wanted to tell you about my wonderful family. Because without their love and support I could not do all the things that I do today.

They are the best support system anyone could have!

My dad is a pastor in Baltimore, which means my mom is a first lady. Baltimore is really a tough city so my dad goes to preach in the jail systems. He works with a lot of ministries, helping the community. My parents have been married for 23 years.

Now, many people might think it was my dad that got me involved in basketball but I actually owe that to my mom. She is the one who signed me up to play in a local league. After the first day I wanted to quit but she encouraged me to go back and try it again. The next day I had a lot of fun and the rest is history!

I am the oldest of three daughters. I have two sisters, Kristina and Joi. Kristina is 17 and is into fashion. She also loves to do hair as well. Joi is 12 and everyone says she is a mini me. We look alike and she also plays basketball. She wants to be like me so she said she is already committed to Louisville. I told her she is a little too young to be making commitments right now (LOL).

My family keeps me grounded and I love spending time with them. They try to come to a lot of games and I love seeing them in the stands.

My grandma Qunis Taylor had surgery on her knee a month ago because she wanted to make sure she was better in time to travel to the games. That meant so much to me that she cares so much.

I am very fortunate to be in a position that I am an inspiration to others. I like reaching out to the community and helping those that are less fortunate. When I have some time I want to go to the children's hospital and visit them. I also help out with a program in Louisville which helps battered women and their children.

Well I guess it's time to go.

The season is just beginning and I will have plenty of stories for you about my second family in the upcoming months.

Take care and God bless.

- Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry

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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 19:

NORMAN, Okla. - Hey guys, it's me again, Courtney Paris. Promised I would check in again so here I am.

I was supposed to blog about the start of the season but I have been so preoccupied - well, kind of.

So here is the thing. I am addicted to my BlackBerry. Not to e-mails, not text messaging, not phone calls about nothingness. I'm addicted to Brick Breaker. Oh my gosh that game, I tell ya, is the owner of any free time my thumbs might have.

TK (assistant coach Chad Thrailkill), one of our assistants, had a BlackBerry two summers ago and bragged about how he had gotten 300,000 points and had 90 lives left. No way. I could not believe it and I did not have to because his phone miraculously broke before he could save it.

However, I'm competitive, so naturally every time I go on there I think, "Beat TK, get to 300,000." Crazy thing is, even if I got there and surpassed Coach Thrailkill, I will still be 7,251,110 points behind Umang Kanoria, who is currently at the top of the Brick Breaker leader board.

I am coming for you Kanoria!

Another thing about my phone though and is I get updates about women's basketball news and, man, there have been some strange things happening around the country with powerhouses going down.

I think personally it's a good thing for women's basketball. A little parity never hurts; in fact it shows how much our sport is growing (or how much Candice Wiggins and Candace Parker are missed).

We play Middle Tennessee next, and it should be a challenge not to be the next top team to fall. But right now all I can focus on is making sure my team is getting better every day, so that when the time comes to really do something special, we'll be prepared.

Now back to my game.

Until next time,

Courtney Paris

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