Latest news with #FinalFour
USA Today
5 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Izzo names 3 previous teams capable of winning national championship but came up short
Something I often find myself wondering about during the offseason is which of Tom Izzo's many dominant teams were good enough to win a national championship but came up short. And it turns out, this is something Izzo has also thought about before. Izzo recently sat down with Rick Pizzo of the Big Ten Network to discuss a number of topics surrounding his Spartans program and his own career. One of the items he discussed was the teams he thought were capable of winning a national championship but came up short. Can you guess which three teams he named? Here's the list from the man who led those teams: It's painful to think about how each of those seasons came to an end, but I unfortunately have to agree with Izzo on each of those teams being capable of winning it all. I would also add the 2018-19 team that lost to Texas Tech in the Final Four as I would have liked the Spartans chances against Virginia in the title game had they beaten the Red Raiders. Izzo, of course, has won one national championship during his career in 2000, and has been chasing his second title ever since. He has came close on numerous occasions, including this past year when the Spartans reached the Elite Eight. Hopefully, before Izzo elects to hang it up, he'll reach that pinnacle again and claim one more national championship at Michigan State. Check out the whole clip of Izzo talking about these teams, as well as some other interesting notes from his interview with Pizzo in the video below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia Amoore went to an international basketball camp at the 2019 Final Four and was seen for one of the first times by Virginia Tech coaches. That led to a scholarship at the school where the Australian guard eventually led the Hokies their first Final Four in 2023. Now the Washington Mystics rookie is an instructor at a Basketball Without Borders camp, which is in its third year, that's connected to the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia Amoore went to an international basketball camp at the 2019 Final Four and was seen for the first time by Virginia Tech coaches. That led to a scholarship at the school where the Australian guard eventually led the Hokies their first Final Four in 2023. Now the Washington Mystics rookie is an instructor at a Basketball Without Borders camp, which is in its third year, that's connected to the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend. 'It's a full circle moment,' Amoore, who was the No. 6 pick by the Mystics in April, told The Associated Press on Saturday. 'It was my first time exposure, my first time getting a real scholarship offer. Now it's amazing because I can help and talk to all these girls from so many countries.' More than 25 different countries and territories were represented at the camp with players coming from as far as Japan and Australia. There were dozens of college coaches ranging from Power 4 schools to mid-majors in attendance, as well as WNBA general managers. Last year's camp in Phoenix yielded more than 30 college scholarships for the players, including Bianca Quiñonez, a 6-foot-2 forward from Milagro, Ecuador, who will be headed to defending champion UConn this fall. 'If you look at the history of Basketball Without Borders, as it pertains to girls, especially, there are players who consistently go to college, consistently get drafted so that in and of itself is proof that this is important and meaningful,' said camp director Allison Feaster, who is also the Boston Celtics' vice president of team operations and organizational growth. Amoore remembers that in her international camp, her current Mystics teammate Aaliyah Edwards of Canada and Seattle Storm guard Nika Muhl of Croatia participated as well. The trio became friends at the camp and Muhl stopped by Saturday afternoon. She and Amoore are both going through ACL rehabs right now. Amoore said that while there are language barriers with so many different countries represented, the teams are able to communicate through the sport. 'A lot of demonstrating a lot of kind of like sign language,' she said. 'A lot of these girls are so impressive because even if they don't speak good English, they speak well enough to be able to, you know, translate or get them anywhere.' Feaster said she has seen how these camps can change players' lives. 'When open doors you get a chance to see their levels to all of this,' she said. 'It plants the seed for them to want to continue and succeed.' All of the camp's players will attend the All-Star Game on Saturday night. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia Amoore went to an international basketball camp at the 2019 Final Four and was seen for the first time by Virginia Tech coaches. That led to a scholarship at the school where the Australian guard eventually led the Hokies their first Final Four in 2023. Now the Washington Mystics rookie is an instructor at a Basketball Without Borders camp, which is in its third year, that's connected to the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend. 'It's a full circle moment,' Amoore, who was the No. 6 pick by the Mystics in April, told The Associated Press on Saturday. 'It was my first time exposure, my first time getting a real scholarship offer. Now it's amazing because I can help and talk to all these girls from so many countries." More than 25 different countries and territories were represented at the camp with players coming from as far as Japan and Australia. There were dozens of college coaches ranging from Power 4 schools to mid-majors in attendance, as well as WNBA general managers. Last year's camp in Phoenix yielded more than 30 college scholarships for the players, including Bianca Quiñonez, a 6-foot-2 forward from Milagro, Ecuador, who will be headed to defending champion UConn this fall. 'If you look at the history of Basketball Without Borders, as it pertains to girls, especially, there are players who consistently go to college, consistently get drafted so that in and of itself is proof that this is important and meaningful," said camp director Allison Feaster, who is also the Boston Celtics' vice president of team operations and organizational growth. Amoore remembers that in her international camp, her current Mystics teammate Aaliyah Edwards of Canada and Seattle Storm guard Nika Muhl of Croatia participated as well. The trio became friends at the camp and Muhl stopped by Saturday afternoon. She and Amoore are both going through ACL rehabs right now. Amoore said that while there are language barriers with so many different countries represented, the teams are able to communicate through the sport. 'A lot of demonstrating a lot of kind of like sign language,' she said. 'A lot of these girls are so impressive because even if they don't speak good English, they speak well enough to be able to, you know, translate or get them anywhere.' Feaster said she has seen how these camps can change players' lives. 'When open doors you get a chance to see their levels to all of this,' she said. 'It plants the seed for them to want to continue and succeed.' All of the camp's players will attend the All-Star Game on Saturday night. ___ AP WNBA:
Fox Sports
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia Amoore went to an international basketball camp at the 2019 Final Four and was seen for the first time by Virginia Tech coaches. That led to a scholarship at the school where the Australian guard eventually led the Hokies their first Final Four in 2023. Now the Washington Mystics rookie is an instructor at a Basketball Without Borders camp, which is in its third year, that's connected to the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend. 'It's a full circle moment,' Amoore, who was the No. 6 pick by the Mystics in April, told The Associated Press on Saturday. 'It was my first time exposure, my first time getting a real scholarship offer. Now it's amazing because I can help and talk to all these girls from so many countries." More than 25 different countries and territories were represented at the camp with players coming from as far as Japan and Australia. There were dozens of college coaches ranging from Power 4 schools to mid-majors in attendance, as well as WNBA general managers. Last year's camp in Phoenix yielded more than 30 college scholarships for the players, including Bianca Quiñonez, a 6-foot-2 forward from Milagro, Ecuador, who will be headed to defending champion UConn this fall. 'If you look at the history of Basketball Without Borders, as it pertains to girls, especially, there are players who consistently go to college, consistently get drafted so that in and of itself is proof that this is important and meaningful," said camp director Allison Feaster, who is also the Boston Celtics' vice president of team operations and organizational growth. Amoore remembers that in her international camp, her current Mystics teammate Aaliyah Edwards of Canada and Seattle Storm guard Nika Muhl of Croatia participated as well. The trio became friends at the camp and Muhl stopped by Saturday afternoon. She and Amoore are both going through ACL rehabs right now. Amoore said that while there are language barriers with so many different countries represented, the teams are able to communicate through the sport. 'A lot of demonstrating a lot of kind of like sign language,' she said. 'A lot of these girls are so impressive because even if they don't speak good English, they speak well enough to be able to, you know, translate or get them anywhere.' Feaster said she has seen how these camps can change players' lives. 'When open doors you get a chance to see their levels to all of this,' she said. 'It plants the seed for them to want to continue and succeed.' All of the camp's players will attend the All-Star Game on Saturday night. ___ AP WNBA: recommended Item 1 of 1
