Gdynia, Poland.  I have been here for about 2 weeks and it has been going well so far!  We have been working extremely hard in the preseason, with morning and evening practices lasting about 2 hours each.  Our coach, who is a former men’s coach, had us scrimmage against 4 different boys teams as part of the preparation.  Our first game in the Polish league will be this Sunday in Gorzow.  The club seems to be very organized and helpful, which I love.  And trust me, it could be a lot different from my experience!

I can tell that Gdynia is a nice area to live in.  I love my apartment and car!  We have a good group of girls, who work hard, but are also a lot of fun and really make me laugh.  We had a press conference introducing the team this past week and the #1 question for me was about the Polish citizenship!  The truth of the matter is that I have no idea about what is going on with that!  Afterwards, this article was printed in the paper.  I think that I have never looked as old as I do in this picture!  It seems as though my skin is moving off my body!

You can check out his “Shooter’s Touch Academy” at: http://na4tb.com

Also, view the link “All Pro” on the left hand side of the website for pictures of the professional players that he has worked with over the years.

Probably the most shocking moment, was the fact that Rick Mahorn shoved Lisa Leslie so hard that she flew in the air and fell on the floor. It must have been pretty hard because Lisa Leslie is 6′5 and a strong woman. It is ridiculous that a coach can put his hands on a player like that and only be suspended for 2 games!!!! Unbelievable. (Check out the WNBA website for the list of suspensions.)

This story has received so much press and attention. I am sure that this story is not the national headline that President Donna Orender was hoping, but then again, as they say, whether good or bad, being in the headlines is always good exposure. Also, perhaps more people actually start tuning in. Despite the preconceived notions of women’s sports, maybe word spreads that it is actually very competitive and physical in the WNBA. This is what a lot of people love about sports. However, it will take time to see how this affects the WNBA in the long run.

If you have not seen it already, I highly suggest looking it up on youtube.com and watch this shocking brawl.

Our chances, in my opinion, are good. Unfortunately, I can not say that we will win gold, like Nancy Lieberman had recently said this past week on ESPN, however, I think that we have a decent chance. Yes, we have a lot of veterans, and some solid youth talent, but it is hard to say how that will mesh together come the Olympics. The fact of the matter, is that many of the other teams have been together for years and even more importantly have practiced together for this entire summer. Players like Penny Taylor, valued her Olympic team over playing a single game in the WNBA this past summer- talk about pride.

I hope that the fact that we were not smart enough to put Becky Hammon on the roster last year will not basically “bite us in the ***”, but that is yet to be seen. Do not worry, I will not get started on that subject again, since I have already written an entire article about Becky. Two other players that I feel deserved to be on the team would definately be Deanna Nolan and Katie Douglas. Deanna Nolen is probably the most athletic and skilled player I have seen in the WNBA- incredible. Katie has also reached a phenomenal level in the Euroleague and the WNBA over the past 2 years. However, it is like some players have “tenure” and can not be removed from the roster.

On the men’s side, there is the same pressure to get back to those winning ways. We might as well call the the 2008 Olympics “the year of redemption for U.S.A. basketball.” It will be exciting to watch these games and see who has what it takes to bring home gold.

A few days ago, FIBA Europe had its draw for the Euroleague teams, including my new team Lotos Gdynia. We will play in Group C with 5 other teams, including Ros Casares (Spain), USK Prague (Czech Republic), Union Halnaut Basket (France), UMMC Ekterinburg (Russia) and JBS Sibenik (Croatia).

I checked out the rosters from various teams and it looks like the whole WNBA is coming to play in Europe again. Of course, my team Lotos Gdynia signed some big names such as Alana Beard, who is among the top scorers in this year’s WNBA season with 18.3 points/game for the Washington Mystics. Also, there is a rumor that our team is after Tamika Catchings as well.

Lotos Gdynia also announced the hiring of its new head coach- Jacek Winnicki. Sounds like it will be an exciting season!  You can check out our teams website for up to date information at:  http://lotospkobp.pl/

Of course, I also would like do something again in my hometown, Williamstown, New Jersey. It would be a chance to give back to my community that has given so much to me. However, that is a little complicated right now, and I chalk it up to the idea that there is a time for everything.

Therefore, for the 2nd year in a row, I will work at the Philadelphia 76ers summer basketball camp. The camp is held up in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, which are located in Stoudsburg, Pennsylvania. I had really enjoyed doing this camp last summer and wanted to be a part of it again.

I will help coordinate the girls’ program, which lasts for 2 weeks, from June 29th - July 12th. It is the chance to work with players who come from over 40 countries and also great staff, lead by camp director, Todd Landrey. He runs a great show.

Throughout the week, appearances are made by NBA players, who give motivational speeches for the campers… and the staff too!

Go Sixers! For more information, go to sixerscamps.com

So, what is a girl to do? She has a dream to play in the Olympics, of course, preferable for the U.S.A, the country where she was born and grew up living the American dream, but unfortunately, it did not happen. In the mean time, another amazing opportunity to play comes from another country. Becky Hammon accepts. Suddenly, Hammon finds herself in a whirl-wind after her controversial decision to accept a Russian passport and play for team Russia in the upcoming Olympics.

At first, Hammon rejected the thought of playing for Russia. But, with the chance of making the U.S. team so small, she signed a four-year deal worth well more than $2 million. “There’s nothing more American than taking advantage of an opportunity,” she told ESPN, smiling. Also, even more importantly, she had said it was her dream to be an Olympic athlete, and to compete at the most important games in the world.

Of course, USA coach, Anne Donovan, was asked about what she thinks. Donovan told ESPN, “If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person in my mind.” That is probably because she now has re-occurring nightmare about the even stronger Russian team with Hammon, beating the USA in the Olympics this summer.

Actually, I am sick of reading and hearing about this. This woman was given a wonderful opportunity to not only live her dream, but to secure herself financially. What American would NOT do this? Becky had a good point, let’s face it, her decision was indeed, a VERY American decision. Besides, with the economic state of our country today, I bet that it would be hard to find someone who would honestly turn down this offer. I agree with Becky’s decision and hope that people leave her alone. USA basketball had their chance to give her the respect she deserves. Maybe some people just do not like the fact that she might have the last laugh.

I’m back- back in the states that is! I must say it feels good to be home in Jersey and to spend a lot of time with family and friends! Last year, was a long year, because I did not come home for Christmas and I was in Italy and Germany for 9 months. (Every other year Tobi and I spend Christmas in the states with my family and the other in Germany with his family. Fair, I would say, huh?) So, yes, I am really enjoying this summer at home.

I took time off to rest my body from last season and this past week I began training again. Time to get back to work! The first week or two back is not so fun, but in a couple of weeks, I know that I will be in great shape. I will work out at Drexel University with the strength and conditioning coach, Michael Rankin and play in the Philadelphia summer league twice a week. Also, the first week of August, I will go to “The Teacher” in Tampa, Florida for 1 on 1 basketball training. He is an amazing basketball coach and he always helps my game!

As far as working, my main priority is to get ready for next season in Poland. However, I will also work the Philadelphia 76ers basketball camp for 2 weeks in July. I had really enjoyed working this camp and wanted to do it again this summer. Todd Landrey is a great director and it is pleasure working with him. Also, I might get into some individual training of young basketball players, as I had done for many of the previous years. I love teaching and developing youth talent.

Other things.. I can not wait to get my butt down to the beach. For those who know me, know that I love the Jersey Shore and that I am a complete beach bum. There’s nothing like that feeling of laying on the beach or swimming in the water and riding the waves. Oh those Wildwood days… Also, we will probably head up to New York for some summer fun!

Until next time… OXOXOX, Michelle

The big story: Candace Parker, rookie of the Los Angeles Sparks had 34! points and 12 rebounds in her first WNBA game. I would call this a nice start.

In a high scoring game, which the Los Angeles Sparks won against the Phoenix Mercury 99-94, Candace even decided the game with a nice post move to seal the deal. Looking at the roster of Phoenix, my old team mate at Viterbo, Brooke Smith made the final roster for a WNBA team - congratulations!

What else happened? Not even every player WNBA star, that played in Europe this past season, made it to their team yet or is still injured like Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever. Still, her team managed to win against Washington last night 64-53.

Talking about players that don’t come to the WNBA - Penny Taylor. Penny decided to work out with her Olympic team this summer instead of joining the WNBA - that’s what I call national pride!

Short recap of the other WNBA games: Detroit wins at Houston (85-66, Connecticut wins against the new WNBA team Atlanta 100-68, Sacramento wins in San Antonio 73-64 and Seattle wins its forst game of the season against Chicago 67-61.

Besides the Phoenix, ever home team won their game - talking about home court adavantage!

You can visit the team’s website and also see the team here.

Michelle said, “For such a long time, I have worked extremely hard in order to get to this level. I feel good about this commitment with Lotos Gdynia. I am very excited to not only play in the Euroleague, but also to have the chance to live in Poland and explore my roots.”

The new season starts on September 1st. Over the next few weeks we will keep you updated on Michelle’s new team as well as other things going on.