SHOCK TRADES HORNBUCKLE FOR McCANTS
Completing an overhaul of the roster he inherited from Detroit, Tulsa head coach Nolan Richardson traded guard Alexis Hornbuckle to the Minnesota Lynx for forward Rashanda McCants. Hornbuckle is averaging 5.8 ppg. and 3.5 rpg.. She was the last player on the Shock roster remaining from the days in Detroit, which included three WNBA championships. McCants, who played her collegiate ball at North Carolina, is in her second year in the league.

PAC-10 TO CHANGE NAME
When Colorado and Utah join the Pac-10 in 2011, the league will change its name to the Pac-12. Along with the new name will be a new logo, and a more aggressive marketing campaign.

USA WOMEN CAPTURE FIBA U17 TITLE
The inaugural 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship is history, and the initial winner is the USA women's U17 team that went through the competition unblemished in eight outings. The Americans defeated the host France 92-62 in the gold medal game on July 25. It was the second win over the French for the USA, as the Americans were victorious in the opening game of preliminary play. For the fifth time in the eight-game tournament, all 12 U.S. players scored, led by 20 points and six assists from Ariel Massengale (Bolingbrook (IL) HS); 15 points, five rebounds and three assists from Kaleena Lewis (Mater Dei HS, Anaheim, CA; and 15 points five rebounds and three blocks from Elizabeth Williams (Princess Anne HS, Virginia Beach, VA).

ACC/ESPN ANNOUNCE NEW AGREEMENT
Women's basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference will get great TV coverage thanks to the new 12-year contract between the ACC and ESPN. The new deal could be worth as much as $1.86 billion. The entire women's basketball tournament will be televised.

BUDKE HAS SALARY BUMPED UP
Kurt Budke, who has led the Oklahoma State women's basketball team to the NCAA tournament in three of the last four years, is seeing his salary increase from $407,000 to $450,000 per year, and his contract has been extended through June 30, 2017. Budke is 94-68 overall in five seasons with the Cowgirls in the Big 12 Conference, considered one of the toughest women's basketball leagues in the country.

BRAXTON TRADED TO MERCURY
The Tulsa Shock of the WNBA traded veteran center Kara Braxton to Phoenix in exchange for forward/center Nicole Ohlde and the Mercury's 2011 first-round draft choice. Braxton, a 6-6 forward/center, is averaging 9.3 ppg. and 4.6 rpg., shooting 50 percent from the field. Ohlde played on last year's championship team at Phoenix after beginning her WNBA career in New York.

RICE RECEIVES WNBA INSPIRATION AWARD
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is this year's WNBA Inspiration Award honoree. She was honored recently at a luncheon in New York City. Rice says, ÒSports remind us what humanity has in common.Ó

WBCA RECOGNIZES TOP CLASSROOM PERFORMANCES
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has announced its winners for the 2009-10 Academic Top 25 Team honor Roll. The award is given to teams throughout the nation that carry the highest grade point averages for the entire season based on the nomination submitted by WBCA-member head coaches. The NCAA Division I winner is Utah Valley University, head coach Cathy Nixon, team GPA 3.63; NCAA Division II: Michigan Tech, John Barnes GPA 3.73; NCAA III: Carnegie Mellon, Geraldine Seidle GPA 3.62; NAIA: Dana College, M. Shane Larson GPA 3.73; JC/CC: Sheridan College, Frank McCarthy GPA 3.57.

BARRY TO CHAIR NCAA WOMEN'S COMMITTEE
Ceal Barry, associate athletic director at Colorado, has been chosen to chair the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee for 2010-11. Barry, in her fourth year as a committee member, will succeed North Carolina's Janet Cone, who has been the chair since 2006. Barry, the winningest coach in Colorado history, retired as women's basketball mentor in 2005 after 22 seasons.

GEORGETOWN COACH GETS CONTRACT EXTENSION
Terri Williams-Flournoy, the head women's basketball coach at Georgetown University for the past five years, has signed a contract extension through the 2014-15 season. Williams-Flournoy is 96-84 with the Hoyas. The 2010 team was 26-7 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, finishing 13th in the AP Top 25 poll.

GRAY NOT CLEARED TO PLAY AT TENNESSEE
Redshirt sophomore forward Amber Gray has not been cleared to play basketball for the Lady Vols. Gray underwent brain surgery last July to clip a brain aneurysm that had hemorrhaged and caused a stroke. She sat out the entire 2009-10 campaign. Tennessee athletic officials consulted with medical experts and announced the decision not to offer the clearance.

MEIER GIVEN NEW FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT AT MIAMI
Katie Meier has signed a new five-year contract to continue to be the head women's basketball coach at the University of Miami. Meier is 72-84 in her first five seasons with the Hurricanes. The 2009-10 team was 22-14, and went 5-1 in the WNIT.

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