The Hawks Will Keep the Kings’ Crowns in Atlanta

ATLANTA—Coming in with an unsightly record of 2-12, the Atlanta Hawks clinched their first home game win and the largest margin in franchise history against the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night, 126-80.  

As if the Kings’ were not already having a tough time on the road (1-9), tonight’s performance from Sacramento earned a spot for top six disgraceful in their franchise. Even though both teams are undergoing a rebuilding season, the Kings desperately used this excuse as a crutch.

“Right now we have the worst record in the, NBA, so any win is a good win and we’ll take it,” said Atlanta’s small forward, Taurean Prince, who scored 14 points.

Competing with young players against high caliber teams has not been easy to come across wins, so this was a huge confidence booster to experience a win on Atlanta’s own hardwood. Especially, humiliating a team by 46 points.

“Forty-six points in the NBA, …It’s almost like you’re laying down,” said Sacramento point guard George Hill.

The Hawks relentlessly danced around the “Kings” with their crowns the entire night, as Atlanta took off on a 9-0 run. Setting the tone early by finishing the first quarter 24-16, the Hawks did not ease up leading the entire way.

Dennis Schroder lead Atlanta in scoring by contributing 21 points and 8 rebounds. While keeping his team poised in the blowout, he was unstoppable from all areas of the court pushing Atlanta to 64-35 at the half.

One-point shy from Schroder, Dewayne Dedmond had his best game out of all four years of his NBA career. Dedmond put up a career high of 20-points and grabbed down 14 rebounds. In the first half alone, Dedmond had 18-points quickly recording a double-double.

“Every win is hard in the NBA,” said Atlanta’s assistant coach Patrick St. Andrews. “Even in blowouts like this. Sacramento is a better team than they showed tonight. They were probably just fatigued.”

Atlanta was unstoppable behind the arc shooting 63.3 percent. Overall, the Hawks put in a great team effort with eight of their players scoring and double figures. Sacramento

Sadly, Sacramento only had two of their players match these numbers attempting to chip away the score to remain competitive. Zach Randolph scored 16 points and George Hill followed contributing 12 points. 

The Kings had a pathetic offensive night, only shooting 35.2 percent.

“Losing’s one thing, but we’ve got to do a better job of competing,” said Sacramento Kings’ head coach Dave Joerger.

As the game slowly came to a wrap, Atlanta bench on each opposing team saw action on the court. The 46-point lead clearly established that a win or even a battle was out of the question.  

“It’s a great feeling,” said Dedmond. “We have to take this momentum, feed off it and get ready for the next game.”

The Atlanta Hawks will look to begin a winning streak at home as they face the Boston Celtics on Saturday, Nov. 18th. 

Dragon Ball Z is Sumpter’s Secret

KENNESAW, Ga--The talk of the season has been Kennesaw State’s wide receiver Justin Sumpter’s one-hand touchdown catch against Liberty University that was featured as the No.1 play on SportsCenter on ESPN. The word quickly got out, and instantly put Kennesaw State on the college football map.

Sumpter was unaware that his catch was featured on ESPN until he received multiple texts from his friends and family members, informing him that he made it on their broadcast.

“It was surprising to see my catch on SportsCenter as the #1 play,” says Sumpter. “When you watch ESPN, you always see a lot of spectacular catches on there, but you never think the one you make is going to be one that makes it.”

What we didn’t know about Justin Sumpter is that he has a certain pregame ritual that he follows before he steps onto the field to make those big plays.

“I wear different Dragon Ball Z shirts under my uniform and draw the symbol on my face every game, and I’ll watch a different episode before the game,” says Sumpter.

Before Sumpter stepped on the field versus Liberty, he watched “Dragon Ball Z Movie 8: The Legendary Super Saiyan”.

For anyone who does not know, Dragon Ball Z is an anime cartoon show that follows the adventures of the main character, Goku. Goku is a powerful superhero who defeats evil along with his Z Warriors.

Dragon Ball Z is one of Sumpter’s favorite television shows that gets him hyped and focused to take on Kennesaw State’s opponents. He explained that this show brings out his “inner Goku”. Sumpter believes that if Goku always gives 100 percent in everything he does and has a pure heart while doing it, then that’s how he should be on the field each possession.

Fellow wide receiver Xavier Harper, who came in with Sumpter as KSU’s only two wide receivers in the 2014 inaugural class, has always known Sumpter’s quirky love for this anime cartoon.

“Since I’ve known Sump, Dragon Ball Z is all he talks about,” said Harper. “I think the t-shirts and hours spent watching the show helps his game. It gives him more confidence and builds his alter ego that helps him turn it on every saturday.”

If that’s what it takes to execute these breathtaking plays, then Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon could buy him a Dragon Ball Z shirt for each game to bring in a ring for the Owls. This season alone, Sumpter has brought in a lot of success and exposure to Kennesaw State

“I’ve noticed it in pregame, but that’s all I know about it,” said head coach Bohannon. “If that’s something that helps Sumpter get ready for the game and perform his best that that’s fine with me!”

Unexpectedly, Sumpter was almost not the super saiyan he is on the gridiron today.

At six-years-old, Justin Sumpter picked up a football out a curiosity and did not let the opinion of others force him to put it down. His mother was opposed to letting him play football because of how dangerous the sport was, so she always encouraged him to stick with basketball. Sumpter’s love for the game of football argued for itself.

His grandfather, Roosevelt Sumpter, who owned a recreational football program in Ohio, was always in Sumpter’s corner trying to help him persuade his mother to let him play. After multiple attempts of begging his mother, Justin Sumpter’s father, Roosevelt Sumpter, chimed in to help convince his wife to let their son play football. Shelia saw how much her son loved the game, so she finally granted permission for him to play. Since then, his football career has taken off.

“I always feared Justin playing football, because he might run into the risk of suffering from a concussion,” said Sumpter’s mom. “But now I’m at every game cheering him on, and I’m so proud of him.”

Thanks to his mom’s permission, Justin Sumpter is now an impact collegiate athlete and a vital piece to the puzzle of why the Owls are having a successful season pushing towards a 10-game winning streak in the final championship game.

Last season, Justin Sumpter feared if he would come back the same player he was after spraining his ankle, but he ended up taking over the Big South Conference ranking first in receiving touchdowns and second in receiving yards.

This season, Sumpter is looking to conquer and exceed his own goals. If Sumpter continues to watch Dragon Ball Z and exert his efforts as a super saiyan on the field, Kennesaw State will dominate in the playoffs and possibly the NFL Draft will likely have his name on it one day.

“You always see Goku putting all his efforts into what he loves,” said Sumpter “That’s what I do. [Goku] sacrifices for his friends, so I go all out for my teammates.” 

Atlanta still dreaming of a playoff position

Atlanta, GA -- When watching an Atlanta Dream game in the second half, you begin to think to yourself “what if the Dream played with these breath taking efforts coming out of the gates?” It would be a completely different ball game, and possibly a better overall record. 

At the end of the day, Atlanta turned up the heat just in time to secure a must-win game, 79-74 over Indiana, to keep its season going, despite having a less than .500 record at 12-20. 

In each post-game conversation, Atlanta’s head Coach Michael Cooper and his team always emphasize how they need to get off to a good start early in the game. We have seen on numerous occasions how they are plagued by slow starts when they do not come out strong, yet Saturday night the same beginning was erased in a huge comeback effort over the Fever. 

Even though Indiana can no longer make the post season, Atlanta is still fighting to sneak in and although their start was once again sluggish, the third quarter was completely different. It was as if the Dream had become a new team – one that was awake and ready to get to work.

After being outscored in the first two periods, Atlanta made sure to return the favor in the third stanza, outscoring the Fever, 20-13.

The charge was led by Tiffany Hayes for the majority of the game (scored a team-high 24), however, rookie guard Brittney Sykes jolted Atlanta forward at the most critical points during the high-intensity game. 

Bria Holmes had snatched down a huge offensive rebound with 21.7 seconds left with the Dream down three. She immediately kicked the ball out to Sykes on the perimeter who raised up and drilled the game tying – currently postseason saving – triple to tie the game up. 

Indiana had a shot at winning the game in regulation as Erica Wheeler handled the ball hoping to get the final basket for Indiana, but, she was being hounded by a pesky defender: Brittney Sykes. Sykes came up huge on the defensive end with 19 seconds left keeping Wheeler’s dribble right in front of her and then driving her into her teammate to force a turnover and ultimately another five minutes of play.

Atlanta Dream puts out the Spark of Los Angeles

 ATLANTA, Ga—The Los Angeles Sparks being the defending champs did not seem to affect the Atlanta Dream the entire night. Sticking close in points throughout the nail-biting game, the Dream were able to put the Sparks away, 75-73.

Putting on show, Tiffany Hayes led the Dream in points with 24 points.

“I just finished the shots I was supposed to finish,” said Hayes. “My teammates were finding the open player, if it was me I was knocking it down.”

Bria Holmes and Sancho Lyttle also contributed with 11 points a piece.

On the opposing side, Alana Beard led the Sparks with a career-high of 25 points, and Nneka Ogwumike put up 15 points for her team as well, but it was not enough to pull out a win.

Before the game, Holmes made it clear that “[they] are not going to let anyone come in their house and take advantage”. The Dream responded well to this by shutting down Los Angeles’ star player, Candace Parker, holding her to only 4 points.

Los Angeles had a chance to send the game into overtime when Chelsea Gray had an opportunity of three free throws. With 6.8 seconds left, she missed the third one on purpose for another teammate to grab and put the rebound back up; however, this did not work in their favor.

Hayes was able to grab and secure the ball as the time wind down confirming their victory.

The Atlanta Dream anticipate carrying this same momentum into Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Stars at the McCamish Pavilion at 11:30am.

Stay in tuned with R3Play for more action on the WNBA and The Atlanta Dream this season!

Photo Credit: Victoria Johnson @vicxmarie

South Carolina clobbers Bulldogs by 50 points

Columbia, SC -- Coming off of a six-game winning streak, the No.16 seed UNC Asheville Bulldogs had all confidence coming in this matchup to create an upset against the No.1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were not able to withstand the heat the Gamecocks brought to the table, putting them away 90-40.

Even though South Carolina without one of their star player -- Alaina Coates, due to an ankle injury – the Gamecocks were able to put in a team effort, in order to help them advance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I thought our players really locked into the game plan and executed on both sides of the ball,” said Coach Dawn Staley of South Carolina.

Both teams came out in the first quarter very strong and relentless as they went back and forth with each other offensively, but this did not last for long. The Bulldogs had no chance against the size and athleticism of South Carolina. Allisha Gray, finishing the game with 22 points, was able to reach double-digit figures in the first quarter alone.

“Every team comes out and thinks they’re able to play us, but once we get in the flow of the game, we take control of the game, and pretty much it’s our game,” said Gray.

Once the Gamecocks were able to settle into their style of basketball, they were able to make a 12-2 run that forced UNC Asheville to call a timeout in the second quarter. South Carolina held the lead, 31-18, making themselves unattainable to catch by UNC Asheville.

South Carolina’s defense was the main factor that fueled their offense. They were able to force multiple turnovers that created numerous fast break opportunities for Bianca Cuevas-Moore. It’s safe to say that they flustered the Bulldogs game plan.

“When you’re giving a very talented team break away layups from turnovers, and second chance points, then you’re going to be in trouble,” said Coach Brenda Kirkpatrick. “You have to dominate those areas, and we did not.”

Coming into the second half with a 48-22 lead, the Gamecocks were able to breathe a little and have fun some with this game. With the combination of Wilson effortlessly putting up 18 points in the paint, Gray knocking down shots from the perimeter to the block, and Cuevas-Moore (18 points) dashing down the court to finish the fast break play, South Carolina knew they had this one underneath their belt.

Going into the fourth quarter with a 48-point lead, the crowd settled down during knowing the outcome game. South Carolina’s bench was able to come in and keep their fire going.

South Carolina will be playing the winner of the Arizona State vs. Michigan State matchup on Sunday, March 19 at the Colonial Life Arena.

Photo Credits: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Lifeless start by Phoenix powers Atlanta forward

The Phoenix Mercury started the game slow; however, they eventually picked up momentum. Their wake-up call came a little too late, as Angel McCoughtry and Tiffany Hayes handled their business to bring home the win for Atlanta.

Atlanta, GA — The Phoenix Mercury had high energy in their warm-ups, full of zest and zeal ... but once the game started, it did not carry over against the Atlanta Dream. Diana Taurasi’s contagious energy pregame, suddenly turned into irritation in the first half.

“I think it’s all about just coming out of the gates,” said Phoenix Head Coach Sandy Brondello. “I just didn’t think we had the energy coming out of the gate. They played with a little bit more sense of urgency than us.”

This irritation came from the referees failing to call fouls both ways. This took the Mercury out of their game in the first half. The Dream were able to contain Taurasi with 13 points and Brittney Griner with eight points. The two have been playing great since returning from the Olympic break, so already limiting them was very helpful for Atlanta.

With that frustration building, along with Taurasi and her other teammates, it did not dissipate, as the Dream ran all over the Mercury with 19 fast break points in the first half alone.

Now we all know Phoenix is capable of making their opponents work for their points with their remarkable, suffocating defense – especially with Griner as the last line of defense.

However, Atlanta was ready; it was almost as if they were one step ahead of the Mercury’s defensive gameplan

“They played aggressive,” said Taurasi. “They did certain things that hurt us. They didn’t do anything special. There are things that we need to take care of like transition defense and second-chance points.”

Once the second half began, I was expecting Phoenix to come out a different team, but there was no change in pace. Atlanta wouldn’t relent, they just kept their foot on the gas, continuing to maintain separation from Mercury.

Do not get me wrong, the Mercury fought, even being down for the majority of the game, they kept themselves within a few possessions of the Dream.

Phoenix cut down Atlanta’s largest lead of 12 points. However, they were not utilizing one of their biggest advantages: Griner.

It is no secret that Griner is 6’9”, because of her wingspan, she can effect the game on two fronts offensively: scoring in the paint and offensive rebounds. However, tonight that was not the case, particularly since she struggled to gain extra possessions for her team. In fact, she did not have any offensive boards the entire game, talk about a rarity.

Now, she was still a large threat for the Mercury, but on the other side of the ball. Griner stepped up and played solid defense, swatting away six shots on the night. She also was the second highest scorer for her team behind Taurasi with 21 points.

Even though Griner had a plethora of blocks on the night, that still didn’t stop rookie Bria Holmes for going off for Atlanta. The young forward put up 18 points for the Dream.

“I just came in for Sancho [Lyttle] to start,” said Holmes. “I just had to keep the momentum for a player that’s hurt. [I] just needed to come out and play my game of basketball.”

In the last two minutes of the game, the opportunity for Phoenix to change the outcome was more than attainable. Taurasi cut down the score to 1 twice (one clutch three and two free throws, which gave her 23 points), but it all came down to who wanted it more.

And the team that wanted it more was the Atlanta Dream – more specifically Tiffany Hayes. Hayes got to her strong hand with 24.7 seconds remaining and drove past Lindsey Harding to the paint. On the way up, Harding fouled Hayes who finished the tough left-handed layup.

After Hayes completed the and-one play, Phoenix called a timeout with a chance to still win the game.

The problem for the Mercury: they took too long to score. Candice Dupree scored on a putback, but that was their third attempt in this offensive sequence. Phoenix had to foul after to stop the clock. But, once again Hayes stepped up to the line and this time drilled two free-throws to ice the game for Atlanta.

Taurasi, Griner, and Dupree all had another chance to make a basket before the final buzzer sounded, but it didn’t come to fruition.

With the win, the Dream have now moved into fifth place in the WNBA standings and Phoenix is in seventh place. Atlanta returns to action Thursday night at Los Angles. Tip-off is set for 10:30 pm ET. The Mercury will not play again until Sunday, September 11th when they face Atlanta again. Tip-off is set for 5 pm ET.

Dream withstand Diggins' big night

Frustration mounting as Dallas drops 6th straight

The Dallas Wings have been desperate for a win since they have been on a five game losing streak. Tonight their star guard, Skylar Diggins led the team with a big night of 29 points, yet it wouldn’t be enough to stop Reshanda Gray and the Atlanta Dream.

Atlanta, GA — Looking to break a five-game losing streak, the Dallas Wings came out with a hungry mindset and paired it with high energy to dictate the first half, however, the Atlanta Dream came out a new team in the second half and was able to dig out a win, 93-88.

"I thought it was a very good basketball game especially after we had a struggle up in Minnesota," said Head Coach, Michael Cooper. "Again, these last three games we wanted to go 2-3 since the week before we didn't do as well.

"Some other players got to step up. Reshanda Gray had a great effort filling, and now we get a good breather. We'll get a chance to get a refresher and be healthy."

Angel McCoughtry was absent from the Dream's starting lineup the first five minutes of the game, but the tempo did not let up, as the rookie, Bria Holmes, fearlessly stepped up big time to temporarily fill in her shoes.

Dallas' key player, Skylar Diggins, went on a scoring rampage with 15 points alone in the first quarter, but Reshanda Gray attacked back by being dangerous in the paint to keep Atlanta in the game.

"First off you have to give credit to Atlanta. They're a physical team, and they protected their home court," said Skylar Diggins. "For us, this is not the way we wanted to go out into the Olympic break.

"We've lost six straight, two in overtime, and four under five points. For us, it's about finishing games. Unfortunately for us, our trend is falling behind by double-digits and burning energy trying to get back into games."

The Dream were able to stick to a solid man-to-man defense, but the Wings relentlessly found countless opportunities to attack and get some free shots at the line to get their offense going.

Close and steady behind Dallas, Atlanta was able to achieve their first lead change of the game, as McCoughtry ripped down the court for a fast-break layup, 42-40.

Having the best game of her season, Gray was very active underneath the basket and dominated the paint. Her name was heard all night as she continued to get the crowd going. In the third quarter, she got off back-to-back AND 1 opportunities, which gave her 22 points and sent Dallas back to the drawing boards.

"Going into the break, we'll have a month of no basketball, so we wanted to go out and get a good win," said Gray. "I have to give credit to my teammates because they were a large part of tonight's success."

Taking over the third quarter, 78-70, Atlanta was a more physical team that limited Diggins' game and maintained form.

Plenette Pierson was able to hit a clutch three at the top of the key that tied up the score 83-83, but the Dream continued to press the gas until the clock ticked out.

The Wings tried to catch up with the Dream in the last few minutes by fouling to cut down time, but Layshia Clarendon was clutch at the line, shooting 80%.

Going into the Olympic Break, Atlanta can rest easy with a win underneath their belt.

Atlanta sticks to the game plan -- and wins

Lyttle's collosal performance ends Dream's 6-game skid

The last time the Dream played the Storm, Atlanta was playing without two key players, Sancho Lyttle and Tiffany Hayes, who were out with hamstring injuries. Tonight, both players were back and even though Lyttle still winced throughout the game with her injury still lurking, she was able to fight through and lead her team.

Atlanta, GA-- The Atlanta Dream were to able to break their six-game losing streak tonight against the Seattle Storm, 77-64.  As the Storm held on closely in points the entire game, Sancho Lyttle went berserk offensively, racking up 22.

"Sancho came out and set the tone for us," said the Atlanta Dream's Coach Michael Cooper. "She really hasn't been asserting herself, but we were that of her asking, and she did it.

When she plays well our big 3 play well. That gives a better chance to win, because then the other people can just add on to what they have already established".

Both teams struggled in the first half to find a rhythm offensively; however, Atlanta's man-to-man defense created multiple turnovers on Seattle's end. The Storm could not seem to take care of the ball having nine turnovers in the first half.

Angel McCoughtry took advantage of these mistakes to wake up the Storm with a fast break layup with Breanna Stewart on her tail.

Little by little, Lyttle led in scoring, by putting up 10 points throughout the first half, which helped her team advance their score. Thanks to teammates like Tiffany Hayes, she gave the perfect assist for Lyttle to attack the basket. Her efforts in the first half kept the Dream's lead.

"We stuck to the plan tonight," said Lyttle. "Previously I think since we were losing a couple we stopped believing in ourselves and tonight we just got back to where we were at the beginning of the season. We came up with a win."

Pulling up for a long two-point shot, Sue Bird was able to tie up the score 28-28 going into the half time.

Lyttle did not waste any time trying to jump start her team's offensive energy coming into the third quarter; however, Jewell Loyd responded with a three to give the Storm their first lead of the game, 31-30.

Atlanta and Seattle began to go back-and-forth with points, as Crystal Langhorne was left open on the elbow, but Elizabeth Williams responded by going to work on her in the paint at the other end of the court. Loyd decided to chip in herself with a big three.

Although Seattle racked up players with fouls, they managed to stick close to the Dream, as they chipped away points. Bird was able to knock down a three to tie up the game again, 43-43.

Ripping down the court, Hayes fought her way through the Storm to get off a fast break layup to force them to call a time out.

Throughout the fourth quarter, Seattle remained close in points with the Dream, but they could not close out the game.

"We did not do a very good job of protecting the paint. We did not rebound well. They got aggressive and we did not resist that," said Seattle Storm's Head Coach Jenny Boucek.

With the clock dwindling down in the last minute, Lyttle continued to go on a scoring rampage, followed by stealing the ball to get the crowd in astonishment. She closed out the game finishing with a double-double, 22 points, 11 rebounds.

Giving back off the court

Catch 22+2: Catchings' Legacy Tour begins

One of the leagues most premier players will begin a tour of not just basketball; however, giving back to the community as well. Tamika Catchings will host a fundraiser and auction to give back to each of the cities she plays in during her last year in the WNBA as a player.

Atlanta, GA -€”- After playing 16 seasons in the WNBA, Indiana Fever's superstar player, Tamika Catchings, will bring her career to a close this season, while carrying out her 12-city Legacy Tour accompanied by her Catch the Stars Foundation.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary this year of WNBA Basketball, Catchings does not want the focus to be on her, but on the organization. She does not want the WNBA to have to make the decision of honoring her or the 20th year.

"I don't want to be honored before or after the game, so we came up with the idea of doing the Legacy Tour, which will benefit my foundation," said Catchings.

"I didn't want to go into a city and be like, ‘Hey, we're going to raise money for Catch The Stars', and then I retire, and nothing else happens, so we came up with the tour idea from the standpoint of being able to give money back to a team or a player that was involved on that team."

With intentions of leaving in an impactful way, Catchings will be hosting a fundraising party after each of the 12 WNBA city games she will play in and will grant $2,000 to a local community partner that promotes fitness, literacy, and mentoring. Catchings will start her tour against the Atlanta Dream May 29th, where she plans on giving the first grant to the Dream Foundation.

Catchings' overall goal is to reach a total of $24,000 across the cities she plays at and to raise $100,000 to support the foundation's objectives that include expanded programming into 11 new cities in 2017.

She also plans on hosting a basketball camp, along with the Atlanta Dream team in 2017.

"I just wanted to do something more impactful. And that will be able to not focus on so much of what we do on the court, but more so of what we do in the community," said Catchings.

Like the number of her jersey, the cost for fans and corporate partners to attend each of the Catchings' Legacy parties is $24, and the first 75 registrants will receive a Catchings Legacy Tour t-shirt. Fans can register to attend at CatchTheStars.org.

She will interact with fans and sign autographs, while auctioning off the shoes she wore during the game that night.

"We thought it would be a cool way to get the fans more engaged. NikeId will release them the same day and Catch the Stars will release them to the media so everyone will have pictures of them 24 hours prior to game time," says Catchings.

She already had fans involved with this legacy tour, as the 12 shoes, she will play in, were created by fans who participated in the Tamika Catchings Legacy Tour Shoe Design Contest.

"I'm excited about how this could be a good year, and not on retirement down the road," says Catchings. This season she is more focused on passing the torch to her teammates and helping them grow during this surreal time, while trying hard not to do everything.

Tamika Catchings 2016 Legacy Tour Schedule

Sunday, May 29 at Atlanta (3:00 p.m.)

Friday, June 3 at New York (7:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, June 14 at Minnesota (7:00 p.m.)

Friday, June 17 at San Antonio (7:00 p.m.)

Saturday, June 25 at Dallas (7:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, June 29 at Chicago (12:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, July 6 at Los Angeles (7:30 p.m.)

Friday, July 8 at Phoenix (7:00 p.m.)

Sunday, July 10 at Seattle (4:00 p.m.)

Saturday, August 27 at Indiana (7:00 p.m.)

Sunday, September 11 at Washington (4:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, September 13 at Connecticut (7:00 p.m.)

New faces in Atlanta

Williams, Holmes turning heads at Dream training camp

Head coach Micheal Cooper is pleased with some of the separation he is seeing with some of the players at the Dream's training camp these last couple days.

Atlanta, GA -- Day two of the 2016 Atlanta Dream training camp is in the books, and the Dream have been working hard and taking it one practice at a time, as they push through their two-a-day practices.

The veterans, Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle, were not present; however, the Dream were able to incorporate their new selections Bria Holmes, Racheal Hollivay, Courtney Walker, and Niya Johnson in the equation while seeing how they presented their game at the next level.

"I thought practice went extremely well today," said Head Coach Michael Cooper.  "This is a situation where the players were kind of tired. New and veterans. We were looking for that separation, and I think they separated themselves pretty good."

Rookie Holmes was very relaxed during her second day, as she focused on her game and answering to what Cooper expects from her. Atlanta is looking for a legitimate backupplayer for McCoughtry, and Holmes could be an ideal fit to fill her shoes when she comes off the court.

"I think overall I progressed a lot since the first day," said Holmes. "The first day waskind of tough, because I was a little nervous and had a little jitters in me, but overall I think I've been playing great. I've been helping my team, getting better by watching the older ones, and I'm just happy to be here!"

Another new face to the Dream is recently acquired second-year player, Elizabeth Williams.

Williams, who came by way of recent trade with the Connecticut Sun, also stood out yesterday, and she looks to be a key player when the ball is tipped off for the official season.

"You know what, I never thought I would have second thoughts about trading our No.4 pick after looking at the draft and what was coming out," said Cooper. "I love Elizabeth. When I was coaching in college, I was actually recruiting her, and she ended up going to Duke, but I always had a good feeling about her and her game.

"She's a defensive minded center, but she's a center that can play the game. We can run our offense through her. I think that's going to be that anchor of any championship team. That middle has to be covered, and she's a great blanket for us."

Overall the Atlanta Dream had a great practice, and they will continue their training camp on Wednesday at 7 am and 5 pm and practice through April 29th.

Atlanta headquarters for Draft Night

The Atlanta Dream will welcome four highly talented players heading into the 2016 season. All four prospects can not only score the ball, however they can defend just as well. Head coach Cooper is excited about Bria Holmes, Rachel Hollivay, Courtney Walker and Niya Johnson.

A Dream come true for new 'defensive demons'

Atlanta, GA -- €”The Atlanta Dream hosted its 2016 WNBA Draft Party at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis to gather all family, friends, and fans to see the four women that will start their new chapter with the Dream.

The four standout athletes: Bria Holmes (No.11), Rachel Hollivay (No.13), Courtney Walker (No.16), and Niya Johnson (No.28) were finally able to breathe as their names were called out to suit up for the Atlanta Dream and join their roster.

"Defensive Demons" is how Coach Michael Cooper described these four as he promised championships to come. He said, "I feel very, very good going into the season! A lot better than I have in the past."

Holmes, the 6'1 guard from West Virginia University, has great versatility, and that's what makes her ability so hard to contain, and Coach Cooper was looking for a player like Holmes to incorporate in his program.

Holmes is ranked second with 99 double-figure scoring and ranked No.3 in Mountaineers' history for career points achieving 2,001. She's a player who is deadly on defense and will be looking to pull up for her midrange shot.

The 6'4 center from Rutgers University, Rachel Hollivay work ethic, size, and energy is what's going to benefit the Dream in the paint.

"We've (need) some toughness," said Cooper. "We worked on rebounds; we're giving up second shots, and I think Rachel Hollivay and Bria Holmes will help us in that area."

Hollivay is Rutgers all-time leader in blocked shots, and she is the first woman in her program to surpass 300 career blocks.

The 5'8 guard from Texas A&M, Courtney Walker, will be a shooting threat for the Dream. She led the SEC in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game. When making his selection, Cooper had to keep in consideration that they "needed help at the small forward spot behind Angel, a backup center that was going to be a tough, tough person, and some scoring off the bench", so Walker will be a perfect fit to the puzzle.

Finally, the Dream was looking for a point guard, and they found the 5'8 guard from Baylor, Niya Johnson. Johnson is a rebounding guard with perfect timing and patience. She is one of only five Division 1 women to record 900 assists and 500 rebounds.

With these new additions, Cooper said, "I think it is going to be an interesting season for us. I think it's going to be a season where we're going to have to grow as a team and work our way through this."

The Atlanta Dream will host their first regular season home game against the Chicago Sky on May 22nd in The Mohegan Sun Arena at 3 pm.

Bulldogs still vicious without Barbee

Bulldogs unleash future on Razorbacks

The Bulldogs came out of their kennel a little slow in the first quarter. Being relaxed didn't last long however, the Bulldogs chased down the Razorbacks to get the win. The seniors went out with a bang on senior night, getting the win for all their starters, including Shacobia Barbee who is currently sidelined.

Athens, GA -- The Georgia Bulldogs' bark was muzzled from the start, but their bite back and chased down the Razorbacks to leave a statement for their last home conference game.

With one of the offensive threats, Schacobia Barbee, out of the equation due to surgery from suffering a fractured left distal fibula against Florida, the Lady Dawgs did their part in the end to make sure they came out with a victory.

Both teams came out with a slow start, and that is how the remainder of the quarter proceeded. It was evident that Barbee was missing from the puzzle. With Georgia struggling with depth, the Lady Dawgs could not find their rhythm offensively against the Razorbacks' man-to-man matchup. They shot 26% from the floor without seeing the foul line the entire first quarter.

Coach Joni Taylor said, "We just weren't settled the first and second quarter, and that's going to happen when you don't have Schacobia out there to direct and lead and do things defensively to get us going, so we were happy to only be down by two at halftime. We were taking shots that were necessarily in our rhythm that we practiced.

Georgia started Arkansas in their strong 1-3-1 zone, which caused them to miss five shots in a row before making a bucket; however, to start off the second quarter, the Razorback's forward, Jessica Jackson, was not afraid to step out the paint and knock down her second three of the game.

Coming from her career high game (28 pts) against Florida last Sunday, Tiaria Griffin could not get a feel for her shot in the first half; however, giving the Lady Dawgs a 6-0 run, Griffin tried to get her momentum going by stealing the ball to take her own fast break.

Missing opportunities underneath the basket, Caliya Robinson lobbed it to Hempe in the paint giving her a clear view to score, but she was not able to finish. Luckily, Pachis Roberts was there to clean it up able to clean it up closing out the half 24-26.

With her foot on the gas pedal, Devin Cosper showed no mercy against the ball as she readily attacked the basket to help keep Arkansas in the game.

Georgia takes the 2pt lead (40-38) as Griffin rips through the rips through a clear lane to get off a nice layup.  Even though Barbee was not in the game, her presence was still there. Griffin said, "She just wants to get us hype, and give us a lot of energy, bring a voice to the team, and try to get us to do a little better than the next time."

In the final quarter, Hempe realized that she had to wake up in her last game at Stegeman Coliseum. Fighting in the paint, she was able to give her team back-to-back points. Hempe was substituted out for Robinson, and she did not let up the energy.

Roberts and Griffin did a phenomenal job finding her underneath, so she can dominate in the paint forcing Arkansas to call a timeout when seeing the scoreboard 60-45.

With less than a minute left, the seniors Griffin, Butter, and Hempe got a standing ovation as they walked away with a 72-57 win to finish their home game career strong.

Arkansas tried to finish out strong, but Robinson Restlessly blocked Briunna Freeman's shot.

While sitting on the bench, Hempe reflected on Robinson's game and said "Caliya played amazing. Her blocking those shots, I mean geez how athletic she looked tonight! And literally in my head, I was like, "This is the future of Georgia Basketball, so it was just amazing to see that!"

Georgia will finish their last regular season game at Tennessee on February 28th.