You are all in trouble now!

Another crazy obsessed sporty chick that will be bombarding the site with stories about the Big 12. And, as you wonderful readers should already know, you need some information and representation from a conference that currently has seven - yes seven - quality women's basketball programs ranked in the top 20 in the nation. This "Magnificent Seven" currently includes one of the two undefeated teams on the season - Nebraska.

OK, back to me and why you should care to read what I spew. Sometimes you'll get a brief glance, sometimes some rants, sometimes the inside slants and sometimes just a kick in the pants by Lantz. But you'll always get my passionate take on the game, the player, the coach or the call. You'll always get someone trying to provide information that you might find not only relevant, but also entertaining.

While I bleed Oklahoma State orange and black, I am really a proponent of the Big 12, any way you mix it up (well, unless it's crimson and cream - tee hee) and hope to provide a little balance from the middle of the country. My sports love runs deep - from the gridiron to the hardcourt, the diamond to the 18th green and if you want to know more about me or my thoughts from the non-basketball persuasion, here's my own blog bio.

I look forward to giving you a glimpse into what I think is most certainly the best conference in the country - the Big 12.

Jessica

Swish Appeal Integrates Access With Analysis And Voice - Blog Huddle
Yes, it is "only" women's basketball which doesn't exactly have "mass" appeal but there's no denying the great work being done by Q McCall over at "Swish" Appeal.

Q is currently going around the entire WNBA, conducting phone interviews with head coaches or GM's for each team and then smoothly integrating their responses into his already excellent statistical, positional and salary analysis. His approach goes beyond the typical Q and A type interview to mix in what's always been the purview of the blog with a true insider's perspective giving fans a highly valuable and unique vision into their teams.

So far he's done the Sun, Lynx and Dream with more to come. I've heard from a source in the WNBA that Q's work is quickly gaining notice and recognition in front offices and this only helps raise the overall profile and reputation of the entire network.

Every story has a beginning- it's just that the beginning of one story comes in the middle of someone else's.  To explain myself, and why I'm here, I have to go a little further back.

So, in a sense, this intro post is the story of a woman who agreed to keep her hair long in exchange for her soon-to-be husband not protesting her Rangers season tickets; a woman who tailgates faithfully at Giants Stadium once a year; a woman who prefers the NCAAs to the NBA because of the style of play; a woman who grew up in the glory days of the Yankees; and most importantly of all, a woman who believed the time had come for a major women's league, and who dragged her 12-year-old daughter to the first game at MSG.

And in a sense, this intro post is the story of a man who eschews American sports for their nattering commentators and ridiculous salaries; a man who follows Italian soccer from an armchair in Queens; a man who watches the Serie A game on RAI like it was religion, no matter what teams are playing; a man who chose his sport and his league for crisp passing and playmaking, not high scoring; a man who occasionally pokes fun at his daughter's obsession, but who makes a quilt out of a replica conference championship banner for her.

This is who I am.  I love my teams passionately, but I love the game even more.  Show me teamwork.  Show me defense.  Show me intensity.  Show me a crowd that's just as into the game as the players are.

I'm a storyteller.  That's what I take pride in.  That's what I like to think is my greatest skill.  I hope to make you, the reader, feel as if you were next to me at the game.  I want you to see the game in your mind's eye, feel the basketball pounding against the hardwood, hear the fans shrieking about the bad calls, smell the popcorn and hot dogs from the concession stand around the corner, and taste the soda in your mouth.  By the time you finish reading one of my posts, I hope that you think your butt hurts from sitting in the bleachers, your throat is sore from screaming encouragement to the team of your choice, and that you're just coming down from an adrenaline high.  I want you to be surprised that you're at a computer, reading a blog entry.  I don't want to get bogged down in specifics.  I want to give you the general feel.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to pack my bag and check the train schedule.  My team's got a road game tomorrow, and you can be sure I'll give you the skinny.

Mechelle Voepel wrote during the WNBA Finals that, "There is something a little extra special about seeing players in the WNBA Finals that you got a chance to watch a lot when they were in college."

Voepel’s statement describes one of the primary reasons I am excited about Swish Appeal’s transition to women’s college basketball coverage for the 2009-2010 season: it’s that little something extra we can learn about the game in its entirety by understanding the college to professional pipeline.

For a basketball junkie like me, it’s like being a seven year old in Toys’R’Us again (which is where I believe I bought my first Nerf Hoop).

It is my belief that part of women’s basketball solidifying its place in the national sports conversation is following the types of stories that Voepel describes and developing the "characters" that people can follow into the professional ranks. In addition to the emotional attachment that develops between players and fans over time, it’s exciting to watch a basketball player develop their game over time.

Most importantly, following women’s college basketball is not only about giving the game the exposure it deserves but appreciating and honoring the value of female athletes having the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate athletics, beyond the lofty political rhetoric.

But of course, Phoenix Stan and I couldn’t manage following all of women’s college basketball by ourselves, so we set out to add writers that could contribute to the effort.

In the spirit of SB Nation, we looked for passionate fans to write about the teams they love from a local perspective and complement -- not compete with -- more traditional media outlets. Ultimately, as people who care about the development of women's sports, the goal is to give the game the quality of coverage it deserves, but rarely gets...and do so in a style that is both informative and engaging.

While a secondary goal was to help Swish Appeal overcome its blatant West Coast bias and provide a more complete portrait of women’s college basketball from across the nation, by some strange twist of fate, we happened to end up with three Big East writers.

So much for being fair and balanced.

However, with 7 of the top teams in the nation (based on pre-season polls) playing in either the Big East or Pac-10, in addition to some of the top talent in the nation, we believe that we will be able to provide solid commentary on some of the top stories developing in the game as well as interesting analysis. Every writer has a unique lens on the game and differing levels of experience.

But judge for yourself -- without further ado, I introduce you to our Swish Appeal college writers.

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As written previously by Phoenix Stan, "SB Nation is poised to be a major player in the reshaping of the sports media world."

In that spirit, it is fitting that SB Nation launch a women’s basketball site dedicated to providing in-depth analysis of the sport at both the professional and collegiate levels.

In keeping with SB Nation’s innovative use of social media in reshaping sports journalism, our vision is a basketball site that goes beyond merely providing game reports; instead, we want to capture the narratives that fuel our passion for the game, while maintaining the critical stance that helps us understand the game better.

However, it is reasonable to wonder why two relatively recent WNBA converts are undertaking this challenge of bringing women’s basketball to SB Nation.

One way to respond is that Swish Appeal is the extension of our ongoing inquiry about the game we have both loved long before turning our attention to the WNBA. So our work is guided by two questions, the first about what we cover and the second about how we cover basketball:

1. How can we more fully appreciate women’s basketball as a variation of the sport rather than merely a second-rate summer hobby?
2. How can social media change the way professional sports like the WNBA are covered?

Therefore, our goal at Swish Appeal is to approach women’s basketball with a learner’s mindset – asking questions, maintaining an open mind, and continuously challenging ourselves to "rethink basketball" – as a means to appreciate women’s basketball on its own terms.

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