Sunday, August 28, 2011

USC Salkehatchie VS Tri County Tech (Women) Won 6-0


USC Salkehatchie VS Tri-County (Men) won 6-1


Head Coach Bill Glass Indians victory (Women's)


Head Coach Bill Glass Indians victory (Men's)






Saturday, August 27, 2011

Photo's from today's action against Tri County Tech (WOMEN)

















USC Salkehatchie women open season with huge 6-0 victory over Tri County Tech



The USC Sallkehatchie Lady Indians soccer team dominated Tri County Technical college right from the start today in their 6-nill victory over the Hawks.



Amelia Green scored the opening goal for the Indians and that lead things off. Tri County Tech stiffened on defense to hold the score at 1-0 at the end of the 1st half.


In the second half, Brittany May scored the second goal to give the Indians a 2-0 lead with 26:58 left in the half. Sherrika Othello would get a goal at the 19 minute mark left in the half and the Indians went up 3-0 at that point.



With 15 minutes left, Lizeth Trujillo increased the Indians lead to 4-0 with her goal.

At the 11:40 mark, Amelia Green got her second goal of the contest to up the score to 5-0.



The final goal of the day came from Andy Upchurch to put the score at 6-nill.


Tuesday's scheduled game against USC Sumter has been cancelled, the Indians will be back in action on next Saturday against Spartanburg Methodist College.

Photo's from today action USC Salkehatchie VS Tri County Tech (MEN)

To view larger, click on the photo~Look for more of the action on www.uscsalkathletics.com this coming Friday~













USC Salkehatchie men defeat Tri-County by a final of 6-1 to opening season

The USC Salkehatchie Indians men's soccer team opened the 2011 soccer season with a victory over Region X foe Tri-County Technical College.

The Indians scored first, when Jarrell Smalls found goal on their first possession of the game. Tri-County would score two minutes later to tie the contest at one all.

USC Sallkehatchie would get two more goals in the 1st half, first by Papi Fall and then by Jason King. The Indians let 3-1 at half-time.

In the second half the Indians broke the game wide open with 20:41 remaining, Daniel Hernandez drove goal and scored.

Sophomore Jack Jemison would add the 5th goal with 15:40 left and freshman Gino Lucarelli added the 6th and final goal with 12:40 left.

The Indians are now 1-0 on the season and 1-0 in Region X play.\

They will be back in action August 31th against USC Sumter in a Region X match-up at 3:00 in Sumter, South Carolina.

I will add photo's from today's action after the women's game VS Tri-County going on now.

USC Salkehatchie Soccer HOME today!!!

The USC Salkehatchie Indians men's and women's soccer teams will kick-off their 2011 regular season today at HOME against Tri-County Technical College. The men will start at 3:00 pm with the women following at 5:00 pm. Today's game are also a Region X match-up!

Come out and show your support for the Indians~

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

NJCAA Announces Partnership with iHigh.com® with NJCAA TV



Colorado Springs, Colo. -- iHigh.com®, the Global Youth Network, and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) today announced a partnership between the two organizations that will provide a greater spotlight on two-year college athletics across the United States.

Thanks to iHigh’s feature rich platform, including its live streaming capabilities, the NJCAA’s video streaming identity ‘NJCAA TV’ will move to the iHigh online network and will broadcast select championship events to fans all over the world during the 2011-2012 season - including live streaming to mobile devices. NJCAA TV was launched in 2009 on the NJCAA website through a partnership with Panhandle Sports Broadcasting (PSB LIVE) and provided live streaming of 12 NJCAA championship events over the past two years. NJCAA TV viewership during that span eclipsed 600,000 (live + archive).

The move to the iHigh.com network will help NJCAA TV expand its coverage of championship events and also provide NJCAA member colleges immediate access to iHigh’s robust platform and video streaming capabilities for their regular season events on the NJCAA TV iHigh network. PSB Live will continue its partnership with the NJCAA and will also broadcast several championship events during the 2011-12 season on NJCAA TV.

“NJCAA TV, after just two years, has been a huge success,” said NJCAA Executive Director Mary Ellen Leicht. “By partnering with iHigh, the NJCAA will capitalize even more on that success and increase the exposure of the NJCAA and its student-athletes and member colleges. Not only will this agreement increase the visibility of the organization, but it also provides the opportunity for the NJCAA and its member colleges to generate potential revenue by tapping into the proven and established marketing efforts iHigh currently has in place.”

The new partnership highlights the NJCAA’s continuing effort to showcase the organization to a national audience. As the second largest national collegiate sports organization in the United States, the NJCAA is dedicated to putting the spotlight on the two-year college student-athlete, coaches and academic institutions. Through its agreements with both iHigh and PSB Live the NJCAA looks to generate more interest in athletics for its member colleges and provide each campus an outlet for educational outreach and to build academic interest.

iHigh.com is the fastest growing website in the youth web market. According to ComScore, the industry-leading internet measurement service, iHigh has been growing at over 350% year on year. Founded by CEO Jim Host, the company started with a focus on high schools nearly 12 years ago. More recently, the company has rapidly expanded its offerings to small colleges and universities, and youth organizations large and small such as USA Hockey, BMX, debate, AAU and others. The company provides full featured, robust websites to these institutions and organizations at no cost. The iHigh.com platform is conducive to aggregating affinity groups under one umbrella and then showcasing them to a global audience.

Jim Host is no stranger to affinity aggregation. As founder of HOST Communications (which later became IMG College), Mr. Host began a long standing business relationship with the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1975 and is personally credited with implementing the first collegiate corporate sports marketing program for the NCAA in 1984. HOST handled all radio, publishing, marketing and corporate marketing for the NCAA for over 25 years. Most recently, Host served as chairman of the Louisville Arena Authority, which recently opened the $238 Million KFC YUM Center. The 14,000 sq. foot lobby of the facility was named Host Hall at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in his honor. Host was also the founding chairman of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which were held in Kentucky in September 2010.

“We are very excited to partner with the NJCAA and its more than 500 Junior Colleges and Community Colleges,” Host said about the new partnership. “These grassroots level schools have historically been overshadowed by the much larger universities. Now, through the use of the iHigh platform, they can provide greater opportunities for their student-athletes to gain much needed exposure. The NJCAA Network will also have a tool to bring more cohesiveness to the entire association while still allowing for individual school independence. We look forward to facilitating greater visibility to each of the member colleges, while also forging new avenues of revenue opportunities along the way. Ultimately, the goal is to help the NJCAA and its institutions thrive in this challenging economic environment.”

Visit the NJCAA TV powered by iHigh.com channel by logging on to www.njcaatv.ihigh.com. Past NJCAA championship contests are available to view now, and future championships will be streamed live over the website in the coming months.

About iHigh.com®:
iHigh.com®, Inc. is a Global Youth Network providing free Web services to schools, students and other youth organizations around the world. iHigh.com® provides free Web tools that allow sports teams and other groups to post live streaming video, stories, photos, video clips, schedules and other information to a page customized with a group's colors and logos. For more information, go to http://www.iHigh.com.

About the NJCAA:
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of two-year college athletics, offering athletic and academic opportunities to college students. It is the second largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with over 500 member schools in 43 states. Each year over 60,000 student-athletes compete in one of 28 different sports and the organization sponsors 48 national championship events and nine football bowl games. For more visit http://www.njcaa.org.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011




(Photo's by Jeff Wicker)



The USC Salkehatchie Indians men's soccer team traveled to Newberry, South Carolina on Monday to face Newberry College. The Indians fell to the Wolves by a final of 3-1. Kane Pierce had 6 saves in goal, the Indians only goal came from Andre McFarlane on an assist by Ibrahima Seck.


The men will be back in action against Region X foe Tri-County Tech on Saturday August 27th at 3:00 pm.

Top scorer from Florida on campus with Indians basketball team~


One of the Florida’s top-scoring guards over the past few seasons has found a home at the next level.

Former Vanguard standout Brandon Farmer recently inked a deal with USC-Salkehatchie.

The four-year starter averaged 13 points as a senior and finished his career with 1,287 points.

Farmer and his mother, Maxine, are the only mother-son duo to both total more than 1,000 points in their career in Marion County history.

This past year also saw Farmer spend time as a standout defensive back for the VHS football team, which advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 1994.

USC-Salkehatchie finished 18-13 last season and is a member of the Carolinas Junior College Conference.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Video from USC Salkehatchie men's VS Brewton Parker! Soccer action~

The USC Salkehatchie VS Brewton Parker MEN'S soccer match first video below, compliments of Brewton Parker via YouTube. To view more from the action, go to www.youtube.com and type in usc salkahatchie VS Brewton Parker soccer - They have 6-parts in all~












David Williams headed to NAIA powerhouse SPSU



After completing all eligibility requirements for the NAIA, David Williams MVP of last year’s Indians Soccer Team has accepted a scholarship to play for Nationally Ranked NAIA Powerhouse Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

USC Salkehatchie Men get opening win against Brewton Parker, women fall on penalty kick goal~


The USC Salkehatchie boys defeated Brewton Parker in their opening game of the season 3-2 on goals by Smalls, Seck and Wiggans. Fall and Vakufac each had an assist, Pearce played in goal the full 90 mins.

The USC Salkehatchie girls lost 0-1 on a PK goal, Van Hulst played 90 mins in goal during the loss to Brewton-Parker.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

2011 USC Salkehatchie men's season preview~

(Both the men's and women's teams kick-off the season this Friday at Brewton Parker!)


USC Salkehatchie Women’s Soccer 2011 Season Preview



The 2011 soccer season will be the sixth campaign for the USC Salkehatchie women’s soccer program. Each year the ladies have taken another step forward and this year will be no exception.
This is a bold statement when you consider that the Indians graduated 8 players in May. As an indicator of the progress the team has made over the years, 7 of those players received soccer scholarships to continue their playing careers at four-year colleges.

Despite losing so many quality players, confidence among the Indians is high. The team will return a nucleus of strong players including center back Jess Marchant of Queensland, Australia, who was named to the 2010 All Region team for NJCAA Region X. Jess will have familiar players manning the defense with her as she will be joined on the back line by other sophomores including Lashera Chisholm of Chester, Dana Crews of Nahunta, GA, and Devon Cocuzza of Bluffton. Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle van Hulst of Walterboro, a former standout at Colleton County High School, will play in goal for the Indians. “With our goalkeeper and most of our back line returning from a team that was noted for strong defense in 2010,” says Bill Glass, USC Salkehatchie Head Soccer Coach, “the defense should pick right up where it left off last year.” Glass means that the 2011 squad should be just as hard to score on as last year’s team which had a record of 7-8-4. That is a lot of ties when you consider that each tie represents a stellar defensive effort not just for 90 minutes, but for 110 minutes! In fact, the team’s defense carried the ladies deep into second overtime at the NJCAA Region X tournament semi-final match last November when a penalty call in the box led to the Indians being knocked out of the tournament by Spartanburg-Methodist on a score of 1-0. This year’s players are determined to go even further into the Region X Tournament than last year’s squad; in fact they want to win the championship!

To be successful, the team will need to have depth, and this year’s defense will be bolstered with the addition of goalkeepers Lizeth Trujillo of Bluffton and Blakeney Sanders of Barnwell. Sierra Lamar of South Aiken is a strong outside defender who also played sweeper as a varsity soccer player at Silver Bluff High School. The Indians are also very excited about adding a little island flavor to the side in the form of central defender Amelia Green of Antigua. Green has played high level club soccer for years and is a national team player for her home country.

The biggest opportunity for improvement this year is on offense. “The midfield is critical to generating and sustaining attacks,” according to Glass. Therefore he is pleased to have midfielder Lauren Pierson returning to the squad after suffering an injury in 2009 which kept her out of action last year. Pierson was a standout attacking player at Wade Hampton High School (H). She will be joined in the midfield by freshman Sherrieka Othello of Miami, FL, who made her mark playing for Miami Springs High School. Cyles Barnes also of Miami, FL, teamed up with Othello at Miami Springs and plays defensive midfield. The Indians will also be able to rely on Andrea Upchurch of Pelion who gained valuable experience playing midfield and forward on the varsity for Pelion High School.

Of course, when you think of attacking soccer, you think of your forwards who are primarily responsible for putting the ball in the opponents net. “This year we will be looking to do a better job finishing off attacks than we did last year,” according to Glass. “Our ladies did a great job building up attacks last year and finding the early over or through ball; however we could have done a better job finishing.” To this end Glass believes that the team will generate more firepower this year than it mustered in 2010. Courtney Lowe, a strong club player from New South Wales, Australia, will be a key part of the attacking equation along with Brittany May of Moncks Corner. May was the leading scorer for Berkeley High School last year. Michelle Adams of Hinesville, GA, and Nicole Lewis of Saint Louis, MO, are also expected to make an impact for the Indians up top.

Training camp for the 2011 season will begin on Monday, August 1, and the Indians will face Brewton-Parker College in an exhibition match at 5 pm on August 12 in Mount Vernon, Georgia.
The team will then play an exhibition match versus Converse College at 5 pm on August 19 in Spartanburg. On August 24, the Indians will drive down to Bluffton for a friendly match with USC Beaufort and then kick off the regular season at 5 pm on August 27 with a home game versus Tri County Technical College.

“This team is going to get off to a fast start,” predicts Glass. “We have an excellent recruiting class this year and a group of very strong players coming back. The returning players will help the newcomers get up to speed quickly.” The Indians players have been on Facebook back and forth all summer talking to each other and encouraging each other to stick with their summer conditioning program. They are all very excited about the upcoming season. The team has some lofty ambitions for the season. “I get the impressions that our sophomores believe they have some unfinished business left over from last year to take care of before they move on from here,” says Glass.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

2011 USC Salkehatchie men and women's soccer team photo's~

Click on image to view larger or to print~
(2011 USC Salkehatchie men's soccer team)

(2011 USC Salkehatchie women's soccer team)

Indians baseball player, Nick Smiley comes in to secure Post 109 (Gaffney) Southeast Regional American Legion Championship~

(Nick Smiley shown with American Legion Southeast Regional Championship trophy)




(Gaffney Post 109 Southeast Regional champions)






SUMTER — Gaffney is headed to the American Legion World Series, Indians Nick Smiley comes in to secure victory.

It's not a long trip. Only 20 miles.

But what a big one.

Every round of this baseball postseason is actually getting closer to home. State champion Gaffney won the Southeast Regional, 14-6, Monday night at Riley Park against Bradenton, Fla., and earned a spot in the eight-team World Series at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C.

Gaffney will open 8:30 p.m. Friday against New Hampshire champion Bedford. It will be the shortest road trip of the season. All the league games are further away.

“I think it's a great thing,” Gaffney head coach Zach Clary said. “Hopefully, it will help us and we can get a lot of people to come out and support us.”

Gaffney, which came into the final day on a 10-game winning streak, had two chances to win but only needed the first. It was 10-3 after three innings.

Smiles began cracking in a relaxed dugout.

“We knew as soon as we got ahead that we were going to stay ahead,” said Gaffney second baseman and leadoff hitter Jared Mills, who scored five runs in the first six innings.

“In the eighth,” Clary said, “I looked at (assistant coach) Bubba (Wright) and he gave me a look like, ‘All right. This is really happening.' ”

Post 109 will become only the fourth team from South Carolina to make the World Series in the past three decades. Sumter was there in 2006 and 2008, Richland in 2000.

South Carolina's only national champion was Spartanburg in 1936, when the tournament was played in Duncan Park Stadium. Spartanburg finished runner-up in 1938 and Columbia in 1931. Another local team got close in 1957. The Final Four that year was Cincinnati; Portland, Ore.; Washington D.C.; and Greer.

Chesnee High School product and Lander University signee Colby Painter was named the MVP of the Southeastern Regional. He had a quiet 0-for-4 on the final night, but hit .439 for the tournament and was the only player with two home runs. He also pitched five-plus shutout innings of relief Sunday to win against Bradenton, 8-5, and put Gaffney in position.

“I think the whole team deserved MVP,” Painter said. “Everybody contributed in every game. We picked each other up and played great baseball. It's been a lot of fun.”

Gaffney had been to the state championship tournament six times in seven years but had never in program history won the title.

“We just wanted to get to state again,” Clary said. “Now we're going to the World Series. It's crazy. … We showed that we were the best team in the state. Then we showed we are the best team in the Southeast. Now we can see if we are the best team in the country.”

“We are a Cinderella story, I think,” Painter said. “Coming into the playoffs, we knew we had talent but we didn't know we had enough to do what we've done.”

Bryan Munsterman hit a home run to ignite a four-run second inning in which Mills and Dylan Huskey had doubles and Colton Grant beat out a perfect bunt. Gaffney scored five runs with two out in the third. Huskey, Grant, Cody Turner had hits before Jordan Garrett knocked in the final two runs with a sharp single. For the second straight game, Huskey was 3-for-4. Munsterman, Turner and Garrett had two hits each.

Michael Wright pitched the first four innings and left with a 10-3 lead. Kaleb Earls went the next three and Nick Smiley finished with two shutout frames. He ended it with a fly ball and was immediately buried under a celebratory pile for the second week in a row. Smiley also closed out the state championship against Greenville.

“On the bottom again,” he said.

That means Gaffney finished on top.

2011 Men's Soccer preview~



USC Salkehatchie 2011 Men’s Soccer Preview

(Note:We will feature the 2011 women's soccer preview on Wednesday)

With the start of the 2011 soccer season coming on like a freight train, things are heating up at USC Salkehatchie, and we are not just talking about the weather. Coach Glass has been in the midst of feverish activity ordering supplies and equipment, getting the uniforms ready, and working on the field. Soon the players will be coming in and two-a-day practices will begin. “So how does it look for this year?” is the question that keeps coming up. “Ask the players,” says Coach Glass.



So I asked a player. “We are going to win a trophy,” according to returning striker Papy Fall (8 goals, 8 assists last season).

“With the players we got, we have to win something!”

Aside from Papy Fall returning players for 2011 will include midfielders Rene Beteta of Aiken, Daniel Velasquez of Jacksonville, and Jason King of Montego Bay, Jamaica, along with defenders David Johnson of North Lauderdale, FL, and Jack Jemison of Queensland, Australia. Velmir Vejzovic of Jacksonville, FL returns to vie for the starting goalkeeper position and Admir Vakufac also of Jacksonville will join Fall, who hails from Dakar, Senegal, up top. They will be joined by several impressive players who came in as students for the spring semester and participated in spring training activities with the team. This group includes midfielder Mike Phinn of Barnwell, defender Noe Guerrier of Orange Park, FL and forward Estaban Cobo of Jacksonville. “All-in-all, we have 11 students returning who have experience playing together,” according to USC Salkehatchie Head Soccer Coach Bill Glass. “These guys will bring continuity to the team.”

The Indians have also received commitments from 25 recruits who will be joining the 10 returning players to make up the 2011 squad. “We really did not set out to have such a large recruiting class,” said Glass. “It just seemed every time I thought we were done recruiting, another guy came along with an impressive soccer background and asked to participate.” With the large number of capable soccer players being produced by the soccer clubs of the region, and the passion players have for the game, most colleges are carrying large numbers of players on the roster.

The 2011 recruiting class will feature forwards Robbie Bacon of Hinesville, GA, Tavoy Rose of Gaston, Ibrahima Seck of College Park, GA, Raul Gallegos of Aiken, and Jarrel Smalls of Mount Pleasant. Midfielders coming in new for 2011 include Aizaz Choudhry of Centennial, CO, Elijah Dominic of Cheverly, MD, Darius Holmes of Denmark, Brandon Farley, Corey Baynard and JD Crance of Summerville, Brantley Wiggins of Walterboro and Samuel Tucker of Charleston. Coming in to shore up the back line will be Gino Lucarelli of Goose Creek, Hubert Appiah-Kubi of Riverdale, GA, Danial Hernandez of Johns Island, Nassir Mugozi of Coventry, England, Sheldon Grimes of Bamberg, and Wayne Preddie of Baton Rouge, LA. Joining the keeper corps are Brandon Ashdown of Hinesville, GA, and Kane Pierce of Queensland, Australia.

A look at the list of 2011 recruits shows that the new players come from diverse backgrounds. Some are home grown talent, others are from out-of-state and some honed their soccer skills on far distant shores. The state of South Carolina is well represented. For example state champion Wando High School is sending all-state striker Jarrel Smalls. Tavoy Rose who grew up in Jamaica was a prolific goal scorer for Airport High School. Gino Lucarelli graduated from soccer stronghold Stratford High School. Summerville High School is providing the Indians with several players who come with valuable club experience as well as high school varsity experience in Brandon Farley, Corey Baynard and JD Crance. Soccer powerhouse James Island High School has contributed left back Daniel Hernandez and center mid Tucker Hamilton, and former Colleton County High School star midfielder Brantley Wiggins joins the Indians by way of NCAA D-II Erskine College. “It is very gratifying to have players of this caliber who have been developed right here in South Carolina joining the Indians,” said Glass. “I want to see these players make their mark in the NJCAA and then go on to continue their soccer and academic careers at NCAA and NAIA institutions.”

Over the years, Glass has had many soccer players come from out of state.
This year is no exception with Ibrahima Seck and Hubert Appiah-Kubi coming to the team from the Atlanta area. Seck is originally from Senegal and Appiah-Kubi moved to the U.S. from Ghana. Liberty County High School in the Savannah area graduated Robbie Bacon, a striker with explosive speed, and Brandon Ashdown, their varsity goalkeeper. Wayne Preddie comes to the Indians from Baton Rouge, his family is
originally from Jamaica, and Aizaz Choudhry is coming to the low country from mile
high Centennial Colorado where he was a standout player for Grandview High School. New players coming in from overseas include Kane Pierce of Queensland, Australia, who played high level club soccer down under; Nassir Mugozi comes to Salk by way of England where he benefited from the high level of competition in that football
loving country.

“It is a solid recruiting class and they all have the skills to be successful in the NJCAA and ultimately move on to the NAIA or NCAA,” according to Coach Glass.



“The question is: can they adjust to the discipline required of players within a college soccer program and can they perform in the classroom?”

Coach Glass frequently gets calls from coaches at four year colleges seeking his recommendations for players who are graduating after two years at USC Salkehatchie. Sadly, many players who have the skills that would qualify them for attractive scholarships to NAIA and NCAA colleges, do not have the grades required or cannot be recommended due to failure to abide by team rules. “The first thing coaches ask me about a player regards character,” according to Glass, “next is grades, and then finally if still interested they will ask about students playing ability.”

On August 1, the new players and returning players will have a fitness test to kick off preseason training. Following almost two weeks of practice, the Indians will travel to Mount Vernon, GA, to play a scrimmage versus Brewton-Parker College
at 3 pm on August 12. Next the Indians travel to Aiken for a friendly with the USC Aiken Pacers at 6pm. The team will wrap up the preseason with an exhibition versus the Newberry College Wolves at Newberry on August 22nd at 5pm. The Indians will then kick off the regular season with a match at home on August 27th at 3pm versus NJCAA Region X rival Tri-County Technical College.

“At this point everyone is excited about the upcoming season, everyone sees that there will be no shortage of talent on the Indians this year,” according to Glass. “Now we just need to put all that talent together to form a winning combination.”

Friday, August 5, 2011

Watch USC Salkehatchie Mark Cooper (Basketball) New Interview with Star Tribune-and article below.




Taj McWilliams-Franklin's layup brought down the house.

With a head fake, a dazzling spin and a swift up-and-under move, the 6-2 Lynx center embarrassed her defender, whose hopes of blocking the shot of the WNBA's oldest player vanished as McWilliams-Franklin soared to the rim.

Her Lynx teammates hooted and hollered. The defender, head shaking in disbelief on the baseline, pleaded in vain for a travel call that never came.

During an intensely focused morning practice inside a Target Center void of fans, the Lynx enjoyed their relatively unseen moment of glory with some good-natured ribbing.

Once again, they had shown up the men.

"You want to come out with your 'A' game, you don't want to come out here and get embarrassed," said Mark Cooper Jr., one of the 20 or so local men who regularly practice against the Lynx, before breaking into a laugh. "Well, today, Taj did a good move on me, she got me into the air with a spin. Everybody was going nuts."

As they do each practice, the men, organized by assistant coach Jim Petersen and former Armstrong player Tommy Franklin, acted as a scout team by executing the offensive schemes of the Lynx's next opponent. This time, they impersonated Seattle players.

"We'll mark each player, say you're Sue Bird today or you're Diana Taurasi," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We try to get that guy to simulate what the player's going to do the next night. It gives us an idea of what we're going to face."

Most of the practice, however, was spent mirroring the Storm's defensive looks, working on man-to-man coverage and hedging ball screens against the Lynx offense.

Having an extra squad -- on this day, seven men -- enables Reeve to shuffle her players on the court at a pace resembling hockey line changes.

"It's especially important because our roster size is so small," said Lynx guard Candice Wiggins, who has been practicing against men dating to her days at Stanford. "We don't have to beat up on each other. Guys are faster, stronger. For me, there's no woman in the WNBA who's going to be as physical as these guys are."

The scrimmages, commonplace in the WNBA and college programs, are a two-way street. For players such as Cooper, a former Park Center standout who will play junior college basketball at South Carolina Salkehatchie in the fall, or Peter Olafeso, an NSIC all-conference guard at Concordia (St. Paul), scrimmaging provides a professional-level workout absent from local gyms.

"During the summer it's really hard to simulate game-time experience," Olafeso said. "I don't get this kind of discipline during the summer. We run plays from all the teams they play against. For us to get that down in one day, that's an advantage right there."

For others -- such as Kene Anigbogu, a Division I football recruit who is also the brother of Lynx forward Charde Houston -- the practices provide a grueling workout, one in which at least three head-snapping crashes into brick walls known as McWilliams-Franklin or Rebekkah Brunson are always free.

"It threw me off at first, how aggressive they are. Whenever you face Brunson or Maya Moore, they'll attack you hard," said Cooper, who is receiving looks from D-I programs such as Western Kentucky and Hawaii. "They'll hit you hard with a screen, they'll headhunt, they'll get you. Always try to make sure you don't get knocked down, because they will put you on your butt."

Even so, the men realize their role as challengers, depositing all ego at the door in favor of a mutual respect.

"They know it's not about them," Reeve said. "They know they're not trying out for the Timberwolves. Overall, they're generous with their time and it's been really beneficial to our team."

Given the first-place Lynx's recent success, maybe not all the ego is left on the sidelines