VCU SPORTSCENTER BRINGS WNBA SUPERSTAR DIANA TAURASI TO RICHMOND

As part of a girlís Amateur Athletic Union event put on by one of the VCU Sportscenterís Action Learning Project groups, Diana Taurasi visited the VCU campus on January 8 and 9^th, 2005. The Womenís National Basketball Association (WNBA) 2004 Rookie of the Year, 2004 Olympic Gold Medallist, and former 3-time National Champion at the University of Connecticut visited the ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Saturday evening, signing autographs and posing for pictures with all of the AAU teams in the tournament. This appearance preceded an instructional clinic by Ms. Taurasi and VCU Womenís Head Basketball Coach Beth Cunningham on Sunday before the VCU vs. James Madison women's basketball game. Coach Cunningham and Diana Taurasi each spoke for 30 minutes in front of a huge crowd, with Diana spending over 20 minutes answering questions from the girls before conducting another autograph signing session.

25 teams of 10-13 year old girls from Virginia and Maryland participated in the AAU tournament. Each team played two games in a fun and exciting atmosphere in a great college facility, with many having the opportunity to play a game on VCU's main court. Games for this one-day event started at 10 a.m. and continued past 9 p.m. on Saturday night.

With the help of a volunteer staff of 14 classmates and 8 high school students, the whole weekend was a great success for the Sportscenter group led by Keith Rafter and Bob Foley and consisting of Ari Gabor, Adrienne Harris, Leon Milkins, Kevin Williams, Pete Wolf, and Joe Haigh. All of the goals of the project were met: putting on a successful AAU event for girls aged 10-13, providing exposure for womenís basketball, the women's basketball program at VCU, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the VCU Sportscenter, and increasing the attendance for the VCU womenís basketball game.

The group will immediately go back to work on its community outreach program, a middle school hoop shoot contest open to all the middle schools in the Richmond area, with the finalists shooting at half time of the VCU vs. Hofstra men's basketball game on January 15^th, 2005.